Every year I seem to end up posting Christmas recipes just days before Christmas is here. December is a busy month, and although I have the best of intentions to share delicious, festive recipes with you all month long, I always seem to get overwhelmed by the whirl of wrapping up projects and preparing for all the events and tasks that go along with the holidays. So here I am, two days before Christmas, with three Christmas cookie recipes for those of you who are planning on some last minute baking or some really early planning for next year.

Actually, if I’m being fully honest with you, this year is a bit different. I’ve been carving out more time to prepare for Christmas and here I sit, two days to go, with all my presents purchased and wrapped, three kinds of cookies in the freezer, two Christmas movies (and four of six Star Wars movies) watched, one party successfully thrown and several others attended. In fact, I’ve had these cookies baked and photographed for the past few weeks, I’ve just been having trouble finding the right words to accompany them. I’m trying to be more purposeful with the words I share on this space – less fluff and more meaning, and better use of the excellent education I’ve been so fortunate to receive (looking back at hastily written posts makes my former straight-A English student self cringe).

Earlier versions of this post, the ones that went unpublished and sounded eerily reminiscent of past Christmas posts, were filled with thoughts of stress and to-do lists and cold dark days, which is so counter to the idea of Christmas spirit that I couldn’t bring myself to publish them. But I woke up this morning, the first morning of my brief 5-day vacation, knowing what I wanted to say. So here it is: Rest. Take a deep breath. Stop worrying and enjoy being with the people you love, just for the next few days. Throw out your to-do list and congratulate yourself for everything you’ve already done. Celebrate Christmas with a calm and joyful heart. Drink a little too much wine or have an extra cookie and don’t stress about a few extra pounds. Take a break, because next year will be here before you know it and you need to rest every once in a while. I write these things with myself in mind more than anything – it’s so easy for me to forget to enjoy myself, even when I’m in the midst of something that should be a wonderful experience. So for the next few days, I’m going to focus on just that – enjoying myself.

And because I promised you cookies, here’s three. First, chocolate peppermint snowballs, dotted with chocolate chips and rolled in crushed candy canes. Second, soft and gently-spiced speculoos stars, dipped in white chocolate and colored sprinkles. Third, delicate, lacy florentines with candied orange peel, candied ginger, almonds, and a drizzle of dark chocolate, the most elegant holiday cookies you’ll put on your table. They’re all lovely, although I have a soft spot for the speculoos, which are like a gentler version of gingerbread. And with that, I’m signing off for a few days, hopefully to take my own advice and come back feeling refreshed and calm. Merry Christmas!

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Peppermint Snowballs

Recipe adapted slightly from Bon Appetit. Makes about 36 cookies.

• 8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
• 1 stick butter, cut into quarters
• 1/2 c. finely crushed peppermint candies, plus more for decorating
• 6 TBS sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp peppermint extract
• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 c. milk chocolate chips

1. Place bittersweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, and butter into a medium saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring, until chocolate and butter are completely melted. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 c. crushed peppermint candies and sugar. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
2. Whisk eggs into chocolate mixture one at a time, then whisk in vanilla extract and peppermint extract. In a medium bowl, combine flour and baking powder, then stir into chocolate mixture. Stir chocolate chips into mixture. Cover batter and chill for 30 minutes, or until easy to roll into firm balls.
3. Preheat oven to 325°F. Roll cookie dough into balls that are approximately the size of a ping pong ball. Place on cookie sheets and bake until puffed and cracked on top, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with additional crushed peppermint candies or powdered sugar.

White-Chocolate Dipped Speculoos Stars

Recipe adapted slightly from Bon Appetit. Makes about 36 cookies.

• 2 c. flour
• 1 TBS ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 c. dark brown sugar
• 1 stick butter, room temperature
• 1 egg
• 4 oz. high quality white chocolate, cut into pieces
• colored sugar sprinkles

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, beat brown sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in egg. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients a few scoops at a time, beating to incorporate flour between additions. Dough will be slightly dry. Divide dough in two, flattening into two large rectangles. Wrap each rectangle in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly flour a work surface and roll out one of the dough rectangles to about 1/4 inch thick. Use cookie cutter to cut out stars and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining dough, re-rolling dough as necessary. Bake cookies until edges begin to darken, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.
3. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave on low power, stopping to stir every 20 seconds, until the chocolate is runny. Do not overheat or chocolate will seize and you will need to start over. Brush or drizzle the chocolate onto the cookies, then sprinkle with the colored sugar. Let chocolate cool, then store the cookies between waxed paper sheets in the fridge or freezer until ready to serve.

