I love gingerbread so much that over the summer I found gingerbread lip balm, bought it, and then saved using it until last week. Ya know, so I’d only use it “in season.” I also love a good gingerbread latte. Look how cute this one is from Costa Coffee! Ryan said the gingerbread man looks so happy, but he doesn’t know he’s about to be submerged in hot liquid. And of course gingerbread cookies for Christmas. This year, I want to try and make a gingerbread house from scratch. However, as much as I love gingerbread, I’d never had it in a bready-cakey form. Obviously, that had to be remedied so I made a gingerbread cake.

If you haven’t had gingerbread cake before, please try this recipe. It is so moist, even four or five days after making it. The batter is actually pretty liquidy when finished, so that probably contributes to its moistness. The best part though is that this cake is jam packed with flavor. It has Guinness (or whatever stout you prefer) and for me, that gives it “chocolate notes” without it actually having chocolate. I know that might sound like the pretentious sort of thing you say about wine, but there are flavors in the cake that remind me of the richness of chocolate. I also think the Guinness adds just a slight edge of bitterness, which is nice because it keeps the cake from being too sweet (which most holiday cakes are).

But, a lot of the flavor comes from the fresh and ground ginger, cinnamon, molasses, and pepper. I love this combination of flavors. It is warming, intense on my taste buds, and makes me feel like holiday cheer is nearby. This cake has real presence. This is not a cake you absentmindedly scarf down, and later can’t recall what it tastes like, but all you know is that your teeth are coated in sugar. This cake is different. This cake says hey, I’m here, step into Christmas. This is the cake that is so full of character and quality that you only need a small piece to feel happy, satisfied, and full of holiday spirit. Warning: If you serve this at a party, let people know what it is so they don’t expect a brownie and then end up with an unexpected (but awesome) flavor shock.

I recommend serving it with a cloud of whipped cream because the light sweetness helps mellow out the cake. Or, better yet. Cozy up on the couch with a blanket, your favorite movie, and a cup of herbal tea. I don’t think you could have a more relaxing and pleasant afternoon.

I got this recipe from KCET, a California TV station, but originally it comes from America’s Test Kitchen.

Messy level: Three spoons. For the batter you need a sauce pan, two bowls, and the baking pan. It’s a lot of dishes! Also, molasses is always messy and buttering and flouring a pan can lead to spills. It’s not a daunting mess – you won’t have a ruined counter or apron, but it’s definitely not a one bowl cake.

Gingerbread Cake

 

Print

Ingredients

• ¾ cup Guiness (or stout of your choice)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ⅔ cup molasses
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting pan
• 2 tablespoons ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• powdered sugar (optional for dusting)
• whipped cream (optional, but highly recommended, for a side)

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350/180°.
2. Butter and flour 8-inch square baking pan.
3. In a medium sauce pan, bring Guiness to boil over medium heat. Stir occasionally.
4. When it's come to a boil, remove from heat and stir in baking soda. The Guiness will foam up. When the foam stops, stir in molasses, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Stir until dissolved. It might like dissolved, but stir a bit more, I found the molasses deceiving.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ground ginger, baking powder, salt, cinnamon.
6. Pour the stout mixture into a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, oil, and grated ginger into the stout mixture. (You can do this all in the sauce pan if you want, but I don't want you scratching your pan)
7. Take wet mixture and whisk it into flour mixture in thirds. Each time you add, stir until completely smooth before adding more.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan. Tap pan against counter 3 or 4 times to remove air bubbles. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean and the top should be a bit firm.
9. Cool cake in pan.
10. When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar, if using. Then cut into squares and serve with a dollop of whipped cream, if using.

3.2.2807

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I have been thinking about making pumpkin pie and bringing it to work. I like bringing food into work because I love to bake and sharing what I make means Ryan and I won’t gorge too much on sweets. But one of the things I like best about living here (and travel in general) is trying and sharing new foods.

