Peppermint Bark

This weekend I made Martha Stewart's peppermint bark.  I love how festive and pretty it came out, and it just takes three ingredients: white chocolate, peppermints, and puffed rice cereal (Rice Krispies - duh).  I was intrigued with the addition of Rice Krispies as I had never seen that in a peppermint bark recipe,  and I really think it adds something unexpected to the treat.

Squash and Goat Cheese Frittata

My friend made us this delicious Squash and Goat Cheese Frittata (from Martha Stewart's Cooking School) this weekend.  It is the perfect breakfast meal, when you are overloaded with yellow squash and zucchini!  I love how fluffy this frittata came out, I definitely will be making it again.  The squash and zucchini can be replaced with any precooked vegetables you like.

Rhubarb Crumble Pie

I made this Rhubarb Crumble Pie Sunday morning (I made the dough the day before), and it has been a treat this whole week.  There are a couple steps - pie dough, crumble topping, and filling, but truly it is a simple pie.  Not the most eye-appealing pie in my opinion, but still delicious - sweet, tart, gooey with a bit of bite from the crumble.

The Best Thing I Had In My Mouth - Rosemary Butter Cookies

This weekend I made Rosemary Butter Cookies again, and I almost had forgotten how good they are, until I took a bite!  I am addicted to these little cookies.  They are great on with a cup of Earl Grey tea, and just as good by themselves.  This batch of cookies turned out much better than my first attempt a couple years ago.  For one, the butter was not as soft,  second, I made my log into a skinny rectangle instead of a round tube, and third, I kept the dough in the freezer for two hours instead of just one.  These changes all allowed for more even baking, and the cookies actually held their shape.  Click here for the recipe.

Click here for a homemade pizza recipe.

Click here to learn about asparagus.

Apple Cheddar Crostata

I made this Apple Cheddar Crostata for Thanksgiving, and just now got around to sharing.  What I love about it, besides the word "crostata," is how simple and rustic it is.  This is from Martha Stewart Living's Novemeber 2010 issue (of course - what's Thanksgiving without Martha?)  I will admit that I was a bit nervous switching up my classic apple pie for this new dessert with the risky cheddar crust.  In the end I was happy about the change.  The cheddar flavor was definitely there, but not overbearing.  I would give it a try while you are waiting for all the delicious spring fruit to come.

Ingredients for the Apple Cheddar Crostata from Martha Stewart Living, makes one 11-inch crostata:

-1 disk Cheddar Pie Dough (recipe below)
-1 large egg, lightly beaten for egg wash
-Coarse sanding sugar, for sprinkling
-2 tart apples, such as Granny Smith or Gala, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 wedges
-2 Macintosh apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 wedges
-1/2 cup granulated sugar
-2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
-1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1/4 cup apricot preserves, warmed


Cheddar Pie Dough, makes one disk of dough
-1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
-A couple tablespoons cup ice water
-1/2 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese

Begin by making the cheddar pie dough.  I like to do this the night before.  In a food processor, pulse flour and salt until combined.  Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds.  Drizzle a bit of water in at a time (about 1 tablespoon), and pulse until the mixture just begins to hold together (dough should not be wet or sticky).  Add cheese and pulse until combined.  Shape dough into disk, and wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes, up to overnight.  Click here for more tips on perfect pie dough.

Once you dough is chilled, roll out the dough to a 13-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick, on a lightly floured surface.  Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.  I gently roll the dough over my rolling pin to transfer to baking sheet.  Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling.  Toss together the apples, sugar, flour, lemon juice, and cinnamon.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Spread the filling over the dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border.  Fold edges in to form crust.  Brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with sanding sugar.  Refrigerate until edges are firm, about 30 minutes.

Bake crostata until apples are tender and crust is golden.  Martha suggests 1 hour 20 minutes, but mine was ready in an hour, so watch your time.  Let cool slightly, and then brush apples with apricot preserves.  Serve warm or at room temperature, both are good :)

Click here to see the Roasted Vegetable Lasagna my friend Josh made last year.

The Martha Stewart Show

The Goddess herself, Martha Stewart, taking questions from the audience.  Look at pretty gold shoes!

One of my dreams came true on Wednesday.  My boss took all of the design team to the Martha Stewart Show.  Martha Stewart has been my idol since the 8th grade.  I would rush home and diligently take notes during her original show.  Here are a few pictures from the show.  It was pretty amazing watching how many people it takes to put on a production like that!  Best gift ever!

Check out my holiday cards from last year, here.