Chocolate-Dipped Orange and Ginger Florentines

Adapted from Bon Appetit. Makes 30.

• 3 oranges, scrubbed
• 1 c. plus 4 TBS sugar, divided
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/2 c. plus 2 TBS heavy cream
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 2 TBS butter
• 2/3 c. sliced almonds, toasted
• 1/4 c. flour
• 2 TBS finely chopped crystallized ginger
• 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1. To make the candied orange peel, peel the orange using a vegetable peeler, being careful to remove only the orange part of the peel and not the white pith. Finely chop enough of the orange peel to measure 1 TBS and set aside for the cookie batter. Place the remaining peel in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cook for 2 minutes, then drain. Add 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water to the orange peel and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Boil for 5 minutes, then drain, reserving the orange syrup for another use. Sprinkle 2 TBS of sugar on a plate or other flat surface, and transfer the candied peel to the sugar. Sprinkle another 2 TBS of sugar on top of the peel. Let dry for 20 minutes, then roughly chop enough candied peel to measure 2 TBS.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray generously with cooking spray (this is very important, as cookies will stick to aluminum foil if not prepared properly. You can also use silpat mats but you will need to let cool for longer before removing the cookies).
3. In a medium saucepan, combine cream, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, and butter. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, then add the 1 TBS of reserved un-candied orange peel, the 2 TBS of candied orange peel, the toasted almond, crystallized ginger, and flour. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then remove from the heat.
4. Use a tablespoon to scoop the warm batter onto the prepared pans, spacing cookies 3 inches apart as they will spread a lot. You can expect to fit about 6-8 cookies per pan. Place pans in the oven and bake until edges begin to crisp, about 10-12 minutes. Slide foil off sheets and cool cookies on foil, then carefully peel the cookies from the foil. Repeat until you have used all the batter.
5. Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and melt on low power, stopping to stir every 20 seconds, until the chocolate is runny. Do not overheat or chocolate will seize and you will need to start over. Use a spoon to drizzle the chocolate on top of the cooled florentines. Let chocolate harden then transfer cookies to fridge for storage.

The post Ready for Christmas // Peppermint Snowballs, White Chocolate Speculoos, and Chocolate-Orange Florentines appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

A few weeks back, Corningware reached out to see if I’d be interested in checking out their new line of bakeware, CWColor, and creating a recipe inspired by the fun new pieces in the line. Intrigued, and always on the lookout for dishes that can add a pop of color to my photographs, I agreed. I received four casserole dishes that nest neatly together: a small yellow dish, a medium-sized red dish, and two larger blue dishes (you can actually see the blue dish in my recent Maftool post, if you’d like). I really do like the colors – they strike just the right balance between brights and pastels, adding a fun, modern splash of brightness to my kitchen. I’ve been craving a good homemade dessert recently, so I knew that I wanted to use the dishes to bake something sweet, but still colorful and spring-like. Strawberries were the obvious choice, but I just made strawberry-rhubarb meringue pie a few weeks ago, so it needed to be more creative than that. Brainstorming with Trevor, he brought up the blueberry and white chocolate bread pudding I made last summer, and the idea quickly planted itself in my head and grew into this amazing strawberry-bourbon bread pudding with white chocolate sauce.

This recipe is one that gives a whole lot more than it takes. It’s quick to assemble – a few minutes to chop up the bread and the strawberries, a minute to whisk together cream, eggs and vanilla, a minute to measure out the sugar and bourbon and pour them over the strawberries, and two minutes while the pudding is in the oven to melt a little white chocolate for the sauce. All simple steps, but when you open the oven and pull out that bread pudding, redolent of bourbon and vanilla and roasted strawberries, and drizzle the warm white chocolate sauce over the top, even you will find it hard to believe how easy it was to make such an intoxicating dessert. Yes, it’s full of vices – booze and gluten and dairy and sugar – but it’s good to eat something sinful every once in a while.

