Sugar Cookies

I have been getting allot of emails for a sugar cookie recipe. I have not posted one since it so basic and it is every cookbook, on the back of butter wrappers and so forth. But here is my twist on the basic sugar cookie recipe, enjoy.

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup of raw sugar
1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temp
1/4 cup key lime juice
2 tablespoon of key lime zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt



Directions

In the stand mixer cream together the butter and the sugar. In another bowl sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. Next add the key lime zest,followed by the key lime juice and the vanilla extract. Once creamy and fluff, slowly add the flour mixture. Remove dough from bowl, wrap in plastic and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Divide dough into quarters and roll out to 1/8 to 1/4 thick and cut out into the shape of choice.

Place cookies on parchment lined cookie sheets and bake for about 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness or until golden brown on the edges. Transfer to cooling rack and decorate as you wish. I often just dust with powdered sugar or make a simple butter cream frosting to mimic a key lime pie.

Enjoy Cooking

Ceviche

This is also a dish i will be serving at our next dinner party along with the eggplant souffle.

Ceviche

Ingredients

3/4 lb of fresh halibut
3/4 lb of fresh wild salmon
1/2 of fresh bay scallops
1 red onion quartered and thinly sliced
3/4 cup of thinly sliced and seeded cucumber
1/2 cup of diced avocado
1/2 cup seeded and diced tomatoes
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro, stems removed
2 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/4 cup of fresh lime juice, zest the limes prior to juicing
2 table spoons of fresh grapefruit juice, pink or red of course
1 teaspoon of pineapple vinegar
2 teaspoons of the lime zest
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of raw honey

Directions

Cut up the fish and scallops into bite sizes pieces and place into a plastic bowl or Tupperware. Next add the onion and jalapeno in to the bowl. In a glass bowl mix together the lime and grapefruit juices, vinegar, salt, honey, zest and cilantro. Pour mixture over the fish and toss to coat, cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes but no more than hour or the fish become chewy.

Five minutes before serving add the balance of the ingredients and toss to coat and let stand for 5 minute then serve.

I plate these up in small bowls lined with cilantro leaves and i garnish with thin sliced lime and grapefruit wedges.

Enjoy cooking

Chocolate Almond Cup Cakes

Since I was way most of October I will try to post two recipes a day.

These are prefect Breakfast cup cakes.

Chocolate Almond Cup Cakes

Ingredients

1 cup of blanched almonds
3.5 oz bar of Green and Blacks 70% cocoa bar
2 sticks of unsalted butter
9 egg whites - keep the yolks for another recipe
1 cup on unbleached flour
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
zest of two limes
2 table spoons of raw local honey
1/2 cups of Green and Blacks cocoa powder
1/2 table spoon of salt
2 table spoons of powder sugar


Directions

OK there are allot of steps to this recipe.

Place in food processor the almonds and a table spoon from the cup of flour, grind until a fine powder,

Over medium high heat brown the butter, the butter is brown when it gives off a nutty butterscotch aroma, remove from heat and set aside.

In a double boiler melt the chocolate, like in my other recipes remove from heat just before all the chocolate as melted and stir until smooth.

In another double boiler, actually I just use mixing bowls over a pot of water. Now the water is not boiling below its just shimmering. OK in another bowl over the water place the egg white, powder sugar (2 1/2 cups), honey and lime zest and whisk until sugar is dissolved and egg whites are warm, remove from heat.

In another bowl whisk all of the dry ingredients with the exception of the 2 table spoons of powder sugar.

Next add the egg mixture bowl to the stand mixer and place on the whisk attachment: slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the egg mixture; the mixture will be come thick. Keep whisking until smooth.

OK here is the tough part and you must do this slowly or the end result will be greasy. With the mixer on low add about 1/4 of the warm brown butter to the batter, do not add the next 1/4 cup and so on until the one before it has been completely incorporated. Take your time with the butter do not rush this part. Once all the butter has been incorporated add the melted chocolate; whisk until smooth.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Spray or line cup cake tins and spoon in batter until cups are 1/2 full. Bake until the cup cakes have racked and they are springy to touch, about 15 minutes. Note: rotate cup cakes half way through the baking process.

Remove from Oven transfer to cooling rack and dust with powder sugar.

Enjoy Cooking

Lime Zucchini

I bought these really pretty yellow Zucchinis at the farm stand the other day and they just sat for days until i though of away to prepare them. I liked fried zucchini but they always lack a freshness. So it took a few days until i thought about doing them up this way.

Lime Zucchini

Ingredients
2 Yellow Zucchini, sliced about 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick, skins left on
3 limes, zest and juiced
1 egg
4 table spoons olive oil mayo
1 table spoon green Tabasco
1 cup unbleached flour
3 table spoons ground cumin
2 table spoons Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Veggie oil

Directions
Place sliced zucchini in a bowl with the lime juice, zest and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Let sit for hour, tossing every 10 minutes or so.
In a a bowl mixed together dry ingredients.
In another bowl whisk together the egg, mayo and Tabasco.
In a deep skillet fill with oil to about one inch, over medium high heat.
Next dredge the zucchini in the egg mixture, then the flour mixture and fry until golden on each side. Place on a paper towel to cool.