How To Brine A Turkey

In these past few years it seems that brining a turkey has become a popular way to prepare the big bird on Thanksgiving Day.  Maybe I am just imagining it, since I have only really been in charge of my own turkey since moving to New York three years ago, but seriously every magazine I pick up or cooking show I watch, brining the bird seems to be an essential part of the process.  What is brining?  It is a salt-water solution mixed with other aromatics that the bird soaks in over night, to ensure even moisture content throughout the bird.  The result is a juicy, tender turkey.  Although, I am a vegetarian, I have been assured that this turkey is very delicious, but honestly I have never tried it.  I trust my carnivore friends though.

Just some tips to mention before you start your brining.  Make sure your turkey is fresh or thawed out completely if frozen.  Also, you can either set the turkey in a large 5-gallon container, or a brining bag, which you can find at Whole Foods.  You can also get them on Amazon here.  Brining bags are like a huge ziplock bag, and are actually really sturdy.  It does help if you have a friend help you hold the bag while you place the ingredients in.  I also like that you can smush it into the refrigerator.  The last tip, is make sure you get your bird early enough.  You need to start brining your bird the morning before you plan to eat the turkey (at least for this recipe).  So have your bird thawed and ready on Tuesday night, brine on Wednesday, and cook on Thursday.

Ingredients for Riesling Brine from Martha Stewart Living, November 2008:

-7 quarts water (28 cups)

-1 1/2 cups kosher salt

-6 bay leaves

-2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds

-1 tablespoon dried juniper berries

-2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns

-1 tablespoon fennel seeds

-1 teaspoon black or brown mustard seeds

-1 fresh whole turkey (18-20 pounds) patted dry, neck and giblets reserved for stock, liver for stuffing

-1 bottle dry Riesling

-2 medium onions, thinly sliced

-6 garlic cloves, crushed

-1 bunch fresh thyme

Bring 1 quart water, salt, bay leaves, and spices to a simmer, stirring until salt has dissolved.  Let cool for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice onions and garlic.  Place onions, garlic, and thyme in the bag or container.  Place turkey on top and pour in Riesling.  I like to pour in about half the remaining water (3 quarts), then the spice mixture, then the rest of the water (3 quarts), so everything gets mixed well, and the warm spice mixture doesn't directly hit the bird.

If the turkey is not submerged, weigh it down with a plate.  Refrigerate for 24 hours, flipping the turkey breast side down once in the middle of brining.

Squash Ravioli

I have been dying to try to make homemade ravioli for a year now, and I finally decided to do it last weekend.  I had a cute squash from my CSA on hand, so I decided to make squash ravioli.  After researching on this website what type of squash I had, I was pretty sure it was a Buttercup Squash.  It tastes similar to a sweet potato.  I am not going to lie, this ravioli took a lot of work.  My entire evening was dedicated to this dinner (which ended up happening at 10 pm), but this is not to discourage anyone from making their own, because the raviolis really are delicious and pretty.  I just wanted to give you fair warning.  

I decided to change things up and use Martha Stewart's pasta dough recipe instead of Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It's recipe.  There are a few differences between the two recipes, and ultimately I found the Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It's recipe to be better.  Compared to Martha's, Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It's addition of olive oil, made the dough less sticky and easier to handle.  Plus, I made the dough in a large bowl instead of on the counter like Martha demonstrates - the dumbest and messier decision ever.  Click here to compare recipes.

Here are the ingredients for Martha Stewart's Cooking School's Fresh Pasta Dough:
-2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring
-3 large eggs, room temperature
-Pinch of course salt
-Semolina flour, for baking sheet (I used coarse cornmeal)

Create a mound of the flour on a large clean work surface, and then create a well in the middle.  Lightly beat the eggs and salt with a fork in a small bowl, then pour into the well.  I would have provided more pictures, but my pasta turned into a sticky mess.  Large eggs, plus a small well plus a countertop equals disaster!  It eventually worked out in the end, but I definitely needed my friends assistance at one point!  Continuing on, use a fork to work the flour into the eggs.  Then use your hands to work in the rest of the mixture, a bit at a time, just to form a sticky dough (don't force the flour to be incorporated; it's okay if some remains on the work surface).  For a more detailed look of pasta dough making, check out my original pasta dough post here.

Knead the dough with your hands for about 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic.  Form dough into a ball and wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and let rest for 1 1/2 hours at room temperature.  I found that when I went to unwrap the dough, the plastic wrap stuck to the dough.  I would recommend wrapping the dough in a clean, damp kitchen towel.  While the dough is resting, create the ravioli filling.

