Peanut Butter and Nutella Cookies - A Child´s Play

The summer vacation has finally started, six weeks filled with summer fun including some wonderful food. So in order to get things off to a good start, I decided to bake some delicious cookies for the kids.

The other day, I came across this recipe for Peanut Butter and Nutella Cookies and now that I was looking for a new recipe to try, I remembered having seen this recipe a while ago. These cookies seemed to be just perfect as a dessert for our little "Beginning of the Six-Week Summer Vacation Party".

Peanut Butter and Nutella Cookies
(recipe adapted from Sweetest Kitchen)

Ingredients for the Cookies

1 3/4 cups AP (plain) flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup peanut butter (you can use either smooth or crunchy, I used smooth)
1/2 cup sugar (I used superfine white sugar)
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 egg (L) room temperature (organic or free range organic, if possible)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (I used a package of pure vanilla sugar)
1/2 cup original Nutella (do not like the imitation brands)

Preparation of the Cookies


1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking Soda, and salt; Set aside.
2. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the butter, peanut butter and both sugars.
3. Beat on medium speed until creamy and smooth (about 5 minutes).
4. Add the egg and vanilla extract or vanilla sugar and beat to combine, scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
5. Turn the mixer down to low speed, and slowly add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined.
6. Use a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula to gently fold in the Nutella, try not to over-mix.
7. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour (or longer).
8. Preheat the oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with (unbleached) parchment paper.
9. Measure out a rounded tbsp for each cookie. please note that the dough is rather crumbly and you will have to compact the dough somewhat before baking.
10. Use a fork to make a criss-cross pattern on each cookie (since the dough was so crumbly, I found this to be eassier after the cookies had "pre-baked"  for 3-4 minutes).
11. Bake for 8-9 minutes being careful not to overbake, they seem to turn bitter if left in the oven too long.
12. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for about 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.


Makes about 35-40 cookies.


The kids (and adults) loved these Peanut Butter and Nutella Cookies! They turned out to be the perfect treat for the wonderful first day of our summer vacation. Just one caveat:  try not to overbake them and make sure that you make smaller rather than larger cookies because they will not spread all that much in the oven and simply would not bake properly. And, as I mentioned before, if you like the criss-cross pattern, pre-baking seems like a good idea.



Enjoy!

Nigel Slater's Rhubarb Cinnamon Polenta Cake

The other day I found what must have been the last stalks of rhubarb available anywhere and when I saw them I remembered that I had been planning to bake Nigel Slater´s Rhubarb Cinnamon Polenta Cake one more time before all of the rhubarb has completely disappeared from the markets and I have to wait until next spring to be able to buy some more.

Rhubarb Cinnamon Polenta Cake
(as adapted from Nigel Slater's column in The Observer Magazine and “Ripe: A Cook in the Orchard”, published April 10, 2012)


Ingredients for the Rhubarb Filling
500g (1 pound) rhubarb
50g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
4 tbsp water

Ingredients for the Cake 

125g (1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp) medium or coarse cornmeal/polenta
200g (1 1/3 cups) AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, from Ceylon, if possible
150g (3/4 cup) superfine sugar
grated zest of a small organic orange
150 g (1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp) unsalted butter, diced
1 egg, L
2-4 tbsp milk
1 tbsp coarse sugar mixed together with some pure vanilla sugar

For Serving (optional)
Vanilla ice cream, whipped cream (that´s what the kids liked) or crème fraîche
A dusting of confectioner`s sugar

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F and grease a 20cm / 8in cake pan, preferably loose-bottomed or springform.
2. Trim the rhubarb and cut into pieces a couple of inches long. Put them in a baking dish with the sugar and water and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the rhubarb is soft but still retains its shape.
3. Drain the fruit and set aside. Reserve the juice to serve with the cake.
4. Put the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, cinnamon and sugar in a large bowl, or in the bowl of a food processor.
5. Add the grated orange zest and the butter. If using your hands, rub the butter in as if making pastry - until the mixture resembles large crumbs. If you are using a food processor you just need to process for a few seconds.
6. Break the egg into a small bowl and mix with the milk. Now add slowly to the crumble mix, stopping as soon as everything has come together to form a soft, sticky dough. You may not need all the liquid, or you may need a little more milk to get the right consistency.
7. Press about two thirds of the crumble mixture into the bottom of the cake pan, pushing the dough a bit up the sides of the pan. Place the rhubarb on top, being careful to leave a small rim around the edges uncovered.
8. Crumble the rest of the mixture over the fruit using your fingers - don't worry if the fruit isn't all covered. Scatter over the sugar/vanilla sugar mixture.
9. Bake the cake for about 40 to 45 minutes.
10. Cool the cake a few minutes before removing from the pan.
11. Dust with confectioner´s sugar (optinal).
12. Serve the cake with some whipped cream, crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream and the reserved rhubarb juice.

