Chocolate Chip Cookies, The Best Way

Here is the "Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Cookies", which is a wonderful reference. For a basic recipe, and a few of my personal insights, follow the instructions below. 

Makes about 16 large cookies. Recipe can easily be doubled.

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

8 tbsp butter

1/2 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tbsp vanilla

12 oz semi sweet chocolate chips/morsels

Cream butter and sugars. Add vanilla and egg, beat until fluffy. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt. Add to butter/sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.

Refrigerate dough for 24 hours.

Remove from fridge 15 minutes before shaping.

Preheat oven to 325˚F.

Use about ¼ cup dough for each cookie. Space several inches apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or maybe more, checking every couple minutes (yeah, it’s a pain, but every oven is different) until the cookies are relatively flat on top and not gooey in the center, but still slightly soft to the touch.

Savory French Toast with Sheep Feta and Fried Alliums

This is a savory version of "french toast." I used duck eggs for the egg mixture because I happened to have them, which resulted in a very rich, yolky custard, but chicken eggs should be quite adequate for this recipe.

Serves 2-4. 

8 slices of slightly stale rustic or french bread (I used week-old Grand Central rye)

5 large eggs

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/4 tsp sweet paprika

1/2 tsp salt

Black pepper to taste

2 tbsp (or more) butter

1 bunch green onions, scallions, or about 4 shallots, finely chopped

2 tbsp coarsely minced garlic cloves

6 oz. sheep feta (cow feta can be substituted)

Whisk eggs, milk, paprika, salt, and pepper until combined.

Dip each slice of bread in egg mixture, turning to coat completely, and lay the slices out on a rimmed baking pan. Drizzle any remaining egg mixture over the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate if not using immediately.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat until just melted. Add green onions and garlic and saute until crispy and browned on the edges. Transfer to small bowl. 

Scrape skillet clean or heat a griddle. Melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add egg-coated bread, and fry until lightly browned on each side, flipping once, about 3-5 minutes per side. Bread should be supple, but not gooey in the center. Sprinkle each piece with feta and fried onion/garlic mixture to serve. 

Salmon Bisque with Tarragon

This soup is a great way to use leftover salmon or cheap salmon trimmings from the store. Cottage cheese adds a creamy tartness, and the curds compliment the texture of the salmon, but if cottage cheese curds in soup sound too weird, substitute creme fraiche, sour cream, or simply leave out the sour dairy altogether.

1 green bell pepper
3 stalks celery
1 carrot
1/2 of one onion
1/2 of one sweet potato or yam
1 tbsp oil (I prefer grapeseed or sunflower, but any will do)
2-3 cups vegetable broth or water
a pinch of sage
a pinch of thyme
1 lb. of cooked salmon, fully de-boned
1 cup 2% or whole milk
salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
cottage cheese, creme fraiche, or sour cream, optional

Coarsely chop the vegetables. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, celery, and carrot. Cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add sweet potato and enough broth or water to cover the vegetables. Bring to a simmer, and cook until soft, about 5-8 minutes. Sprinkle in sage, thyme, salt, and pepper.

Using a blender or food processor, puree the vegetable mixture until completely smooth, in multiple batches if necessary. Be very careful blending hot liquids, and always do small batches to avoid splattering or trapped pressure from steam. Return vegetable puree to pot.

Stir de-boned salmon and milk into the vegetable puree. If bisque is still very thick, add vegetable broth until the soup is a desired consistency- not too thick, but also not watery. Season to taste with more salt and pepper if necessary.

Serve in large bowls, with a sprinkle of tarragon and a dollop of cottage cheese, creme fraiche, or sour cream if desired.

Tarragon and Snap Pea Salad with Fresh Mozzarella

The delicate flavors of fresh Mozzarella are often overpowered by the stronger flavors of basil, tomatoes, garlic, or onions. In this salad, all ingredients should be fairly mildly flavored and lightly dressed. A sprinkle of edible flowers can add some nice color, if you have them.

1 bunch Mizuna, coarsely chopped (about 4 cups, chopped)*
1 cup snap peas, coarsely chopped at a diagonal angle
2 tsp fresh tarragon, minced
2 tsp white wine vinegar
salt and pepper
1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella
1 tbsp mild-flavored oil, such as grapeseed or sunflower
Mild flavored edible flowers, such as violets or pansies, optional.

Combine the greens, peas, and tarragon in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss greens until thoroughly combined. Dress with 1 or two teaspoons of vinegar, to taste. In separate bowl, season mozzarella with salt and 1 tablespoon oil. Toss to coat. Add mozzarella to green mixture and toss gently. Garnish with edible flowers.