Ingredients for Martha Stewart's Cooking School's Ravioli with Butternut Squash Filling:
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-Coarse salt and pepper
-1/2 small butternut squash (1 1/2 pound), halved lengthwise and seeds removed (I used the buttercup squash)
-1 large egg yolk
-3/4 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
-Fresh pasta dough
-3 tablespoons unsalted butter
-1 tablespoon chiffonade of sage

To begin, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds.

Oil the baking sheet, and place squash cut side down.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through.

Measure out 1 3/4 cups of the squash filling, and keep the leftovers for another use.  The leftovers can make a delicious mashed squash with Parmesan and a little salt and pepper.  Place half of the 1 3/4 cup filling in a bowl, set aside, and place the other half in a food processor with the egg yolk, Parmigiano-Reggiano, ricotta, and season with salt and pepper.  Pulse until smooth, then add the mixture to the reserved squash, and gently fold to combine.  Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, about 30 minutes.

Now it is time to roll out your dough.  If you have a pasta maker, you are a lucky duck.  This is the most difficult part of the process.  Divide your ball of dough into four equal parts.  Take one part and flatten it out into a small disk on a well-floured work surface.  Gently roll out the dough with a rolling pin, careful not to put a lot of pressure on the edges, to prevent sticking to the counter.  Roll out until the dough is almost transparent, and you can start to see your countertop coming through the dough.  This takes several minutes.

Now you are ready to make the ravioli.  Take about one teaspoon of the squash filling and place on your sheet of dough, spacing each dollop about 1 inch apart.  Only fill up a little less than half the dough.  Now take a pastry brush dipped in water and brush between dollops.  This will help seal the ravioli.  Fold over the empty half of your sheet on top of the dollops.  Use your fingers to gently pat out the air bubbles.  Air bubbles may burst the ravioli while cooking.  Then use a knife or pastry cutter to create each ravioli square.

Sprinkle Semolina flour or corn meal on a baking sheet, and place ravioli on top while you are completely your batch.  Do not worry if the Semolina flour sticks, it will fall off while cooking.

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.  Gently place ravioli in water and cook for about 4 minutes or until tender.  Toss with melted butter, fresh sage, and shaves of Parmigiano-Reggiano.

If you do not want to cook all your ravioli at once, simply place your ravioli on a baking sheet and freeze for about 10 minutes, and then place the ravioli in an air-tight bag.  These will last up to 4 months, and you can cook them in the same amount of time without thawing them out.  Enjoy!

Last year around this time, I made chocolate meringues.  Click here to check them out.

Crisp and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I think that my chocolate chip cookies are pretty delicious, but the photograph of chocolate chip cookies in the April issue of Martha Stewart Living made me want to give them a try.  Martha Stewart claims them to be the best crispy and chewy chocolate chip cookie, and they definitely live up to their title.  Last year, I thought I had the perfect texture, but after trying this recipe I realized how subtle changes in the sugar and flour proportions, as well as the size of the scoop of dough can make a big difference.  After comparing recipes and doing some calculations, I realized that Martha's recipe had 27 percent more flour than sugar compared to mine which only have 22 percent more flour than sugar (a 5 percent difference between the two).  She also flopped the brown sugar to granulated sugar ratio, the recipe favoring more brown sugar than granulated.  The other main difference between Martha's and my cookie, is that Martha's cookie is 3 tablespoons of dough and mine was only 2 tablespoons.  These cookies are much larger and it is important to space them out well, otherwise they end up looking like a Mrs. Fields giant cookie cake.  So watch out!  Also, please note that I allowed the dough to sit in the refrigerator for 72 hours to allow the flavors to fully develop and meld together.


Here are the ingredients for Martha Stewart Living's Crisp and Chewy Chocolate Chip cookie from April 2010 (makes about 20):
-2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
-1 1/4 teaspoons salt
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
-1 1/4  cups packed dark-brown sugar
-3/4 cup granulated sugar
-2 large eggs
-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips


To begin, whisk flour, baking powder, and baking soda until combined.


Beat butter and sugars with a mixer on medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes.  Beat in eggs 1 at a time.  Add vanilla.  Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture.  Beat until combined.  Mix in chocolate chips.


Let sit in the refrigerator up to 72 hours, if you have time.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


Scoop a ball of dough, the equivalent of 3 tablespoons onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 3 inches apart.  Bake until golden around the edges but soft in the middle, about 15 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes.  Transfer cookies to a wire rack, and let cool completely.

