Tate’s Chubby Chocolate Chip Cookies

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 It never ceases to amaze me just how many recipes there are for chocolate chip cookies. The amounts and combinations of, essentially, the same ingredients is astounding. I am a fan of Tate’s Bakeshop, Kathleen’s various cookbooks (Tate’s Bake Shop Cookbook; Kathleen’s Bake Shop Cookbook: The Best Recipes from Southampton’s Favorite Bakery for Homestyle Cookies, Cakes, Pies, Muffins, and Breads; Tate’s Bake Shop: Baking for Friends; and the delightful, Tate’s Bake Shop: Baking with Kids), and their legendary thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies, so when I saw this recipe in a recent issue of Sweet Paul, I had to give it a try. I won’t say these are my new favorite because, truth be told, I love them all, but I do like the chewier interior on these. If that is something that appeals to you as well, give this recipe a try.

Tate’s Chubby Chocolate Chip Cookies

As seen in Sweet Paul

 2¼ c. unbleached all purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

1 c. firmly packed dark brown sugar

12 T. salted butter, room temperature

½ c. granulated sugar

1 T. light corn syrup

1 large egg plus one large egg yolk, room temperature

2 T. pure vanilla extract

2 c. semi sweet chocolate chips

 Position the oven racks on the top third and center of the oven and preheat to 325°. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

 In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl beat the brown sugar, butter, granulated sugar, and corn syrup with an electric mixer on high speed until combined, about one minute. Beat in the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla. With a mixer on low speed, mix in the flour mixture, just until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.

 Using 2 tablespoons per cookie, drop the dough about 3 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. The mounds of dough can be frozen on the baking sheets until hard, then transferred to a Ziploc plastic bag and frozen for up to one month. Bake without thawing.

 Bake, rotating the positions of the sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking, until cookies are lightly browned on the edges, about 18 minutes.

 

Olive and Parsley Tapenade

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Because I am an avid fancier of olives, all kinds, I tend to love tapenade. As a consequence, I always keep a wide variety of olives on hand. This recipe was inspired by one that I found in Sweet Paul magazine. As with most tapenades, you can add or subtract the ingredients according to your tastes. I found this worked perfectly, and I just eyeballed rather than measured anything.

Olive and Parsley Tapenade

Inspired by Sweet Paul 

1 9.5 oz. jar pitted Kalamata olives

1 bunch fresh Italian parsley

3 Melissa’s organic garlic cloves

½ T. capers, drained
½ T. Dijon mustard
2 - 3 T. olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

While this is most easily made by throwing all of the ingredients into a food processor, and pulsing until you achieve the desired consistency, I found a lot of satisfaction in chopping everything up together on a large cutting board. If you feel the same, using a sharp chef’s knife, chop olives, garlic, parsley, garlic, and capers all together until a chunky mixture is formed.

In a large mixing bowl, toss together chopped olive mixture with mustard and half the oil. Adjust the oil until you reach a consistency you like.

Season with pepper. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Makes 2 cups.

Garlic and Green Olive Pasta with Dill

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Remember that willful jar of olives that I bought some time ago, and told you about here? The one I drove around town in an effort to open? Once I did get it open, I was off and running making one olive dish after another. You’re going to see a couple of them this week, including this quick, easy, and tasty pasta dish. It’s great as a light starter when served in small portions, or satisfying as a main dish when served in larger ones. I can never get enough olives, so if you’re the same, give it a try. By the way, fresh dill is an absolute must here. I liked this so well, that I plan on having a lot of dill in this summer’s garden.

Garlic and Green Olive Pasta with Dill

As seen in Sweet Paul

¼ c. olive oil
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 thick slices country-style bread, broken into small pieces
20 green olives, pitted and broken into pieces
2 T. fresh dill
1 lb. cooked spaghetti
Salt and white pepper

Heat oil over medium heat in a large pan. Add garlic, bread, and olives.

Cook the mixture until the bread and garlic turn golden, taking care not to burn the garlic.

Add dill and cooked pasta, and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Serves 2-4.

