For those who don’t know, Zoë is the restaurant here in New York where I really got my start working with pastry, first as an assistant and later as the pastry chef.  Seems like a million years ago especially since it has been closed for two years, but it’s where many of my fellow cooks and chefs got their start too, and some of my friends have started their own businesses, notably Dynamo Donuts and Sotto LA out in California. 
 
The first hour or two of each work day at Zoë was spent making these breadsticks (also called grissini in Italian), which were served as bar snacks.  It was a real chore, but it was also a nice way to start a work day, getting into a rhythm and gearing up for a potentially long night.  For some reason, I felt like making these on this year’s New Years Eve, as a snack, and as an activity for the kids.  It is easiest to roll and cut the breadsticks using a pasta machine (cutting them with the fettuccine attachment), and my kids sure love using the pasta machine (a rare occurrence).  I have adapted the recipe slightly, reducing the quantity down from the 20 pounds of flour we used to make, and changing the seasoning a bit.  We used to mix in all sorts of chopped fresh herbs to the dough, so if you want to do that just add about 1/4 cup of any kind of chopped fresh herbs you have.  They are crispy, savory, cheesy, and fun, especially if you can get them really long like I can – although it does take some practice.

Breadsticks (makes about 40-50 pieces, approximately)

2/3 cup warm water

1 package active dry yeast (2-1/4 teaspoons)

A few shakes of tabasco sauce

2-1/3 cups all purpose flour

6 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground thyme

1/4 teaspoon ground sage

Olive oil and kosher salt for brushing and sprinkling before baking

In the bowl of an electric mixer, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let it sit for a few minutes.  Stir in the tabasco, then mix in the remaining ingredients.  Mix for several minutes on low speed using the dough hook.  The dough will be fairly stiff, but smooth.  Transfer to a bowl, cover, and let it rise for a few hours, or preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Set up your pasta machine with the fettuccine attachment.  Divide the dough into four pieces.  Flatten one of the pieces and lightly flour both sides.  Run through the pasta machine set to the widest setting.  Fold the rolled dough in thirds, turn 90 degrees and run through the machine again.  The goal is to have a nice rectangle shape so that the breadsticks will be fairly uniform in length.  Flour the dough lightly again, then run through the fettuccine attachment of your pasta machine, catching them as they come through the other side.  Separate them and lay onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving at least 1/2-inch between each one.  Repeat the rolling and cutting process with the remaining dough.  You will need two or three baking sheets to bake all of them.  (If you don’t have a pasta machine, the dough can be rolled and cut by hand, but that will be more difficult as the dough is fairly stiff).

When all the breadsticks have been rolled and cut, lightly brush them with olive oil, and sprinkle with a small amount of kosher salt. 
 

 
Bake in the preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until just starting to darken slightly.  They are better when overcooked rather than undercooked, as undercooked breadsticks will be doughy instead of crispy.  Remove from the oven and let cool completely.  Use immediately, or they will stay fresh for several days.

I’ve been meaning to post this recipe for awhile…and yes, judging from the clothes that we are wearing in the photos, I made these pot pies a few months ago when it was still warm, but made them recently again, perfect for a Fall meal.
 
Chicken Pot Pie (makes 4 individual pies)

Ingredients for Dough:

8 ounces butter, cut into small pieces

8 ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces

4 cups flour

Ingredients for filling:

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup diced onion

1/3 cup diced celery

1/3 cup diced carrots

2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary

1/2 teaspoon sage

2 Tablespoons flour

2 cups chicken stock

1 pound chicken, diced and cut into bite sized pieces

1/2 cup potato, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

Salt and black pepper to taste

First, make the dough.  Combine all the ingredients for the dough in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on low speed until just combined, there should still be visible streaks of butter and cream cheese.  Form the dough into a ball and refrigerate for 15 minutes.  When ready to roll the dough, divide it into 8 equal pieces.  Roll each piece to about 1/8-inch thickness, large enough to fit the inside of your individual pot pie dishes (a standard crème brûlée dish is the perfect size).  There may be extra dough, in which case freeze the scraps for another use.  Press four of the dough circles into your dishes, taking care to push it completely into the corners, and leaving about 1-inch of dough overhanging.  Keep those, and the other four dough circles, in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  For the filling, melt the butter in a medium saucepan.  Add the onion, celery and carrots, and stir for several minuter over medium-high heat.  Add the herbs and flour, and continue to cook and stir for one more minute.  Add the chicken stock, stir well, then add the chicken and potato cubes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, and let it simmer for a few minutes.  Turn off the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes before filling the dishes.

