Potato Chip Cookies (hey, don't judge until you try it!)

Potato chips are one of our guilty pleasures, at home. I'm pretty good about doling out (and limiting myself) to eating a  small handful of chips, with a burger or a sandwich.


My husband, on the other hand, is a potato chip addict. The brand that he loves most is "Lay's" potato chips.  If they're in plain sight, they're gone in no time at all.

When the June/July 2012 issue of Cook's Country Magazine arrived, I began to eagerly read through all the of the recipes.  I paused at the Potato Chip Cookie recipe, and read the article, and it didn't tickle my visual taste buds.  Potato chips?  I then passed on to reading the rest of the recipes looking for something else to make.  My husband spotted the recipe, and exclaimed that they sounded "terrific"!

Moi: "Really?  You want me to make those?"
Husband: "Yes!"  "Please?"

How can I say no?

I had to buy baked potato chips, though.  I don't buy them otherwise, because I don't like the way they taste.  I mean, if I'm going to indulge in chips, I'm going to buy the real deal.  I figured that Cook's Country had a reason for listing reduced-fat chips, so I added that ingredient to my shopping list.   Cook's Country says, "It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it: We fearlessly ate many batches of cookies baked with potato chips of every sort. In the end, we preferred reduced-fat chips in this recipe. Because of the extra oil, the edges of cookies made with ordinary fried chips get too dark before the cookie is fully baked. Also, some testers detected a disagreeable fried taste in cookies that were made with fried potato chips. "

The ingredients listing also includes flour, confectioners sugar, granulated sugar, butter, egg, vanilla and pecans.

The dough is rolled into balls, then flatted with a floured glass-- actually, I found that spraying the bottom of a glass with non-stick spray works best. 

 

Bake at 350F for 10-13 minutes; cool and enjoy.

TASTING NOTES:  The cookies are crispy, with a subtle balance of sweet and salty.  These reminded me of "Pecan Sandies", because the pecan flavor is in the foreground of this cookie.  I nibbled on one or two, but I wasn't as over-the-moon about them as my husband was.  So, there you have it-- a cookie with an unusual ingredient, that got enthusiastic thumbs up. My husband is hinting around that he wouldn't mind my making them again, so I'd say that if you love potato chips, then these are the cookie for you.

A printable recipe card is at the end of this post.

BALL CANNING GIVEAWAY WINNER:   A big thank you to all of you who entered to win a Ball Canning Discovery Kit.  The winner is: Larry of "Big Dude's Eclectic Ramblings".   Email me at foodiewife (at) gmail.com with your mailing address, so that Ball Canning can ship this off to you.  Thanks, Ball, for sponsoring this giveaway!

Peaches & Cream Pie (Would you like crust with that?)

I wish we had a peach tree in our own backyard.  Let me rephrase that. I wish we could plant a HUGE peach tree in our own backyard, and that we could have beautiful peaches by this summer.  I've hinted around with my Green Thumbed Husband, but so far I have the company of one Meyer Lemon Tree, one Eureka Lemon Tree and one fledgling Lime tree.  Now that I think of it, I wish we had an orchard of every kind of apple and stone fruit that grows well on the Central Coast of California!  Somehow, I don't think our little home plot of land could support my dream orchard. So, I wait for the first signs of California peaches at my local farm stand.  At last, the first peaches were spotted, but they weren't quite ripe.

I was craving peaches, and then I remembered a recipe in the June 2011 issue of Cook's Country Magazine that I had bookmarked.  Peaches and Cream Pie isn't anything new.  In the style of the family of Cook's Illustrated and America's Test Kitchen, Cook's Country wanted to re-work the recipe so that the pie crust doesn't get soggy.  In order to accomplish this, this recipe required the roasting of the peaches, with a little sugar,  to release it's moisture. That made sense to me.  The pie crust is also partially blind-baked with pie weights and aluminum foil.  I'm not posting how I make my pie crust, as I have several different versions. If you want to use a commercially purchased one, please do so.  Otherwise, my favorite  pie crust recipe,is a mixture of shortening and butter and a "how to" is posted here.

The peaches are roasted, for about 30 minutes,  on the top rack of the oven, while the pie crust is baking below.  I liked the time-saving convenience of this procedure.

 Then it hit me.  I forgot to peel the peaches, before roasting them. D'oh!

After chewing myself out, for not following the directions that were clearly there, I was saved by discovering that the peels came off quite easily.  No harm, no foul.