This simple little cake has a nice crunchy texture and is certainly not overly sweet. The kids liked it with some sweetened whipped cream, my husband and I preferred the crème fraîche/rhubarb juice version. If you like cornmeal and rhubarb, this is a good comfort food style of cake.

French Fridays with Dorie - Crunchy Ginger-Pickled Cucumbers

Today's recipe for the French Fridays with Dorie group is "Crunchy Ginger-Pickled Cucumbers". When I read the recipe for the first time, all I could think of was that a recipe for pickled cucumbers reminds me of dishes prepared in the Fifties. I could not shake that "Fifties feeling" for quite some time and that is what inspired my first photo for this post...(the pickled cucumbers on that table were prepared by me and the picture was taken by me at a store).

The recipe for the pickled cucumbers has a short list of ingredients, apart from cucumbers, all you need is some sea salt, ginger, vinegar, sugar, red pepper flakes, and, just before serving, some fresh herbs.

For the cucumbers I chose small and very tasty ones from my favorite organic farmer's market. The rest of the ingredients were in my pantry.

Dorie states in her recipe that one could use either white vinegar or "if you're feeling a bit exotic, seasoned rice vinegar". Since I was not all that crazy about these two choices, I decided to go to a wonderful Oil and Vinegar Store to chose a special vinegar for this dish. The very knowledgeable owner asked me for the ingredient list of the recipe and decided that I should try a few different vinegars that would harmonize well with the cucumbers and the ginger - I cannot say that I ever took part in a vinegar taste test before but it certainly was a fun experience and I learned a lot of about the different vinegars.  I tasted a few drops of vineyard peach vinegar, walnut honey vinegar and riesling vinegar, to name but a few, and finally, with a little bit of prompting, settled on some wonderful fig vinegar (www.acetoria.de).

The cucumbers were so easy to prepare and after I pickled them in the morning, I put them in the fridge for a few hours to let the flavours develop further.

I love serving food in Weck glasses, small ones, big ones, I just adore the way the food-filled canning jars look like and I use my Weck jars quite often not just for canning but also for presentation/serving purposes.

We liked this recipe, the cucumbers tasted fresh and unusual, the ginger lend some bite to this dish, the fig vinegar harmonized wonderfully with the rest of the ingredients and I am glad that I gave this vinegar a try.

The fresh herbs that I added just before serving (dill, chives and Italian parsley) not only added some more flavor but also color to this dish. And just because I liked the way it looked, I also added one fresh bayleaf from my small laurel tree and one small dried chili pepper to one of the jars. I still have a lingering "Fifties Feeling" ...

To see how "exotic" the other Doristas felt when preparing the Crunchy Ginger-Pickled Cucumbers, please click here.

Lemon-Lavender Shortbread

Summertime calls for a different kind of cookie, Lemon-Lavender Shortbread is a perfect example of such a summery cookie. I love the smell of lavender and lemons and the two flavors harmonize so well together.

After a bit of research, I came across a wonderful recipe at Food&Wine. The recipe was contributed by Alison Attenborough, a chef, food stylist, restaurant consultant, recipe developer and author of  “Cooking for Friends”.

The recipe for the Lemon-Lavender Shortbread is easy and and does not require many ingredients. It is important to use high quality dried lavender blossoms and I found some at a local health food store.

Recipe for Lemon-Lavender Shortbread
(as adapted from Food&Wine)

Ingredients

1/3 cup superfine sugar
1 tsp dried organic lavender blossoms, chopped finely
1 tsp finely grated organic lemon zest
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Preparation

1. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar with the chopped lavender and grated lemon zest. To get the most flavor out of the grated zest, mix the zest and sugar together with your fingertips, rubbing the two ingredients together until the sugar is moist, grainy and deliciously fragrant.
2. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat in the butter at moderate speed.
3. At low speed, beat in the flour and salt until a soft dough forms.
4. Transfer the dough to a sheet of wax paper and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
5.. Form the dough into a 4-inch log and chill for at least 45 minutes longer.
6.  Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
7. Slice the shortbread dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds and place the rounds on ungreased baking sheets.and freeze the rounds for 10 minutes
8. Bake the shortbread for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Transfer the baked shortbread to a wire rack to cool completely.


Make ahead

The cookie-dough log can be frozen for up to one month. Thaw slightly before slicing. The baked shortbread can be stored in an airtight container for up to five days.

The combination of lavender blossoms and lemon zest is wonderful and summery and I loved the delicate floral flavor of these delicious cookies.

Happy 4th of July!

