Cookies and Contests...

What better way to honor somebody on their birthday than by dedicating a blog post to them? Really, there is no better way!

Today is Michele’s birthday. If you don’t know who Michele is, you will, she will be doing some guest blogging in the near future (how’s that for a tease?).

So in honor of Michele, and her love of chocolate, we are posting an amazing cookie recipe that comes from, of all people, Martha Stewart…although, we’ve changed it up a bit (because, really, we want to be better than Martha! Some might even argue that we ARE better than Martha… who are we to disagree?).

Be ready to break out the milk, because these cookies are truly intense with chocolate flavor!


Double Chocolate Cookies:

8 oz semisweet chocolate chips
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package milk chocolate chips (we used mini Hershey kisses)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second increments, stirring in between, until almost melted; do not overheat.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In (yet) another bowl, mix eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Mix in melted chocolate. Mix in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks.

Drop heaping tablespoons of dough 2 to 3 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are shiny and crackly yet soft in centers, 12 to 15 minutes.

Cool on sheets 10 minutes; with a thin metal spatula, transfer to racks to cool completely.

If you want to see Martha’s original recipe, because you’re into her for some strange reason, go to the following link: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/deliciously-outrageous-chocolate-cookies



And for those who have read until the very end, you’re in for a treat! We are hosting our very first (but hopefully not last) contest. It’s easy. We want your questions -- questions about recipes, kitchen gadgets, food processes, in fact we’ll take any question that’s even semi food-related. The winning question will be featured – and answered – on September 30. Please have your submissions to us by 11:59 pm on Saturday, September 26.

And the prize you ask? Check back on Sunday and we’ll let you know.

Please send your questions to theculinarycreative@gmail.com and make sure you include your name, so we know who you are! Thanks and good luck!

Let there be Pita

It's true, pita can be made at home! This is a great basic recipe that you can add any number of things to -- fresh herbs, dried herbs, garlic, etc. Also, using different flours or flour combinations will yield different textures and flavors. We encourage trying. The best part about this pita recipe is that its quick (well, not including all of the rising), easy, and uses so few ingredients that it makes for a perfect experimental baking recipe! Try it out, let us know what variations you come up with!



Basic Pita



3 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar or honey
1 packet active dry yeast
1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cups water, roughly at room temperature
2 tbsp olive oil, vegetable oil, butter, or shortening

1. Follow the instructions on the packet to active the yeast.

2. Mix the yeast in with the flour, salt, and sugar.

3. Add the olive oil and 1-1/4 cup water and stir together in a stand mixer using a dough hook (start low and work up to medium)* until the ingredients form a ball.

NOTE: The dough shouldn't stick to the sides of the bowl and there shouldn't be any extra flour in the bowl -- IF the dough is sticking to the bowl, add small amounts of flour until a ball has formed; IF there is flour in the bottom of the bowl, add a small stream of water, until the ball forms.
4. Once all of the ingredients form a ball, continue mixing until your dough has a little bit of stretch to it.





(notice how the dough looks like it has torn, keep mixing)













(notice how this dough is stretching a little without tearing,this is what you're going for)









5. When you are done kneading the dough you'll place it in a bowl that has been lightly coated with oil. First form the dough into a ball and roll it around in the bowl so that it gets a light coat of oil on all sides.

6. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and set aside to rise until it has doubled in size, approximately 90 minutes.

7. When it has doubled in size, punch the dough down to release some of the trapped gases.

8. Divide the dough into 8 pieces (we managed to get 9 pieces... bonus!) and roll each piece into a ball.

9. Cover the balls with a damp kitchen towel, and let them rest for 20 minutes. This step allows the dough to relax so that it'll be easier to shape.

10. While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. If you have a baking stone, put it in the oven to preheat as well. If you don't have a stone, turn a cookie sheet upside down and place it on the middle rack of the oven while you are preheating the oven, this will end up being your baking surface.**

11. After the dough has relaxed, sprinkle a light coating of flour on a work surface and place one of the dough balls on it. Sprinkle some flour on top and use a rolling pin or your hands to stretch and flatten the dough. You should be able to roll it out to between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. If the dough does not stretch sufficiently you can cover it with the damp towel and let it rest 5-10 minutes before trying again.




12. Open the oven and place as many rolled pitas as you can fit on the hot baking surface. They should be baked through and puffy in about 3 minutes. If you want your pitas to be crispy and brown you can bake them for an additional 3-5 minutes.




13. Remove pita from oven and you are ready to go! Serve them with your favorite spread or dip, or cut them in half for sandwich pockets, or just eat them as is. Very tasty and your guests will be VERY impressed that you made them from scatch!

NOTES

* For those who are working without a stand mixer, follow the directions below.

