Thin Butter Cookies

These wonderfully thin, tender butter cookies, have a delightful raspberry-lemon glaze

Ingredients

Cookies

2 cups powered sugar

4 sticks unsalted butter

4 1/2 cups unbleached flour

2 egg yolks

4 teaspoons lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon salt

Glaze

4 cups powered sugar

4 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons Framboise

Whisk together the salt and flour

In a stand mixer cream together the balance of the ingredients until light, then add the flour.

Remove from mixing bowl, form into a ball, divided into four, shape into balls, cover in plastic wrap and chili for about 2 hours

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Line cookie sheets with parchment

On a prepared surface roll out balls, one at a time into sheets about 1/8 inch thick, using cookie cut of choice, cut out cookies and place on cookie sheet.

Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges are golden.

While cookies are cooling mixed together glaze.

Spread onto cookies and let set.

Makes about 10 dozen or so cookies, depending on size.

Enjoy Cooking 

Sunchoke Soup

A great Seasonal Soup - I find it better then Potato Leek Soup

Ingredients

2 pounds of Sunchokes, Scrubbed clean and dried

3 tablespoon Avocado Oil

2 medium onions diced

3 tablespoons of diced garlic

hand-full of fresh Italian Parsley, chopped

4 sprigs of Fresh Thyme

6 cups of homemade Chicken or Vegetable stock

1 cup of Cream

Salt & Pepper to taste

First up soak Sunchokes in water for a few hours prior to use.  I find this helps in the scrubbing and cleaning process.  Below are the sunchokes for our garden.  They are really easy to grow.

Chop Sunchokes, add oil, salt, pepper and Sunchokes to a bowl, toss, divide into two batches, 

one will go into a 400 degree oven to roast for about 45 minutes or until soft.

The balance will go into a large sauce pot with onions and garlic, over medium high heat, and cook for about 5 minutes. Next add stock, Thyme and Parsley.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes, until soft.

Once both batches are done, add roasted Sunchokes to sauce pot, stir, then puree entire batch and return to the pot. Place over medium heat and stir in cream, bring to almost to a boil then turn off heat.  Let sit for about 5 minutes then serve.  All you need with this soup is a great bread. 

Note: if you are canning the soup, omit the cream.  You can add the cream when you reheat and serve the soup.

Enjoy Cooking 

Sweet Chili Wings

This is a really simple dish

Ingredients

24 Wings - i like to leave them whole

2 cups Duck sauce

4 tablespoons of Red Chili Flakes

4 tablespoons of low salt Soy Sauce

2 tablespoons Sesame oil

3 tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar

3 tablespoon grated Ginger

1 Chili pepper of choice, seeded and diced 

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.

Now toss the wings a few at a time in the sauce

Place wings on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake in 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes until golden and crispy.  Every 15 minutes rotate and change the up side.

Enjoy Cooking 

Persimmon - Date Cookies

A favorite Seasonal Cookie, well if we lived on the west coast, 

i guess i could make them more often.  

But i only see Persimmons here around the holidays.

Ingredients 

2 teaspoons of baking soda

2 cups of Persimmon pulp - about 9 to 10 Persimmons

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 cups raw sugar

2 eggs

4 cups unbleached flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/4 teaspoons ground mace

1 teaspoon ground allspice

2 cups, pitted chopped dates

I usually prep all the ingredients prior to assembling these cookies.  Sift together all dry ingredients with the exception of the baking soda. 

In the stand mixer cream together the butter and raw sugar 

While the butter and sugar is creaming, add the baking soda to the persimmon pulp and stir. I do this just before i am going to add this to the butter mixture.  If you let this sit to long prior to incorporating it into the butter mixture, hard shell will form on top of the pulp.

Now add the pulp mixture to the butter, mix well, then follow by the eggs.

Now add the dry ingredients, followed by the dates.  This will be a sticky dough.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Scoop about a rounded table spoon onto a parchment cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes unto golden brown. Cool on a rack, these will keep to to 10 days in an air tight container before they start to get hard. 

Enjoy Cooking