Sometimes when I’m blogging late at night, which, let’s be honest, is most of the time that I’m blogging, I find myself standing in the kitchen bent over the island, with the only light in the room my photo lightbox, brightly illuminating whatever dish I’ve just finished photographing. My camera is put down on the counter, and I stand there, fork in hand, finally testing the finished product. I usually only take a few bites before kicking back into gear for clean-up, but sometimes, when I’m really tired, and whatever I’ve made is really good, and the light is directing all my remaining focus and energy into the little space between me and the food, I stand for what seems like forever, slowly taking bite after bite, pondering just how much I really enjoy food. Truly. It’s such a pleasure. This bread pudding was one of those dishes, a dish to savor. Who knew bakeware could create such inspiration?

Giveaway now closed! Congrats to Danielle Taj on winning!

Giveaway details: Corningware has offered to send one Katie at the Kitchen Door reader a casserole set of their new CWColor products. To enter, leave a comment below letting me know what spring baking you have planned this month. By entering, you are agreeing to the official rules as listed here:

• No purchase necessary
• Void where prohibited
• One entry per household, and only entries answering the question above will be considered!
• The sponsor of this giveaway is Corningware
  
• The estimated retail value of the Corningware bakeware is $50
• The odds of winning will depend on the number of entries received
• This contest is only open to U.S. Citizens over the age of 18
• The contest will open today, April 10th, 2014 at posting time, and will close at 11PM EST on Thursday, April 17th, 2014
• One winner will be selected randomly and contacted via email (so please leave an accurate email address!). If I do not hear from the winner within 48 hours, the winner forfeits their prize and an alternate winner will be chosen.
• I will post the winner here by Friday, April 25th

Disclosure: I received product and compensation for recipe ingredients from Corningware in exchange for writing this post. I was not otherwise compensated and all thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

Strawberry-Bourbon Bread Pudding with White Chocolate Sauce

Inspired by Taste of Home. Serves 4-6.

• 3/4 c. heavy cream, divided
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 4 c. 1-inch bread cubes, from a soft homemade loaf such as pullman or challah, about 1/2 lb. in total
• 2 c. quartered fresh strawberries
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. bourbon
• butter for greasing the pan
• 1/2 c. white chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Whisk 1/2 cup of the heavy cream, the vanilla, the salt, and the eggs together in a large bowl until fully combined. Add the bread cubes and toss with the cream mixture until the bread is fully coated. Set aside and let sit for at least 15 and up to 45 minutes so that the bread soaks up the cream.
2. Toss the quartered strawberries with the sugar and the bourbon until well mixed. Set aside and let sit for 15-30 minutes until the berries are very juicy. Combine the berry and bread mixtures in one bowl and stir to thoroughly mix.
3. Grease a 1.5 qt baking dish with butter. Add the bread pudding mixture to the pan, and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 35 minutes, or until bread is golden brown, custard is semi-set, and juices are bubbling. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Pudding can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
4. Just before serving, add the remaining 1/4 c. of heavy cream and the white chocolate chips to a small saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring, just until the chocolate has melted. Remove from the heat immediately and pour the warm sauce over the bread pudding.

The post CW Color Bakeware Giveaway // Strawberry-Bourbon Bread Pudding with White Chocolate Sauce appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

Today was my last day at my job! On Monday, I begin a new role – I’ll be in the same company, but I’m transferring to a project management role in our International business unit. I’ll be traveling a lot more (in fact, I’ll be on a plane to Hong Kong on my first day on the job), and working on some really neat projects with our teams around the world, with the side benefit of getting to tell you all about the awesome foods I get to try. I’m very excited about my new job, but the past few days have been bittersweet. This was my first job out of college, and I’ve had two and a half great years in the group that I’m leaving. I’ve learned a ton, developed so much more confidence in myself, and, maybe most importantly, met some really great people. When I was first looking for jobs, I didn’t realize the sheer volume of time you spend with your coworkers, and I consider myself lucky to have found myself in a group of smart, entertaining, and caring people who have become my close friends. I spent a good part of most days at work laughing with an intensity that I never expected to experience in a workplace, and I know I’m lucky to be able to say that. I’m certainly planning on maintaining my friendships with everyone, but it will be different not being there for the little day to day stories and jokes. So, thank you CS&R, for being awesome.

Although I’ve brought baked goods in to work once or twice, I have to admit that overall, I probably fell short of my coworkers’ expectations of having a food blogger around. So today, to celebrate my time in the group and make good on all my “yeah I’ll make those someday” promises, I brought in a batch of classic, gooey, super sweet seven layer bars. I considered going all fancy/homemade with these – you know, homemade cookie crust, a caramel drizzle, etc. – but in the end, what I really wanted was just the classic version, over-processed store bought ingredients and all. So that’s what I made, although it turns out that if you live in Cambridge, it’s pretty difficult/expensive to try and find things like sweetened coconut flakes, butterscotch chips, and sweetened condensed milk when Wholefoods has taken over the local grocery scene (typically a good thing, but not for something like this). Still, these are certainly worth making in my book, and hopefully my coworkers thought so too. Now I just have to start managing the baking expectations of my new coworkers.