Fill each dish to the top with the filling mixture, making sure to have enough of both the chunks and the liquid.  Place a reserved dough circle over the top, and seal it together with the overhanging dough from the bottom.  Moisten the dough on either side with a little water if it has trouble sticking together.  Crimp the dough with your fingers or a fork, and trim any extra overhanging dough.  Cut a small slit in the top of the top crust to allow steam to escape while cooking.  Put the pot pies on a baking sheet, place in the preheated oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling underneath.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for just a few minutes before serving.
 

I don’t know why, but when we pick our own apples we don’t stop until we can’t possibly carry any more.  What is it about picking your own fruit that makes you feel like you are at an all-you-can-eat buffet?  Does any family really need 30 pounds of apples?  If you are trying to use up the apples you picked this year and are tired of making applesauce, here’s a tip.  Remember that apples can be very versatile, and can easily find their way into many dishes – and not just desserts.  Here, I added some tart apples (not sure what kind, the trees in the orchard were not labeled) to a standard butternut squash soup.  They added acidity and brightness to what can sometimes be a rather heavy dish.  Perfect for an early autumn day when the air is just starting to get a chill.

 

Butternut Squash Soup with Apples (Serves 4-6)

3 Tablespoons Butter

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

3 slices of fresh ginger

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped

2-3 tart apples, peeled, seeded and chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 sprig of fresh rosemary

4 cups chicken stock

Salt and Pepper to taste

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large soup pot.  Add the onion and ginger, cook and stir for several minutes until the onion has softened.  Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the squash is fully cooked.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.  Remove the herb sprigs and ginger slices.  Puree the soup until completely smooth in the pot with a hand-held immersion blender (or in batches in a regular blender or food processor).  Reheat the soup when ready to serve.

Apple Almond Tart (makes one 11-inch tart)

One 11-inch tart shell, pre-baked (use the instructions and ingredients from this recipe)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 ounces finely ground almonds
1 teaspoon almond extract
3-4 apples, peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick (any variety of apple that you would use in a pie would do just fine)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Beat the butter and sugar together in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, beat for one more minute. Finally, beat in the flour, almonds, and almond extract, stopping to scrape the sides of the mixing bowl if necessary. Spread this mixture in an even layer into the baked tart shell. Begin arranging the sliced apples around the side in overlapping concentric circles, until the entire top of the tart is covered. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the center of the tart is firm and fully cooked. Remove from the oven and cool completely before slicing.

Oh, did we say we didn’t have time to post recipes anymore? Bah, don’t listen to anything I say. Although this was the second time we made these and the second attempt to post a recipe, and I believe Mark make these quinoa cakes again solely for the purpose of writing the recipe down even though I told him that I had already announced on the blog that I had given up hope of ever posting a recipe again. He probably did this just to annoy me.

So you know, quinoa. I’m a lukewarm fan. I know it’s good for me so I’ll gladly eat it, especially since it’s a good flavor sponge for anything it’s cooked with, but I never got really excited for quinoa until Mark made them into little cakes, like crab cakes. The outside is lightly crispy and proves once again that just about anything tastes good when it’s fried. We ate them as sides with our dinner both times, but my impulse the first time I tried them was to put a poached egg on top for breakfast. We had one left over from this batch and guess what? My instinct was right. It’s *perfect* for poached eggs (Mark wants you to know that he hates poached eggs and runny eggs in general and would never eat them this way).

Quinoa Cakes (makes 8-12 cakes, depending on size)

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup quinoa, washed and drained
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
black pepper to taste
1 cup Panko Japanese breadcrumbs, for coating
1/2 cup olive oil

Bring the broth to a boil in a small saucepan, then add the quinoa. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed and quinoa is fully cooked. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Let cool for a few minutes. Gently mix in the parmesan cheese, egg yolk, salt and pepper. Form into patties about 3-4 inches in diameter. Chill them in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large frying pan. Gently press each side of the quinoa cakes in the breadcrumbs to give each a light coating. Fry in batches for several minutes on each side, until golden brown and crispy. Let them cool on paper towels, and serve immediately.

