Salted Pistachio Crumbles

Delicious! The grittiness of the cornmeal is nice here, and I added some cardamom into the crumbles, which I would absolutely do again. Nice on top of ice cream, fruit, etc. 

Salted Caramel Apple Galette

 Recipe from JK adams 

Caramel Apple Galette

Serves: 6-8

• FOR CRUST:
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 sticks cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 egg yolks
• 3 Tablespoons heavy cream
• FOR FILLING:
• 5 medium Honeycrisp apples peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• Salted caramel sauce (we use Stonewall Kitchen) 
• 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk for egg wash

Directions:

1. FOR CRUST:
1. Pulse dry ingredients in a food processor to blend. 
2. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles sand. 
3. Whisk egg yolks and heavy cream until well combined. 
4. Slowly add cream mixture to dry ingredients in processor and pulse until dough forms. Your dough should hold together (but not be sticky) when you squeeze it. If it's too dry, add a little more cream and pulse lightly until you're happy with the consistency. 
5. Form your dough into a ball on a lightly floured surface, flatten to a 1-inch-thick disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm. 
2. FOR FILLING:
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. Mix the apples, brown sugar, sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and almond extracts together in a large bowl. 
3. Lightly flour your work surface and roll the dough into an 11-inch circle. The true beauty of the galette is that perfection is optional: rough edges lend themselves beautifully to the rustic nature of this dessert. Transfer dough to your baking sheet. 
4. Arrange the apples – without their juice – in the center of the dough, leaving a 3 inch border all around. Gently fold the edges of the dough over the apples, pleating the dough and pressing gently as you go. Spoon 2 Tablespoons of caramel onto the apples. Brush your dough with the egg.
5. Bake until your crust is golden brown, about 35-38 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Drizzle salted caramel sauce across the top before serving.

My notes: 

1. Galette dough was quite dry with only 3 TBSP of cream,  I had too add lots more glugs, and even then it was dry, and crumbly after a day of refrigeration. 

2. I used 4 large honeycrisp apples, and I didn’t have room for all of them. I saved some. Filling is yummy, but doesn’t need to rest super long. I don’t think honeycrisp is the best apple in terms of texture— stayed quite crispy. 

3. Would I make again? Unlikely. I used my own salted caramel though 

Apple-Walnut Upside Down Cake

From Bon Apetit

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/apple-walnut-upside-down-cake

1. Pretty much followed this recipe to the letter. Used a mix of Granny Smith and Pink Lady Apples. 

2. Delicious, would happily make again. 

-Chocolate-Coconut-Almond Gluten-Free Cookies

 From Martha 

https://www.marthastewart.com/1537563/almond-coconut-chewy-chocolate-cookies

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

• 1 2/3 cups almond flour, such as Bob's Red Mill 
• 2/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter or margarine (for Passover), room temperature 
• 1 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar 
• 1 large egg, room temperature 
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
• 1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate 
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted almonds 
• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Directions

• Step 1

  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, and salt.

• Step 2

  In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter with brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; beat on medium speed just to combine. Reduce speed to low and slowly add flour mixture, beating until combined. Fold in chocolate and almonds. Shape dough into a 1-inch-thick disk, tightly wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

• Step 3

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place coconut in a shallow dish. Scoop 2 tablespoons (about 1 ounce) dough and form into a ball; roll in coconut to coat. Repeat with remaining dough. Place balls on parchment-lined baking sheets, 1 inch apart; press each lightly to flatten. Bake until cookies are cracked but still slightly soft, 16 to 18 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on sheets, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days.

  
  

My notes: 

1. I used mostly cups and spoons for this recipe, and I creamed the butter and sugar by hand. I used guittard cocoa rouge powder and 70% dark chocolate for the chopped chips. I roasted some slivered almonds for the chopped almonds that way they wouldn’t have skins, and I used old TJs frozen sweetened shredded coconut for the rolling. 

2. Dough is thick, and I would use the medium (1.5 TBSP) scoop next time. Only flatten a tiny amount— these are better the more ball-like they are, and they don’t spread very much in the oven. Took about 17 minutes in the oven. 