Mix the yeast in with the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the olive oil and 1 1/4 cup water and stir together with a wooden spoon. All of the ingredients should form a ball. If some of the flour will not stick to the ball, add more water. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour.

Once all of the ingredients form a ball, place the ball on a floured work surface, such as a cutting board, and knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes, until it stretches, and doesn't tear (see above pictures).

** If you don't want to heat up your oven for the pita, we experimented and found that the pita can also be made in a pan, on top of the stove. Pre-heat your pan, and place a flattened dough round into it. Cover and 'bake' as above.

And now, for something a little different...

Here at the Culinary Creative, we believe in instructional blogs. And while other blogs might be afraid to show you how it gets done, we like to push those boundaries. So for those of you who have never witnessed, but always wondered, what really happens to children's birthday cakes, here a tale of sugar and destruction to satify your morbid curiosity.

HOW TO DECONSTRUCT A BIRTHDAY CAKE

Step 1: Take a cake, say a pumpkin bear cake.

Step 2: Present the sugary concoction to a "Birthday Party" (hereforto referred to as the BP) for evaluation.

Step 3: The BP will first assess the cake for tactile resistence to manual manipulation.

Step 4: Then the BP, though a means of grab and taste, will determine how best to move forward in their deconstruction efforts.

Step 5: In this instance, by a means of raking and massaging in a downward motion, the BP has decided to maneuver the layers into a level of displacement to make the tray-to-floor flight both possible and easily achieved.

Note: It is recommended to have someone at the ready to prevent full flight unless mopping and swabbing is a preferred pasttime.

Step 6: The BP eats the bear head...hey, why not, icing can't scream.

And then it's done. So there you have it. We hope this simple demonstration has been edifying and informative and we hope that now the next time you order/prepare/hear about a PB and their birthday cake, you'll know what to expect.

Say Cheeeese(cake)!

What can we say about this cheesecake? Cheese (yum!), honey (yum!), cinnamon (yum), biscotti (yum), put it all together, and it's a little bit of Heaven on a plate!!! We served a slice of the cake with raspberry coulis (raspberries, purred with honey, and then strained of seeds), and white chocolate stuffed raspberries (melted white chocolate piped into a big old raspberry, then cooled). This cheesecake is light, and fluffy, and melts in your mouth...

Honey Ricotta Cinnamon Cheesecake

8 ounces purchased biscotti
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 (12-ounce) container fresh whole milk ricotta, drained
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange blossom or clover honey
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil.

Finely grind the biscotti in a food processor. In a bowl, mix the crumbs with the melted butter, until crumbs are moistened. Press the crumb mixture over the bottom (not the sides) of the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is golden, about 15 minutes. Cool the crust completely on a cooling rack.

Blend, in a mixer on medium speed, the ricotta, cream cheese and sugar, stopping the machine occasionally and scraping down the sides of the work bowl. Blend in the honey, orange zest, and cinnamon. Add the eggs one at a time, until completely integrated into the mixture.

Pour the cheese mixture over the crust in the pan. Place the springform pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the cheesecake is golden and the center of the cake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour and 5 minutes (the cake will become firm when it is cold).

Transfer the cake to a rack and cool 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days. Cut the cake into wedges and serve.

Notes:

* We used a fresh North Carolina made honey. Don't feel limited to the clover or orange blossom.

* If you do not have a mixer (stand or hand held) you can do the mixing in a food processor, we believe this would yield a denser cheesecake.

* We kept the finished product frozen, until about 2 hours before service, it seemed to make for much easier cutting of the cake.

Hello Clarice**

This recipe came out better than we had even dared hope for. Don't be nervous with the amount of onion and rosemary that is used in the marinade, when the lamb comes off the grill, the flavors have mellowed to where they compliment each bite, and do not overpower the meat. The yogurt should have it's own post, but because it is complimenting the lamb, we posted the recipes together. We could just sit down with a big bowl of the finished yogurt, eat, and be VERY happy girls!!

Skewered Lamb with Coriander Yogurt

2 lbs chunked lean boneless lamb
1 large onion, grated (in food processor)
5 rosemary sprigs
Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
½ tsp sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Spring of rosemary for garnish
Lemon wedges, grilled until marked

Coriander yogurt

2/3 cup thick natural yogurt (Greek yogurt)
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp onion, grated

1. Mix yogurt, mint, coriander, and onion, set aside.
2. Mix grated onion, herbs, lemon rind and juice, sugar and oil, pour over lamb in a large bowl and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
3. Drain the meat and thread onto skewers.
4. Arrange on a grill rack and cook on preheated grill for about 10 minutes until browned, turning occasionally.
5. Transfer to a plate and garnish with rosemary.
6. Serve with grilled lemon wedges and coriander yogurt.