The peaches are quartered and layered into the pie crust.

The filling comes together in a snap-- flour, salt, heavy cream, vanilla and egg yolks (the yolks helps the filling to set better.)

The filling is poured over the roasted peaches, and then baked until firm in the center-- 45-55 minutes.

While the pie was cooling, I noticed that the crust had shrunk quite a bit.  I'm guessing it's because I used a large deep-dish pie pan and I didn't quite have enough pie dough.  I decided to remove the pie and serve it like a tart. It worked quite well.  Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

...I had leftover peaches and filling. On a whim, my leftovers filled two ramekins. These were baked for about 30 minutes and came out bubbling and smelling wonderful. Ooooooooooh, crustless pie!  I have a confession to make.  Ready?  I'm not a huge fan of traditional pie crusts.  That's why I prefer fruit  crumbles or crisps.  The day before I made this pie, I made a creme anglaise and a raspberry coulis sauce.  I had an idea...

I served the pie slices, to my husband and guests, with the Creme Anglaise and Raspberry Coulis sauce. They loved the pie and the crust.  One of our dinner guests is from Atlanta, Georgia.  He should know what good peaches are all about! 

As for me-- I ate one of the crustless pies from the ramekin. Oh, boy!

TASTING NOTES:  Though the peaches weren't quite ripe, this recipe roasted and baked them to perfection.  I loved the crunchy and chewy texture of the pie filling, while the peaches tasted like "summer".  The edges of the ramekins had slightly caramelized the pie filling.  The pie crust was not soggy! The Creme Anglaise with the Raspberry Coulis sauce made this a glorified Peach Melba, in my book. Vanilla ice cream would be a perfect substitute.  I intend to make this same recipe, using fresh berries and I think it would work extremely well with apricots-- but I'm going to use all ramekins.  This pie disappeared within two days. As for that second ramekin-- I hid it.  It was all mine!  

With or without a pie crust, this is a pretty simple way to enjoy peaches. This recipe goes into my Family Favorites recipe file.  I hope you try it.  A printable recipe is at the end of this post.

Enjoy!

Swedish Pancakes with Lingonberry Butter

I can remember, a couple of decades back, the first time that I ate Swedish Pancakes.  It was at the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) in Lake Tahoe, California.   I remember how much I loved the tartness of the lingonberries, mixed with the whipped butter.  There is an IHOP in my hometown, but it's one that I avoid.  Suffice it to say that my few experiences at that location had more unpleasant memories of sticky seats, poor service and my germophobia kicked in to high gear. 

Last November, I discovered a restaurant across from the hotel where I stayed in San Francisco.  According to the reviews, their signature dish is their Swedish Pancakes.  My blogger friend, Monica, and I eagerly ordered a plate of the pancakes.  I was surprised to see them arrive like dollar pancakes-- only flatter.  They were good, but they just didn't pack that "wow" factor that I experienced in Lake Tahoe.  I've done a bit of internet research, to find out which version of Swedish pancakes are most authentic, and I'm still not sure. I've learned that a Swedish Plett pan is used to make the round versions, which I don't own and I don't plan to invest in one (my gadget shelve are overflowing, as it is).

The October 2010 issue of Cook's Country Magazine had a recipe for Swedish Pancakes, that resembled the IHOP version.  My mouth watered, at the mere memory of the crepe version of these pancakes.  I wanted to make them that very day, except I didn't have three of the key ingredients-- club soda, Wondra instant flour and lingonberry jam. After bookmarking the recipe, a few months passed before I spotted lingonberry jam at my local Cost Plus World Market.

 I was surprised that neither my husband nor son had tasted lingonberries jam before.  They remind me, a bit of cranberry relish.  The berries are a beautiful red color, and the jam is a perfect balance of tart and sweet.  The batter for the pancakes was actually quite simple to do:

Wh

Why use instant flour? According to Cook's Country, "To avoid a lengthy resting period, we used instant flour in the batter, which dissolves faster than regular flour and requires less whisking."  The reason for using club soda, "unlike American pancakes, Swedish pancakes contain no baking powder or baking soda. To get a little lift without breaking tradition, we added some club soda to the batter."

This recipes requires nine tablespoons of butter. Yes, nine. Four of the tablespoons butter are melted and cooled, and added to the batter. The remaining butter is used to brush the pan.  I decided to do a quick clarifying of the butter for the pan, but skimming off the milk solids (clarified butter doesn't burn as easily). Other ingredients includes eggs, and half and half. (Scroll to the end of this post for a printable recipe.)

