Ginger Spice Cookies

Contributed by Chef Sharon Beamon

One of my favorite cookies is a ginger snap cookie.  They remind me of grandma’s house and the smell of what she called her molasses tea cake.  What I would do to turn back time and have recorded some of her recipes.  Although writing her recipes would be difficult because many things were baked by adding things until it just looked right verses having everything measured.  
These cookies are definitely not grandmas but they are a tribute to her memory and everything she taught my mom who in return gave me my passion for baking.  These cookies are not crispy cookies like gingersnaps but they are soft and chewy.  Enjoy!


Ginger Spice Cookies Recipe
(Makes 4 dozen)
Ingredients
1½    cups butter (3 sticks)
2     cups sugar
2     eggs
½     cup molasses
4    cups all-purpose flour
4    teaspoons baking soda
1     teaspoon salt
3    teaspoon ground cinnamon
4     teaspoons ground ginger
3    teaspoons cloves
½    teaspoon ground nutmeg






Preparation
Heat oven to 375°.
Cream butter and sugar using an electric mixer on high for approximately 3 minutes with the paddle attachment. 
Add molasses and eggs and mix well.
Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl.  Reduce speed and slowly add all dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until completely mixed.

The batter will be soft.  Chill for at least 30 minutes so that it is easier to scoop.  (If the dough is too cold it will take one to two minutes more to bake.)
Use a small scoop and place each scoop at least 3” apart (cookies will spread) on a parchment lined sheet pan.
Bake 10 to 14 minutes (I bake for 11 minutes so that it is a soft cookie).  After 1 minute cooling on sheet pan place on cooling rack.  If you like a crisper cookie bake longer and leave on sheet pan to cool longer than 1 minute.  The cookie will continue to bake on sheet pan.

Good Food, Good Wine, Good Friends!

Every month I get together with my favorite foodies to eat good food, drink good wine and talk about...well, more food and wine. The menu is meticulously planned, the wine is perfectly paired and the conversation is lively. That about sums it up.  And last Saturday night was no different. Thank you Jeanne and Michael for a wonderful evening! I can't wait to see what April brings.


Good Food

Veggie Hummus

Butternut Squash Soup

Rack of Lamb with Balsamic Sauce on Mashed Potatoes

Cheese Course

Tres Leches Cake

Good Wine

Good Friends

Consuelo and William

Pam

Rohe and Bob

Great Hosts!

Jeanne and Michael

Olive Bread Baked in a Cloche

I bought this "cloche" during a weak moment in my favorite kitchen store.  And like all the gadgets I buy it kept getting pushed farther back on the shelf, until I eventually forgot about it.  While cleaning out my cabinets last week I rediscovered it and concluded it was time to either use it or give it away - to make room for more new gadgets.   
The cloche (also called a cooking bell) is a natural clay baking dish with a dome cover, used to bake bread, that simulates a hearth oven.  It fits perfectly in your home oven and eliminates the need to spritz your bread while baking.  The result is consistently chewy, crusty bread.  
My first attempt at using the cloche was making olive bread. It lived up to its reputation and has elevated its status in my kitchen!

Olive Bread Recipe
Ingredients
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons olive oil, for frying
6 cups white bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
12 ounces lukewarm water, 1-1/2 cups
1-1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
3 tablespoons olive oil, or 5 T. olive oil and no honey
2 tablespoons honey
1 cups kalamata olives, pitted, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons oregano, fresh, chopped
cornmeal, for dusting


Preparation
Fry the onion in the olive oil until soft. Remove from pan and put aside till later.
Sift the flour and salt into the large mixing bowl of an electric mixer.   Stir the  instant yeast into the flour. Make a well and  add the water and the olive oil.
Attach bowl to mixer, and attach dough hook.  Mix on speed 2 for two minutes.  Add onion, olives and herbs, and mix until dough is smooth and forms a ball, approximately 4 minutes longer.  Place in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 10-20 minutes.
Sprinkle the bottom of the cloche with cornmeal and place the ball of dough in the center. Cover with the lid and let rise in a warm, draft free place until doubled in size, approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Slash the top of the loaf with a razor blade or sharp knife.  Place cloche with lid in the preheated oven.  Bake for 40 minutes or until the loaf is golden and sound hollow when tapped.  The cloche should be removed for the last 5-10 minutes of baking.
Cool on a wire rack.   Serve while still warm, if desired.

Shrimp & Scallops Diablo

Lately I can't seem to get my fill of seafood and pasta.  And the spicier I can make it, the better. That's why this diablo (meaning devil) of a dish is so appealing.  Seafood, tomatoes, chili peppers and garlic...what's not to like? Don't be afraid to try it.  The spiciness is easily overcome with a beer, margarita or glass of wine!

Shrimp and Scallops Diablo Recipe

(Makes 4 generous servings)

Ingredients:
1 pound shrimp, peeled and de-veined

1 pound bay scallops

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped
28 ounces can diced tomatoes, with juices
1 cup dry white wine

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 pound penne pasta*
1/4 cup italian parsley
1/4 cup basil, chopped

Preparation:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
Toss the shrimp and scallops in a medium bowl with 1 teaspoon each salt, pepper, and the red pepper flakes.
Heat the oil over a medium-high flame in a large, heavy skillet. Add the shrimp and scallops and saute until just cooked through, about 2 minutes.  Transfer,  using a slotted spoon, to a large plate and set aside.
Add the onion to the same skillet and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes with their juices, wine, garlic, and oregano; and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling salted water and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain.
Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and stir to coat. Add the shrimp and scallops, and the accumulated juices, to the sauce pan and stir to combine.
Remove the pan from the heat and toss in the parsley and basil.
Check seasoning and adjust with more salt and pepper if desired. 

Spoon the mixture into shallow serving bowls and serve.

*Can also be served over rice.

Key Lime Rum Pound Cake

Today I learned that The Flying Foodie has a following at Marine Base Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan.  To all my friends at II MEF C4, especially Major Richardson, this blog post is for you.  Thank you for all you do!  Stay safe and come home soon.  Semper Fi...


Key Lime Rum Pound Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cake:
2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup key lime juice, approx. 6 limes
1/4 cup light rum
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lime zest, approx. 5 limes
Glaze:
1-1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted (more if needed)
2 tablespoons key lime juice
1 tablespoon light rum
 
Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease a 12-cup bundt pan.
Mix together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Mix together sour cream, lime juice, rum and vanilla.
Cream butter and sugar and beat on medium for 2 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time and beat well.  Add flour mixture  alternately with milk mixture.  Add zest.
Pour into prepared cake pan.  Bake for 70 minutess or until a cake tester comes out smooth.  

Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes in pan.  Turn onto a cooling rack and cool completely.  Cover with glaze.