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More like this…

Peppermint Bark Brownies

Blackberry Cheesecake Bars

Toffee-Coconut Crack Cookies

Classic Seven-Layer Bars

Adapted from Brown-Eyed Baker. Makes 18-24 bars.

• 1 package of  graham crackers (8 or 9 whole crackers)
• 1 stick butter (8 TBS) melted
• 1 1/2 c. whole pecans, coarsely chopped
• 1 c. semisweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 c. white chocolate chips
• 1/2 c. butterscotch chips
• 1 c. sweetened coconut flakes
• 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with tinfoil so that the foil hangs slightly over the sides. Place graham crackers in a blender and pulse several times until crackers are finely ground. Pour into a bowl and add the melted butter, stirring to fully coat the crumbs with the butter. Spread the buttered crumbs into the bottom of the lined pan, pressing to create a thin and even layer.
2. In order, sprinkle the chopped pecans, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and coconut flakes evenly over the graham cracker crust. Spoon or pour the can of sweetened condensed milk evenly over the surface of the entire pan. Place in the preheated oven and bake until the top is golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for about two hours. Cover and store in the fridge.

The post A New Job // Classic Seven-Layer Bars appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

It’s that time of year again. Time for decorating and cookie-baking and holiday parties and racking your brains for inspiration for the perfect present. I know some people find gift-giving overly stressful and materialistic, but I actually love trying to find something that will be well loved by the people I love the most, something that will make them smile. So even though everyone and their mother seems to be writing a gift guide (or 6) this week, I’m throwing my picks into the ring, too. All of the items I’ve included here are related in some way to food, because this is, after all, a food blog. And really, do you know anyone who doesn’t like food? I mean, I actually do know a couple of those people, but I certainly don’t understand them, so I can’t really tell you what they want for Christmas. Also, all my gift suggestions are themed, because I like themes. And organizing things. Anyways, I hope you find some inspiration below, and if not, check out last year’s gift guide, or these ones from Ashley, Joanna, and The Every Girl.

Shopping doesn’t get you into the holiday spirit? How about baking? Yeah? OK, good. Because I just made my first batch of Christmas cookies and I think you’ll like them. I thought I was being really creative when I thought of chopping up homemade peppermint bark and putting it in cookies, but, as with most recipes, a quick google search revealed that lots of people had this great idea well before me. Heidi made plain and chocolate versions of these way back in 2003, and hers were based on an apparently famous Neiman Marcus recipe. Still, the thought of these was too tempting to ignore, so I forged ahead and made my own version. They’re fudgey in the middle and just minty-sweet enough, and if you temper the chocolate correctly while making the peppermint bark, it should taste really smooth even when baked into the cookies. Scroll down for the recipe!

1) For the brewer

This has been a big food DIY experimenting year for us, and for many other food-focused Americans. (I don’t really want to self-identify as a hipster, but I’m worried that that’s kinda what that last sentence means…). Home-brewing has been our most successful form of experimentation, and our interest was kickstarted by Emma’s book, True Brews. Once we realized that home brewing is actually pretty easy and very rewarding, we were on a roll, with watermelon soda, blackberry wine, homemade sake, and cranberry mead all gracing our cabinets. Anyone with a back-to-basics ethos and an abundance of fresh fruit will appreciate being able to turn it all into booze.

1) Fruit Wine Brewing Kit; 2) Cookbook: True Brews; 3) Fruit Straining Bag; 4) Bottles for Serving; 5) Champagne Yeast (for Sodas, some Ciders, some Meads); 6) Fruit and Wine Press

2) For the grillmaster

Personally, I like the idea of grilling more than I actually like grilling, but maybe all I need are some cool gadgets (like a smoking box!) to motivate me. There were a lot of great grilling cookbooks released this year, and the concept of cooking with live fire seems to be getting more popular in the food world. Bonus: if you get any of the below for someone you see frequently, you might even get treated to some really excellent hickory-smoked burgers.

