Ready for Dessert (38 page)

These cookies are a riff on Anzac biscuits that were created as sustenance for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzac). I adapted a recipe from
Cooking Light
magazine, adding dried cranberries and naming them “cranzac cookies,” but I’ve left them lean enough to keep those who eat them in fighting weight.

1 cup (95 g) rolled oats

1 cup (215 g) packed light brown sugar

1¼ cups (175 g) all-purpose flour

1 cup (90 g) dried sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut

½ cup (60 g) dried cranberries

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons (45 ml) water

4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60 g) unsalted butter, melted

¼ cup (60 ml) golden syrup (see Tip)

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

In a large bowl, toss together the oats, brown sugar, flour, coconut, dried cranberries, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the water, melted butter, and golden syrup until the dough is evenly moistened.

Using your hands, shape the cookie dough into 1¼-inch (3-cm) balls. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheets and flatten them into 2-inch (5-cm) disks spaced 1 inch (3 cm) apart.

Bake, rotating the baking sheets midway through baking, until the cookies are light golden brown, about 12 minutes.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to handle, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack.

STORAGE:
The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 1 month. The baked cookies will keep well, stored in an airtight container, for up to 4 days.

VARIATION:
Substitute raisins or dried cherries for the dried cranberries.

MAKES ABOUT 18 COOKIES

After years of carefully studying dessert habits, I’ve begun to refine my theory that there are two types of people— those who like lemon desserts and those who like chocolate. I’ve observed that there’s a subspecies that likes desserts with a crunch, a group that includes me. I’m a big fan of seeds, and I like to add them to these jam-filled cookies to put them squarely in the crunchy camp. Or should I say “roundly,” since they are, indeed, round. But feel free to use any cookie cutters you have—round, square, oval, or even heart-shaped.

2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour

6 tablespoons (70 g) poppy seeds

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup (8 ounces/225 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup (100 g) sugar

1 large egg yolk

Grated zest of 2 oranges, preferably organic

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons orange-flavored liqueur, such as Grand Marnier, Cointreau, or Triple Sec

About ½ cup (160 g) strained apricot or raspberry jam

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, poppy seeds, and salt.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a bowl by hand), beat together the butter and the sugar on medium speed just until smooth. Stir in the egg yolk, orange zest, vanilla, and orange-flavored liqueur until completely incorporated. Add the flour mixture and beat just until the dough comes together and no streaks of butter remain.

Turn out the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form it into a rectangle about 1 inch (3 cm) thick. Wrap the dough tightly and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Divide the dough into 2 pieces. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out 1 piece of dough about ½ inch (1.5 cm) thick, sprinkling the work surface with only as much flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking (too much flour can make the cookies tough).

Using a 2-inch (5-cm) round cookie cutter, cut out circles of dough. Place them on one of the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1 inch (3 cm) apart. Repeat with the second piece of dough, then reroll the dough scraps. Using a ½-inch (1.5-cm) round cookie cutter (the wide end of a metal pastry tip works well, too), cut out the centers of half of the circles, making sure you have the same number of solid cookies as you do those with cut-outs.

Bake, rotating the baking sheets midway through baking, until the cookies are lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets.

Spread a rounded teaspoon of jam on all of the solid cookies, then top with the cut-out cookies, making sandwiches.

STORAGE:
The dough can be chilled for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to 1 month. The filled cookies will keep well, stored in an airtight container, for up to 4 days.

VARIATION:
For a slightly exotic taste, substitute ½ teaspoon of orange-flower water for the orange liqueur. Or, for lemon-flavored cookies, use the grated zest of 2 lemons.

You can fill the orange-flavored cookies with chocolate instead of jam: Heat 2 ounces (60 g) of chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate with 3 tablespoons (45 ml) heavy cream in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Use 1 teaspoon of the chocolate mixture for each cookie sandwich. Another option is to fill them with Nutella or a similar spreadable chocolate-hazelnut paste.

MAKES ABOUT 24 COOKIES

At dinner at an Italian
vinoteca,
on the dessert menu was something I’d never seen before: ricotta-stuffed eggplant with candied orange and chocolate sauce. My curiosity piqued, I placed my order with the waiter, only to have him come back with “You won’t like it. Order something else.” Not one to be easily swayed from ordering an intriguing dessert, I ordered it in spite of his admonition, and you know what? I liked it—quite a bit, in fact.

