Alex and the Web - Tumblr Edition: Archive

The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper

Dec 26th

Walnut Snowball Cookies Recipe

Notes: very nice and tender. No need to chill, food processor blitzing ok. Ingredients 1 cup flour 1 1/2 cups walnuts, finely chopped 2-3 Tbsp sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 pound butter (at room temperature) Pinch of salt Powdered sugar, to coat (about 1 cup) Method 1 Preheat the oven to 300°F and prepare a large cookie sheet. 2 Mix all the dry ingredients (flour, walnuts,...

Dec 7th

Rum Balls

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar 2 tablespoons cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1/2 cup dark rum 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 2 1/2 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers 1 cup finely chopped, toasted walnuts Directions Into a large bowl, sift together 1 cup of the confectioners’ sugar, the cocoa powder and allspice. Stir in the rum and corn syrup. Stir in...

Oct 14th

Polędwiczki

NOTE: ok, but very sour. Składniki 2 polędwiczki wieprzowe 2 łyżki masła 1 łyżka mąki 1 szklanka białego wina 1/2 szklanki wody 1 łyżka ostrej musztardy 1 łyżka pieprzu czarnego odrobina pieprzu kolorowego olej do smażenia sól i pieprz do oprószenia mięsa Krok 1. Polędwiczki kroję na plastry i każdy lekko rozbijam. Posypuję z obydwu stron solą i pieprzem. Krok 2. Na patelnię wlewam olej,...

Oct 4th

Meh

Listening to The Police’s “Synchronicity” always, weirdly, makes me think of sweltering Gulf coast summers, circa 2002-2004… state budget cuts, resulting drama, Columbia disintegrating amidst blue Texas skies, Bush’s “pre-emptive” moral crimes, Mexican dirt weed, infuriating engineers, pointless love, stuffed mushrooms, lunch at Shootey’s, giant ...

Jun 16th

Keks

Keks to wyśmienite ciasto, które może gościć na naszych stołach nie tylko w święta, ale przez cały rok. Jego niepodważalną zaletą jest wszakże trwałość i niezapomniany smak, jaki nadają mu bakalie użyte do pieczenia, będące jednocześnie jego cechą rozpoznawczą. Składniki: 1 1/2 szkl. maki 1 szkl. cukru 5 jajek 1 kostka margaryny 1/2 łyżeczki sody oczyszczonej 1 łyżka wody orzechy,...

Nov 22nd

1 tag

Nutella Bottom Pecan Pie

6 tbsp butter 3/4 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup light karo syrup, (light refering to the color not health) 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 1/2 tsp coconut extract 3 eggs, beaten (only use 2 if using extra large eggs) 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes 1 cup pecans 1 frozen 9” deep dish pie crust, unbaked 1/2 cup nutella Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place rack in upper third of oven....

Nov 4th

Cinnamon Apple Pecan Crumb Bars

For the apples: 3 medium fuji apples, peeled, cored and cut into a 1/2” dice 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1/4 cup flour 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp kosher salt For the crumb: 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, soften 2 cups flour 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1 egg For the icing: 2 oz cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted 2 tbsp milk...

Nov 3rd

Apple and Cinnamon Cake

NOTE: Very nice and moist. Hallf recipe worked well. Used nocino. (Recipe for 8 servings) 5 larges apples, peeled and cored Juice of half a lemon 2 cups (250g) of flour 1 tsp of ground cinnamon 1 tsp of baking soda 3 large eggs 1 cup (200g) of sugar ¾ cup (175ml) of olive oil 5 tbsp of Rum* 1 tsp of vanilla extract Pinch of salt Topping 2 tbsp of sugar 1 tsp of cinnamon * Can be...

Oct 29th

Nanaimo Bars

- makes about 36 bite-size bars - Adapted from a recipe found on the City of Nanaimo website Ingredients for bottom layer 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1/4 cup sugar 5 tablespoons cocoa 1 egg, beaten 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds (optional) 1 cup shredded coconut (sorry, coconut haters: this is not optional) Ingredients for middle layer 1/2 cup unsalted...

Oct 27th

Pumpkin Walnut Cranberry Quickbread

- makes 10 - Adapted from by The Sweeter Side of Amy’s Bread by Amy Scherber and Toy Kim Dupree. Ingredients 1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) unsalted butter, melted 5 large eggs, lightly beaten 2 2/3 cups pumpkin puree 2 1/2 cups sugar Zest of 1 small orange 7/8 cup water 4 1/8 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 1/4 teaspoons nutmeg ...

Oct 27th

1 note

Coconut Pecan Cookies

NOTE: Spread out waaaay too much. Very thin, even after chilling. 2 cups + 5 tbsp flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp sea salt 1 cup vegetable margarine 1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar 1/2 cup raw sugar 1 vanilla bean, scraped Egg Replacer for 2 eggs 3/4 cup chopped pecans 1 cup shredded coconut Preheat oven to 400ºF; lightly grease baking sheets. Sift flour, baking soda and salt together;...

