Cookies Galore by Amber Spiegel!!

Since SB and I moved to Chicago, we have made some new friends and reconnected with old ones. One of these old friends that SB reconnected with is his childhood friend Tim, who also is a fantastically talented actor at Second City - an Improv Theater, right here in Chicago. If you ever get a chance you should really check out the shows there. SB and I went to a show and I can honestly say that I don't remember ever laughing as hard as I did at the show. If crying and getting stomach cramps from laughter is your thing, then you must get tickets immediately - now - do it!

Anyhow, it just so happens that his friend, Amber Spiegel, is a pastry chef. I hesitate saying this, because really what I want to call her is a pastry artist. Truly, that is what she is. What she is able to do with cookies and cakes are no less than masterpieces. When I saw her work for the first time I was in awe. Clearly, I am not the only one as she has caught the attention of InStyle magazine as well. You can check her out in the April 2011 issue, page 110 (Tina Fey is on the cover - how interesting, considering Tina Fey got her start at Second City). She has recently moved to upstate New York were she is planning on opening a bakery with her very own heavenly and awe inspiring creations. For the time being she is my fellow blogger and friend (you can check her out here) and you can also order your very own custom made set of cookies on etsy. These are a fantastic treat. Perfect for baby showers, bridal showers, cocktail parties, dinner parties, engagement parties, birthdays, anniversary parties or giveaways at weddings. Trust me this is a treat that your guests will NOT forget! Here is a tiny glimpse of what she does. But make sure you check out her blog for more!

These are all true works of art. She will work with you to create exactly what you need. However, not everyone needs to be a pastry artist to create something deliciously wonderful. Amber has shared with me this fantastic pistachio meringue cookie recipe. They are a heavenly cookies that are sweet and savory. They are super light, which is perfect for summer and your girlish figure :). Without further ado, here is the fabulous Amber!

Happy eating!!

J

Meringue cookies are one of my favorite treats to whip up. The ingredients are simple and you can flavor them with almost anything imaginable. Plus, these bite size confections are light and crispy, making them perfect for the approaching summer season.

Salted pistachios help to create the perfect blend of sweet and savory in these melt-in-your-mouth meringues.

Pistachio Meringue Cookies (4 dozen)

½ c egg whites (3 large eggs)

1 c sugar

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

½ c salted shelled pistachios

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp vegetable oil

Tools:

Mini food processor (4 cup capacity or smaller)

Medium saucepan

Whisk

Kitchen thermometer

Stand mixer with whip attachment

Rubber spatula

Piping bag

Large round piping tip (Wilton 2A or Ateco 804 work well)

Parchment paper

Cookie sheet

Small offset spatula

Preheat your oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place pistachios in the food processor and pulse until they are about ¼ their original size.

Add 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp vegetable oil. Continue to grind until the mixture resembles wet sand. Set aside.

Separate egg whites from yolks by hand. Save the yolks to use them on another day (a perfect excuse to make crème brulee!).

Fill the medium saucepan about ½ way with water. Bring to a simmer. Place egg whites and 1 cup of sugar in your mixing bowl and place the bowl over the simmering water.

Whisk the mixture constantly until it reaches 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Check under the bowl periodically to make sure your water is simmering and not boiling so that you don’t end up with scrambled eggs.

Once the mixture has reached the desired temperature, move the bowl to the stand mixer fitted with a whip attachment. Add 1/8 tsp cream of tartar. Beat the mixture on medium-low speed for about 7-10 minutes. Increase the mixer to full speed for another 2-3 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and gently fold in the pistachios using a rubber spatula. Save about 1 tablespoon of the pistachio mixture to garnish the tops of the meringues.

Fit a piping bag with a round tip and fill the bag with meringue. Pipe 2” round meringues about 1” apart on parchment lined cookie sheets. Sprinkle the meringues with the leftover pistachio mixture.

Place meringues in the oven and bake for 3 hours. Turn the oven off and let meringues sit overnight to dry.

Gently remove meringues from parchment using a small offset spatula.

Enjoy!

Banana bread and the Windy City

Julie's Meltingpot is moving to Chicago! Lots has been going on... lots to fill you guys in on. SB got a promotion within his company and it is taking him to Chicago. YAY to SB!!!! Because I love him and couldn't imagine my life without him, I am going with him :) (everyone say aawww :). Since I have posted my last entry I have rearranged, repainted our apartment, moved a whole bunch of stuff to storage (because I felt inspired to make it cozier and prettier in our apartment) to only move all our stuff back from storage to be reorganized and packed up, paint the apartment back to white and get us ready to ship out to Chicago. Funny how life plays these little jokes on you sometimes.

Well, needless to say that life has been sort of hectic, trying to get organized and get ready for our pending move. While we are sad to leave our friends in NYC behind, we are truly looking forward to a new chapter in our life. We look back to our time and memories in NYC with a great sense of nostalgia and yet look toward our future in Chicago with a heart full of hope. Everything has been incredibly exciting and SB and I couldn't be happier about these wonderful changes that are happening in our lives but moreover to be so lucky to experience these things together. THAT is what makes all of this so special. Nonetheless, because of the type A personality I can be at times, I stress myself out a little more than is quite necessary.

