Seven-Layer Cookies

I am a visual person; I remember directions by sight, things I read and math problems solved on the chalkboard. I'm often flooded with memories by the simple sight or mention of an ingredient, food, or other tangible item. When my friend Jen asked if there was a bakery in Jacksonville that made her beloved Seven-Layer Cookies, I did a google search to see what she was talking about. One glance at the cakey, striped cookies encased in chocolate and I was standing in my Nanny and Grandpa's kitchen, eying up the assorted cookie platter Grandpa brought home from the bakery. I can still remember picking out a cookie, placing it on a paper towel and sitting at the kitchen table, always covered in a plastic, seasonal table cloth, and eating it with a juice box to drink.

I found Grandpa's recipe from the bakery in his stack of note cards, but as all of the recipes are, it was measured in 20 lbs. of butter, 30 lbs. of flour, and 25 lbs. or sugar, enough for thousands of cookies. Luckily, I had remembered seeing the cookies on Joanne's blog back in December, so I pulled up the recipe, originally from Gourmet. These cookies aren't something you can make on a whim, they take some planning and time, but it's well worth it. I had great luck with the chilled cookies slicing well, I just didn't really measure them out, I like the random shapes and sizes! One change I did make was substituting the apricot jam layer between the red and white cookies with raspberry (seedless) per Jen's request.

Seven-Layer Cookies (Italian Rainbow/Flag Cookies)

from Gourmet Magazine, Seen on Eats Well with Others

4 large eggs, separated
1 c. sugar
1 8-oz. can almond paste
2 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 tsp. almond extract
2 c. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
25 drops red food coloring
25 drops green food coloring
1/2 c. apricot preserves
1/2 c. seedless raspberry preserves
7 oz. bittersweet chocolate

Place a rack in the center of the oven, preheat to 350*
Butter a 9" baking pan, line the bottom with parchment leaving overhang on the sides, butter paper.
Beat egg whites in a mixer with the whisk attachment on medium-high until stiff peaks form.
Add 1/4 c. of sugar, a little at a time, transfer to another bowl.
Switch to the paddle attachment, add butter, almond paste and remaining 3/4 c. sugar, beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add yolks and almond extract, beat until combined.
Reduce speed to low, add flour and salt, mix until just combined.
Fold half of the egg white mixture in gently but thoroughly, then the rest.
Divide batter into 3 bowls, dye one red and one green, leave one white.
Set red and white aside, place green in the refrigerator.
Pour red into the prepared pan, spread out in an even layer with an offset spatula.
Bake for 10 minutes, until set, it will look undercooked.
Transfer to a wire cooling rack, reline pan with parchment, butter and add white batter.
Remove green batter from the refrigerator.
Spread white batter in an even layer, and bake for 8-10 minutes, until set.
Transfer on parchment to a wire cooling rack.
Repeat with green batter (do not stack layers on parchment/racks, use 3 separate racks).
Warm the raspberry preserves so it's spreadable, then spread over red layer in a thin, even layer.
Peel parchment from white layer, and stack on top of red layer/jam.
Warm apricot preserves and spread over white layer, removing any large pieces.
Peel parchment off green layer, and press on top.
Wrap the three filled layers tightly in saran wrap, and refrigerate overnight with a weighted sheet pan on top.
The next day, heat chocolate over a double boiler until melted.
Peel back saran wrap from one side, spread evenly which chocolate in a thin layer, place back in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
When chocolate is chilled and set, gently flip cookies and spread chocolate on the opposite side in an even layer.
Place back in the refrigerator until set, about 10 minutes.
With a serrated knife, cut cookies into 1" cubes, and place on a serving platter (or keep cookies refrigerated until ready to cut and serve, cookies cut best when chilled).
Yield around 64 cookies, depending on size.

Symon Sundays: Sheep's Milk Ravioli with Brown Butter and Almonds & Roasted Dates with Pancetta, Almonds and Chile

This week's Symon Sundays recipes were chosen by Tasha at The Brick Kitchen. Please visit her site and the other Symon Sundays participants to read about their opinions on the dishes! You can find links to their blogs and the Symon Sundays schedule on the right blog column.

The first dish chosen is from the appetizers section of Live to Cook. I had been eying it for months, and even considered making it for a dinner party, but it slipped my mind. Because it was paired with a pasta dish, I decided to turn it into a salad. There were few ingredients in this dish, but they all are packed with flavor and had something to add to the final product. I would definitely make this as an appetizer in the future, or use the combination of a spin off a warm bacon-dressed spinach salad, just chop the dates so the sweet punch of flavor is in each bite. 

Please visit Tasha's blog for the recipe! 

Roasted Dates with Pancetta, Almond and Chile

The second choice of Tasha's was Sheep's Milk Ravioli with Brown Butter and Almonds. I searched for Sheep's Milk Ricotta, but it wasn't available. Since the recipe called for really thick ricotta, and because I couldn't find sheep's milk, I decided to make my own ricotta. While the ricotta came out extremely thick and delicious tasting, it wasn't really a money saver as I had hoped. A half gallon of organic milk is around $4, and a tub of organic ricotta is around $4.50, so by the time I factor in my time to make it, the price is the same. However, it was fun to know I literally made this entire dish from scratch!