I used two pans to make the crepes all at once.  Cook's Country uses a non-stick 9" pan. I also used a French crepe pan-- I wanted to compare which pan worked best. I had my "work station" close to the stove and the oven preheated on WARM.

The art of making crepes takes a bit of practice.  It's important to have the pan just hot enough that the butter sizzles when you brush it in the pan.

Using a 1/3 cup measurer, add the batter to the center of the pan and then tilt it so the batter spreads evenly. I use a silicone spatula to loosen the edges. Once the crepe has browned on the bottom, grab it and flip it over.
NOTE: This batter is so delicate, that it was more of a challenge to work with.  I couldn't flip these by tossing the pan.

On the left is my De Buyer Crepe Pan, and the non-stick is on the right.  Both pans worked well, though the crepe pan browned more in the middle.

I didn't bother covering the pancakes with foil, and they stayed quite warm in the oven.

On a whim, I decided to take a stick of softened butter and then I added about 4 Tablespoons of jam...

It was time to serve these delicate pancakes, but I wanted to take the first taste...

Photographing these proved to be a challenge-- I didn't want to eat cold pancakes, and I was really hungry! I had to work fast, so the photos are up to my personal standards of plating and lighting. 

The lingonberry butter has melted...

I eagerly take my first bite...

TASTING NOTE:   The crepe was delicate, almost velvety in my mouth.  I had notes of custard, butter, tart and sweet red berries.  Fond memories of Lake Tahoe came flooding back, with the first swallow.  Cook's Country did it!  There are moments when worries about fat grams need to be set aside.  This is one of them.  I fully admit that I ate six of these, and I enjoyed every single bite.  Both my husband and son really enjoyed these.  The club soda really does the trick, giving these pancakes a "lift".  Will I make these again?  You bet!  MAKE AHEAD Swedish pancakes can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. Layer cooled pancakes between parchment paper, wrap in plastic, and transfer to zipper-lock bag. To serve, microwave stack of 3 pancakes on 50 percent power until heated through, 10 to 20 seconds. 

Now that I have leftover lingonberry jam, I'm on the search of a good Swedish Meatball recipe.  Lingonberry jam is a unexpected and delightful condiment to this comfort food.  Swedish meatballs in June?  Yes, if you live on my part of the Central Coast of California, you are experiencing overcast skies, cooler temps and even unexpected rain.  Me thinks my grilling season is going to be delayed until at least July!

I'm linking this to "Finding Joy in My Kitchen's" Best recipes of 2011, because to me this really is one of them!

Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce & Homemade Pasta

I love adore Italian food.  That explain why I can't stick to a no-carb diet.  To me, pasta is a vehicle for sauces.  It's also a fool-proof way to clean out my vegetable bin.   I have only one off spring-- a boy 22 year old son.  Living with my husband and son, pasta is something I make year-round.   Now that I've mastered making a quick marinara sauce, I don't buy bottled spaghetti sauce. Amen to that!  I've always wanted to make Bolognese sauce.  This sauce is simmered, long and slow, for hours.  I'm not opposed to doing that, but my slow cooker has been sitting idle for a very long time  Enter the test kitchen at Cook's Illustrated--who also produces one of my favorite cooking magazines, "Cook's Country "--and I finally made the decision to make my own Bolognese sauce.  There are many versions of making this sauce. Several include Pancetta, but this recipe uses ground beef and pork.  I prepared finely chopped carrots, celery and onion. 

 Freshly chopped thyme, 3 cloves of minced garlic and 3 Tablespoons of tomato pasta is ready to begin...

Heat butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until foaming. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook until softened but not colored, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add meat, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, breaking up meat, until crumbled into tiny pieces and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Add milk, bring to vigorous simmer, and cook until milk evaporates and only clear fat remains, 10 to 15 minutes.

(It's not pretty, waiting for the milk fat to evaporate.) Why milk in a sauce?  I think it's the lactic acid that is supposed to help tenderize the meat. 

Next, two 28-ounce canned tomatoes need to be pureed in a blender/food processor until smooth...

  Add wine (I used a dry white Sauvignon Blanc), tomatoes, and thyme; cover and bring to boil. 

Transfer mixture to slow cooker, cover, set temperature to high, and bring to boil.  I love the slow cooker bags that I find at my grocery store. They really do make cleanup much easier!  We're cooking this on HIGH, bringing it to a boil. Why? According to the Cook's Country article,  we want the extra liquid to evaporate, so we don't get a watery sauce.  

