In celebration of last week’s historic inauguration, I decided to bake a batch of Michelle Obama’s Shortbread Cookies. The cookies were prepared as part of the inaugural festivities at the Ritz-Carlton by DC Central Kitchen, a charity organization that welcomes ex-prisoners and once homeless into its culinary arts program to open doors of opportunity. The article on NPR about the organization included the recipe, so I really couldn’t pass up the chance to make the new First Lady’s own recipe.
This cookie is a very buttery shortbread, infused with citrus flavors and almond liqueur, then topped with mixed dried fruits and nuts.
The dough was very easy to whip up. Initially I was a little concerned at how dry and crumbly it was, but it came together really nicely with a little more mixing. For this recipe, the dough is rolled out and cooked in one large piece, then cut after baking. Slicing the cookies after baking was easy, but very (as Ina would say) “rustic” looking. Definitely a style preferred by some, so I guess it just comes down to your preference. I found that the edges cooked much faster than the center, so it might be a good idea to cut the cookies out beforehand.
The recipe says the nuts and dried fruit are optional; I added them because I wanted to make the cookies as close as possible to the way they were baked for the inauguration. I’m so glad I did. They are a MUST.
In the spirit of democracy, I decided to take a vote on the cookies. Of the three tasters present, all three agreed that the cookies are a winner. Matt’s favorite part: “The nuts. More nuts!” Ben thought they were “delicious.” And Elizabeth (who originally sent me this article), would “definitely make them.” Hooray for America!
Michelle Obama’s Shortbread Cookies
1 1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c. plus 2 tbs. sugar
2 egg yolks
3 c. cake flour (not self-rising)
1 tsp. each orange and lemon zest
2 tbs. amaretto (almond liqueur)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 beaten egg white
Chopped nuts or dried fruit (optional)*
*Editor’s Note: NOT optional. You really should add them.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix together butter and 1 ½ cups of sugar. Add egg yolks one at a time and beat until smooth. Stir in flour, zest, amaretto and salt, and mix only until everything is incorporated.
Spread dough evenly onto baking pan and brush top of dough with egg white and remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Sprinkle with nuts or fruit if desired. Bake until golden brown, approximately 25 minutes. Cool for a short time, then cut while still warm.
(P.S. Food photography is hard! This time, it was me on my own! Luckily, Brian is back home and can start taking pretty pictures again!)
It feels like I spent my whole weekend running errands! Yes, I got a lot done, but what happened to taking a break? Sunday night, after some serious shopping, I was really hungry and in no mood to wait for table, order, etc., let alone cook something complicated.
I decided that I would choose a restaurant on the way home and order food to go. I was tired, a little cold from the weather, and in the mood for something really satisfying. “Treat yourself to anything you want!” (That’s what I told myself.) Mexican? Italian? Guilty food? Sushi? And with all those possibilities, you know what happened? Nothing. I drew a big blank. Nothing sounded perfect to me. What to do?
Then, like a bolt of lightning (or something a little less dramatic), it came to me. Sometimes when you’re in the mood for a certain something, something really good and delicious, only a home-cooked meal will do. Turning to my favorite cooking inspiration once again, I pulled an Ina Garten recipe that I remember her cooking on her show for times when you want something “earthy” (she loves that word) and simple. (Perfect!)
Cheddar Corn Chowder: Delicious, rich, and just the thing for the mood I was in. The recipe was really easy to follow; essentially you’re just cooking bacon and then adding everything to the pot to cook together. I would definitely make sure that you saute the onions long enough so they’re not crunchy and break up the smooth consistency of the soup.
I can’t vouch for it’s calorie count, but I can promise you that it’s so wonderful and will definitely feed a large group. (You’re going to need a very big soup pot!)
The recipe was delicious as is, but I felt really inspired to make a Southwest version of it next time. Sauteing green chilies with the onions and adding a different cheese would make that switch so easy.
(Brian is still gone, so it’s Dan behind the camera!)
Cheddar Corn Chowder from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
8 oz.bacon, chopped
1/4 c. olive oil
6 c. chopped yellow onions (4 large onions)
4 tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
12 c. chicken stock
6 c. medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (2 lbs.)
10 c. corn kernels, fresh (10 ears) or frozen (3 lbs.)*
2 c. half-and-half
8 oz. sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
*Editor’s note: I used the frozen corn because it was so simple.
In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the bacon and olive oil until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and butter to the fat, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.
Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn you can skip this step.) Add the corn to the soup, then add the half-and-half and cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a garnish of bacon.
Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a really great holiday. Lots of relaxing and lounging around, but now it’s time to get back into things!
I received three cookbooks for Christmas and was excited to try some recipes out, so my sister and I decided to bake cookies from The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook that my friend Andrea bought me. The cute pattern of these Chocolate Checkerboards made them the top-pick. We started baking the cookies late last night without reading the recipe all the way through. By the time the dough was made, we realized it needed to chill in the fridge for three hours (oops). I know sometimes you don’t always have to follow that rule, but given the checker shape that you needed to form the dough into, we decided it was a non-negotiable.
So, this morning we unwrapped the dough and baked cookies for breakfast. How decadent. Along with a cup of dark coffee, they were a wonderful treat. The balance of the bittersweet chocolate and the vanilla shortbread is perfect and I really liked the simplicity of these cookies. Easy to follow, this recipe yields four logs of slice-and-bake cookies ready for after-dinner desert (or breakfast). As you can tell, a perfect checker pattern is harder to achieve than the directions led us to believe. Instead of the straight lines in the book, ours are more of a Dali-inspired checker. Could be because we sort of disregarded the tedious dimensions included in the instructions… Oh well.
Chocolate Checkerboards from The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook
3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
4 oz. Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate baking bar, broken into 1-inch pieces*
1 1/4 c. (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 c. white granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
2 tbs. boiling water
3 tbs. Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa
(*Editor’s Note: I used 72% cacao bittersweet)
Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
Melt the bittersweet chocolate pieces in the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl, over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer on medium to low speed until smooth, about two minutes. Mix in the sugar and beat for an additional two minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, mixing well until combined. Reduce the speed to low, and add the flour mixture in two additions, mixing until just incorporated. Separate out half of the dough and set aside.
Dissolve the espresso powder in the boiling water and set aside to cool. Once cool, mix the espresso and cocoa into the remaining dough until the dough is uniformly colored. On low speed, add in the melted chocolate, mixing until throughly combined.
Divide the dough into four equal pieces, two of each flavor. Shape each of the four pieces into a rectangular log 10″ long, 3″ wide, and 3/4″ thick. Wrap each log tightly in parchment paper and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Cut each log into four quarters lengthwise, giving you 16 strips that are 10″ long, 3/4″ wide, and 3/4″ thick. To form a checkerboard rectangle, place a chocolate strip and a vanilla strip side by side, and then place another vanilla strip on top of the chocolate strip and another chocolate strip on top of the vanilla strip. The checkerboard log should be about 10″ long, 1 1/2″ wide, and 1 1/2″ thick. Repeat with the other 12 strips to make three more logs. Chill the dough for at least three hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Make sure the dough is firm enough to slice, and use a sharp knife to slice each rectangle into 1/4″ squares and place 1″ apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 12 – 13 minutes, making sure not to brown the edges too much. Remove the cookies from the oven, and let stand for one minute. Transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. Yields 160 cookies.
(Thank you again to my brother Dan who’s helping with photos while the usual LD photog is off globetrotting)