For the ravioli, the dough is made from only egg yolks and white flour, but I substituted a whole egg and a white, and used half whole wheat flour and half unbleached all purpose flour to make it healthier. For the sauce, I couldn't bring myself to use 12 tbsp. butter, so I used 1 tbsp., the juice of the orange, and some vegetable stock. The recipe called for parsley, but I don't like parsley, and love rosemary paired with orange, so opted for that combination. I also served the ravioli with steamed broccoli for a little extra veg in the meal. 

While I varied a great deal from the original recipe, and I'm sure a pool of brown butter would be amazing, my substitutions made this dish quite tasty! 

Sheep's Milk Ravioli with Brown Butter and Almonds

Making the ricotta:

Bring 1/2 gallon milk, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. citric acid to 195*, rest for 5 minutes

Strain in cheesecloth for 5 minutes

Tie up and hang to strain in the fridge for a few hours, very thick ricotta!

Tasha's dates look fantastic! 

Joanne had the same idea and served hers over a salad, but used figs and added goat cheese and cranberries

Joanne also reduced her butter, and added some zucchini to her ravioli

Natashya added dill to her pasta, adding a nice punch of flavour! 

Amaretti Baked Peaches

In my previous post, I proclaimed my love of almonds and almond flavors. This post also embodies all things almond by using amaretto, amaretti cookies, and slivered almonds. It's pretty much the trifecta for almond lovers. And as far as desserts go, I'm not going to say it's healthy... but it's definitely not as indulgent as most desserts!

I saw Ina make grilled peaches with amaretto a few years back. I had planned to make them so many times, but finding ripe, seasonal peaches in Indiana wasn't easy. Now that I'm in Florida, there are farmer's markets with fresh, seasonal Georgia peaches all through late spring/early summer. I'm in heaven!

I was at World Market, browsing through the food section, which I must comment on. Though it's a very small section of the store, they literally have every ethnic food I have ever had a hard time finding, and at a reasonable to cheap price. If you're ever stuck looking for an obscure ingredient, I highly recommend trying World Market. They also make their own name brand Nutella like spreads, gourmet stuffed olives, and many other delicious, cheap gourmet food items. It was here that I found a bag of Amaretti Snaps, which just might be my new favorite bagged cookie.

After finding those cookies, and the fresh peaches at the market, this dessert was begging to be made. We didn't have our grill yet when I made these, so I baked them. I also didn't feel the need to add sugar and other ingredients. I kept these simple, and the three main components were the stars of the dish. Served with a little vanilla ice cream, this was the perfect dessert!

Amaretto Baked Peaches

6 peaches, washed, halved and pitted

2 cups crushed amaretti cookies

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup amaretti liquor

1/2 gallon Vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place peaches cut side up in a baking dish.

Add 1/4" of water to the pan.

Sprinkle a mound of crushed cookies in the cup of each peach.

Sprinkle with almonds.

Drizzle with the amaretti.

Cover with foil, place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove foil, bake for another 5 minutes, until peaches are tender.

Remove from the dish, plate and serve with ice cream.

Big, Beautiful Muffins with Apricots and Almonds

When I first saw these muffins appear in my Google Reader, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I absolutely love fresh, plump, dried apricots. I think dried apricots are often overlooked because when they dry out, they're like eating leather... but a fresh bag are so soft and velvety, absolutely delicious.

One of my absolute favorite flavors in baking is almond extract. Often I substitute it for vanilla extract , or combine the two for more depth of flavor. Everything about these muffins screamed "MAKE ME!"

So I let the recipe sit there, waiting for a special brunch. When apricots went on super sale the weekend before my family came to town, I grabbed some and immediately knew what they were destined for... these glorious muffins!

The end result is in fact fluffly, light, tender muffins. They're slightly sweet with little bits of almond crunch and soft apricot pieces. I think next time I make these, I'll dust the tops with a raw sugar for a final bit of crunch, but these muffins served warm with a pat of butter or apricot preserves is the perfect breakfast treat.

Big Beautiful Muffins with Apricots and Almonds

seen on Romancing the Stove, adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

 

3 cups all-purpose flour (I used white whole wheat)
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups plain lowfat yogurt
2 large eggs
8 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup sliced almonds
1 1/2 cup diced apricots

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Generously coat a 12-cup muffin tin with vegetable spray, or use paper cups with a little cooking spray.
Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
Whisk the yogurt, eggs, and almond extract together in a medium bowl.
Gently fold the yogurt-egg mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined.
Fold in melted butter, and apricots.
Use a large ice-cream scoop or measuring cup to divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.
Sprinkle several sliced almonds over the top of the batter in each muffin cup.
Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
 

Lemon Cumin Quinoa with Avocado, Raisins, and Apricots

Well, if you haven't seen a quinoa recipe lately, you must be living under a rock. In recent months/years, quinoa's popularity has grown because of its superfood status. It's a personal favorite of mine because it is kind of a protein/carb combo, and I'm always looking for meat-free protein options.