1) Smoker box; 2) Apple, Mesquite, and Hickory Smoking Chips; 3) Cookbook: Where There’s Smoke; 4) Barbecue Pit Gloves; 5) Himalayan Salt Block; 6) Grill Tools Set; 7) Cookbook: Wicked Good Burgers

3) For the ice cream fanatic

A few years ago for my birthday, my parents got me a cute red ice cream maker, and I love, love, love being able to make ice cream that’s ten times better than store-bought (well, not than Ben & Jerry’s, but that would be impossible) whenever I want. I use it all year, for treats like Pumpkin-Maple Ice Cream in the fall, Peppermint Stick in the winter, Strawberry-Sour Cream in the spring, and Cherry-Chocolate in the summer.

1) Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker; 2) Zeroll Ice Cream Scoop; 3) Cookbook: Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones; 4) Sundae Glasses; 5) Sundae Spoons; 6) Paper Cups; 7) Sandwich Maker

4) For the healthy food lover

To make up for the times when I’m indulging in Creamy Chicken Pot Pie, Braised Lamb Shanks with Blue Cheese Polenta, and other blog treats, I try to stick to the lighter side of the food world when I’m not blogging. Green smoothies are a favorite of mine (and I really love that smoothie water bottle pictured below), and just generally eating more vegetables and farmer’s market produce is a huge step in the right direction. Make that easier for someone you love with some healthy cookbooks, a cute market tote, or a CSA subscription!

1) Compact Juicer; 2) Great Water/Smoothie Bottle; 3) FitBit; 4) Cookbook: Vegetarian Everyday; 5) “Oh Kale Yeah” Market Tote; 6) Olive Oil Mister; 7) Cookbook: Eat Your Vegetables; 8) Local CSA Subscription

So now that we’ve promised ourselves we’ll be healthy when we’re not indulging… let’s indulge. Christmas cookies!

Chocolate Peppermint Bark Chip Cookies

Base recipe adapted from In the Sweet Kitchen. Makes 18 cookies.

• 1 c. plus 2 TBS AP flour
• 1/4 c. cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 stick (1/2 c.) salted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 c. packed dark brown sugar
• 6 TBS sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
• 1 1/4 c. (about 8 oz.) peppermint bark bits, recipe below

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, then whisk together until evenly combined. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, beat the butter with the brown sugar and regular sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in the vanilla and peppermint extracts.
3. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in two additions, stirring to fully moisten the flour between additions. Stir batter until fully moistened, but don’t overmix. Stir in 1 c. of the peppermint bark bits until evenly combined.
4. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, and place rounded spoonfuls of batter on the cookie sheet placed at least 2 inches apart. Place one or two pieces of the remaining 1/4 c. of peppermint bark bits on top of each cookie. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, until the outside edges have begun to crack slightly and the center is set. Cookies will still be very fudgy in the middle when you take them out of the oven, but will firm up as they cool. Let cool for 3-5 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.

Peppermint Bark

Recipe adapted slightly from Sara Moulton. Makes 2 lbs.

• 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
• 12 oz. white chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
• 12 candy canes, crushed (about 1 c. of crushed pieces)

1. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil, making it as smooth as possible on the bottom. Place the semisweet chocolate chips in a metal bowl, and set the bowl over the simmering water. Stir the chocolate chips until they are all just barely melted and the chocolate is thick and shiny, then use a spatula to scrape onto the lined baking sheet. Use the spatula to smooth the chocolate into an even layer of about 1/4 inch thickness – the chocolate will probably not fill up an entire baking sheet, which is fine. Place the baking sheet in the fridge until the chocolate has just started to set and is no longer shiny, about 10 minutes. You don’t want to let the chocolate get too cold, or it will not adhere to the white chocolate. On the other hand, if it’s still too warm when you add the white chocolate, you will not get clean layers but the two will marble.
2. Clean out and dry your metal bowl, then add the white chocolate chips to it. Melt over the double boiler in the same manner as the semisweet chips. Once melted, stir in the peppermint extract. Remove from the heat. If your semisweet chocolate layer is not cool enough yet, alternate keeping the white chocolate over the double boiler and off to the side every 60-90 seconds to keep it about the right temperature. Once the semisweet chocolate is ready, pour the white chocolate on top and smooth out into an even layer. Sprinkle the candy canes on top of the white chocolate, pressing them in lightly with your fingers. Place the baking sheet in the fridge until the chocolate is fully set, at least 30 minutes. Stick a sharp knife into the chocolate in several areas to break up into smaller chunks. If it gets difficult to break up, put it back in the fridge until it becomes brittle again. Store in the fridge.