3. Would consider making again, they are quite yummy, on the dense-side of course, but not in an unswallowable way. Definitely an easy gluten-free treat to make. 

Chocolate Florentines

Ingredients

For the cookies:

• 2 1/2 cups (290g) slivered almonds

• 1/4 cup (35g) all-purpose flour

• 2 tablespoons natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional but recommended)

• 3/4 cup (150g) sugar

• 1/2 cup (1 stick or 115g) unsalted butter

• 1/4 cup heavy cream

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To finish:

• 8 to 10 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped

From Simply Recipes 

Notes: 

1. Made this with slivered almonds, and I tasted the batter, and added a little bit of salt too. Baked on parchment paper because my silpats don’t fit on my cookie sheets. Used semisweet chocolate for the middle, and I double boiled, and would do again. 

2. I baked for 6 minutes, too soft, and I also tried 8 minutes, but wasn’t able to get the crunch. Will try a different recipe for next time, though I liked the chocolate balance on these 

Chocolate hazelnut cookies (from Ochre)

 

Ingredients

Makes about 2½ dozen

¾

cup (115 g) blanched hazelnuts

3½

cups (440 g) all-purpose flour

1

tsp. kosher salt

¾

tsp. baking powder

½

tsp. baking soda

½

tsp. ground ginger

1

cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

½

cup (100 g) granulated sugar

½

cup (100 g) raw sugar or granulated sugar

½

cup (100 g) (packed) light brown sugar

2

large eggs, room temperature

¼

cup honey

½

tsp. vanilla extract

4

2-oz. bittersweet chocolate bars, cut lengthwise into ¼"-thick sticks

Flaky sea salt

Preparation

Step 1

Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 300°. Toast hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet on upper rack, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Let cool slightly, then chop very coarsely; set aside. Increase oven temperature to 350°.

Step 2

Whisk flour, kosher salt, baking powder, baking soda, and ginger in a large bowl to combine. Beat butter, granulated sugar, raw sugar, and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally, until pale and fluffy, 5–7 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-high and add eggs, one at a time, increasing speed to high after each addition to fully incorporate and stopping periodically to scrape down sides of bowl. Add honey and vanilla and beat just to combine. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients; beat until combined. Add chocolate and reserved nuts and beat just until incorporated.

Step 3

Scoop dough into 1½-oz. portions (about 3 Tbsp.); roll into balls (if the batter feels loose or sticky, chill 30 minutes). Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours.

Step 4

Arrange chilled cookies on 2 fresh parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2" apart; you should be able to fit about 12 cookies on each. Sprinkle cookies with sea salt. Bake, rotating top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until bottoms and edges are golden brown, 12–15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets. Place a fresh sheet of parchment on 1 baking sheet and repeat process with remaining balls of dough.

Step 5

Do Ahead: Dough can be made 1 month ahead. Transfer chilled balls to resealable freezer bags and freeze. Bake from frozen.

Notes:

Made this and on day one with warm cookies, I was not a fan AT ALL. Didn’t like the ginger, didn’t like the soft quality of the nuts. But baked a batched from frozen cookie balls three days later and they were SO yummy once they cooled completely. Didn’t really taste the ginger after that, and while the nuts were still soft, they weren’t so noticeable. Would make again. Could sub out hazelnuts for a different nut. 

The dal makhani diaries

 Dal makhani 

(9-21/21) Made this recipe from Chefinyou— http://chefinyou.com/2011/02/25/dal-makhani/

1. I added some double concentrated tomato paste and had to amp the spices up a bit but I think in the end the taste was right. The Chana dal didn’t pressure cook even though I soaked it overnight and pressure cooked for nine minutes. I used canned tomato sauce. I used the red onion. I also used full fat milk. Would try this recipe again, but try to get Chana dal softer.

(12-20-21)‘ made this recipe from piping pot curry 

https://pipingpotcurry.com/dal-makhani-instant-pot/

1. I added extra ginger and garlic and half a green chile. Also added some amchur and Kasoori methi. Overall, it was good, more like an Indian chili. Had a bit of a kick to it. 

2. The water ratio appeared correct, and this got better about two days after it was first made. Would make it the same method again, but would tinker further with the taste.