Sasha's Kitchen: Chopped Apple Salad & Meeting Bobby Flay

I had the privilege of receiving free tickets to attend the New York Food & Wine Festival again this year, courtesy of ShopRite, as a Potluck featured blogger.  I had the opportunity to taste lots of fabulous foods, and try out many of ShopRite's new products that their tasting pavilion.  In addition, I had the opportunity to have a photo taken with and of course meet one of my favorite chefs from the Food Network - Bobby Flay.  As a huge fan of cooking his recipes over the years, and watching him on Iron Chef America, I got him to sign a copy of his Bar American cookbook, and since then I've been cooking tons of recipes from it that we have really enjoyed. Here's the first recipe of several that we enjoyed trying out from his new cookbook.  It's a crisp, chopped apple salad with blue cheese that is healthy and perfect for fall!

Chopped Apple Salad (recipe adapted from Bobby Flay)
4 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch dice (I used granny smith apples)
5 oz baby spinach (the original recipe only calls for 2 oz but I like more)
2 large heads of belgian endive, thinly sliced crosswise
1 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts (I used pecans)
1/2 lbs crumbled blue cheese (about two cups)

Pomegranate Vinaigrette
3 T pomegranate molasses
2 T red wine vinegar
1 heaping T dijon mustard
1 T honey
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil or canola oil

Combine the ingredients for the salad and toss in the vinaigrette. Happy fall!

Sasha's Kitchen: Chopped Apple Salad & Meeting Bobby Flay

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Biscotti

I've been craving some good biscotti for awhile now so I figured I'd make my own chocolate biscotti with almonds.  I've always been a big fan of Dave Lebovitz, an American chef cooking from my beloved city of Paris, who focuses on the sweet life in Paris - desserts and pastries.  I came across this recipe for chocolate biscotti on Dave's blog, and it's truly great - decadently chocolate, crisp biscotti, perfect for dunking in a nice cup of hot tea (sorry i don't drink coffee, but you get the idea).  It's also not that difficult to make, either and made a nice large batch that you can enjoy for a couple of weeks as long as you store them in an airtight container.  This recipe is a great way to start the day with a cup of tea, or coffee if you prefer, and reminds me the chocolate croissants starting off a morning in Paris.

Dave Lebovitz's chocolate biscotti
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups good quality cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup almonds toasted and coarsely chopped
3/4 cup chocolate chips
For the galze
1 large egg
2 T of coarse sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, beat togther the eggs, sugar, vanilla and almond extract. I did this using a stand mixer.  Then I mixed in the dry ingredients, nuts and chocolate chips until the dough holds together in the mixer.  It doesn't quite come together in the mixer on its own - you're going to need to pull it together with your hands - very chocolatey!

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and divide the dough in half.  Roll the dough into two long logs, nearly the length of the baking sheet. Flatten the tops of the logs and glaze with the remaining egg. Sprinkle the remaining sugar on top and bake at 350 for 25 minutes, until the dough is firm to the touch.

Remove the dough from the oven and cool for 15 minutes. Use a serrated knife to diagonally cut the cookies into 1/2 inch slices.  Lay the cookies cut side down on the baking sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how crisp you like you biscotti. For my oven, which is brand new, I found 20 minutes to be perfect.

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Biscotti

Sasha's Kitchen: Chicken Pot Pie

I made chicken pot pie, my first savory pie (I'm a pro at sweet pies, but never did a savory one until now) for the meal before the Yom Kippur fast last weekend. A little but un-traditional, but when served with apples and honey and a nice challah, it made for the perfect meal, with plenty of leftovers too.  The filling is easy, and you simply prepare a savory pie crust, which is very similar to a sweet crust.  I used butter in the crust - not so healthy, but in my view makes for a much better crust than margarine or all-crisco.  So, take it as you will - this is a special meal, rather than a regular, everyday healthy meal.  It was enjoyed by all and was the perfect meal with plenty of leftovers.  My top crust fell apart a but when I was putting on the pie, so the pictures aren't dazzling, but trust me it tasted really, really good.

