salted margarita cookies

I'm a fan of margaritas... but only if they're strawberry flavored, blended rather than served on the rocks, and rimmed with sugar instead of salt.  Is that allowed?

But these salted margarita cookies may change my mind.  The shortbread cookies, packed with lime zest and rolled in a sugar-and-sea-salt mixture, are true to the original margarita, and so delicious and addictive. They're definitely on my list for holiday cookies to bake, since they're both unusual and pretty.

Salted Margarita Cookies
recipe published in my story in Seven Days: Liquid Diet
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup confectioner's sugar
1 egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons tequila
pinch of salt
zest of 2 limes
zest of 1/2 orange
2 cups flour

Coating:
1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated or coarse sugar
1 and 1/2 tablespoons coarse sea salt

Beat the butter with a mixer until smooth. Add the confectioner's sugar and beat until mixture appears silky. Beat in the egg yolk, followed by the tequila, salt, and lime and orange zest. Add the flour and mix in with a spoon. Gather the dough into a ball and divide it in half. Wrap each half in wax paper and refrigerate 30 minutes

Remove the dough from the fridge and roll each ball into a log about an inch thick. Wrap again in wax paper and chill in the fridge for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

To make the coating: Whisk the egg in a small bowl with the sugar and sea salt. Spread the mixture out evenly on a sheet of wax paper.

Remove the dough logs from the fridge and roll in the coating until evenly covered. Use a thin knife to slice the logs into quarter-inch-thick cookies. Place the cookies on the baking sheet; bake 12 to 14 minutes. The cookies should still be pale, but the coated edges may brown slightly.

white russian soufflés

This was my favorite recipe that came out of my baking with booze story.  Seriously.  This Thanksgiving, I'm switching it up and making white Russian soufflés for dessert, just because they're that good.  Who needs pumpkin pie?

Kahlúa and white chocolate might just be the most awesome combination ever.  Add cream cheese to the mix... and you have my perfect dessert.

White Russian Soufflés
adapted from Razzle Dazzle Recipes
recipe published in Seven Days: Liquid Diet

1/2 cup Kahlúa
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
5 eggs
1/2 cup whipping cream
8 ounces cream cheese, cubed
unsweetened cocoa powder

Melt white chocolate chips into Kahlúa in a saucepan over low heat, whisking frequently to blend. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Crack the eggs into a blender. Add the cream and mix. Pour the cooled Kahlúa mixture in and blend. Gradually add cream cheese, a few cubes at a time, until smooth. At this point, you can refrigerate the mixture until ready to bake. (Or bake a couple of soufflés now and save the rest for later.) This will yield four to six soufflés.

Butter the soufflé cups and coat with sugar. Pour the mixture into the cups until three-quarters of the way full.  Run a finger along the inside edge of the soufflé to allow even rising. Bake for 20 minutes in the center of an oven preheated to 350 degrees.  The edges of the cakes should be set, but the centers will jiggle slightly. Remove and sprinkle the tops with a light dusting of cocoa powder; serve immediately.

baking with booze

Baking.  And booze.  Can you think of two better things to mix?  I couldn't, so I wrote a story about doing just that for Seven Days' special food issue.  I'd love it if you would go take a peek :)  You'll find out why it's been sort of quiet over here lately — all my spare cooking time was designated to this!  And that's not a bad thing, since it resulted in a White Russian Soufflé (pictured), Mojito Cake and Salted Margarita Cookies.  Recipes are included in the story; I might post them here later on, too.

hard apple cider squash soup

Life is full, friends. From traveling to Vermont's Northeast Kingdom (a beautiful drive) for my best friend's wedding to taking on some more writing projects at work (another baking story is in the works, and I'm excited about it!), I'm frankly amazed that we've landed here, in early November, already.

I'm actually looking forward to the quiet that comes with these gray November days in Vermont. I'm ready to think about low-key things like putting on my winter tires and bringing out the extra blankets — I require at least two comforters this time of year. And, of course, the month's slow pace lends itself well to lots of time in the kitchen. Last weekend was literally spent entirely in the kitchen! And I have this soup to show for part of it.

Do you remember this from last year? It was one of the year's cooking triumphs, and even though I followed the same recipe this time, it still came out pretty different. Thicker, for one thing, which I liked. Also less sweet, because I used Granny Smith apples and Granny Smith Woodchuck Cider. I'd actually recommend a using the Amber cider instead (or any sweet hard cider), with a sweet and tangy variety of apple, like jazz apples. But I'm still captivated by the balance of sweet and hearty and fragrant that's going on here.

Hard Apple Cider Squash Soup

1 medium onion, diced
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 apples (a sweet variety is best), peeled, cored and diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large butternut squash, cubed
1 cup vegetable stock
2 cups sweet hard cider
1 large carrot, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt, pepper, parsley and oregano to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Rub a small amount of olive oil onto the cubed squash, sprinkle with salt, and roast 30-45 minutes in a baking pan, until the squash is soft.

Sauté the onion, apples, celery and carrots with some olive oil in your largest pan until soft. Season well with salt and pepper. Add the roasted squash and garlic; sauté another five minutes or so.

Deglaze the pan with the hard cider; stir.  Add the stock and season with parsley and oregano, and more salt and pepper if needed. Simmer 10 minutes.

Purée in a blender in small batches, and return to the pan to reheat. Serve with a sprinkle of parsley.