The post Food Lover’s Gift Guide 2013 // Chocolate Peppermint Bark Chip Cookies appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

Time for another week.  Translation: time for coffee to get us through Monday morning.  If you’re me, preferably some milky, sugary coffee, maybe with a little whipped cream.  And chocolate.  It is Monday after all, and Mondays are hard.  Especially after you’ve spent the weekend meeting great people at a great food blogger conference at Stonewall Kitchen and you’re not quite ready to be thinking about your day job, which is not food blogging.  I’ll probably talk more about the conference soon, but for now, let me just thank Alana and Amy of Blog Better Boston for putting it together!

I was never a big coffee drinker until this year (and at 3-4 cups a week, I guess most of you still wouldn’t say I qualify as a big coffee drinker).  I’ve always liked coffee – the flavor, warmth, etc. (again, since by coffee I mean lattes with three packs of sugar, some of you might judge me – I’m OK with that), but I’m super sensitive to caffeine.  One cup of Starbucks coffee and I’m shaking, my heart is racing, and I can’t focus on anything.  Not exactly the desired effect.  But when I’m really dragging, one warm latte is just the thing to get me going.

This is another recipe from Home Made Winter, which I reviewed last week.  Doesn’t it just look like the perfect thing to warm you up on a cold day?  I adapted the recipe a little bit to use espresso instead of coffee, since I don’t have a regular coffee pot (in fact, I don’t have any coffee-making equipment – I had to borrow Trevor’s bialetti for this one!  A great little tool, by the way.)  I also used skim milk, instead of whole, since I wasn’t feeling that indulgent.  Because the recipe has you melt white chocolate into the warm milk, and slightly sweeten the whipped cream, I didn’t even need any extra sugar – I know, I’m a hero right?

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekends, and have a great Monday!

White Chocolate Lattes

Recipe adapted from Home Made Winter.  Serves 2.

Note: Original recipe calls for a smaller volume of whole milk and a larger volume of regular coffee (1 c. milk, 3/4 c. coffee for 2 servings).  Since I wanted to use espresso and have this be more like a latte, I increased the amount of milk and used a shot of espresso per glass, but I’m sure either way would be delicious.  I also don’t love the flavor of cardamom, so I made it optional, but include it if you like the flavor!

• 1 1/2 c. skim milk
• 1 1/2 oz. white chocolate, chopped finely, plus extra for garnish
• 3 oz. (6 TBS) of hot espresso
• 1/4 c. heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar (optional, but I always use it to stiffen my cream)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground cardamom (optional)

1. Heat the milk over low heat in a medium saucepan, stirring with a wooden spoon.  As soon as it begins to simmer.  Remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate.  Let sit for 5 minutes, then stir again.  If the chocolate is not fully melted, heat gently for 1-2 minutes over low heat, stirring.
2. In a small bowl, whisk cream until it begins to foam.  Sprinkle cream of tartar over the top, then whisk vigorously until soft peaks form.  Add sugar and vanilla, and whisk to incorporate.
3. Divide hot espresso between two glasses.  Top each glass off with the warm milk and chocolate mixture, and stir to mix.  Top with whipped cream, any extra white chocolate shavings, and ground cardamom, if using.  Enjoy while hot!

The post White Chocolate Latte appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

Now that it’s officially summer and my nutso-busy project is (fingers-crossed) winding down (although I could be headed back to Spain in July), it’s time to get serious about summer.  It’s only for a few months a year, people!  This will be my first summer as a real person, meaning no vacation and no play-with-little-kids-in-the-sun-all-day summer job, and I’m already missing the dog-day boredom of waking up late, lying about in the sun and drinking lemonade, but I’m determined to make every weekend count.  So, I’m making a list (because, let’s face it, if you’re a list person you’ll always be a list person) of the 10 things I have to do this summer:

1. Go to the Cape.  I grew up spending summers in Falmouth and man do I miss the breeze, the foggy sea glass walks with my mom, the marshes, the seashells on the roads, and so many other tiny details.
2. Pick strawberries berries of some kind.  I think I may have missed strawberry picking season, but I certainly ate my fill.  I’ve got plenty of time for raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries though.
3. Learn to start the grill.  Or at least grill one thing.  I’m fairly certain I put this on my summer list last year but it appears I never actually published that list, so you can’t hold me accountable for not doing it.  I’m super jumpy around hot things, but Trevor can probably bully me into learning.
4. Make Cassis!  I searched everywhere for some fresh black currants last year with no luck.  This year I’m 100% determined to find them.
5. Visit the Harbor Islands.  I meant to do this all summer last year and never got around to it.
6. Ride my bike!  I just need to bite the bullet and buy a helmet… Man, I hate helmets.
7. Train for a half marathon.  I put this on here dubiously, given that I’m currently at about 5 miles max… and have been for the past 5 years.  But I told my mom I’d do one in October, and my knees aren’t bothering me anymore (knock on wood), and my metabolism seems to have abandoned me, so… I’ll do it.
8. Do a producer interview.  This is an idea I’ve been toying with for a long time – meeting and interviewing some of the super-committed food professionals in the area, but haven’t gotten around to.  I’d love to do it, and summer is the perfect time.
9. Plan a trip for this fall.  Now is the time to travel, and I keep putting it off for this reason or that reason.  This year has gone by so incredibly quickly, and I never managed to plan more than a weekend away.  I’m young, employed, and relatively free – I’ve got to start doing the things I dream about!
10. Make at least 3 kinds of ice cream…

… starting with this one.  Because it’s been really hot, and I just finished eating my first batch of ice cream (from March!  Who knew I had such self-control?)  Plus, I’m trying to work my way through at least a few of my bookmarked recipes for each super-seasonal fruit or veggie this summer, and cherries are in now.  Of course, cherries are pretty perfect straight from the fridge, but as the new owner of a cherry pitter (yes it’s a super-specific gadget, but it’s super easy to use and I’m totally happy with the $8 I spent on it), I’ve been using them other ways as well.

This ice cream, adapted from Technicolor Kitchen, is my favorite that I’ve made so far.  Of course, I’ve only made 3 others – meyer lemon buttermilk, roasted cinnamon, and lemon-basil sorbet – but this one was the most like one that I’d order at an ice cream shop.  I never seem to be able to get my homemade ice cream as solid as I want to (any tips on that?), but this froze fairly well.  The cherry flavor is sweet and intense, and the white and dark chocolate chunks add a little texture.  The addition of cassis just before freezing gives it a lovely floral, slightly boozy layer that really makes it shine.  It reminds me very much of the black raspberry ice cream my mom always ordered at Benson’s when we were on the way home from the beach (p.s. if you’re ever in Eastern Mass, you must try Benson’s – pair it with a trip to Crane’s Beach and a stop at the Clam Box for a true New England experience).  I never really liked that flavor as a kid, but I think it’s more of an adult thing – a little bit more intense and musky.

I’ll keep you posted on my summer activities, especially the food-related ones.  Hope you all are getting started on whatever summer activities you’re dreaming of!

Cherry and Two-Chocolate Ice Cream

Adapted from Technicolor Kitchen.  Makes 1 quart.

• 1 1/2 c. pitted ripe sweet cherries (from about 3/4 lb. cherries)
• 3/4 c. whole milk
• 1 3/4 c. heavy cream, divided
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 TBS creme de cassis
• 3/4 c. chocolate chunks – mix of dark chocolate and white chocolate

1. Add pitted cherries, milk, sugar, salt and 1 c. of the heavy cream to a large saucepan.  Heat over medium-low heat just until it begins to steam, stirring occasionally, then lower the heat to the lowest sitting and let sit for 15 minutes, crushing the cherries gently against the side of the pot with the back of a wooden spoon about halfway through.  After the 15 minutes is up, remove from heat.
2. Pour the hot mixture into a blender and blend (always be careful blending hot liquids) until smooth.  Pour into a large glass bowl, and stir in remaining 3/4 c. heavy cream.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for several hours or overnight until completely chilled.
3. Before assembling the ice cream maker (if your ice cream maker is like mine, the bowl should have been sitting in the freezer for at least 12 hours), remove the cherry cream from the fridge and stir in the lemon juice and cassis.  Set up ice cream maker, and process cherry cream according to directions.  About 1-2 minutes before the ice cream is done, pour in the chocolate chunks and let mix in.  Remove the ice cream from the ice cream maker and freeze for another 1-2 hours before serving, to let it harden up a bit.  This is delicious served with an extra drizzle of cassis.