Chicken Pot Pie filling (from this recipe from chef Emeril Lagasse)
6 T butter (I used canola oil instead)
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
6 T flour
2 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 cup half and half
2 cups diced potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup sweet peas
2 cups shredded chicken (from boiled chicken breasts)
2 T finely chopped parsley

Savory Pie Crust (from Bon Appetit Magazine, 2011)
3 cups flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 sticks butter, chopped (cold) (you could use margarine if you prefer but the result won't be as good)
1/2 cup crisco
1/2 cup ice water (approximate)

To make the crust, mix the chopped butter with the flour/salt/baking powder by hand, and add in the crisco.  Follow the instructions from my apple pie, as they are similar - but this makes a harder, savory crust.  Then slowly add the ice water until it just forms a dough.  You may need a little less than the half cup that the recipe calls for.  Form into two balls of dough and refrigerate for 15 minutes.  Roll out one for the bottom of the pie and one for the top, following the instructions for the apple pie bottom.  Make the top in a flat sheet to cover the chicken pot pie filling as you don't use a lattice for savory pies.

To make the filling, in a large saute pan add the onions and celery to the canola oil (or melted butter) and saute for two minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir the flour and cook three to four minutes for a blond roux.  Add the chicken stock and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for four to six minutes, until the sauce thickens to a gravy like consistency.  Add the half and half and continue to cook for four minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir in the potatoes, carrots, peas and chicken.  You can prepare a 9 inch circular pie like I did, or a rectangle pie in a nine by eleven inch baking dish.  Pour the filling on to of the bottom crust.  Roll out toe top crust and cover.  Tuck the degrees to form a tick edge and crimp the edges of the pie.  Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees until golden brown and crispy.

Sasha's Kitchen: Chicken Pot Pie

Sasha's Kitchen: Banana Peanut Butter "The Elvis" Cupcakes

So apparently, little known to me, Elvis ate a lot of bananas with peanut butter.  For this reason, banana cupcakes with peanut butter buttercream are fondly known as "the Elvis" and sometimes even the "Fat Elvis."  At any rate, for our dinner party about a week ago, I served two desserts - tiramisu and these cupcakes.  I used the recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Rule the World for cupcake itself, even though I opted for a non-vegan (yay, butter) frosting this time.  The cupcakes were a big hit.  I decorated them like little sundaes with sprinkles and a cherry on top.  I was originally going to go full-out banana split with some chocolate ganache but honestly that seemed like too much.

Banana Cupcakes (adapted Vegan Cupcakes Rule the World)
1/2 cup pineapple preserves
1/2 cup very ripe banana, mashed
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup rice milk (I used soy milk)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate

My Peanut Butter Buttercream
1 stick of butter
4 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Preheat the oven to 350 and line your muffin tins with paper cupcake liners. Mash the bananas. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl (the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar).  In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the oil, rice milk, vanilla and mashed banana. Create a well and mix the two sets of ingredients to just combine (don't overmix). Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full.  Top with a teaspoon of the pineapple preserves and the chopped chocolate, Bake for about 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely.  Beat the frosting ingredients in your stand mixer until cream and frost using a frosting bag fitted with a fluted wide tip.  Top with chopped nuts, sprinkles and/or a cherry on top. Happy banana peanut butter split! How cute are these?

Sasha's Kitchen: Banana Peanut Butter "The Elvis" Cupcakes

Sasha's Kitchen: Restaurant review - Chuko

Noodles bars are all the craze here in New York (and probably elsewhere) right now.  The most famous is Momofuku Noodle Bar, which draws crowds for its noodles as well as its famous fried chicken here in Manhattan.  Recently the sou chef from Morimoto opened a new noodle bar right here in Brooklyn - on Vanderbilt in Prospect Heights, called Chuko.  Opened by Jamison Blankenship and David Coon, Chuko's ramen wasn't the only delight.  We had a great meal with several delicious appetizers, including some salt and pepper fried chicken.  The ramen is great as the restaurant offers a variety of broths to mix with the noodles (we tried both soy and miso broths with chicken).  Needless to say we were impressed. Last but not least, dessert of a chocolate macaron sandwich was a creative and tasty twist.  Below were the highlight of our meal.

menu at chuko

appetizer of salt and pepper fried chicken

appetizer of eggplant bun

chicken rame with miso broth

chicken ramen with soy broth

chocolate macaron ice cream sandwich

Sasha's Kitchen: Restaurant review - Chuko

Sasha's Kitchen: Squash Fig Crostini

I was looking for a new fall recipe for a dinner party that I was throwing and came across a delicious sounding recipe for ricotta/squash crostinis with sage in Bon Appetit magazine.  I decided to modify up the original recipe with some perfect mission figs that I had just ordered with my FreshDirect delivery, Turns out that figs and butternut squash are just the perfect food combination for fall.  I made the crostinis for my dinner party a small plate, served on a large platter for when everyone had just arrived.  They were a huge success and I'd be happy to serve them again at my next fall dinner party.