Oct 11th

1 note

Ginger Pear Upside-Down Cake

Adapted from Leslie Mackie’s Macrina Bakery & Café Cookbook For the topping: 3 Tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature ½ cup light brown sugar 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon 4-5 medium to large ripe pears, peeled, cored, and quartered lengthwise For the batter: 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature ¾ cup light brown sugar 2 Tbs peeled, grated ginger 3 large eggs 2/3 cup molasses...

Sep 27th

Double Dark Chocolate Cherry Cookies

Slightly adapted from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book My adaptations were super small but just wanted to mention them. I used light brown sugar instead of dark, and I chopped the cherries and didn’t use sour cherries. Oh I also put the dough into logs prior to refrigerating them. 1 cup all purpose flour (142 g) 3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt...

Sep 26th

1 note

Provolone popovers

1 cup whole milk 2 large eggs 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 1/3 cup finely chopped provolone 2 tablespoons grated parmesan 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped chives Equipment: a 24-cup mini-muffin pan print a shopping list for this recipe Preparation Whisk together milk, eggs, flour, 1 tablespoon...

Sep 11th

1 note

Apple Upside Down Cake Recipe

Ingredients 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 1 1/4 cups white, granulate sugar divided (1/2 cup and 3/4 cup) 1 1/2 pounds Braeburn, Jonagold, or Golden Delicious apples (about 4 medium), peeled, quartered, cored, each quarter cut into 2 wedges 3/4 cup flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/3 cup cornmeal 1/2 cup boiling water 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2...

Aug 27th

1 tag

Pecan Pie Recipe

NOTE: Very nice. Added 3 tablespoons bourbon Ingredients 2 eggs, slightly beaten 1 cup light corn syrup 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 Tbsp molasses 2 Tbsp melted butter 2 Tbsp flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/4 cups pecans, coarsely chopped 1 9-inch pie shell, chilled for an hour if freshly made, defrosted for 10 minutes if frozen. (See pie crust recipes.) Method 1...

Aug 27th

Chai Cake w/ Honey Ginger Cream

NOTE: Very nice. Half recipe made 2 8-inch cakes. Added a bit extra cardamon to the cake and the icing. (from Sky High Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne) Makes an 8-inch 3-layer cake 1 1/3 cups milk 6 chai tea bags, without added sweetener, such as Tazo (I used Stash) 4 whole eggs 2 egg yolks 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 3/4 cups cake flour* 2 cups...

Jul 23rd

1 note

Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake

To shred the zucchini use a box grater - most micro planes are too fine, you want shredded zucchini, not mush. Feel free to play around with the “add-in” ingredients - for example, use whatever chopped herbs you like. I had dill on hand, and I like how it tastes with summer squash, so dill it was. I suspect anything from chopped olives, sun-dried tomatoes, or chives, to spices, chopped...

Jun 29th

Mediterranean Pepper Salad

Insprired by one you can buy at Zabar’s, but now no longer need to I put my own spin on this, of course. I omitted the green peppers because, well, they’re not my favorite and I quick-pickled the red onion to sweeten and soften its blow. But really, my favorite part of salads like this is is that they can be kept in the fridge already dressed, and only grow more deliciously marinated in a day or...

Jun 26th

Poppyseed raspberry cake

For the cake: 1 cup poppy seeds 1 ¼ cups milk 2 tsp pure vanilla extract 3 cups all purpose flour ½ cup cornstarch 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 ¼ cups sugar 5 large eggs, separated, at room temperature For the soaking syrup: ½ cup water ¼ cup sugar 2 tbsp raspberry liqueur For the filling: 2 cups cold whipping cream 2 tbsp fine...

Jun 25th

1 note

Szarlotka z migdałami

Składniki: • 4 jabłka golden delicjusz • 1,5 szklanki mąki pszennej • 5 łyżeczek mąki ziemniaczanej • 8 dag masła • 1,75 szklanki brązowego cukru • 2 jajka • 2 łyżki mleka • 2,25 łyżeczki proszku do pieczenia ...

May 28th

Pecan Brown-Butter Bread

NOTE: Not bad, flavourful but needed a brown sugar glaze to bring out the sweetness. Makes 1 9-inch loaf 1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, divided 2 cups shelled pecans, divided 2 cups flour plus 1 1/2 teaspoons, divided 1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar, divided 2 large eggs 1/2 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract 1 teaspoon baking powder 1...

May 27th

Recipe: Greek Feta & Herb Popovers

Yield: 10 Ingredients 3 teaspoons - Oil cup ¾ - Milk 1 Egg 1 Egg White cup ¾ - Flour 2 teaspoons - Chives 2 teaspoons - Parsley 4 ounces - Feta Cheese ( cut into 24 cubes) Mango Sauce: 2 Tbs. - Mango Chutney cup ¾ - Vanilla Yogurt Preparation Step 1 Spray 24 mini muffin cups with cooking spray, place the muffin pan on a cookie sheet. Add 1/8 of a Tsp. Oil to the bottom of each cup. In a small...

