By Jeanne Foels, Marketing & Outreach Coordinator
I don't care if you are tired of cookies this season -- get the mixer back out and make these immediately! Open Arms Chef Cassie made these little gems for our clients a few weeks ago, and the rave reviews haven't stopped coming. Airy and light as meringue, these chocolate cookies are absolutely divine.
Mocha Chocolate Cookies
From Open Arms Chef Cassie
Step 1 Ingredients:
1 cup walnuts, toasted
1 cup pecans, toasted
Step 2 Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. coffee concentrate*
Step 3 Ingredients:
4 oz. butter, melted
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate
9 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
Step 4 Ingredients:
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
Step 5 Ingredients:
8 oz of high-quality semisweet chocolate chips or chocolate bar, cut into pieces
1. Toast nuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper at 325 degrees for about 8 minutes or until nuts are fragrant and lightly golden brown. Set aside to cool.
2. Place eggs and sugar into a mixer fitted with a whip attachment and whip the eggs and sugar until it resembles a light meringue that will loosely hold its shape. The mixture will become fluffy and pale yellow in color. When it reaches this point, add vanilla and coffee concentrate. Whip the coffee and vanilla into the mixture until they are incorporated. Turn off mixer and set aside.
3. Combine melted butter, unsweetened chocolate and semisweet chocolate chips in a double boiler and stir until all chocolate is melted and butter and chocolate emulsify. Remove from heat. Turn on mixer with egg/sugar meringue and SLOWLY add in the hot butter and chocolate mixture as to temper the eggs.
4. When all of the chocolate mixture is added, change to a paddle attachment or switch to mixing by hand. Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix just until incorporated.
5. Lastly add in the toasted nuts and high-quality semisweet chocolate chips or pieces. Mix just until incorporated, as the dough will be hot and over-mixing at this point will cause the chocolate chips to melt into the dough. Place in the fridge and chill for 15-30 minutes or until dough is set up enough to keep its shape when scooped.
6. Scoop dough using a small ice cream scoop or spoon and drop onto parchment-lined cookie trays. Bake at 325 degrees until the cookies crack like a brownie on top, roughly 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool so they set up, and enjoy!
*You can make your own coffee concentrate by brewing a small amount of very strong coffee. You can also use instant espresso powder.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Potluck Recipe #44: Apple and Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese
By Jeanne Foels, Marketing & Outreach Coordinator
Amid all the meat-heavy meals and rich desserts of this season, all I'm craving right now is something green! This salad fits the bill -- it's light, tangy, the tiniest bit bitter and full of freshness. Best of all, it's easy to throw together, making it perfect for quick meals on busy evenings.
Apple and Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese
Adapted from a recipe on Delish.com
(Serves 8-10 as a side)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. chopped thyme
salt and freshly ground pepper
5 oz. baby arugula
3 apples, peeled, cored and very thinly sliced
1/2 cup salted roasted pumpkin seeds
3 oz. fresh goat cheese, crumbled
sea salt
1. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil with the lemon juice, honey and chopped thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. In a large bowl, toss the arugula with the apple slices and pumpkin seeds. Add the dressing and toss well.
3. Top with the crumbled goat cheese, sprinkle lightly with sea salt and serve right away.
Amid all the meat-heavy meals and rich desserts of this season, all I'm craving right now is something green! This salad fits the bill -- it's light, tangy, the tiniest bit bitter and full of freshness. Best of all, it's easy to throw together, making it perfect for quick meals on busy evenings.
Apple and Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese
Adapted from a recipe on Delish.com
(Serves 8-10 as a side)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. chopped thyme
salt and freshly ground pepper
5 oz. baby arugula
3 apples, peeled, cored and very thinly sliced
1/2 cup salted roasted pumpkin seeds
3 oz. fresh goat cheese, crumbled
sea salt
1. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil with the lemon juice, honey and chopped thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. In a large bowl, toss the arugula with the apple slices and pumpkin seeds. Add the dressing and toss well.
3. Top with the crumbled goat cheese, sprinkle lightly with sea salt and serve right away.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Potluck Recipe #43: Stuffed Dates
By Susan Pagani, Communications Director
Every year, around this time, Medjool dates turn up in the market. Huge and soft, they are the most lush of all dates, so honey-sweet it almost hurts. They are well nigh addictive.
