Cheese Biscuits and the Holidays

I've got time to squeeze in another post before Christmas, and I guess it's gotta' be another holiday baking post -- since that's been the majority of my focus in the kitchen for the weekend! Yesterday, I had a marathon baking session and turned out a batch of Butter Spritz Cookies and Cheese Biscuits. My mother always made Cheese Biscuits at Christmas, as did my Aunt Cissy, who gave her the recipe. No one loved to entertain like Aunt Cissy did. She always had a huge buffet on Christmas day, that included roast beef and country ham, as well as these Cheese Biscuits. Nothing goes with a holiday cocktail or a glass of wine quite like a cheese biscuit. Everyone always had fun at Aunt Cissys' parties -- she loved to laugh and tell stories, and she was a wonderful cook. There was always so much to eat, and she understood that you eat first with your eyes, so everything looked as good as it tasted.

I've updated her recipe only pertaining to the method for producing the cookies, not the ingredients. The original recipe clearly states the following, right at the top:

"THE SECRET OF PERFECTION IS THREEFOLD:

USE NO SHORTENING EXCEPT THE BEST BUTTER.

USE REALLY SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE

AND TOP EACH BISCUIT WITH HALF OF A LARGE SALTED PECAN.

THE NUTMEAT SHOULD BE ALMOST AS LARGE AS THE BISCUIT."

I can't find salted pecans in the store anymore, but I think the unsalted kind work just as well. I sprinkle just a touch of coarse Kosher salt on the pecans after I press them into the dough. And since so many people have nut allergies, and a few simply don't like nuts, I only place a pecan on about half of my cookies.  I also make the dough in my food processor. The dough is stiff and heavy, and I find the processor, fitted with a steel blade, is the easiest way to do it. I also use a mouli-grater for grating my cheese, but you could do that in your food processor as well. 

Cheese Biscuits

Cheese Biscuits

1 lb. sharp cheddar cheese

1 lb. all purpose flour (about 4.5 cups)

1 lb. butter, softened

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 T. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

pecan halves (salted if you can find them)

1 egg + 1 T. of water for egg wash

paprika for dusting the tops plus a little coarse and/or Kosher salt for sprinkling the nuts

Grate the cheese. Put it into a large bowl or into your food processor. Add the flour, butter, cayenne, salt and baking powder. Mix until the dough comes together and cheese is completely incorporated. If not using the food processor, you may find your hands to be the best tool! At least that's what Aunt Cissy recommended in her original recipe! 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

The original instructions call for the dough to be rolled or patted out at this point. Rolling dough is not my favorite thing, and frankly, I am not that good at it. I either get the dough too cold so that it's hard to roll or I let it get too soft and it sticks to everything! I think it is best to slightly chill the dough so that it holds together well and you can handle it. The method my mom came up with -- obviously rolling dough wasn't her thing either! -- is to divide the dough into 6 - 8 pieces and roll the pieces into "logs" about 1" to 1.5" around. If you roll your dough out, it should be about 1/4" thick and you should use the smallest biscuit cutter you have to cut out the biscuits. If you roll the dough into logs, cut the logs into slices about 1/4" thick. Place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet -- they don't spread much, so you can place them fairly close together. Beat 1 egg with a T. of water in a small cup. Brush each biscuit lightly with the egg wash, and sprinkle over a dusting of paprika. Press a pecan half into however many biscuits you choose (and a few grains of Kosher or coarse salt, if you want). Bake for ~15 minutes. You must watch them as they can go from done to "browned" quickly and the taste will be off. Check them after 12 minutes. Browning them will definitely alter the taste! Makes about 12 dozen. This recipe can be easily halved or even quartered. 

Thanks Aunt Cissy, and Merry Christmas to you and yours! 

Triple Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

I've been tinkering around with this recipe since I first made it (see my post here) one afternoon when I had a chocolate attack. I love the combination of dark chocolate and mint. It reminds me of my mom, who always kept a box of thin mints stashed in a cupboard, up high where we couldn't get to them easily. Apparently, she had her chocolate attacks too! Mom would have loved these cookies, of that I am sure!

My mom with 3 of her 4 grandsons one Christmas.