 

Once mixture comes to boil, remove lid and simmer until sauce is very thick, 7 to 8 hours.

Make Ahead
This recipe can be partially made the night before so that it’s ready to place in the slow cooker in the morning. Complete steps 1 and 2 and refrigerate the mixture in the Dutch oven. The next morning, bring the mixture back to a boil, transfer it to the slow cooker, and proceed as directed.

The aroma that wafted through our kitchen was making my mouth water.  When I checked on the sauce, I didn't like all the fat that had floated to the top.

My sister-in-law gave me this "fat mop" as a gift, a few years ago.  I love it!  It quickly soaks up the surface fat and then it "squeegees" it away! 

TASTING NOTES:  I think it's my slow cooker that doesn't get hot enough to boil the meat sauce as much as it could have.  I thought the sauce was still a bit thinner than I'd like. I remedied that with a mixture of flour/water, and I added it a little bit at a time, until it reached my desired thickness.

We were so hungry, by the time the sauce was ready, that I plated it without even thinking of making it photogenic.  I only had spaghetti noodles on hand, and I was disappointed that I didn't have a more tagliatelle or fettuccine noodles.  But, let's talk about the sauce...
  
TASTING NOTES:  What I love best about this Bolognese, is that it tastes just like the one I've been buying from a local Italian restaurant (they have a take-out section).  The tomato flavor takes a back seat, and it's the wine that shines through. The texture of the meat was, indeed, very tender.   This recipe makes 12 cups of sauce, so I froze two 4-cup portions.... this was about 2 months ago!

I have always wanted to buy an Atlas Pasta Machine. I spotted a gently used  Atlas Pasta Machine Set on eBay, and the highest bid was at $50.00. For a new machine, the best price I could find was about $200.00.  (I must admit, that I've acquired a wicked technique that usually results in my winning most eBay auctions that I want. It's a closely guarded secret!)  I won the auction, and I got the whole pasta machine set for $60.00!!! For a couple of weeks, I felt hesitant to make my own pasta-- as I had never done it, other than the Sardinian Gnocchi that I made, some time ago.

We've had unusually unpredictable California weather, during the month of May.  Some days have been warm and sunny, and others have been overcast and drizzly chilly.  Last week, it was raining and so I decided to just dive in and figure out how to use the pasta machine. I giggled, as I made rolled my first successful set of pasta!  (I made a basic egg dough.) I was delighted to find out that it's not that hard to make pasta, and I'm very excited to make more!  So, I thawed a container of the frozen Bolognese sauce...

What I love about freshly made pasta, is that it cooks in just a few minutes...

TASTING NOTES:   I thought the sauce tasted even better! Spaghetti noodles really don't do justice to this sauce. The thicker noodles carry this sauce.  The homemade pasta, glass of red wine and this sauce was so comforting. We loved it!  I was so pleased that I had learned to make two more classic Italian recipes.   I think that Cook's Country has done justice to the Italian community.  I do think that this sauce would be just as good, if simply simmered on the stove top. However, for full-time working cooks (like me), I think it work to do the prep work the night before and then let it simmer in a slow cooker.  There is no way that a commercially, bottled sauce can come close to the homemade flavors of patiently cooking vegetables, patiently cooking the meats and using fresh herbs.  To be honest, this sauce tastes just as good as the Italian restaurant I used to stop and pay $8.00 for a quart of this.  Sure, this recipe is a bit fussy.  But, so am I!
(A printable recipe card is at the bottom of this post.)

GIVEAWAY:   I almost forgot!  On my last post, featuring grilling recipe ideas, I announced that I would give away a copy of Steven Raichlen's "How to Grill".   Using Random.Org, the number "16" came up.  Oh, wow!  Cathy of "Wives With Knives" was the winning comment. She said:

Improving my grilling skills is at the top of my to-do list this summer. I'm going to start with that scrumptious looking tri-tip. You share so many wonderful recipes and grilling tips and you've inspired me to keep at it.

Congratulations, Cathy!  Please email your shipping address to foodiewife@gmail.com.  I'll get that book out to you right away.  I think you'll love it!  Thanks, everyone, for your fun comments.

I hope that everyone had a relaxing Memorial Day Holiday, and that we are not forgetting what this holiday is all about .  My gratitude is for those who have given their lives for our country.  Thank you, thank you!  This holiday is really all about you.