Thursday, December 20, 2012

End of the World Last Supper

If we are embracing the Mayan Calendar, then tomorrow is the #EndoftheWorld as we know it! 
What would your last supper be?

I would have to have my last Nova Lox on a bagel made by Andrew Meltzer. No other bagel has come close to his in my mind.  There should also be some caviar on this bagel just because there are no limits today.  And when we say a Shmear, lay it on thick today please, I'm not worried about my waistline tomorrow!

Now that breakfast course is over I'm having cracked Crab, Dungeness of course, with a perfect avocado sliced in a fan and drizzled with a toasted cumin lime vinaigrette & fresh mint.

I am a Sushi whore and would eat it 6 days a week if the budget allowed!
Uni & Unagi MUST be part of this meal.
And since the world is ending anyway, I would have Hamachi Collar, despite how unsustainable it is.
While I'm eating out of the sea, I'll take some cold smoked black cod riellette with capers, preserved lemon and tarragon on crispy rye toast.

No life would have been worth living without a plate of duck, let's have it 3 ways since it's the last night on earth:
crispy duck confit, thigh for me please, some smoked cured duck breast with a grilled peach and let's have some seared liver & onions with Marsala on that plate too, cause everything is better in 3's!

Let's not stop at duck liver, this is the last meal we will be eating after all!
Foie gras & slow roasted muscat grapes with a glass of sauterne would put a smile on my soul for sure!

Roasted poached pears, Almond frangipagne with a bourbon spiked Caramel sauce and a great PX sherry or aged rum would finish me of and send me into the nether world with a smile on my face!

But wait, there is more... a cheese course of all cheese courses to end this last meal on earth....stinky, ripe glorious cheeses of all kinds with fresh figs and dried cherry mostarda and hazelnut loaf to carry it all into my bursting belly

Most important message here; make the most of TODAY, and everyday for that matter....you never know when it will be your last!
And let' the petty stuff slide right off ya, life is WAY too short to let it contaminate joy!

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Favorite Holiday Cookies



CHOCOLATE CRINKLE COOKIES
Yield 6 dozen 1” cookies

¼ #         Butter
1#           Chocolate (use a good quality block bitter of semisweet)
1 cup      Sugar
4 ea        Eggs
2tsp        Vanilla Extract
3 cups    All Purpose Flour (use 2 ½ cups for a flat spreading cookie)
½ tsp      Salt
1 tsp       Baking Powder


Procedure:
Melt butter and chocolate together and let cool
Mix eggs and sugar until pale yellow and fluffy, add extract and incorporate.
Add chocolate mixture to sugar and egg mixture and mix well
Mix flour with baking powder, salt and if you are adding flavors like cayenne or espresso powder, mix into flour first
Now mix flour into the chocolate egg mixture and chill for an hour to set batter.

With a small cookie scooper scoop dough into balls and roll well in powder sugar. Be sure they are well coated with powder sugar!
Bake on parchment for 5 minutes at 350 degrees
Let stand a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack. 

Flavor combinations:
 Replace vanilla with Orange Extract and add cinnamon to the powder sugar
Replace vanilla with Almond Extract and add cardamom to the powder sugar
Add Cayenne to the base and cinnamon in the powder sugar to make a Mole cookie
Mint Extract for a cool, rich and refreshing variation
Espresso powder in the base for a mocha variation
Any flavor you like with chocolate will work well here, let your creative juices flow!