Sasha's Fig & Squash Crostini
1 15 oz container of ricotta cheese
1 loaf of french or italian bread, sliced and toasted
sage leaves
2 T of butter
1 container of mission figs (cop up about half a cup)
butternut squash (enough for two cups)
3 1/2 T of olive oil
fresh lemon juice and olive oil for vinaigrette

First, chop up about two cups of the butternut squash.  Chopping butternut squash is such a pain and takes some work.  I wish I had bought it pre-peeled and chopped, but I didn't. Here you need to peel the squash and cut it up into a nice dice so it is east in the end to spoon over the bread.  Mix the squash with 2 T of oil and a pinch of sugar.  Preheat the oven to 425 and broil the squash for 25 to 30 minutes on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing occasionally.  Allow to cool completely.  You can store the squash in the fridge.  Heat the other 1 1/2 t of oil in a small pan and add about 24 sage leaves.  Cook until the edges begin to curl and turn dark green.

Spread the toasted bread slices with the ricotta and cover with the squash, adding some figs.  You will need about a half cup of figs, chopped and two cups of squash.  Add the sage leaf and season with some pepper.  Toss a vinaigrette with lemon and olive oil and sprinkle on a light vinaigrette just before serving.   The original recipe calls for some lemon zest in with the ricotta but I left that out since my husband, Brad isn't a big fan of lemon.

Sasha's Kitchen: Squash Fig Crostini

Sasha's Kitchen: Carrot Cardamom Soup

It's October and fall has arrived. I'll be the first to admit that I miss summer - the carefree summer days, swimming, tank tops, and all of that luscious summer fruit.  But fall isn't so bad.  There's something about a crisp fall day and the changing of the seasons that always makes me glad to live on the east coast.  I love getting out of Brooklyn/NCY for a taste of fall foliage as well - the colors are so gorgeous in just a couple short weeks.  Fall means pumpkins, apples, carrots, and  squash in the kitchen.  And, I've started cooking with them all.  I came across a great carrot cardamom soup with marshmallow (yes, a marshmallow garnish!) when reading Daily Candy, and figured I'd give it a try its from Saxon & Parole, a restaurant that I'd love to try out (newly opened).  At any rate, I didn't make my own marshmallows but otherwise stuck to the recipe and found it to be a new warm and lovely fall favorite.  Has the loveliest flavors with pumpkin oil, carrot, cardamom and coconut. Yum!

Carrot Cardamom Soup (original recipe here)
1 1/4 tsp honey
1 can of coconut milk
3 1/2 cups of hot water
juice of half a lemon
1/2 fist size white onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 large thumb of ginger, diced
2 green cardamom pods
2 oz unsalted butter or olive oil
1 2/3 lb carrots
salt and pepper to taste
garnish with: toasted marshmallow, toasted pumpkin seeds (I left out) and pumpkin seed oil

Combine the liquids (water, coconut milk, lemon juice and honey) and set aside. Combine the cardamom, onion, garlic, and butter in a pot over medium low heat and cook until the onion is translucent. Add the carrots and turn heat to high and cook another three minutes or so.  Add the liquids and bring to a full boil. Then reduce to a simmer and simmer for about thirty minutes, until the carrots are soft. Remove the cardamom pods.  Puree in the blender until smooth.  Garnish each bowl with a toasted marshmallow (I toasted using a creme brulee torch) and some pumpkin seed oil.  If you like, you can add toasted pumpkin seeds and/or chile flakes. (I used a bit of ancho chile powder instead)

Sasha's Kitchen: Carrot Cardamom Soup

Sasha's Kitchen: Baked Ziti with Turkey Meatballs

I love baked ziti. Not the healthiest thing out there, but all that sauce, pasta and cheese - what's not to love? It takes a bit of time to put everything together, but its a great comfort meal that usually produces galores of leftovers.  I had recently received some great organic pastas to try from ShopRite for free as a ShopRite Potluck blogger, so I decided to use the one pound bag of delicious penne to make this baked ziti. The result was delicious and the pasta was just perfect for this recipe.  The turkey meatballs are a wonderful addition that lend flavor to this dish. 