Since starting work, I have tried various kinds of cookies (biscuits, if I want to be proper about it) and a mince pie, which is a sweet pie that Santa gets when he comes with presents. I’ve brought in s’mores flavored candy corn – and practically no one had ever had candy corn or a s’more. And to digress for a second, it seems sad to me that s’mores aren’t a thing here. I think I should start a food truck that makes s’mores with different chocolates, different graham crackers, and maybe add-ins like nutella and bananas. Sounds delicious right? If you still don’t know what a s’more is, read about it here.

But back to pumpkin pie. From what I can tell, pumpkin pie isn’t really popular here. This is evidenced by the fact that nothing in the grocery store is pumpkin flavored whereas in the US everything is pumpkin flavored this time of year. Also, I introduced pumpkin pie to two people here, with, what I think was, great success. Recently Ryan and I were invited to an Italian lunch at our friends Alessia and Raffaello’s flat. Alessia made an amazing pasta, a meat dish, a cheese plate, potatoes, tomatoes and finished with esperesso. It was a delicious feast and Ryan and I loved trying some new Italian foods. For dessert, I brought a pumpkin cream cheese pie and it was the first time they had something like it. So I thought, maybe I should introduce more people to pumpkin pie and thereby become an ambassador for American sweets. And doesn’t that sound like an awesome job? Ambassador for American Sweets in the UK. I like it.

Writing all of this, it’s clear to me that I over think pie. And maybe in general, think about pie too much (if that’s possible). But, for perfect shareability, I thought making pumpkin pie bars would be the best way to go. Bars mean more pieces, no need for plates or utensils, and you can have as big or small a slice as you like – the perfect solution for sharing with a bunch of colleagues. I also decided to add a little richness by adding a sprinkling of chocolate chips at the top. I like pumpkin and chocolate, I think it’s nice but you can certainly leave them off. Next time I make these, I’m going to melt the chocolate and create some sort of marble swirl design on the top.

So, this batch was just for me and Ryan. But around Thanksgiving, I intend to bring these pumpkin pie bars to work and share some of my holiday traditions with the Brits. And I bet whoever your coworkers are, they’ll appreciate some pumpkin pie in the break room.

 Crust is adapted from a recipe by Sally’s Baking Addition and the pie filling is based on a recipe from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.

Messy level: This is actually a one spoon recipe because I bashed the graham crackers using a plastic bag and rolling pin. That means, in the end I only used one dish, one whisk, and a few measuring cups to make this whole recipe. Easy peasy! I also think because we’re making bars, the crumbs for the crust stay contained and don’t fall as easily as they do when making a regular pie.

Pumpkin Pie Bars

 

Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Serves: 12

Ingredients

Crust

• 1¼ cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (Crush cookies in a processor or using a plastic bag and rolling pin)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ¼ cup (60g) unsalted butter, melted

Pie Filling

• 1 large egg
• 1 egg white
• 1¼ cups pumpkin puree (it's about ¾ of a standard 15oz can)
• ¼ cup (50g) sugar
• ¼ cup (50g) brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon all spice
• sprinkle nutmeg
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1-2 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325/165°.
2. Mix the cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter together in a medium bowl until combined.
3. Press into the bottom of an 8x8 square pan.
4. Bake the crust for 10 minutes.
5. When the crust is done, turn the oven up to 425/220°.
6. To make the filling, lightly beat the egg and egg white in large bowl. Then whisk in the pumpkin, sugars, cinnamon, ginger, all spice, and nutmeg.
7. Slowly whisk in the cream to the pumpkin mixture.
8. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the prepared gingersnap crust.
9. Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips, if using.
10. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 350/180° and cook for another 20 minutes. The pie is ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

3.2.2807

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Last week when when I made the Pumpkin Roll recipe I told you I was making my own pumpkin spice mix, but I didn’t tell you how. So today, here’s a quick post with recipe for pumpkin spice.  Now, you might be thinking, why would I make my own spices? Here are three reasons:

1. You can’t find it in a store
2. You already have the spices you need and don’t want to hit the store
3. Sometimes DIY is fun

This recipe is from allrecipes.com. You could subsitute cloves for the all-spice if you already have that on hand. This makes about 4 tablespoons, increase the recipe as needed. Mix the ingredients below and you’re done. Now let the fall flavors flow.