May 21st

Bacon Brownies

(yields 24 brownies; recipe from Baked by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito) 1 1/4 cups plain flour 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder 311g dark chocolate (60 - 72% cacao), coarsely chopped [I used Lindt 70%] 226g unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder 1 1/2 cups caster sugar 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 5...

May 20th

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking powder 1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 stick (56 grams) unsalted butter, softened 2/3 cup (146 grams) plus 1 1/2 tablespoons (22 grams) sugar, divided 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional) 1 large (57 grams) egg 1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk 1 cup...

May 20th

Apr 13th

Chicken Empanada with Chorizo and Olives

Adapted from Gourmet, January 2005 Makes 18 empanadas Dough:* 4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (Deb note: I used 1/2 cup whole wheat flour) 3 teaspoons salt 2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 2 large eggs 2/3 cup ice water 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar Filling: 3 whole chicken legs, including thighs (2 to 2 1/4 lb total) 1...

Mar 25th

Roasted Vegetable Magic

Spring vegetables are so tasty seasoned with a Dijon mustard sauce- especially tender new potatoes and onions. Throw in some sausage and you have a one pan dinner. For the Dijon roasting sauce: 4 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup Dijon mustard 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill, marjoram, parsley or mint Cut up: 2 cups sliced young potatoes- try a mix of blue, red and gold 1...

Jan 31st

Checkerboard cookies

Ingredients: 5 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 lb (2 cups or 4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 cups granulated sugar 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract 2 large eggs, at room temperature ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder Preparation: Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the...

Jan 14th

Dec 31st

Caramelized Tofu with Brussels Sprouts

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks Ingredients 8 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into thin 1-inch segments 3 tablespoons olive or peanut oil 2 medium cloves garlic, minced 1/3 cup pecans, toasted and chopped 3 tablespoons fine-grain natural cane sugar or brown sugar 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped 1/2 pound Brussels sprouts, washed, ends trimmed off, and cut into 1/8-inch wide ribbons Salt to...

Dec 31st

2 tags

Dec 31st

Dec 29th

1 tag

Almond Crescent Cookies Recipe

Ingredients 1 cup of butter, room temperature 2/3 cup of sugar 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 1 teaspoon of almond extract 2 1/2 cups of flour 1 cup of almond flour (can substitute ground almonds*) 1/4 cup of powdered sugar for sprinkling *You can use slivered, blanched almonds and grind them up, but you will have a very crumbly, hard to work with dough. It’ll still taste good...

Dec 23rd

Pork Roast with Winter Fruits and Port Sauce... →

Dec 23rd

Hot Fudge Sauce

Hot Fudge Sauce Makes 2 cups 7 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into 2-inch pieces 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup light corn syrup 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 3/4 tablespoon instant coffee granules 3 tablespoons Cognac or brandy

Dec 11th

Dec 8th

Dec 7th

Broiled Apples with Maple Calvados Sauce

4 Fuji or Royal Gala apples, peeled, cored, and each cut into 16 wedges 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 4 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/3 cup pure maple syrup 2 tablespoons Calvados Preparation Preheat broiler. Toss apples with lemon juice and 2 tablespoons sugar. Melt butter in a shallow baking pan 6 inches from heat. Remove from oven and tilt pan back and forth to coat...

Dec 6th

Orange Sauce for Gingerbread

Makes about 1 3/4 cups. Published November 1, 1995. Ingredients 1 1/3 cups fresh orange juice (from 4 oranges), plus 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest from 1 orange 1/2 cup granulated sugar 4 teaspoons cornstarch 1/8 teaspoon table salt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter ...

Dec 6th

Wholesome banana squares

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Nov 20th

Aug 13th

Aug 3rd

Crispy salted oatmeal white chocolate cookies

Cripsy Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated The original recipe didn’t have white chocolate in it, but it really works wonderfully in here. Even if you’re a dark chocolate fan. Watch out, use the good stuff and this may even convert you. 1 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon table salt 14 tablespoons...

Aug 2nd

1 tag

Mango Curd

Mango Curd Adapted from Bon Appetit, June 1998 Makes 1 to 1.5 cups 1 15-ounce ripe mango, peeled, pitted, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1/2 cup sugar (might reduce this to 1/3 cup next time, to keep the curd more tart) 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice Pinch of salt 4 large egg yolks 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces Puree first 4 ingredients in processor, scraping...

Aug 2nd

Ham and cheese scones

2 cups all purpose flour 1 tbsp baking powder 2 tsp sugar 50g chilled butter 3/4 cup shredded white cheddar cheese 3/4 cup finely chopped ham (i used about 80g of ham ends) 3/4 cup milk 2 eggs Preheat oven to 400 degree. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar in a large bowl. cut butter into smaller pieces and rub in flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse meal. Seperate egg yolks...

Aug 2nd