Baked Ziti with Turkey Meatballs (adapted from this recipe from Epicurious)

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted, cooled, and chopped
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves (preferably flat-leafed)
• 1 large egg, beaten lightly
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb ziti or penne
• 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese (about six oz)

1 cup grated romano cheese
about six cups of tomato sauce (store bought, or make your own, like I did)
15 oz ricotta cheese



In a bowl, combine the pecorino/romano and mozzarella and set aside.  In a pot of salted water, make the pasta, al dente.  To make the meatballs, mix the ground turkey with the garlic, bread crumbs, onion, pine nuts, parsley and egg until combined with your hands and form 1 inch meatballs.  Instead of cooking them in oil, I baked them for about 40 minutes at 350 until cooked through.

Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a 3-4 quart gratin or lasagna dish.  Then, spoon about 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce and half of meatballs into prepared dish and spoon half of pasta on top. Spread half remaining sauce and half cheese mixture over pasta. Top with remaining meatballs and drop dollops of ricotta over meatballs. Spread remaining pasta over ricotta and top with remaining sauce and remaining cheese mixture. Bake the ziti for about 30 minutes until golden and serve hot. 

Sasha's Kitchen: Baked Ziti with Turkey Meatballs

Sasha's Kitchen: Rosh Hashanah Honey Cake

I just *had* to make honey cake for the Jewish New Year. L'Shana Tova, or Happy New Year to all of my Jewish readers. I made this sweet honey cake (actually two of them) to bring the traditional taste of sweetness to the new year along with apples & honey.  This cake is just amazing - warm, soft and moist. It's one of the best cakes that I have made, and its sweet with honey for a L'Shana Tova (Hebrew for a sweet new year.  I got the recipe from one of my favorite other blogs, Smitten Kitchen, and adapted it a bit in my own kitchen for the perfect honey cake.  This makes gorgeous, moist and marvelous honey cakes, and I was quite pleased with our Rosh Hashanah treat.The original recipe that I adapted comes from Marcy Goldman's Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking.  The recipe is pareve (non dairy) so it is the perfect finish for that holiday meal.

Honey Cake (makes two 9 inch cakes)
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1 cup canola oil
1 cup honey
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup warm coffee
1/2 cup apple cider
1/4 cup rum

Prepare two nine inch cake pans using Pam.  Preheat the oven to 350.  In a large bowl, combine the flour baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and allspice and mix well.  Mix in the sugars next.  Make a well in the center and add the oil, honey, eggs, vanilla coffee, juice and rum.  Measure the oil just before the honey, which will help the honey slide out of your measuring cup.  Using an electric mixer, beat the batter until well blended and making sure that the ingredients are combined evenly.  Divide evenly into the two prepared cake pans and bake for 60-65 minutes. Bake on two stacked baking sheets to ensure the cakes bake properly and evenly.  Allow to stand for 15 minutes before removing the cake from the pans.  L'Shana Tova - Have a sweet New Year!

Sasha's Kitchen: Rosh Hashanah Honey Cake

Sasha's Kitchen: Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes

So sorry I haven't posted in almost a week. Things have just been crazy around here and quite hectic, and it seems it will still be a bit before they settle down.  I didn't get a chance to cook or bake too mcuh in the last week, but still have some good recipes yet to share.  Recently, I bought the book Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World upon recommendation from a friend.  I'm not vegan, not even vegetarian, but after trying a couple of these fabulous (and healthier) recipes, well I'm sold.  My first foray into vegan baking was the complex flavors of mexican chocolate, with a delicious chocolate mousse frosting - and yes, it's really vegan, too! What I love about this book is the complexity and artistry in each of the vegan cupcake recipes. Next up, I plan to try making the banana split cupcakes and the apple cider cupcakes!

Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes (from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)
1 cup coconut milk
1 T ground flaxseeds
3/4 cup flour
2 T cornmeal
1/4 cup almond meal
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract

Preheat the oven to 350 and line your silicon muffin tin.  Whisk together the coconut milk and flaxseeds and allow to sit for 10 minutes.  Combine all the dry ingredients in one bowl (almond meal, cocoa, flour, salt, cinnamon, cayenne baking powder and baking soda).  whisk the sugar, oil and extracts into the coconut milk.  Gently add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well.  Fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way to the top and bake for about 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.


Vegan Chocolate Mousse Frosting (from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)
1 12.3 oz package extra firm tofu, drained
1/4 cup soy milk
2 T maple syrup or agave
1 tsp vanilla
12 oz vegan chocolate chips

Crumble the tofu in a blender and add the agave/maple syrup and the soy milk.  Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, and then let cool for five minutes.  Blend in the chocolate with the tofu mixture.  Transfer to an airtight container and chill for 1 hour before piping on the cupcakes with a pastry bag. So good you won't even realize its vegan!!!

Sasha's Kitchen: Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Panna Cotta

I've made panna cotta many times, but for some reason I've never made chocolate panna cotta. Well why not? It's so easy, so rewarding and decadently chocolate.  This is very simple recipe for whenever you are craving a chocolate dessert but don't have time for cupcakes or cake.  It's all about the gelatin and basically is foolproof to set properly.  I made some raspberry sauce a couple weeks ago that I canned (it was supposed to be raspberry jam, so it didn't turn out quite right.  However, raspberry sauce is great with chocolate and I was able to put some to good use to top the panna cotta.

Sasha's Chocolate Panna Cotta (makes 6) based on this recipe from Epicurious
1 cup skim milk
3 tsp unflavored gelatin
2 cups heavy whipping cream
5 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
1 tsp vanilla extract

Spray six glass custard cups or individual sized souffle ramekins with Pam or canola oil. Pour milk into a bowl and sprinkle gelatin over it.  Allow to stand for 10 minutes.

Stir cream and sugar in saucepan over medium high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and take off heat.  Add the chocolate and whisk until melted and evenly combined.  Combine the chocolate mixture with the gelatin/milk mixture and stir in the vanilla. Make sure the mixture is evenly combined by blending in a blender, but do not overmix.  Divide in the six cups and chill 24 hours.  To plate, cut around the outside and flip over. It's panna cotta!!!

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Panna Cotta

Sasha's Kitchen: Pecan Chicken with Spiced Apple Chutney

I've now made this chicken dish several times, and it is always a hit.  It serves nicely with chutney, one of my all time favorite types of sauces.  As a kid, I first learned to make chutney from a book from a long-gone restaurant in Ithaca, NY, called Chutney, Relishes and Tablesauces, By Jay Solomon - a great book on the subject.  The key to a good chutney is always the same - getting it to jam to just the right consistency by using a combination of brown sugar and vinegar, while lovingly simmering the mixture.  They have a combined acidic and sweet taste, and are also perfect for preserving for that reason.  The first time I made this dish, I served it with mango chutney.   This time, I tried out a great new recipe for spiced apple chutney from my new Preserving cookbook, by Sheri Brooks Vinton, Put Em' Up.   The spiced apple chutney was delicious and  perfect for the start of fall apple season here in New York.

Sasha's Pecan Crusted Chicken
three or four skinless and boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup ground pecans
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp ancho chile powder
1 tsp pasilla chile powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp salt
2 eggs
canola oil for breading

To prepare the chicken, pulverize the pecans in a food processor, or chop them finely in a nut chopper if you prefer more texture.  I've done it both ways.  Combine with the bread crumbs and spices.  Coat the chicken with the two eggs (scrambled) and then dip in the breadcrumb/pecan/spice mixture.  Cook in canola oil until browned, and then finish in the oven to cook through.


Spiced Apple Chutney (from Vinton's recipe)
2 cups apple cider vinegar
4 apples, cored and peeled (use local New York apples for the best result, in my opinion!)
2 cups brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup finely diced onion
1 cup raisons
1 T freshly grated ginger
2 cloves garlic
1 T mustard seed
2 T mild curry powder
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp salt

Pour the vinegar into a large saucepan and dice the apples, adding them to the pot as you go to prevent browning. Add the brown sugar, onions, raisons, ginger and garlic and bring the mixture to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for thirty minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the mustard seed, curry, allspice and salt, and simmer for an additional fifteen minutes.