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I know one very simple recipe for salmon, and I almost never make it anymore. My mom wrote me this first salmon recipe when I was in college. I was a sophomore and moving into an apartment with some friends. No more meal plan, I was feeding myself! So my mom sat down with a spiral notebook and wrote me a few easy recipes – one of which we called “plain-ass chicken.” Another recipe was for baked salmon. Take a fillet, season with salt, pepper, and a pat of butter. Wrap it in a little tin foil packet and bake in the oven until cooked through. I’d eat that with a box of Near East rice pilaf and broccoli I had defrosted in the microwave. That was practically my signature dish. That’s the only fish recipe I really know how to make.

But I’m older now and I wanted to learn something new. I found this recipe in BBC Good Food and I liked this because it has a few different vegetables and it’s mostly easy with a few Asian flavors to make it interesting.

In addition to being nervous about fish, I also have an awkward expat story to go with this meal. I went to Waitrose (the grocery store) to buy ingredients and I stopped in the packaged food section to buy the fish. I was being shy and didn’t want to talk to anyone. But I told myself, “No, Mariel. Be brave and go to the fish counter.” So I did. I got in line, was ready to order when I heard the guy in front of me order “sole fillets.” Only he said “fill-it,” whereas I would say “fil-lay.” So now I was hit with indecision and nervousness. What should I say? What I know? Or try to fit in? Instead I choked, pointed to the salmon and said “four salmon please.” Might sound like nothing, but I felt like a dork.

Anyway, back at home, I got to cooking. This recipe is pretty quick to make and beautiful on the plate. I think this was a good introductory fish recipe and I will be trying it, and other fish recipes, again. I’ll admit I cooked the fillets inconsistently with a few being a little underdone – but I’m new at this so it’s ok. If you’re new to cooking salmon too, just use your fork to flake off a bit and see if the salmon has cooked on the inside. Cooked salmon flakes, uncooked salmon looks like sushi.  Hope that helps.

[This is not food related – but I know some of you out there want more stories and pictures about sightseeing in London. I promise I will. I’m figuring out how I want to do it and I’ll post it here soon]

Adapted from BBC Good Food.

Ingredients:

thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1-2 garlic cloves, chopped

6 tbsp soy sauce

4 tbsp rice vinegar

4 salmon fillets, about 5 oz each

7oz soba noodles

1 1/2 cups frozen soy beans

2 cups baby corn, chopped

2 cups snap peas, chopped

Directions:

1. In a dish big enough to fit the salmon, mix together the ginger, garlic, soy, and vinegar. Add the salmon and let it marinate for at least 10 minutes.

2. In  large skillet on medium to medium-high heat, add the fish and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes.

3. While you’re starting your fish, heat up the water for your soba noodles. Once the water has come to a boil add in the noodles. The soba noodles shouldn’t take too long to cook. 4 minutes before the noodles are supposed to be done, add in the soy beans. Add the rest of the vegetables in 2 minutes before the noodles are supposed to be done. The veggies will still  be a bit crunchy. Drain well when finished.

4. After the fish has cooked on both sides, add the marinate and let it bubble for 1-2 minutes.

5. Plate the salmon and noodles. Spoon some sauce from the pan over the noodles. The noodles aren’t too flavorful without the sauce. (Make more sauce if you think you’ll like  a lot!)

Messy level: Not only is this recipe relatively straightforward, it’s also not very messy. You need a pot for the pasta, a dish for the salmon to marinate in, and a skillet for cooking the salmon. The messiest part is flipping the salmon. You have to make sure to flip the fish gently, otherwise sauce will splatter and the fish will break.

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Eric, Abraham, and me circa 2010

It’s the holiday season, and that often means cookies out the wazoo. Growing up, one of my favorite things about preparing for the holidays was making cookies with my brother, Eric, and my cousin, Abraham. As we got older, I often had to bully them away from their video games to come decorate cookies with me, but once we were there, we always had a blast together.