With that experience in mind, when I saw a fresh fennel cake on a dessert menu at a fancy three-star Michelin restaurant, I didn’t hesitate to order it. I had high hopes and was ready for anything. But so was the waiter, who informed me as soon as he set it down that if I didn’t like it, he’d replace it with something else. He saw my expression after I took my first bite, and he briskly returned to the table to make good on his offer.

Still, I do believe in giving a chance to things that are out of the ordinary, otherwise, how would we discover new flavors and tastes? I haven’t gotten around to trying to come up with my own version of an eggplant dessert (and I’m not exactly chomping at the bit to come up with a fresh fennel one, either), but I’ve made these tomato jam-filled cookies many times and not once have I had to rush over to offer guests anything in their place.

2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour

¼ cup (40 g) stone-ground yellow cornmeal or polenta

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup (8 ounces/225 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

10 tablespoons (135 g) sugar

2 large egg yolks

1½ tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

Tomato Jam

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, and salt.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a bowl by hand), beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed just until smooth. Mix in the egg yolks, then the rosemary. Add the flour mixture and mix until the dough is smooth and holds together.

On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a log about 6 inches (15 cm) long and 1¾ inches (4 cm) in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and firm, at least 1 hour.

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Slice the logs into disks ¼ inch (6 mm) inch thick and place the disks about ½ inch (1.5 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake, rotating the baking sheets midway through baking, until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Let cool completely.

Spread a scant 1½ teaspoons of the jam on the underside of half of the cookies. Top the jam with a second cookie, bottom side down, to make sandwiches.

STORAGE:
The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month. Once filled, the cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

MAKES ABOUT 60 COOKIES

Writing an ice cream book means two things: (1) you’ll need to buy a separate freezer, and (2) you’re going to have buckets of egg whites left over. Because this recipe uses quite of bit of egg whites, it was a staple in my repertoire for a while. I was certain all my friends (and neighbors, and delivery men, and local merchants, and the people who work in my doctor’s office) would tire of eating these coconut macaroons, but never once did I hear a complaint. Dipping the bottoms in dark chocolate isn’t required, but it really lifts the macaroons to a whole different level. I very highly recommend it.

8 large egg whites (1 cup/250 ml)

2½ cups (500 g) sugar

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons (30 ml) honey

5 cups (350 g) dried unsweetened shredded coconut

½ cup (70 g) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 ounces (115 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

In a Dutch oven or very large saucepan, mix together the egg whites, sugar, salt, honey, coconut, flour, and vanilla. Set over medium-low heat and gently cooking the mixture, stirring frequently to dry it out a bit. When the bottom just begins to sizzle, transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and let cool slightly.

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

When the mixture is cool enough to handle, use your fingers to form it into tight 1¼-inch (3-cm) pyramids and place them on the prepared baking sheets (they won’t spread during baking so you can place them fairly close together).

Bake, rotating the baking sheets midway during baking, until the macaroons are uniformly deep golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets.

To dip the macaroons in chocolate, remove the cookies from the baking sheets. Turn over the parchment paper sheets so the clean sides are facing up or line the baking sheets with plastic wrap.

Add the chocolate to a medium heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted and smooth.

Dip the bottom of each macaroon into the melted chocolate, scraping any excess chocolate against the inside rim of the bowl. After dipping, place the cookie, dipped side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate until the chocolate hardens.

STORAGE:
The batter can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month. The macaroons, dipped or undipped, can be kept in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

VARIATION:
Milk chocolate can be used in place of the dark chocolate. To make these cookies for Passover, substitute ground almonds or matzoh meal for the flour.

MAKES 24 BITE-SIZE CAKES

It was as if someone hit the switch one day and all of a sudden, a flash of electric-green took Paris by storm. You couldn’t walk past a pâtisserie without seeing something sweet and shockingly green standing out among the more traditional-looking pastries in the lavish window displays. Although the deluge of green tea desserts spread far and wide throughout the city, the best can be found at the shop of Sadaharu Aoki, a Japanese
pâtissier
who wows normally blasé Parisians with his classic French desserts made with a twist. He incorporates ingredients like black sesame seeds and sweet red beans into his pastries, creating a marriage of flavors that would’ve stunned Escoffier.

I came up with my own recipe for these flavor-packed almond teacakes flecked with a bit of salt and sesame seeds because I was certain that the staff at his shop was tired of wiping my nose prints off the windows.

SESAME-SALT MIXTURE