Olive Parmesan Tart

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Those of you who read last week’s post on the Brandied Mushroom Steak Tarts know that I had a bit of trouble getting a jar of olives open. Finally, after carting that jar all around town, I stopped by the house of a friend who’s currently employing the use of a builder that I used to create my deck. If anyone could get that jar of olives open, I knew that Joe could. As with every man I encountered on this journey, he tried to unscrew the lid right off the bat assuming, no doubt, that I was too weak to do so. Now, I’m not saying that I’m not too weak, but having tried everything and everyone, that was not the place to start.

What did work was using a paint can opener to break the seal where the lid met the jar, and then it unscrewed with no problem. Had this not worked, my plan was to get out my concrete drill bit, and drill straight down through the top. I wanted those olives!

The recipe below is the reason why. I spotted this in a current issue of Sweet Paul magazine. I love everything that he makes, and this recipe was no different. It is so easy to put together, and so delectable, you’ll feel as if you are dining in some high end, wood-fired pizza place. It works equally well as appetizers, you just need to cut it into smaller squares. It’s a great party dish because it tastes good hot from the oven, or at room temperature.

Olive Parmesan Tart

Sweet Paul

All-purpose flour
1 sheet of puff pastry
1 c. cured olives, coarsely chopped
½ c. grated Parmesan
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
½ t. dried thyme
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 425ºF.

Sprinkle work surface with a little flour, and roll out the puff pastry to double its size. Transfer to a baking tray covered with parchment paper.

Top with olives, Parmesan, red onion, thyme, and pepper.

Finish off with a drizzle of olive oil.

Bake until golden, about 18–20 minutes. Serve with another little drizzle of oil.

Pickled Eggs

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When I mentioned, on my personal Facebook page, that I had an interest in making pickled eggs, there was a huge uproar. You’d have thought that I’d said I was bagging up puppies, and leaving them on the side of the highway, people were so appalled. I have to admit, they are a bit colorful, perhaps a trifle on the gaudy side, but they are really good! You may think that you wouldn’t like them, but if you like deviled eggs, you would like pickled eggs, because they taste pretty much the same. The only difference is, pickled eggs are so much easier to make. Make them if you dare!

Pickled Eggs

As seen in Sweet Paul Magazine

12 hard-boiled eggs
1½ c. cider vinegar
½ c. water
1 T. fine sea salt
1½ t. sugar
2 cardamom pods
1 t. crushed black peppercorns
½ t. allspice berries
½ t. ground turmeric
½ t. celery seeds
1 medium Melissa’s red beet, sliced
2 shallots, thinly sliced

Poke eggs with a pickle fork, through the white and down to the yolk, about 6 times.

Put the eggs in a tall jar, such as a quart canning jar. Put the remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Cover and simmer about 15 minutes, then allow liquid to cool.

Remove the beets and enjoy separately.

Pour the liquid and remaining solids over the eggs.

Refrigerate and let the eggs sit for a day and up to several weeks.

Note that after 1 day, the pink color will penetrate all the way to the yolk. However, the flavor will be best after about a week.

Serve eggs on their own, as an accompaniment to salads and grain dishes, or cut them in half and mix the yolks with mayonnaise, mustard, horseradish, and chives for bright Deviled Eggs.

If you think making and peeling hard-boiled eggs is a pain, get yourself one of these. Perfect eggs every time. Brilliant!

Baked Zucchini and Feta Squares

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I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that I often buy things at the grocery store, come home with them, and then wonder what on earth my intention was with this purchase. Such was the case with a three-pack of rather large zucchini that were annoyingly taking up space in the vegetable bin of my fridge. After a while, I got tired of moving it around, so decided to actually do something with it. Zucchini, you might say to yourself, is not a problem. It is versatile, can be used for dishes both sweet and savory, and there are always many recipes to be found. It can easily be dealt with simply by sautéing it, grilling it, or broiling it. It be turned into carb-replacing noodles, or grated and folded into a batter to make flavorful quick breads or cake. The thing is, I had done all of that.