The post Summer Bucket List & Cherry-Chocolate Ice Cream appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

In an ideal world, I would have time to bake 10 different kinds of Christmas cookies, and then come Christmas day lay out a beautiful plate of differently shaped and colored and flavored treats.  (Yes, this is actually something I fantasize about.  I also fantasize about normal things like inheriting a villa in Italy and spending all day in a king-sized hotel bed with 15 pillows, but occasionally I fantasize about having perfect displays of baked goods.  C’est juste moi.)  In the real world, I have time to bake exactly 0 kinds of Christmas cookies, meaning that I will probably end up making 2 to 3 different kinds at odd hours of the morning when I should be studying for my steel final or writing the research term paper that I’ve been procrastinating literally since September.  Oops.

I can’t decide how much of a problem my tendency to use baking as a form of procrastination is.  I don’t really think it’s normal – most people are content with facebook and reruns of Modern Family – but at least it’s semi productive.  Or at least that is how I would like to justify it to myself.  For example, the night before fall break while working on yet another impossible matrix structural analysis problem set (yeah, I’m trying to impress you with the names of my classes), I decided at midnight to make 2 different kinds of apple muffins to bring with me to Tim’s house the next morning.  A nice, really poorly timed idea.  Then, the night before my steel midterm, which I began studying for at 9pm, I made an executive decision at 11pm that making banana bread would take approximately 5 minutes and be a great study break.  If you are ever thinking of making the same executive decision here are a few notes.  Note 1: making banana bread takes more than 5 minutes.  Note 2: once you make the banana bread you might find that it’s 11:45 and you feel kind of like taking a shower.  Note 3: after your shower it will be 12:15 and you will need time to eat 4 slices of banana bread.  Note 4: after eating too many slices of banana bread you will fall asleep, fat and happy and totally unprepared for your steel midterm.  Note 5: you will now need to do exceptionally well on your steel final and abstain from absolutely all baking for the 24 hours beforehand.  Period.

Occasionally, however, I behave like a responsible human being and set aside an hour or two of weekend time to bake.  For example, this morning.  When I made these shortbread cookies because shortbread is this month’s challenge over at Have the Cake.  I actually got really excited when I saw this challenge, especially since I haven’t been able to participate for a few months and I knew something as simple but changeable as shortbread would get me in the kitchen stat.  There were several shortbread recipes I wanted to try, and I might still try the savory parmesan-rosemary recipe I found, but in the end I decided to go with these lime and white chocolate shortbreads because they seemed festive enough to fit the bill of my first holiday cookie.

I think I would give these cookies a 3.5 out of 5 – there’s room for improvement.  I liked the flavors of the cookie and topping, but the texture of the lime zest in the cookie threw me off.  It made the cookies a bit crunchier than I thought they should be.  These cookies are also fairly crumbly, but since this is my first time making shortbread, I’m not sure how much of that is because of my technique and how much because of the recipe.  I would like to try these again omitting the lime zest from the cookie and using concentrated lime oil or lime extract instead of the almond extract, as I think that would give the cookies more flavor and a better texture.  I would keep the topping the same, as it was quite yummy and went well with the buttery cookie.

Lime Shortbread Cookies with White Chocolate and Almonds

Adapted from Bon Appetit.  Makes 24 cookies.

• 2 c. flour
• 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 sticks chilled, unsalted butter
• 3 TBS lime zest, divided
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 4 oz. white chocolate
• juice from 1 lime
• 1/3 c. sliced, blanched almonds, toasted until golden then chopped

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.  Butter a 13×9 metal baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, powdered sugar, and salt.  Mix in 2 TBS of lime zest and almond extract.  Cut cold butter into flour in small pieces, then use pastry cutter or hands to blend until even and can be pressed together into a loose ball.
3. Press dough evenly into prepared pan.  Use a fork to poke holes all over dough.  With a sharp knife, cut evenly sized triangles into dough, cutting all the way through dough.  Bake cookies for 35-45 minutes, or until golden brown and firm.  Upon removal from the oven, immediately use knife to recut through earlier markings.  Let cookies cool in pan on rack.  When cool, carefully remove from pan.
4. Bring a medium pot of water to a gentle simmer.  In a smaller pot, place white chocolate, remaining 1 TBS of lime zest, and lime juice.  Melt chocolate over simmering water, stirring all the while.  When thin enough, use a fork to drizzle lime-chocolate mixture over cookies, then top cookies with toasted almonds.

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