By adding and subtracting a few things from the original recipe, which I got from The Pioneer Woman Cooks, I've come up with a real winner of a holiday cookie! They look festive, thanks to the peppermint chips, and they are chewy and chocolatey in the best possible way!

I hope you enjoy them as much as we have! I've got to say, these may find a permanent spot on the Christmas Rotation! Thanks, Ree Drummond for the inspiration!

Triple Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

2 sticks softened butter
2 c. sugar
2 large eggs
3 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Triple Chocolate Chip Peppermint Cookies

2 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa (100% Cacao)
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 c. Nestle's semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 c. Nestle's white chocolate chips + a few extra for decorating 
1/3 c. Ande's Peppermint Crunch baking chips or finely chopped hard peppermint candies + a few extra for decorating

Preheat oven to 350. Using a mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add vanilla. In another bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda and cocoa. Be careful adding the cocoa, or you'll end up with a dark chocolate snow storm on your counter. Add dry ingredients to the wet ones in 3 batches, mixing each in using slow speed.
Stir in all the chips until everything is just combined.
Using a large teaspoon or a smaller cookie scoop, add 1 T. portions to a baking sheet. I dotted the top of each scoop of dough with 2 or 3 white chocolate chips and a piece or 2 of the peppermint chips, so that they show and look pretty. Bake for about 10 minutes until they are just barely done. Cool for 4 minutes on baking sheet and move to a cooling rack for 10 minutes or until they are set. makes about 5 dozen + cookies.

Pecan Tarts -- The BEST of the BEST!

The fall has FLOWN by and it's time to start making those Christmas treats! I can't believe how swiftly the autumn has come and gone, but with the weather we've had this week in Central Virginia, I know that winter is coming in fast! Even though we are ALMOST empty nesters, there always seems to be lots to do around the house and in the kitchen.

I used to bake hundreds of cookies -- yes, literally hundreds -- when my kids were younger. That was back in my Room Mother/Sunday School Teacher/Children's Choir Director/Cub Scout Mom days. In those days there was ALWAYS an occasion to pass out Christmas Cookies, often 2 or 3 a week! While I miss those days, I honestly DON'T miss those marathon baking events! I must have spent hours in the kitchen. At our house, just because you spent all afternoon making cookies, that did not eliminate the need to cook dinner! On days like that, I was always grateful for the big batches of spaghetti sauce or bags filled with "taco meat" that I'd made and frozen for those busy, busy days.

This year, I've asked each person in the family to name one treat they consider their favorite and the most important to usher in the season. The oldest son spoke up first, and since he has a December birthday, he got first consideration. While I've already made pans and pans of "Nuts and Bolts" (that's amped up chex mix for you non-southerners) this weekend I made his favorite, Pecan Tarts.

I got this recipe from a family friend many years ago. I've made it every Christmas since receiving it. While the tarts are a little trouble to make, you are rewarded with rich, crumbly pastry filled with nutty, sticky pecan goodness. Truly, they are well worth the trouble. You'll need at least 2 of those mini-muffin tins to create these treats. Four is better, so you can get one batch in the oven and make up another one, ready to bake. You'll need lots of these treats, I promise!

Pecan Tarts
For the Dough:
1 stick salted butter, softened
3 oz. cream cheese ("Lite" is fine) softened
1 cup flour
Mix these ingredients together, until all the flour is incorporated and the butter and cream cheese is evenly distributed. Make the dough into a flattened, round disk. Chill in the frig for 20 - 30 minutes to firm up the dough so that it's easy to handle. Make 24 small balls and press each one into a mini-muffin cup that has been sprayed with non-stick vegetable oil. Gently press each ball into the muffin cup to form a shell, using your fingers to press the dough up the sides of the cup so that it just reaches the top. Set aside while you make your filling.

Pecan Tarts, ready for the oven.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
For the Filling:
3/4 c. chopped pecans
1 c. packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
In a bowl, stir together all the ingredients until well mixed. making sure there are no "clumps" of brown sugar. Put a heaping tsp. of the filling into each muffin cup, so that the filling is just below the line of dough at the top of the cup. Don't overfill them, or you'll have a sticky mess on your tins and they'll be harder to get out of the pan. 
Bake the tarts for 20 - 25 minutes, until a crust forms on the tops of the tarts. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Loosen each tart gently with the tip of small, pointed, sharp knife. Let tarts cool completely on a cooling rack or  on wax or parchment paper before storing in air tight tins. Will keep up to 30 days if stored in a cool area in a well sealed container. Makes 24 tarts. 

