Hearts

Shortbread hearts with chocolate glaze


President's Day weekend, usually one of the slowest times at the restaurant, turned out to be one of the busiest weekends we've had in a long time. The reason, of course, is that it coincided with Valentine's Day.

When I left the restaurant kitchen earlier this evening, things were starting to heat up. Dozens of ticket orders lined up to be filled. Voices were starting to go up. Dirty dishes were piling up in the dish room. The lead cook was already screaming for clean saute pans. Servers and bussers were hustling to and fro.

As I passed through the kitchen door to the dining room, I noticed one of my favorite servers carrying the dessert tray to a table. The lights were dimmed. There was soft music in the background. Couples conversed in low voices. Nobody could hear the noises nor feel the chaos permeating throughout the kitchen, which was how it was supposed to be.

Unless you work in a restaurant, it's difficult to fully appreciate the turmoil that comes with cooking for 500 people in the course of 6 hours. I don't know too many cooks who don't look forward to the clamor and commotion. A decade ago, when I was a line cook, it was almost like a drug. My energy level would hit the ceiling and at the end of the night, I was exhausted beyond comprehension yet I felt alive and satisfied.

Being a baker, I usually don't take part in all the chaos. I leave work as it starts. But then I start work early in the morning, even before the cleaning crew comes, so I just surmise how the rest of the night fared by the ravages my coworkers left behind.

Black Forest Trifle

Chocolate Orange Shortcake With Strawberries

Chocolate orange shortcake with vanilla bean ice cream and strawberries



Chocolate Orange Shortcake

1 1/4 c all purpose flour
1/3 c cocoa powder
1/4 c sugar
1/2 t baking soda
1 1/4 t baking powder
zest of 1 orange

5 oz butter (10 Tablespoons)

1/2 c buttermilk

Combine all the dry ingredients (from flour to zest). Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles chocolate breadcrumbs. Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk.

With a fork, stir in the buttermilk until it forms a crumbly dough.

Pat the dough into a circle.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 1/3 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes.

Bake at 425F for about 10 minutes (depending on size). The best way to know if they're done is to test one!

Four Ways to Cut In

To "cut in" the butter means rubbing chunks of butter into the flour. When making scones, biscuits, pie dough, or quiche dough, we distribute the solid fat this way so when the fat melts during baking, it leaves small pockets of air which expands as the temperature increases, helping create light baked goods. For flaky dough, cut in the butter just until the chunks are the size of peas. For mealy or tender dough, the fat is blended more thoroughly, until the mixture looks like cornmeal or breadcrumbs. The trick is to not dawdle. Keep the ingredients cold. Only work the dough as needed so not to develop the gluten too much.


Here are four ways to cut in the butter:

If you have one of these, combine the dry ingredients in the work bowl fitted with a metal blade. Pulse a couple of times. Add cold small chunks (one-tablespoon pieces) of butter to the flour mixture and pulse repeatedly at 1 second intervals until the desired size of butter is reached. I usually transfer the mixture to another bowl before I add the liquids because I prefer not to grapple with a doughy blade.



With a standing mixer, use the paddle attachment to combine the dry ingredients first. With the mixer going on low speed, add small chunks of cold butter a little at a time and continue mixing until the mixture looks good to you. Rosalind used this method when she made cream scones.


Some bakers prefer to use a fork or pastry blender. If you want flaky pastry and you're working with a small batch, this allows for more control. Just toss in the cold pieces of butter in the bowl of dry ingredients to coat them with flour. Using a fork or a pastry blender, press the butter into the dry ingredients, breaking the chunks into tiny pieces.


Or you can use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour mixture. Keep in mind that normal body temperature is 98.6F and butter melts around 90F. Work fast.

Sesame Crackers

The best part of making food from scratch is being able to adjust the seasonings/flavorings according to one's taste. You can reduce or completely omit the salt, if you are watching your sodium intake. Replace the sesame oil with olive oil, if you don't have it in your pantry. You can load up the crackers with sesame seeds or just lightly scatter a bit on top or omit them altogether. Substitute poppy seeds, celery seeds, caraway seeds, aniseeds or mix and match a variety of seeds. Use fresh herbs instead such as chopped rosemary or chives. Choices abound. Although the recipe is great as is.

The crackers are especially scrumptious with hummus.


Sesame Crackers

1 1/3 c all purpose flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
3 T extra virgin olive oil
1 t sesame oil
1/2 c water

around 3 T sesame seeds
salt
freshly ground pepper

In a bowl, mix together the all purpose flour and wheat flour using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon. Make a well in the center and add the olive oil, sesame oil, and water.


Stir until all the flour is incorporated. Gather the dough into a ball.


On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 3 equal portions and pat into balls.

Setting the rest of the dough aside, roll one ball into a 1/16 inch thick rectangle (about 8x14 inches). With a pastry brush, brush the dough lightly with water and sprinkle 1 T sesame seeds, kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper on top. Use a ravioli cutter, pizza cutter, or a knife to cut the dough to desired size.


Bake on a lightly greased (or lined with Silpat) sheet pan at a 450F oven for about 9 minutes. Repeat the rolling, cutting and baking with the rest of the dough.

Worn and Tattered

From over a decade of use.

When Jeff asked me about my favorite tools, it didn't even occur to me to include Silpat on my list. These Silpats have been my everyday companion for so long that I have taken their existence for granted. Whether I bake kale, cheese crisps, cookies, galettes, turnovers, parmesan chicken, potato sticks, asparagus, broccoli, pizza, pate a choux, candied walnuts, or just plain bacon, my Silpats have been reliable safeguards from life's sticky mess. I don't remember the last time I had to scrape out burnt bits of food from a sheet pan. I barely ever reach out for parchment paper or foil.

And they aint wimps; Silpats can take the heat. Scones are baked at 450F without difficulty. Innumerable times, I poured sugar solution on a Silpat when I made toffee or brittle.

Durable. Steadfast. The only care they need is warm water and soap.

Cocoa Brownies

This just beats all. How can you top an afternoon spent making (and eating) soft gooey brownies with one of your bestest friends in the whole wide world?

Cocoa Brownies

1 1/2 c cocoa powder
2 1/2 c sugar
1 t vanilla
pinch of salt
2 1/2 sticks (10 oz) butter (melted)
4 eggs
2/3 cups flour

In a large bowl, mix the cocoa and sugar. Add the vanilla, salt, and melted butter.

Mix.



Add the eggs one at a time. Mix thoroughly.

Stir in the flour just until blended.

Spread the batter evenly on a sheet pan (or jelly roll pan, or 9x13 pan) lined with parchment paper (or wax paper or foil).

Bake at 325F for about 20 minutes. Let cool before cutting.




I asked Rosalind and Nina to use a half sheet pan because I wanted the brownies thinner than usual. Little did they know that I had planned on claiming half of their creation to use as crust and topping (brownie cubes) for my turtle cheesecake.