Serve with a nice salsa or a sour pepper mayo.

Enjoy Cooking

Spicy Slaw

I received a request for the Spicy Slaw recipe, which is perfect for the summer.

Spicy Slaw

Ingredients

2 pounds of fresh carrots
1/3 cup cilantro
3 lemons, zest and juiced
1/3 cup of raw honey
1/2 cup of olive oil mayo
3 table spoon of rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1/2 cup dried cherries
3 cloves or garlic minced
2 teaspoon of curry powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of celery seeds
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of hot sesame oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
In a medium bowl place the juice from the lemons, seeds, and vinegar, stir and set aside.
Clean, peal and grate the carrots. Place grated carrots in a large bowl with the Pineapples, cherries, zest, cilantro, garlic, curry powder and oil and toss to coat.
Now to the lemon juice and seeds, add honey and whisk to combine. Add mayo and whisk to combine. Now add the cayenne to the sauce. Our sauce over carrots and toss well to coat, cover and chill for at least an hour.

For a Variation, replace the carrots with Jicama, lemons with Limes, the cherries with fresh currants and remove curry powder, replace with mustard and coriander

6 cups of grated Jicama
4 limes, zest and juice
1/2 cup of currants
1 teaspoon of ground mustard
1 teaspoon of ground coriander

Enjoy cooking

Pan Roasted Corn

We love this recipe served with a broil fish or even steaks

Pan Roasted Corn

Ingredients

3 to 4 ears of corn shucked
3 table spoons of butter
2 limes, zest and juiced
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (optional)

Directions

Remove the kernels of corn from the cob.
Place a large skillet over high heat. Once a drop of water will dance across the surface add the corn to the hot dry skillet. With a wooden spoon keep the corn moving so that it does not stick and burn. Once the corn starts to get roasted around the edges add the lime juice to the pan. The lime juice will steam as it hits the pan, keep stirring the corn. Once most of the lime juice is gone remove from heat and add the butter, garlic and jalapeno, and keep stirring. Once butter is melted, pour contents into a serving dish and top with some of the lime zest.

Enjoy cooking

Simple Corn

Corn is in season right now and it is oh so good too.

Simple Corn

Ingredients

4 to 5 ears of corn shucked
1 stick unsalted butter
2 limes - cut into about 4 slices each
1/3 cup white wine
4 to 6 cloves of garlic minced

Directions

Cut the corn into about one inch medallions.
In a deep pot over high heat place butter, wine, limes and garlic. Bring to a boil, now drop the corn in and cover; cook about 4 to 5 minutes giving the pot a shake very minute or so.
After 5 minutes, pour contains of pot into a serving dish removing the limes and serve.

Lemonades

This weekend while we were out at the cabin, we had lunch at this great little cafe. they made great combo sandwiches but the thing that blew me away was the Lemonade, but it was more then just Lemonade; it was Lemonade made with fresh Basil.

Well this got us talking, what other herb combo could we come up with to pair with the Lemonade or Limeade. I spent most of the mourning at the cabin experimenting with different herbs, fresh from our garden and I came up with five variations.

Well first we need the Lemonade or Limeade.

Lemonade / Limeade

Ingredients
3/4 to a cup of raw sugar
1 cup of water
1 cup of lemon or lime juice
Zest from either 2 to 3 lemons or limes
3 to 4 cups of cold water.

Directions

Simple syrup - In a small sauce pan heat the 1 cup of water and the raw sugar, heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside and let cool.

Now add zest, juice and some of the simple syrup to a pitcher, add water to pitcher, stir and taste - if its not quite sweet enough for you add more simple syrup. Once prefect to your taste, chill for at least an hour.

Note: you will be adding sugar to the herbs to aid in the crushing process, so you may want to have the lemonade or limeade a bit tart so that it will not be too sweet when you add the herbs.


Now for the herbs: you will use the same method in making a Mojito as you will for the lemonade.

Basil

Take 4 to 6 fresh Basil (or herb of choice) leaves, cut into ribbons and place them at the bottom of pint glass, add 1/2 a teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of raw sugar. Now add some crushed ice about 1/4 cup. With the either pestle or a large spoon - crush the basil into the ice and sugar for about a minute.
Now fill glass with ice and add the lemonade and stir. Garnish with a slice of Lemon and a sprig of Basil or herb of choice.

I tried it with Sweet basil& lemon basil and it was great; Thai basil, purple basil and cinnamon basil were OK, but not as good as the sweet basil.

Now the above works well with Mint (8 to 12 leaves), Sorrel (4 to 6 Leaves) & Tarragon (about 2 dozen). With the limeade the Sorrel (4 to 6 leaves) and the cilantro (10 to 12 leaves) worked well.

I tried, Rosemary, parsley, marjoram, oregano & thyme it was odd tasting.

I also tried slicing some fresh ginger, about 5 thin slices (pealed); it was good with the lemonade but just OK with limeade.

Now the lavender (8 to 10 leaves) lemonade I liked but its an acquired taste.

I think tomorrow more salads or maybe meat balls.

Enjoy cooking