Long ago, before I moved to New York, I would hear stories from Jenna about all the cheap and tasty food that she missed in NY when she got homesick. There were the big fat quesadillas and burritos at Benny’s Burritos, the Hijiki-Tofu Patties from Dojo, the Chinese food from House of Vegetarian, and most of all the Falafel Sandwiches from Mamoun’s in the West Village. Coming from a part of the country that used to lack authenticity in certain culinary genres, I always got jealous. And hungry.

We’ve been making efforts to eat less meat in our diet again lately, so I made falafels last week, using a recipe someone gave me a long time ago when I decided I should just cook the foods I craved if I couldn’t get them where I lived. The chickpeas are not cooked before frying, only soaked in water overnight. They should be ground up in a food processor until they just start coming together, but not too much so that they might become a paste. Easy enough to make, as long as you don’t mind the deep-frying.

Falafel (makes about 15-18 patties)

1 cup dried chickpeas
1 small onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1 large clove garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
juice of 1/2 lemon

Soak the chickpeas in plenty of cold water overnight. The next day, drain them well, then put them into a food processor. Grind them until they will hold their shape, but not enough that they become a paste. Add the remaining ingredients and process until well ground and fully incorporated. Form into balls or patties about 2 inches across and refrigerate while the oil heats up.

Begin heating about 6 cups of vegetable oil in a large saucepan. When it reaches about 350°F you should start frying the falafel. Carefully drop them in one at a time, and cook them for about 4 minutes, or until they are golden brown on the outside and fully cooked on the inside. Repeat until they are all cooked. Serve immediately. They can be made into pita sandwiches, or served with other middle eastern items (tabbouleh, tzatziki, hummus, etc…) as part of a mixed platter.

Pancakes around our house are always considered a “special occasion” breakfast, maybe because it’s something that involves actual cooking as opposed to sticking something in the toaster or pouring milk over cereal.  The girls always get excited for pancakes. The thing about pancakes for me, however, is that they can be a little heavy and dense. If you have the time to prep the batter for breakfast the night before, you can try this pancake batter recipe which rises overnight in the refrigerator.  They end up lighter and fluffier than regular pancakes and they have a light yeasty flavor. 

Yeast-Raised Pancakes (makes about 10 medium pancakes)

1-1/2 cups warm milk
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Mix the milk, yeast, oil and egg together in a large bowl until the yeast is fully dissolved.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir only until everything is incorporated.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator overnight.

In the morning, heat a griddle or heavy frying pan over medium heat (we always use a cast iron pan).  Add a little oil to the pan. Spoon in pancake batter to make pancakes of your desired size.  Cook for just about 1-2 minutes per side until golden on both sides and cooked completely through.  Serve immediately.

Every once in a while we’ll see kumquats at the grocery store and toss them in our shopping cart. It’s usually Mia who will spot them first and it’s no wonder…they are small and cute. But the problem with buying kumquats is that we’ll usually never go through a whole pint before they start to shrink and shrivel. One or 2 kumquats at a time is pretty much enough to satisfy and they’ll often be left forgotten in the fridge after awhile. The other day I decided to make candied kumquats. They’re sort of like sweet condiments and you can toss them in salads or on top of desserts as a garnish. Or you can do what Jenna does…and pop a one in your mouth every time you walk pass the refrigerator.

Candied Kumquats (makes about 1 cup)

1 pint kumquats
2 cups sugar
1-1/3 cups water

Slice each kumquat into 3 or 4 slices, and remove the seeds. Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the sliced kumquats and turn the heat to low. Simmer gently for about 15 minutes, or until the kumquats are translucent. Remove from the heat, transfer to a heatproof storage container, and cool in the syrup.

We love Mexican food in our house. Normally we eat it at least once a week, although it usually comes in the form of simple tacos or fajitas (and always pickled jalapeños, which Jenna seems to have become addicted to). Last week I felt a bit ambitious and decided to make enchiladas with a homemade mole sauce. There are many versions of mole, the most famous ones being molé poblano and mole negro. I made neither of those, and ended up making an approximation using what I had on hand. As many Mexicans I know will be quick to point out, a traditional mole can use more than 40 ingredients. The most essential ingredients are the dried chilies, and I’m lucky to have a wide variety at my local supermarket. I chose a mixture of guajillo and mulato chilies, but ancho or pasilla chilies are also good choices. Just make sure to allow plenty of time to make the mole, or even make it the day before – it is quite a process, but well worth the effort. I’m going to try to have some of this in the fridge all the time.