Photo of the same pecan chicken recipe from when i made it with mango chutney over the summer

Sasha's Kitchen: Pecan Chicken with Spiced Apple Chutney

Sasha's Kitchen: Black & White Cookies

Growing up, traditional black and white cookies - half chocolate glazed and half vanilla glazed - were one of my favorite kinds of cookies (second to tri-colored rainbow cookies, of course).  They're actually relatively straightforward to make at home, as well, and quite a rewarding treat.  I have to admit I am partial to the chocolate glazed side of the cookie, so much so that next time I make them, I might just have to make the cookie itself chocolate.  I'm a big fan of the bakery Baked, right here in Brooklyn for their reasonably priced but delicious baked goods from cakes to cookies to cupcakes, so I was thrilled to find a recipe for black & white cookies in the Baked Explorations cookbook last weekend.  A batch of cookies mades between 14-18 nice large black and white cookies which are a rewarding treat to eat at home and to share with friends and coworkers.  I got a lot of compliments on these!

Black & White Cookies (recipe from Baked Explorations)
Cookies
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 sticks of unsalted butter, cool
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 T pure vanilla extract
1 T freshly grated lemon zest

Frosting
3 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
4 to 5 T whole milk
3 T heavy cream
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup plus 2T dark unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat the oven to 350. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.  In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients for the cookies (flower, baking powder, baking soda and salt).  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, about two minutes. Add the eggs and the yolk, one at a time and mix.  Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk (ending with the last flour addition). Add the vanilla and scrape down the bowl; add the lemon zest and mix.

Using a 1/4 cup scoop, drop the dough on the prepared baking sheets (beware, it will expand). You should fit about six cookies on a baking sheet. Be sure to space them apart to give them some room to spread and "grow."

Bake for 17 minutes, baking each sheet one at a time. Edges should be lightly browned. I found that the 17 minute time was pretty much right on the money.  Allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, in a large bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, milk, cream and vanilla. If the mixture is too thick, add milk by the teaspoon. Divide in half and add the chocolate powder to half of the mixture. Add a bit of milk by the teaspoon if you need to thin the chocolate a little bit.  Using a spatula, frost one half vanilla and allow to dry before frosting the other half with the chocolate glaze.  Let the frosted cookies set for one hour before serving.

Sasha's Kitchen: Black & White Cookies

Sasha's Kitchen: Spicy Peach Salsa

Recently I took a preserving class at The Brooklyn Kitchen where we made this delicious peach salsa.  The recipe is in Sheri Brooks Vinton's new book Put 'em Up, which is a great guide for home preserving.  I made the spicy peach salsa from the book over the weekend at home, resulting in two large pint size jars of salsa. Yum! What could be better that a delicious peach salsa? I guess my love for peaches is showing here a bit. At any rate, I managed to do the boiling water method of preserving at home for one of the two jars, so it will be good until I want to use it. The other jar, I didn't seal, so we've been enjoying it all week. This salsa is great on fish or chicken, or just with some tortilla chips as a dip.

Sheri Brooks Vinton's Spicy Peach Salsa
3 pounds peaches, blanched and skin removed
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 T cumin
1 T salt
1 pound tomatoes, cored, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1 red onion, diced
1/4 cup minced cilantro

Prepare and ice bath in a large bowl. Bring a pot of water to boil and blanch two peaches in the hot water at a time (for me, three pounds was six large peaches). Blanch the fruit for thirty seconds in the boiling water before placing in the ice bath.  Remove the skin from the peaches. After blanching, it should just slip off.

Combien the vinegar, sugar, cumin and salt in a large dutch oven or other nonreactive pan.  Put the peaches and dice them, adding them to the pot as you go so they do not brown. Add the tomatoes, bell pepper, jalapeno and onion, as you dice them.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minute until thickened. Add the cilantro and remove the salsa from the heat,  You can then can it using the boiling water preservation method, or you can refrigerate it for a week or two and enjoy it right away.

Sasha's Kitchen: Spicy Peach Salsa