There are about a million Medjool date recipes combining the delightfully chewy fruit with everything from peanut butter to bacon, citrus, ancho chilies and foie gras. However, I like them best with a little cheese and something salty to smooth out and counterbalance all that sweet goodness.
Take this little ditty to your next holiday party or potluck!
Stuffed Medjool Dates with Pistachios
(Serves 4 to 6)
1/4 cup goat cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup shelled, salted pistachios
Every year, around this time, Medjool dates turn up in the market. Huge and soft, they are the most lush of all dates, so honey-sweet it almost hurts. They are well nigh addictive.
There are about a million Medjool date recipes combining the delightfully chewy fruit with everything from peanut butter to bacon, citrus, ancho chilies and foie gras. However, I like them best with a little cheese and something salty to smooth out and counterbalance all that sweet goodness.
Take this little ditty to your next holiday party or potluck!
Stuffed Medjool Dates with Pistachios
(Serves 4 to 6)
1/4 cup goat cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup shelled, salted pistachios
1 tsp. of lemon zest
Fresh ground black pepper
Fresh ground black pepper
16 Medjool dates
1. In a small bowl, mix together the cheeses, nuts and zest. Season with pepper.
1. In a small bowl, mix together the cheeses, nuts and zest. Season with pepper.
2. With a knife, make a lengthwise incision in each date. Gently open the dates slightly and remove the pits.
3. Spoon about a 1/2 teaspoon of cheese mixture into each one. Close the dates around the filling.
4. Arrange the stuffed dates on a platter and serve.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Season Extension at Open Farms: 14 Degrees Outside and 60 Degrees Inside
By Ben Penner, Farm Director
After a year of extreme temperatures -- extreme snow, extreme rain and extreme heat -- it was nice to have a mild fall. Up until recently the weather has been great for extending the growing season. At Open Farms, we’re still going growing nutritious vegetables in our hoop house, also known as a high-tunnel.
I built the hoop house myself from a partially donated previously used hoop house plus some old pipes, and lots of plastic and plywood. A hoop house is similar to a greenhouse with a few big differences. For example, a hoop house is usually powered exclusively by the sun with no additional heat source though some farmers may use supplemental heat to keep the plants alive during especially cold times of the year. In a hoop house plants are grown right in the soil floor of the structure whereas a greenhouse often utilizes a concrete floor.
As I write this the temperature in the hoop house is a balmy 60 degrees even though it is only 14 degrees and snowy outside. The temperature inside the hoop house is conducive to growing “early” green vegetables such as lettuce mix. We have several hundred feet of nourishing kale and salad mix – our third crop of greens this year -- getting ready for a harvest in a few weeks. As long as we continue to have sunshine and our nighttime (or daytime) temperature stay above zero, these vegetables should be heading to our kitchen sometime later this month.
After a year of extreme temperatures -- extreme snow, extreme rain and extreme heat -- it was nice to have a mild fall. Up until recently the weather has been great for extending the growing season. At Open Farms, we’re still going growing nutritious vegetables in our hoop house, also known as a high-tunnel.
I built the hoop house myself from a partially donated previously used hoop house plus some old pipes, and lots of plastic and plywood. A hoop house is similar to a greenhouse with a few big differences. For example, a hoop house is usually powered exclusively by the sun with no additional heat source though some farmers may use supplemental heat to keep the plants alive during especially cold times of the year. In a hoop house plants are grown right in the soil floor of the structure whereas a greenhouse often utilizes a concrete floor. As I write this the temperature in the hoop house is a balmy 60 degrees even though it is only 14 degrees and snowy outside. The temperature inside the hoop house is conducive to growing “early” green vegetables such as lettuce mix. We have several hundred feet of nourishing kale and salad mix – our third crop of greens this year -- getting ready for a harvest in a few weeks. As long as we continue to have sunshine and our nighttime (or daytime) temperature stay above zero, these vegetables should be heading to our kitchen sometime later this month.
Potluck Recipe #42: Focaccia Bread
By Susan Pagani, Communications Director
I learned to bake focaccia bread from a chef named Rosie in Portland, Oregon. We worked at a wonderful Italian deli that featured, along with amazing take-out food, a gourmet grocery, meat counter, pasta shop and a giant cookbook store. It was a fun place to work because we could use any of the resources in our cooking, which led to daily invention.