Homemade Mole (makes about 4 cups)

4 ounces dried chilies (see above)
10 tomatillos, husks still on
8 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 large vidalia onion
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 to 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/3 cup date sugar (brown sugar may be substituted, but less will be needed)
salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Remove the stems from the dried chilies and shake out the seeds. Put them on a foil-lined baking sheet along with the tomatillos and garlic. Roast them all together. Remove the chilies when they have darkened considerably. Remove the tomatillos when they have become noticeably soft, and remove the garlic when it is golden. Put the chilies in a bowl and cover with warm water. Let them soak for at least 30 minutes. Peel the tomatillos and garlic, and set them aside.

Peel the onion and cut into 3/4-inch thick slices. Preheat a grill pan on high heat, then grill the onion on both sides until nicely charred and softened throughout. Drain the dried chilies, and put them in a blender or food processor with the tomatillos, garlic, onion, cumin, oregano and tomato paste. Blend it all together, adding enough stock to reach the desired consistency. Add date sugar and salt to taste. Transfer it all to a saucepan and simmer on medium-low heat for about 20 minutes. Use right away, or refrigerate and use later.

We aren’t one of those Nutella worshippers who make sure that a jar of the stuff is around the house at all times in case of a chocolate or dessert craving emergency, yet this is what Mark brought home from the grocery store Thanksgiving eve to make bread pudding with. Can’t even remember the last time we bought a jar of Nutella – must have been before the girls’ time which make it at least 7 years ago if not more. But yes, it was good and there was barely any leftover dessert. The pumpkin pie – one of the 90 that Mark baked Wednesday for the restaurant – didn’t fare too well with its journey from Central Park to Brooklyn to Long Island, but that is all gone too. My dad picked the last of the persimmons that were still hanging on like little miniature pumpkins off the leafless tree and we ate that too.

Mia likes having a lot of family around for the holidays. The immediate family isn’t enough. Good thing my grandmother, a few of my aunts, uncles and cousins came by for dinner. These are some of the same cousins who I grew up getting together with for big family holidays, but unlike me, the girls only have 1 baby cousin (so far) who lives far away in California. After they had left, Claudine and Mia treated my parents, Mark and I to a half hour dance recital which involved them taking turns and dancing different styles including disco and the robot.

On black Friday we went bowling (ok, we went to Ikea in the morning too. PS, I am having an after Thanksgiving sale on posters and calendars in my etsy shop). My dad had read my bowling blog entry and had a hankering to go. It had been about 15 years since he had bowled. He reminded me that the bowling pin I remember being in the house was high up on the shelf in the family room. Right before we left, he spent 15 minutes digging around in the garage for his old bowling ball, but it wasn’t found. Didn’t matter. He bowled a spare the first 4 times he was up. He didn’t bowl his 175 average, but it wasn’t too bad for being out of practice for 15 years. Mia was still really into the whole bowling thing, giving out high fives every time someone took a turn, but Claudine was just content eating 2 plates of fries this time, just like I did at that age. But the air hockey! Oh, she found something at the bowling alley that she really liked, so much so that she hogged that table up and didn’t even let me play. The girls even had a crowd of 7-9 year old boys cheering them on, which I thought was sweet.

Oh, but the bread pudding…you didn’t think we weren’t going to give a recipe to you, did you?

Nutella Bread Pudding with Dates (serves about 8, less if you’re a bread pudding hog like me)

2 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
1 cup dried dates
2 cups heavy cream
3 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
5 cups of challah or brioche, crusts removed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup nutella

Bring the water and cinnamon sticks to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the dates and simmer for one minute, then remove from the heat. Set aside and let the dates cool in the liquid.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl mix the cream, eggs and sugar together. Add the bread and gently stir until well moistened. Set it aside to soak for a few minutes. Now, remove the dates from the liquid. Peel the skins off the dates and remove the pits. Cut each in half, then mix into the bread mixture. Layer one third of the bread into a buttered 8-cup casserole dish. Spoon one half of the nutella over the bread. Layer another third of the bread over that, followed by the remaining nutella, and finally the remaining bread. Bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes to one hour, depending on the shape of your baking dish. Serve while still warm with fresh whipped cream.