For us, and I suspect for most people, gingerbread and sugar cookies are holiday staples. So, this recipe is a new take on two cookies you might already be making. If you already have go-to cookie recipes then all you’ll need is a set of nesting cookie cutters. I have circle cutters, but I’ve seen snowflake ones too, which would be really cute. Basically, you make the dough for both cookies then use the cutters to alternate layers and you’ll get an awesome bullseye look. As another option, you could just make sugar cookie dough and then divide it in thirds. Dye one-third red, one-third green, and leave one third plain. You can then make the same bullseye using Christmas colors. Go crazy.

The other reason I like this recipe a lot is because it looks like art (to me, maybe not to you). I’m a fan of the blog Modern Art Desserts, which is basically about a kitchen in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the desserts they make that either look like or are inspired by the art in the museum. They’re stuff is really awesome, and now I can be awesome too because my cookies are art-inspired. Anyway as I was arranging my finished cookies it hit me that these cookies reminded me of a Wassily Kandinsky painting called Squares with Concentric Circles. What do you think? If you dyed the sugar cookie dough, these cookies could totally look like this art.

So there you have it, not only are these cookies holiday staples, they are also inspired by high-art. The people who you share these cookies with will be impressed… maybe.

Anyway, for real these cookies are worth the effort. The balance of butter-sugar and ginger spice is perfect. It’s literally two cookies in one. What’s better than that? Anyway, enjoy the holiday season. With this recipe, I know you’ll be ready to own that office-cookie-swap or holiday-bake-off.

The sugar cookie recipe I’ve already shared over the summer, but I’ll write again below. The sugar cookie recipe, gingerbread recipe, and bullseye idea are all adapted from my favorite cookie book, The Art of the Cookie. You’ll make about 2 dozen cookies. 

Ingredients:

Nesting cookie cutters

Sugar Cookies-

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp milk

Gingerbread Cookies-

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground all spice

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 large egg

2 tsbp molasses

1 tbsp ground fresh ginger

Directions for Sugar Cookies

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

2. In a large bowl mix together the sugar and butter, using an electric mixer.  Beat for 2-3 minutes, until it’s light and fluffy.

3. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat on low until completely mixed.

4. Still on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture. Beat until mostly mixed in.

5. Add the milk and mix until totally incorporated.

6. Scrape down the bowl, press the dough into a rough ball. Then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Put in the fridge for one hour, or as long as over night.

Directions for Gingerbread Cookies

1. In a bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, and all spice.

2. In a large bowl mix together the sugar and butter, using an electric mixer.  Beat for 2-3 minutes, until it’s light and fluffy.

3. Add the egg, molasses, and fresh ginger and continue to beat on low speed.

4. Still on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture. Beat until mixed.

5. Scrape down the bowl, press the dough into a rough ball. Then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Put in the fridge for one hour, or as long as over night.

Directions for Cookie Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Flour your work surface and rolling pin.

3. Roll out a portion of the sugar cookie dough, and a portion of the gingerbread dough, until each is about 1/4 inch thick.

4. Using your largest cookie cutter, cut out a circle from one dough. (In the picture, gingerbread)

5. Using your second largest cookie cutter, cut out a circle from the second dough. Using the same cutter, cut out a hole from your first circle. Fit the second circle inside the first circle. (So here, put the sugar cookie circle, inside the hollowed out gingerbread circle)

6. Continue cutting out concentric circles. I used a straw for the smallest whole.

7. Bake on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for 12-15 minutes. You want the cookies to be a little bit browner.

8. Serve and impress everyone who takes a bite!

Messy Level- This is definitely worthy of three spoons. You have to make two doughs, and so you use a lot of bowls and measuring spoons. Also, you have to use many cookie cutters and cookie sheets. It takes a lot of detail work and flour (as usual) gets everywhere.

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One of my new kitchen gadgets is the inspiration for this blog post. At my bridal shower a family friend gave me a Moroccan tagine. When I opened it I was impressed by how beautiful it was, but I had no idea how to use it! The tagine is a ceramic cooking vessel made up of two parts. The bottom is like a dish, and the top is a cone shaped lid. There is a small hole at the top of the cone to let out the heat and steam.