Pecan Tarts, ready to eat! 

Chicken Caprese Pasta

Is there anything that screams summer more than local tomatoes and basil? Paired with fresh mozzarella, a classic Salad Caprese is our idea of heaven, and is eaten over and over again, as long as the tomatoes continue to taste like real tomatoes! Here in the Richmond, VA area we are fortunate enough to have an abundance of locally grown, globally renowned Hanover Tomatoes. Hanover County is just a hop, skip and a jump away from Midlothian, where I we live, and we bask in their tomato-ey glory all the late long summer.

Since I believe you've GOT to give credit where credit is due, I made this dish after watching a segment on the Today show featuring the Scotto family of "Fresco" restaurant in NYC. It was about making different recipes with only five ingredients. I just so happened to have those 5 ingredients on hand: Chicken breasts, fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, basil and pasta. They weren't counting staples like olive oil, garlic, onions, salt and pepper. (Watch them do it here.)  I didn't make my dish exactly the way they made any of theirs, but something sorta' like what they made, kind of a mashup of their pasta salad and the sauce for the chicken parmesan. I also made a nice fresh salad with a quick vinaigrette. I'll include that recipe after the Chicken Caprese Pasta. I like my chicken sliced over the top of the pasta, but hub likes  his chicken breast left in one piece! You pick which one YOU like best:

Chicken Breast sliced on top of Chicken Caprese Pasta!

Chicken Caprese Pasta with a WHOLE Chicken Breast on the side...

This comes together SO quickly, providing you've got your ingredients prepped and ready to go. So, wash your lettuce and basil, get out the garlic, olive oil, wine vinegar, kosher salt and pepper. Set your salad bowl on the counter, and put a big pot full of water and a frying pan on the stove. Almost ready, now go! 

Chicken Caprese Pasta for Two

2 chicken cutlets, or chicken breasts pounded out thinly

6 oz. penne or other sturdy pasta (I had small shells on hand, so that's what I used)

olive oil

1 1/2 c. diced fresh tomatoes

2 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into about 1/2" pieces

6 - 8 basil leaves, rolled and sliced

2 cloves minced garlic

1/2 c. diced onion

1/4 c. dry white wine, optional

Kosher salt and Freshly ground black pepper

Rinse the chicken and pat it dry. Season both sides with a little kosher salt and fresh black pepper. Bring a big pot of water to a boil and cook pasta until just barely "al dente" -- use just barely the minimum cooking time. Drain it well. While the pasta is cooking, heat 2 T. olive oil (medium to medium high heat) in a large frying pan with a heavy bottom. Add the chicken and quickly sear it, first on one side and then the other, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside. In the same pan, add 1 T. of olive oil, the garlic and the onion. Scrape up any brown bits left on the bottom. Turn the heat down and let the garlic and onion soften for a few minutes. At this point, I added a little Italian white wine, because I happened to have some, but that is totally optional. Add the tomatoes, a pinch of salt and a few grindings of pepper. Cover the pan and let it cook for 10 minutes. Add the chicken back into the pan along with the basil, cover and cook for 5 more minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken once again to a serving plate, and add the drained pasta into the sauce. Heat the pasta in the tomato sauce for several minutes, stirring to combine and to finish cooking the pasta. Right before serving, add the fresh mozzarella. Serve with your chicken breasts and a green salad. Black olives are optional! 

Here's how I make an easy vinaigrette:

In a jar, add 1/2 c. olive oil. To that, add 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, 1/4 tsp, freshly ground black pepper, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder OR 1 small garlic clove, grated, 1 tsp. dried oregano and 1T. fresh lemon juice. Then add 3 T. red wine vinegar and a scant tsp. of dijon mustard. Now, shake, shake, shake. Pour what you need over your salad and save the rest for another day. It keeps for at least a week in the frig, I've kept it for up to 2 weeks with no problem. 

Happy Birthday, Julia!

Today is the 101st anniversary of the birth of Julia Child, one of my kitchen heroes. Here are a few of my own tributes to the very first TV Food STAR!

Beef Bourguinon

The VERY Best onion soup!