Rosie taught me an important lesson about baking bread: how to feel when the dough has had enough flour and kneading. Instead of giving me a recipe for the focaccia, she gave me the recipe for the sponge and then had me knead the flour in until the dough felt right. I'm no artisan baker, but that "feeling" for dough has stuck with me as I've learned to make more complex bread recipes -- with satisfying results -- at home.
In the recipe below, I've included the rough flour amounts. For one loaf, it's not really necessary to make a sponge. Rather than simply adding the two and a half cups called for in the recipe, add just enough to form a sturdy dough and then turn it onto a work surface dusted with flour. Then, knead in just as much flour as you need to achieve a dough that is dry -- not sticky -- and feels elastic and smooth in your hand, springing back when you press a thumb into it. By adding flour this way, you avoid creating an unworkable dough that is too dry or too wet.
If you do not enjoy olives, rosemary is also delicious.
I learned to bake focaccia bread from a chef named Rosie in Portland, Oregon. We worked at a wonderful Italian deli that featured, along with amazing take-out food, a gourmet grocery, meat counter, pasta shop and a giant cookbook store. It was a fun place to work because we could use any of the resources in our cooking, which led to daily invention.
Rosie taught me an important lesson about baking bread: how to feel when the dough has had enough flour and kneading. Instead of giving me a recipe for the focaccia, she gave me the recipe for the sponge and then had me knead the flour in until the dough felt right. I'm no artisan baker, but that "feeling" for dough has stuck with me as I've learned to make more complex bread recipes -- with satisfying results -- at home.
In the recipe below, I've included the rough flour amounts. For one loaf, it's not really necessary to make a sponge. Rather than simply adding the two and a half cups called for in the recipe, add just enough to form a sturdy dough and then turn it onto a work surface dusted with flour. Then, knead in just as much flour as you need to achieve a dough that is dry -- not sticky -- and feels elastic and smooth in your hand, springing back when you press a thumb into it. By adding flour this way, you avoid creating an unworkable dough that is too dry or too wet.
If you do not enjoy olives, rosemary is also delicious.
Focaccia Bread
Adapted from the Green's Cookbook
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
pinch sugar
1/2 cup pitted black olives
2 1/2 cups unbleached white flour or a mixture of whole wheat and white
Coarse sea salt
1. Preheat the oven to 450F.
2. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water with the salt, olive oil and sugar. When it is fully dissolved -- it should bubble a little -- stir in the olives.
3. Add in just enough flour to form a sturdy dough and turn it out onto a board dusted with flour. Knead for 5 to 8 minutes, adding just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking. When the dough is smooth and bounces back, form it into a ball and set it in a lightly oiled bowl. Turn it over once, cover and put it in a warm place to rise until it is doubled in bulk, about 30-40 minutes.
4. After the dough has risen, turn it out onto an oiled baking sheet or a peel and pat it out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut a few slits in the top, brush with olive oil and sprinkle the top with sea salt. Let the dough rise for 20 minutes.
5. Bake the bread in the top third of the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown. (If you have a pizza stone, use it -- your crust will thank you.)
6. Remove from the pan immediately and serve or cool on a rack.
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
pinch sugar
1/2 cup pitted black olives
2 1/2 cups unbleached white flour or a mixture of whole wheat and white
Coarse sea salt
1. Preheat the oven to 450F.
2. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water with the salt, olive oil and sugar. When it is fully dissolved -- it should bubble a little -- stir in the olives.
3. Add in just enough flour to form a sturdy dough and turn it out onto a board dusted with flour. Knead for 5 to 8 minutes, adding just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking. When the dough is smooth and bounces back, form it into a ball and set it in a lightly oiled bowl. Turn it over once, cover and put it in a warm place to rise until it is doubled in bulk, about 30-40 minutes.
4. After the dough has risen, turn it out onto an oiled baking sheet or a peel and pat it out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut a few slits in the top, brush with olive oil and sprinkle the top with sea salt. Let the dough rise for 20 minutes.
5. Bake the bread in the top third of the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown. (If you have a pizza stone, use it -- your crust will thank you.)
6. Remove from the pan immediately and serve or cool on a rack.
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