Notes:

*We were incredibly lucky to get fresh yogurt from the Durham farmers market. It really is amazing how fresh, local ingredients can bump up the flavor of even the simplest of recipes.

* If you cannot find Greek yogurt, take plain yogurt (about twice the amount), place it in a colander that is lined with cheesecloth (or you can use coffee filters, or paper towels), and strain it until it is the consistency of sour cream (this can take awhile, so put it over a bowl, and throw it in the fridge).

* As with many dips, the yogurt is best eaten after being refrigerated overnight.

* The recipe as written, called for fresh cilantro, but because people are usually hate it or love it with cilantro, we decided to tone it down, and use ground coriander. If you know you love cilantro, it's always an option to substitute it in for the coriander.

* The marinade would work well with all types of meat, experiment!

**Thanks Richard P. for the incredibly inappropriate title for this post!!

Hot Potatoes!

When we saw this recipe, we knew the flavors would work perfectly with our Mediterranean meal plan. Not only does it carry through the flavor of the rosemary, and Parmesan, but it adds a crunchy element to the plate.

Roasted Potato Slices with a Rosemary-Garlic Crust (serves 4)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 large Russet potatoes
Nonstick vegetable cooking spray
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary, plus sprigs for garnish
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 ½ cups fresh artisan bread crumbs
½ cup firmly packed grated Parmesan cheese (Reggiano Parmesano)
1 large egg white, beaten until foamy

Fresh breadcrumbs

1. Take day-old artisan bread and tear into bite-sized pieces.
2. Process in a blender or food processor until finely ground (or as finely ground as possible).
3. Store any extra crumbs in a zippered bag in the fridge up to 4 days.

Potatoes

1. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the unpeeled whole potatoes until just tender when pierced with a small knife (about 25 minutes).
2. Drain and let cool, then refrigerate until cold, at least 2-3 hours or up to 1 day.
3. Peel the potatoes and cut lengthwise into slices about ½ inch thick; use the center slices from each potato (about 3-4 slices).
4. Pre-heat over to 400˚ and generously spray a large baking sheet.
5. In a heavy frying pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
6. Add minced rosemary and garlic, cover and cook until the garlic is softened but not brown (about 1 minute).
7. Stir in the mustard, ½ tsp kosher salt, and ½ tsp of pepper, remove from heat.
8. Add the breadcrumbs and toss until evenly coated, then stir in cheese.
9. Arrange the potato slices on a work surface and brush the tops generously with egg white.
10. Spread 1 tbsp of crumb mixture on each slice, press to adhere and cover evenly.
11. Place the slices, coated side down, on baking sheet.
12. Brush the uncoated side with egg white, spread the remaining crumb mixture on the slices and press to adhere.
13. Bake the potato slices until coating on the bottom is crusty (about 8 minutes).
14. Carefully slide a thin metal spatula under each slice and turn it over.
15. Bake until brown on the second side (about 5 minutes longer).

Notes:

* We used a mandolin to slice our potatoes, it was quick, and all the slices were the same thickness.

*To add even further texture to our crust, we used a polenta bread, and a whole grain Dijon mustard.

*Instead of using only egg whites to coat the slices, we used a basic egg wash (1 egg beaten, with just a small amount of water)

*To make less of a mess on the baking pan, we changed the coating method to the following: Coat the top side of the potato slice with egg wash. Place a tbsp. of the coating mixture in the middle of each slice, and press with your fingers to completely cover the top of the slice . Flip the slice over, and repeat the steps. After the slice is completely coated then place on the pan. This made for less loose crumbs on the pan.

Simply Salad

The thing we love about salad is that there are really endless combinations you can put together, but you'd be surprised at how challenging it can be to come with something new and exciting. That's why we were really pleased with our final selection for the Anniversary Dinner -- Late Summer Salad.

Late Summer Salad

Green leaf lettuce
Organic radishes, thinly sliced
Red onion, thinly sliced
Fresh watermelon, from the Farmer's Market
Fresh figs, pulled from the tree and halved
Parmesan crisps
Fig vinaigrette

Parmesan crisps -- we used a mix of Reggiano Parmesan and Kraft shaker parmesan, drop a small handful in a heated pan over medium heat, when it starts to bubble a bit, flip it over, cook for a minute or two more then remove from pan, let cool then quarter.

Fig vinaigrette -- blended with a whisk, fig vinegar (very sweet), lemon olive oil, a smidge of Dijon mustard, and salt and fresh cracked black pepper, about 50/50 on the oil and vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.

It was a nice blend of salty and sweet, and the contrast of the red veggie on the green lettuce made it visually appealing as well. People were surprised by the addition of watermelon, but it made a tasty addition to the dish, so it was a welcomed addition.