Herr Schlösser & Kaffeerösterei "einbrand"

There is a local coffee roasting company in the City of Bonn (where we live) called “einbrand”. 

The name of the Company refers to the fact that the coffee beans loose some of their weight during the coffee roasting process.
The Company was founded only last year and the founders chose a goat as the symbol for it.

The decision was made with a well-known Myth in mind. According to legend, Kaldi, an Ethiopian goat herder, discovered the coffee plant when he noticed that after his flock of goats had consumed some cherry like berries of a certain bush, the animals became rather energetic.The tired goat herder then tried some of the berries himself, he felt revitalized and so excited about his discovery that he decided to bring some of the berries to a nearby monastery. But the monks disapproved of the berries and threw them into the fire.

After a while a wonderful aroma wafted through the air, the monks collected the roasted berries, ground them up and the first cup of coffee was made.

I must admit that I am quite enamored with the goat design and that I love the fact that the Company´s goat graces everything from the different sized cups and coffee cans...

…to the bags of coffee, the windows and the wall of the Shop.

For the time being and until the custom made coffee roasting machine will be ready for installation in the Shop (in about three months time), you can buy five different kinds of freshly roasted whole bean or ground coffees that carry such names as “einbrand Blend”, “Amazonas Gold” or “Anden Gold” or the wonderful names that were created with  some “local flair” in mind, such as the “Südstadt Gold” (location of the coffee shop ) or the “Rhein Rassig” (which is a nod to the fact that the city of Bonn is located on both sides of the Rhine River).

The Shop is located in a corner house in a beautiful and quiet neighborhood, most of the houses there were built between 1860 and 1915.

The customers can choose to sit at the wooden tables and chairs inside or in front of the lovingly renovated Shop.

And when you order a cup of coffee or tea, the coffee of your choice will be brewed using the Faema E61.

With your coffee, you will also get a slice of homemade cake (such as apricot cake, Linzer torte or marble cake) and a glass of bottled water, on the house!

In addition, there is always a couple of different cakes on the menue as well as juices, mineral water or tea.

"Piaggio Ape 50" meets the goat

The Coffee Shop shares the location with a Wine Shop called “Herr Schlösser – Wein & Genuss” (”Wine & Indulgence”). The Wine Shop has been in the same location for the last four years and has only recently decided to start sharing its location with the coffee roasting company.

The Wine Shop carries a selection of wines from Spain, Italy and Germany as well as assorted grappas, fruit schnaps from Ziegler (www.brennerei-ziegler.de) and different kinds of pesto, chutney and jellies. The owner is always on hand with help and advice for the customers.

So whether you want to enjoy a good cup of coffee with some wonderful cake or buy freshly roasted coffee, ground or whole, or whether you would like to taste and buy some wine or get advice on some of the specialty spirits, or are looking to buy chutneys, jellies or pesto, this Coffee and Wine Shop is the right place to do so!

Wine tasting events for a group of ten to twelve participants also take place on a regular basis. During the events you will get a lot of advice from the owner as well as other wine merchants.

 The owner will also happily organize your birthday or office parties in the Shop!

Kaffeerösterei "einbrand"
(Coffee Roasting Company „einbrand“)
Königstrasse 65
53115 Bonn (Südstadt)
Germany
Phone +49 (0228) 926835-10
Fax     +49 (0228) 926835-54
E-mail: epost@einbrand.com
Website: www.einbrand.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.de/einbrand


Herr Schlösser - Wein & Genuss
(Wine Merchant „Wine & Indulgence“)
Königstrasse 65
53115 Bonn (Südstadt)
Germany
Phone +49 (0228) 6899400
E-mail: weinundgenuss@googlemail.com


Opening hours for both:  Monday -  Friday 11 a.m. until 7 p.m.
                                     and Saturday 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
                                     closed on Sundays
                     

Tuesdays with Dorie - Almond Biscotti

Today`s recipe for the Tuesdays with Dorie group is „Hazelnut Biscotti“, a recipe that was contributed by author, pastry chef, and teacher Alice Medrich.

I love baking biscotti, always did, always will. Biscotti are easy and fun to bake, look elegant and keep well and this recipe for Hazelnut Biscotti is no exception. With only a few ingredients such as nuts, flour, baking soda, salt, Frangelico, vanilla and sugar, the dough was a breeze to put together. The only two little changes I made to the recipe was to sub the hazelnuts for the almonds (leaving the skins on because we just like them that way) and using Amaretto instead of Frangelico.

The dough gets baked twice, first, you make logs on a baking sheet, bake them, let them cool for a few minutes and then slice the logs (on the diagonal) and then you bake the biscotti again – to your desired degree of crispy/crunchiness. We all loved the way the Biscotti tasted and I loved baking them and serving them with my favorite accompaniment to a biscotti, an espresso macchiato. Heaven!