For the first two years of my cooking blog, I selected a country, researched it, and blogged many popular and traditional dishes and ingredients (see the links on the right side of my blog for countries completed). When I chose Bolivia one week, I read about the history of quinoa. Here's what I wrote in my blog 2 years ago, "For this week's country challenge, I decided to go back to South America. What struck me most were the number of recipes using Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), a grain native from the Andes. The Incas spread the use of Quinoa all over South America. Quinoa is naturally bitter, and must be rinsed many times. It declined in popularity in the nineteenth centry due to widespread belief that it was killing pigs owned by peasants. They stopped growing it, and it almost disappeared. Recently, I have seen quinoa appear in many cooking magazines and shows because of it's health benefits. The dishes I have chosen for Bolivia all use quinoa in one form or another, showing it's versatility."

So when I saw this recipe on Erin's Food Files, I immediately starred it and put it on the menu. I knew my husband would love it because of the avocado and raisins, and I love dried apricots and cumin. The recipe was intriguing, many big flavors and seeminly random ingredients, but they paired so well and this dish was delicious.

Lemon Cumin Quinoa with Avocado, Raisins and Apricots

via Erin's Food Files  adapted from Fine Cooking

3 tbsp. raisins

3 tbsp. dried apricots, thinly sliced
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
Kosher salt
1 large lemon
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. sweet paprika
1 medium firm-ripe avocado pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 medium scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
3 tbsp. toasted sliced almonds
Freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, soak the raisins and apricots in hot water for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a 2-quart saucepan, bring 2 cups water, the quinoa, and 1/2 tsp. salt to a boil over high heat.
Cover, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is translucent and tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
Fluff the quinoa with a fork and turn it out onto a baking sheet to cool to room temperature.
Finnely grate the zest from the lemon and then squeeze 1 tbsp. juice. in a small bowl, whisk the lemon zest and juice with the olive oil, coriander, cumin, paprika, and 1/4 tsp. salt.
In a large bowl, toss the vinaigrette with the quinoa, raisins, apricots, avocado, scallions, and almonds.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Gingery Quinoa Salad with Apples, Peas and Coconut & Crispy Coconut Tofu Nuggets

So the names of these recipes are quite a mouthful, but they are actually simple and extremely healthy dishes! I found the salad recipe in my latest issue of Vegetarian Times. I was immediately drawn to it because it had quinoa and peas! I made it once, but forgot the coconut, and decided to make it again. Then I saw these tofu nuggets in Cara's blog, and figured it would be the perfect accompniament to the salad.

Last night though, when I raided the freezer for a bag of peas, there were none! I don't know how that's possible, they're my favorite! I did find a bag of green beans though, so that was a decent substitute. The recipe calls for cooking the quinoa in carrot, beet or vegetable juice, but I decided to use some of the pomegranate juice sent to me by POM Wonderful as well as some vegetable stock to keep the calories i ncheck.

The coconut tofu nuggets were delicious, I had a little sriracha with them for dipping. They were very crunchy, as the recipe states. I could have eaten a million!

Gingery Quinoa Salad with Apples, Peas and Coconut (adapted from Vegetarian Times)

& Crispy Coconut Tofu Nuggets (From Cara's Cravings)

1/3 c. chopped almonds

2 tsp. EVOO)
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
1/2" freshly grated ginger root
1 c. quinoa
1/2 c. pomegranate juice
1 c. vegetable stock
1 c. frozen peas (or green beans)
1 medium apple, diced
1/3 c. unsweetened shredded coconut


Toast almonds in a small pot for 3 minutes, or until fragrant and beginning to brown. 
Set aside to cool.
Rinse quinoa under running water for a minue in a fine mesh sieve.
Place pot back on stove, heat over medium, add oil and onion, saute until translucent, stirring occasionally.
Stir in ginger, quinoa, stock and juice, and season with salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15-20 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed.
Remove from heat, stir in peas, apple, coconut and almonds into salad.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

Crispy Coconut Tofu Nuggets:

1 block organic, extra-firm tofu

1 egg white, beat to a froth

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup shredded coconut
zest from one lime
Sriracha

(Directions are slightly different from Cara's)
Slice tofu in half to create 2 1" regtangles.
Wrap the tofu in a tea towel, place under a heavy dutch oven, let it sit for 10 minutes while the oven preheats to 400 degrees.
Set a cooking rack on top of a baking sheet, and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Mix together the panko, coconut, and lime zest and pour onto a plate.
Cut each rectangle of tofu into 6 triangles, creating 12 total nuggets.
Season the tofu wedges with salt and pepper. Dip each one into the egg froth, then dredge in the panko mixture and set on the cooling rack.
Bake for about 25 minutes, turning halfway through, until lightly browned and crispy on both sides.