*other light, tender greens (watercress, miner's lettuce, baby spinach, baby lettuce, mild edible flowers, etc.) can be substituted

Proportions for the Perfect Gooey Caramel

• Melt sugar without water (or use 1 tsp per cup if sugar will not dissolve fast enough otherwise)
• Dissolve desired amount of salt in half the amount of cream compared to the amount of sugar you used. (Ex: if you use 1 cup sugar, use 1/2 cup cream. For 2 cups sugar, use 1 cup cream). About 1/4 tsp salt per cup of cream is nice. 
• When sugar is a dark amber color, stir in 2 tablespoons of butter per cup of sugar. 
• Carefully pour in salted cream.
• Caramel should drip easily off a spoon at this point. If not, or if undissolved chunks of sugar still exist, add a bit more cream. 
• Stir until all large chunks of sugar are dissolved and caramel is smooth.
• Use immediately (remembering to account for the fact that caramel will firm up as it cools), or refrigerate, for gooey perfection.

Miso Grilled Cheese

Butter some Dave's Killer bread.
Spread the other side with a fine but even layer of miso.
Top with sharp cheddar.
Add tomatoes, sauteed spinach, a fried egg or caramelized onions, or any combination of those.
Grill as you would a normal grilled cheese.

FUDGE

Chocolate fudge recipe from HERE: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/749684

CHOCOLATE FUDGE

This is a great chocolate fudge recipe. It can be doubled. Make fudge on a non-humid day.

1 cup heavy cream
2 cups granulated sugar
4 oz. unsweetened chopped chocolate
1/2 stick unsalted butter, 4 tablespoons
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 lb. chopped walnuts, optional
1/4 tsp salt

Combine heavy cream, sugar, salt and chopped chocolate in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until sugar dissolves. Wash down sides of pot with a pastry brush to dissolve sugar crystals.

Bring to a boil and cook until mixture reaches soft-ball stage, or 238 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove pan from the heat and stop the cooking by plunging pot in a water bath for 1 minute. Add the butter and vanilla, but do not stir. Allow the fuge to cool. When the thermometer reads 110 degrees, sitr fudge with a wooden spoon until creamy and starting to set up. Add the nuts if you want and mix well.

Spoon into a greased 8 x 8 baking pan. Let cool and then cut into squares.

Yield: 1 lb.

This is nice and creamy due to the addtion of heavy cream and extra butter. Be sure to use unsweetened chocolate (but I have to confess I've used 60%+ bittersweet on occasion with good results.)

Honey-Chevre Tarts

Makes 8

Ingredients

All butter pie crust

16 oz. chevre

1/4 cup honey

Thyme

Flaked salt (regular salt will also work)

Divide pastry dough into 8 equal pieces. Flatten each into a round disk, and roll out to about 1/16th of an inch. Sprinkle 2 oz. of chevre over the pastry, leaving 1/2 inch border around the edge of the pastry. Warm honey until it is thin and easy to drizzle. Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon of honey over the chevre on each pastry. Sprinkle thyme and salt over the pastries. Fold edges in, and crimp. Bake in 350˚F oven for about 15 minutes, or until pastry is beginning to brown and cheese is bubbling and browning.

Roast Delicata with Brie and Pecans

Preheat oven to 350˚F.
Quarter two delicata squash (slicing the long way).
Rub squash with salt and oil (preferably grapeseed) until well coated.
Place on baking sheet an bake for 20 minutes.
Flip squash pieces and bake for another 20 minutes, until soft and browning on all sides.
Turn squash so that soft interior is facing up.
Place strips of brie (or other soft cheese) in the hollow.
Sprinkle finely chopped pecans over brie.
Return to oven until brie melts and begins to bubble.
Remove from oven, and let cool briefly.
Drizzle with warm honey or grade A maple syrup. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Spread

Pumpkin butter (recipe below)
Cream cheese
Gingersnap cookies, rice Cakes, unflavored crackers, or toast

Combine equal parts pumpkin butter and cream cheese. Spread on cookies for an easy dessert, or on crackers, rice cakes, or toast for a snack or appetizer.

Pumpkin Butter

Combine in saucepan: pumpkin puree from 1 small pumpkin (about 4 cups), 1-2 cups brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp cloves, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/4 cup orange juice (optional). Heat until hot, and simmer until thick, if necessary. (Some pumpkins will be juicier, and require some cooking before they get thick enough to spread. Others wont require any cooking at all.)

If desired, pour hot pumpkin butter into sterile jars, wipe down rims, and top with new lids. If canned, pumpkin butter can last up to a year.