Strawberry Rhubarb Shortcakes

Last weekend I balanced my time between soccer and baking.   On Sunday I spent the majority of the day on these rhubarb compote shortcakes with macerated strawberries from Martha Stewart.  There were so many components - the short cakes, rhubarb compote, macerated strawberries, and whipped cream.  If you are going to make these, I would make sure to only share them with special people.

Southeast Asian-Style Spring Rolls

Last week I made spring rolls for the second time in my life.  The first time was a disaster - the wrappers were ripping and sticking together.  I didn't really know the best way to soften the rice wrappers - luckily Cook's Illustrated had some advice and this time it was much easier.  My big mistake was letting the wrappers sit too long in water - you just want to dip the wrapper until just pliable (about 10 seconds).  These spring rolls were good, but I will definitely add some red leaf lettuce into the mix next time.  I also completely forgot about making some kind of dipping sauce - I was too busy making miso soup (click here to get the recipe), so below I have included some sauces from Martha Stewart's Great Parties book.


Ingredients for Southeast Asian-Style Spring Rolls, adapted from Cook's Illustrated:

-1 teaspoon granulated sugar
-1 1/2 tablespoons fermented fish sauce such as nuoc nam
-2 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
-1 teaspoon salt
-3 ounces rice vermicelli
-1 large carrot, peeled and grated with a large holes of box grater (1/2 cup)
-1/3 cup chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
-1  medium jalepeno or 2 Thai chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced, or 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
-1 large cucumber, peel and cut half-wise and then cut 1/4 inch planks leaving the seeds behind.  Cut each plank into five 1/8 inch strips.  You should have about 40 strips of cucumber.
-8 round rice wrappers (8 inches in diameter)
-1/2 cup loosely packed fresh Thai basil leaves or mint leaves, small leaves left whole, medium and large cut in 1/2 inch pieces
-1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, loosely packed

To begin, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Meanwhile combine sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice in small bowl and set aside.

Add rice vermicelli and salt to the boiling water.  Cook until tender, but not mushy 3 to 4 minutes.  Drain and rinse under cold water.  Drain again and transfer to medium bowl.  Toss 2 tablespoons of fish sauce mixture to noodles and set aside.

Grate carrot, mince chiles, and chop peanuts in small bowl.  Combine and toss with 1 tablespoon fish sauce mixture.

Slice cucumber and toss with 1 tablespoon fish sauce. 

Now you are ready to assemble your rolls.  Place a damp kitchen towel on the counter.  Fill a 9-inch pie plate with 1 inch of room-temperature water.  

Working one at a time, immerse wrapper in water until just pliable, about 10 seconds; lay softened wrapper on towel.  

All photos below taken AWD.

Scatter 6 cilantro leaves and 6 Thai basil or mint leaves over wrapper.  

Arrange 5 cucumber sticks horizontally on wrapper, add 1 tablespoon carrot mixture and about 2 1/2 tablespoons noodles on top of the carrots.  

Fold over 2 inches of bottom border over filling.  Fold left, then right side of wrapper of filling.  Roll filling to top edge to create a tight cylinder.

And your done!  Below are some recipes for the dipping sauces.

Ingredients for Peanut-Hoisin Sauce from Martha Stewart's Great Parties (makes  1 3/4 cups):

-1 cup hoisin sauce
-1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
-1/3 cup finely minced yellow onion
-1 tablespoon ground-chile paste, or to taste
-1 tablespoon finely chopped peanuts

Combine 1/2 cup water, hoisin sauce, vinegar, and onion in saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat to low; simmer until onions have softened, 7 to 9 minutes.  If sauce becomes too thick, add water.  Let cool.  Transfer to serving dish; top with chile paste and peanuts.


Ingredients for Vietnamese Dipping Sauce from Martha Stewart's Great Parties (makes 1 1/2 cups):

-1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
-1 teaspoon ground-chile paste
-1 Thai chile or serrano pepper, chopped, optional
-1/4 cup Asian fish sauce
-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
-1/4 cup sugar
-2 tablespoons grated carrot, for garnish

With a mortar and pestle, pound garlic, chile paste, and fresh chile into a paste (or mince together with a knife).  It is best to wear plastic gloves so that the chiles don't burn; be sure not to rub your eyes after chopping.  Transfer to a bowl.  Add fish sauce, 2/3 cup hot water, lime juice, and sugar.  Whisk together until sugar dissolves.  Serve sprinkled with carrots.

Last year, at this time I made Rainbow Cake.  Click here for the recipe.