The same family friend followed up at the wedding by giving us Mourad Lahlou’s book New Moroccan. I read through the book and got some tips on how to use the tagine, and I made a couple of stew-like meals and they came out pretty well. Pretty well – but not great. Every time Ryan and I would have a couple of ideas about how we could make it better the next time. I was feeling mildly discouraged, but then on William-Sonoma’s website I found a video of Mourad cooking the Chicken Legs with Preserved Lemons in a tagine! The recipe is also in his book, and so armed with all of these resources I felt sure I could finally use the tagine well. If you don’t have a tagine, don’t despair! If you have a dutch oven or some other ceramic cooking vessel that can go on the stove and in the oven, you can do this recipe!

Before getting to the recipe, I wanted to talk about the seasonings. First, I was skeptical about preserved lemons. Mourad’s book talks about how important preserved lemons are to Moroccan cooking and he gives details instructions on how to make them, but I was less than convinced I’d do it myself. But, Williams-Sonoma, always my favorite dream cooking and food place sells preserved lemons in the store so it saved me a step! They tasted pretty good in the recipe but straight out of the jar – OH MY! They are so salty, but also tangy from the citrus. It’s a powerful flavor. I was also a little put-off by the amount of spices required for the recipe. I didn’t have a lot of the spices in my cabinet before doing this, and so buying all those spices hurts the wallet a bit – but it is worth it. First, now I actually have the spices and can make it again. But, it also creates an incredible yellow broth that smells just decadent. Expanding my horizons from my usual salt, pepper, and garlic powder was truly worth it!

Anyway, let’s get to the recipe!

Ingredients:

4-6 chicken legs with thighs (use what fits in your tagine, mine only fit 4)

Salt

vegetable oil (Mourad uses duck fat, but I don’t have that kind of thing!)

5 cups thinly sliced yellow onions

2 tbsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground white pepper

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp saffron threads

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

4-6 quarter preserved lemon rind (as many rinds as you have chicken legs)

1/2 cup green olives, pitted and cracked

3-4 tbsp unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Salt the chicken legs and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour

2. Preheat over to 350° and make sure there will be enough space for the tagine in the oven. You might have to take out all racks except the bottom one.

3. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan at medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, add the chicken legs and cook, turning once until the sides are well browned. It should take 3-5 minutes per side. Remove the legs from the pan and set aside.

4. Heat 2 tbsp oil in the tagine on the stove. IMPORTANT NOTE: When using the tagine on the stove be sure to use a difusser! Without the difusser the tagine is likely to crack.

5. Add the onions and saute over medium-high heat. Stir often and cook until they are a nice brown. It should take about 15-17 minutes.

6.  Add the spices and a bit of salt to the onions. Stir for 1 1/2 minutes to toast the spices.

7. Return the chicken legs to the tagine, pour in the stock and bring to a boil.

8. Cover the tagine and put it in the oven. Cook for 40 minutes. When you remove it from the oven, the chicken should be tender and falling off the bone.

9. Remove the legs from the pan.

10. Return the tagine to a burner and simmer for 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce. The soft should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. If you taste the sauce at this point it will have a little bit of a spicy kick to it.

11. Add the lemon rinds and olives if you’re using them.

12. When the rind and olives are hot whisk in the butter 1 tsbp at a time. Taste the sauce after each tbsp of butter has melted. When I made it, I put all 4 tbsps in at once. It made the sauce more creamy and less spicy. It was delicious, but I wish I had let some of the spiciness remain.

13. Serve chicken and place sauce, onions, lemons, and olives over the chicken.

This picture might not look all that impressive, but you can see the lemon rind (top middle of the plate), the sauce, onions, and chicken. The flavor was lovely and the chicken was so tender. We ate it over couscous!

Messy level: Two spoons. The final product looks messy, and moving the chicken can be a bit dangerous, but overall you’re cooking in one vessel.

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