For the espresso, I chose to use coffee beans from a local coffee roasting company called “Einbrand” (the name of the company refers to the fact that the coffee beans loose some of their weight while roasting).

Our gracious hosts for today's recipe are Jodi of  Homemade and Wholesome and Katrina of Baking and Boys - a big Thank You to both!

To see how the other Doristas prepared the Hazelnut Biscotti, please click here.

French Fridays with Dorie - Corn Pancakes: Why sometimes simple recipes need a bit of fancy treatment or why I do not want to bump into another Saint

Today´s recipe for the French Fridays with Dorie group are „Corn Pancakes“. I have prepared corn fritters before but these were my first Corn Pancakes.

Dorie´s recipe is rather uncomplicated and the list of ingredients is short. The only ingredients required are corn kernels, eggs, flour and salt – could not be easier. My first thought was to prepare some nice chicken alongside the corn cakes but after having read through the complete recipe and Dorie´s “Bonne Idée”, I decided to go Jean-Georges Vongerichten´s route and serve them as hors d´oeuvres.

Dorie writes that Monsieur Vongerichten sometimes serves the pancakes with smoked salmon, salmon roe, and/or crème fraîche – sounded good to me and besides I happen to adore Jean-Georges Vongerichten recipes. But I felt that I needed something even a bit more out of the ordinary and decided to prepare the corn cakes with a “tartare de saumon topped with lime crème fraîche and salmon roe”.

Why so fancy – well, the last two weeks were not really the greatest weeks of all times and I thought we all needed a bit of a treat and I needed to spend some time in the kitchen (I was being extra careful, you will see later why) and then have a bit of a fun photo session.

To prepare the tartare de saumon, I needed fresh as well as smoked salmon, and my trusted fish monger had wonderful organically grown salmon filets as well as smoked salmon and the salmon roe. What a beautiful color these three ingredients have – a real treat for the eye.

The rest of the ingredients for the tartare were also readily available and included lime, honey, chives, dill and cress.

So I prepared the salmon tartare, the lime crème fraîche and put them in the fridge and it was time for the corn pancakes. They were quickly made and smelled delicious. And I believe that I have found a new family favorite there. After they had cooled, I cut them so they would be nice and round and fit into the metal rings that I planned to use for the presentation. Once all three components were nice and cool, it was time for the assembly and decoration. That part was just plain fun and simply felt good, looking at the finished plate left me with a sense of relief that things will be so much better very soon.

Back to the recipe for this weeks FFwD group, the corn pancakes were terrific on their own or topped with delicious tartare de salmon and lime crème fraîche. We all loved to eat them and I liked the simplicity of this great recipe – another keeper for us, maybe with different toppings as a side dish next time, but definitely a must repeat.

We spent quite a bit of time at the hospital lately, one of the kids is suffering from a rather persistent lung infection that just does not want to seem to go away, so no school (no vacation here yet), staying home, running back and forth to the hospital looking after the rest of the gang, you get the idea, we all know those days and we know it will get better, eventually...But for some reason, I believe I had to top the whole stressful time a bit.

It started with the French Strawberry Cake (TwD) that I baked in the middle of the night, it turned out to be wonderful but I was so tired after I finished making the cake that I ran into a metal door frame and got the first black eye of my lifetime. A few days later when I tried to cut the nice green seaweed for David´s Seaweed Sablés (FFwD), I cut myself so bad, it would not stop bleeding for the longest time. I then continued to get bruises and burns every chance I could get and lastly, but certainly not leastly, I bumped into a Saint and hurt my arm so bad, it looks, lets just say, a bit colorful – a Saint, how can you bump into a Saint.

Well, the hospital is officially still run by an Order of Catholic Nuns, there are some Nuns working as nurses in the hospital. And there is a really nice chapel and then there are those Saints. Stone figures mounted on nice little stone pedestals along the walls of some of the corridors, nice looking but sometimes just “in the way”. The Saint that I bumped into is “Saint Martin”,  a Patron Saint for beggars, shepherds, merchants, wine makers, millers, innkeepers and many, many more. I usually really like Saint Martin and every year, primary school children honor his feast day with a lantern parade followed by sweet treats (our equivalent of  Halloween) but this time we had a rather painful meeting. So now my husband is lovingly hiding all kinds of dangerous items from me. Items, such as needles, that I could choose to have some more painful encounters with.

But not my kitchen knives, nobody is allowed to touch them, not even now.

To see how the other Doristas prepared these wonderful corn pancakes, please make sure to click here. I have a feeling that there will be a lot of different variations on the main theme this week.