Fortunately, an issue of Sweet Paul magazine was at my side wherein I discovered this toothsome recipe for zucchini squares. These are so good that I could have eaten the entire pan in one sitting. They are wonderful served warm from the oven accompanied by meat, fish, or chicken. They can be served at room temperature, so a great dish for a brunch or buffet. They can also be cut into smaller squares (or circles using a 1½” round biscuit cutter) to be used as appetizers. If you have vegetable haters in your family, this dish may just change their minds.

Baked Zucchini and Feta Squares

3 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
1 Melissa's shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 scallions, thinly sliced
4 medium zucchini, grated

1 c. feta cheese, crumbled
½ c. Parmesan cheese, grated
½ c. whole milk
Salt and Pepper
6 eggs
½ cup flour

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 9-inch x 9-inch baking dish with parchment paper.

In a 9” sauté pan, cook the bacon until crispy; remove and set aside. In the same pan in the bacon drippings, cook onion, garlic, and scallions until soft.

Place onion mixture into a large bowl and add cooked bacon, zucchini, feta, and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.

In a separate, bowl beat together milk, eggs, and flour. Stir into the zucchini mixture.

Pour into the prepared baking dish, use a spatula to smooth out the batter. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until set. Cool and cut into squares.

  

MAKES 12 SQUARES

Mulled Wine with Cranberry Juice

Relaxing in front of the fire takes on a whole new meaning when paired with this delicious combination of mulled wine and cranberry juice. Nothing says “seasonal” like mulling spices, and this is a real winner. I have found, from my own personal research, that it is welcomed at brunch, lunch, dinner, or late at night. I don’t think any beverage is quite as versatile as this one. Treat yourself and your friends, and make up a big batch…or two. It’s the perfect winter warmer while waiting for Santa.

Mulled Wine with Cranberry Juice

Adapted from Sweet Paul

1 bottle dry red wine
2 cups cranberry juice
1 2-oz. pkg. Melissa’s Mulling Spices
¼ cup brown sugar
1 orange, sliced
3½ tablespoons kirsch (cherry liqueur)

Place all ingredients into a large pot, and let it sit for 1 hour. Slowly heat the mixture. (Do not allow the wine to boil; excessive heat will kill the alcohol.)  Once warm, strain to remove spices, and serve.

Garnish with cranberries floating on top, a cinnamon stick, and a clove-studded orange slice.

Serves 4

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Vietnamese Iced Coffee

I am a morning person; I love the freshness of early morning. I am also a night person, because I love the quietude of late night. Essentially, then, it's midday that I don't really care for, when we are stricken with what we like to call around here, “the afternoon blahs.” In the winter, a hot cup of tea and cookies warm from the oven can relieve the “blahs,” but in summer? Well, I recently found the remedy for this dreary time of day while trolling the Sweet Paul website and came across his recipe for Vietnamese Iced Coffee. Generally, I'm a purist when it comes to coffee, and want no part of sweetness or spicy flavor in my hot cuppa joe, but when I tasted this it was love at first sip. This recipe makes four servings. I made a batch of cold brew, and syrup, stored both in the fridge, and when the “blahs” struck, reached for this remedy, pouring a 4:1 ratio of coffee concentrate to syrup, but you can experiment on your own. It is a delightfully exotic way to tackle the dreariness of mid-afternoon.

Vietnamese Iced Coffee

​2 cups water

1 1/2 cups coconut sugar*

4 Melissa's canela (​cinnamon​)​ sticks

​ 4 cloves

5 black peppercorns

10 cardamom pods (I used black pods)

2 cups cold brew concentrate

1 cup ​Half ‘n half

Ice

Make syrup by putting water, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, and cardamom in a small saucepan, and bringing it to a boil. Let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes. Cool and strain.

When ready to serve, pour coffee concentrate, Half & Half, and 1/2 cup of the syrup into a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake it baby, shake it. Pour into glasses and enjoy.

*I found this at Trader Joe's.

PRINT RECIPE

 This post is linked to:

Full Plate Thursday

Crafty & Delicious

Create It Thursday

The DIY Collective

Simple and Sweet Fridays

Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Friday Frenzy