Happy 100th Birthday, Julia Child!

I'll be blogging again soon. I've had my arm in a sling from a carpel tunnel flare up, and since my job requires that I type and use the computer, that's just about all I've been able to manage! Thanks for your patience and check in with me again soon. In the meantime, cook like Julia!

Clams Casino

Clams Casino sounds fancy, but all it really is is clams made the "house" way. In our family, it involves lots of butter, bacon, bread crumbs, garlic, lemon and maybe a little parmesan cheese. Making them is a little bit of a chore, but they are inexpensive this time of year and really, quite a treat. These little bite sized morsels of briny wonderfulness have graced many a family gathering table, and always make an appearance when we go to the beach, be it Duck, NC, VA Beach or Bethany Beach. On Father's Day, they made an appearance in my kitchen, at the request of the Father of My Children.

Clams Casino, with bacon, butter and lots of goodies.

Here's how to make them -- This is a method as opposed to a recipe.
Purchase the smallest clams you can find (often called "cherrystone"). Figure at least 3 - 4 clams per person. Wash them well, scrubbing off any muck. Soak them in bowl of cool water for at least 30 minutes - an hour is better, changing the water about half way through. This will give them a chance to disgorge any sand. Some folks add a little flour to the water, but I never do. Toss out any clams that are wide opened, they are dead.
Preheat your oven broiler or get your grill nice and hot. Put the clams on a baking sheet and let them cook about 5 minutes until they pop open. Watch them closely and when they are popping open, they are done. Remove from the heat and discard any clams that have not opened. Again, they are already dead and could be spoiled, don't take a chance.
Let them cool a few minutes and melt a stick of butter. Squeeze in a the juice of half a lemon, and add little minced garlic, if you like that. Not much garlic or it will become overpowering. Some folks add a little Old Bay seasoning, and that's good too, but, again, don't add much, maybe 1/2 tsp. or even less.
Cook 4 - 5 pieces of bacon, so that it's almost, but not quite cooked, and then cut the bacon into 1/2" or smaller pieces. When the clams are cool enough to handle, Carefully remove the top shell and gently loosen the clam from the bottom shell with a small knife or a spoon. Leave the meat in the bottom shell. Wipe down the baking sheet and put the prepared clams back onto it. Sprinkle some plain breadcrumbs over each clam -- just a little bit, so you can catch the butter. If you like, sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top of that, we love that but it's not traditional! Carefully pour a little butter onto each clam and then add a piece of bacon on top of that. Run them under the broiler or put them back on the grill until the bacon is fully cooked and they are lightly browned. Voila, Clams Casino my way. Feel free to make them your way, but this is how we do it!

Adventures in Baking and a Chocolate Emergency: Double Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

I got bored today and I wanted something chocolate. I started rummaging around on the top shelf of the pantry where I keep my baking supplies. I don't bake nearly as much as I used to, since most of the time it's just me and my hub. Our younger son is home for the summer from college, so that justifies just a little bit of baking, right? Plus, there was that chocolate craving thing happening.

After a minute of shifting around some bags and boxes, OUT JUMPED a half of a bag of Nestle's White Chocolate Chips....Hhmmm I thought, I saw some cookies with white chocolate chips on the Food Network on Saturday.....OH Happy Coincidence!!! And Bless You, Ree Drummond!!

I only made 1/2 of her recipe because I only had 1 cup of those Nestle's Morsels....but I did have everything else!! I quickly retrieved the bag of Nestle's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips I keep hidden in the very bottom back of the bread drawer for those chocolate emergencies (that's normal, right?) and I was off in a flash, gathering eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla etc. I love it when I can make a smaller batch of some homemade goodies. That way I don't feel nearly so guilty about putting  temptation in our path to healthy living. Here's her recipe but in the meantime you can enjoy my pictures. Can't you almost taste the ice cold milk I washed them down with??

Here they are cooling off:

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookes

And here they are right before I started wolfing them down with some milk:

And another good thing, I even had enough parchment paper to line the cookie sheets, so the clean up was minimal. They were yummy! Next time, I am going to add 1/2 cup of chopped nuts, probably either hazelnuts or macadamia nuts. They needed just a little crunch! Next time you are bored, start rummaging and see what you can come up with! Adventures in baking!