When I get crazed there are only a few things that can calm me down and baking is one of them. For some reason baking has sort of a therapeutic effect on me. It is soothing to my soul. Especially baking something that brings back comforting or childhood memories like, banana bread.


I don't really quite remember the first time I've ever had banana bread. But as long as I can remember banana bread has been a part of my childhood. I've always asked myself as a child why banana bread was called bread when it always tasted and felt more like cake or a treat to me. To this day I still haven't quite figured out the answer. However, what I do know is that it's sweet, it's spongy and such a comforting treat, especially when it's fresh out of the oven. When you cut into loaf the steam that comes out is this heavenly fragrance that has this love affair with your nostrils. It's pure comfort, pure love. I really believe that the beautiful part of it is that it is simple and it is that which reminds people of the kind of simplicity of childhood. It's true for me. I have always believed that some of the most beautiful things in life are the simplest.

The recipe I use is straight out of the Pillsbury cookbook, which is my go to guide for a lot of baked goods I make. I have modified the recipe a little bit (of course!) - I always have to change things around. I have a hard time sticking to recipes exactly. (Hmmm, I wonder what that says about my personality LOL).

Here it goes:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened (I think vegetable oil is ok too - actually keeps the loaf moist longer)
• 2 eggs (I use extra large eggs or 3 large eggs)
• 1/3 cup of milk
• 2 medium mashed ripe bananas (but I always use 3!!!)
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional. I leave them out because SB doesn't really like them)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of 9x5 or 8x4-inch loaf pan. In large bowl, cream sugar and margarine until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs; blend in bananas, milk and vanilla. In small bowl, combine flour, nuts, baking soda and salt; mix well. Add to creamed mixture; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes; remove. Now, the Pillsbury cookbook that says "cool completely on wire rack" but I say: nonsense. While it is still warm, cut yourself a slice, put some butter on it and EAT! I think it tastes even more amazing when it is fresh out of the oven and warm!

Happy eating!!

J

Crust making demystified

After and extended hiatus I have finally returned to the world of blogging - and it feels so good to be back! As much as I love love LOVE blogging I got momentarily swept away by work, family, friends and all the other beautiful intricacies of life. I'm sure you all know what that sometimes feels like.

I however, come back bearing good - wait, let me take that back - GREAT news. During my sabbatical, if you will, I have become and American citizen! YAY! Wooohoooo!!!! It has been such a long, windy and sometimes challenging process that it still hasn't quite sunken in yet. There were definitely times I thought this day would never come. After being here for so long I have always felt like an American deep down inside but for it to be finally official feels pretty darn incredible!

Me outside the courthouse in New Haven, about to be sworn in :)

Now that I have shared some of my good news with you, back to the food. Even though I've been gone for a bit, I don't want you all to think that my blog has become crusty. So I thought it would only be appropriate if I dedicated this entry to crust - pie crust to be specific. And in keeping with the theme, is there anything more Americana than pie??? Now, I know that crust for some can be sort of a mystery. I used to feel that way too, but I discovered it doesn't have to be. I was watching Ina Garten on the Food Network one day and saw that she was using a food processor to make her pie crust. I had never tried that before and thought that it looked easy enough. At that point I had nothing to lose - all my other methods were less than desirable. Well, lo and behold, it was easy breezy! I have since then used this recipe a bunch and it has always come out beautifully. I use it for all kind of things: pies, tarts and chicken potpie to name a few. I use it all the time to make tarts because it is soooo easy and super delish! So here it goes:

For the crust:

• 3 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Pulse a few times to mix the dry ingredients together. Then add

• 12 tablespoons of very cold butter, cubed
• 1/3 cup of shortening

Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour 1/2 cup of ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. I have found that I could keep the dough in the fridge up to 2 weeks. This recipe makes enough dough to cover a 13" by 18" cookie sheet, or 3 open-faced pies / tarts.

After the dough has chilled for at least 30 minutes I roll it out, butter a pie dish and line it with the dough. For the topping, I have used anything from peaches, plums and apples. For my go to tart I use about 3 tablespoons of my mother's blackberry jam to cover the bottom of the crust. I then slice enough plums and peaches to cover the jam in a scalloping manner. I then take about 3 tablespoons of sugar and sprinkle it on top. I have also used this recipe without any jam and it came out just as delish. When I use apples for this, I like to use cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on top.

To finish it, I top the tart with about 6-8 tablespoon of cubed butter before it goes in the oven at 425 degrees for about 45 minutes. Baking times will vary depending on how ripe the fruits are and what kind you are using.

I know it seems like a lot of instructions - but trust me this is easy breezy and your guest will be so impressed. Top it with a little whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and you are golden!

Happy eating!!

J