Parmesan Salsa and Cookie Book Winner

Parmesan salsa.
Kind of sounds like an oxymoron.
Like Asian bistro (yes, I'm looking at you Kon) or Mexican sushi.
But guess what? The word for sauce in Italian is salsa.
So you'd think then that this makes perfect sense. But Parmesan salsa is not really a sauce; it's more of a dip or a scoopable snack.

But frankly, once you taste this, you won't care what it's called or whether it even makes sense.
This is a super easy appetizer to bring to any graduation party, cocktail get-together, book group meeting, Memorial Day cookout, wedding shower...what ever or where ever you're going soon.

This one is all about the ingredients, so make sure you get the best you can. High quality olive oil is a must. So are real Italian cheeses.
It only takes about two seconds to make, but it does need to sit awhile, so plan ahead.

Parmesan Salsa
adapted from Michael Chiarello


1/2 lb. Parmesan, not too dry

1/2 lb. asiago cheese, not too dry

2 tsps. minced fresh garlic

2 tsps. dried or 1 Tbsp. fresh oregano

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste

2 Tbsps. scallions, chopped

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Remove any rind from the cheeses and chop into rough chunks.
Place chunks in a food processor along with garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes. Pulse until mixture is the size of small pea gravel. Stir in the scallion, olive oil and black pepper. Pulse again, two or three times.
Turn salsa into a bowl, cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 4 hours before serving.
Serve with crostini (toasted bread slices) or pita chips.

And the winner of the cookie book and Mignardise apron is...

Julia Rachel Barrett!
Hey Julia, send me your mailing address (by email or FB message) and I will send your stuff out.

MANY thanks to everyone who left comments. There are loads of chocolate chip cookie fans and great ideas out there. I love your comments - please keep them coming!

The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie and Giveaway

I've written before about perfection and the subjectivity of it. For example, if you like gray skies and rainy days, today is perfect for you. 

If you don't, you (and I) are out of luck, today and the rest of the week.

How about chocolate chip cookies?

Which is the perfect one?

For some people, that might be Chips Ahoy.

For others, Mrs. Fields is the ultimate.

When you do much of your own baking, neither of these is going to do it for you (although admit it, we've all succumbed to a warm Mrs. Fields cookie while mall shopping).

Many baker bloggers swear that the New York Times chocolate chip cookie recipe is THE BEST. As you would expect from the NYT, they do the research, get quotes from many reliable sources, look for the science behind it and fact check. After all that, they've come up with what they refer to as "the consummate chocolate chip cookie", based on the original Toll House cookie recipe with input from master chocolatier Jacques Torres.

The tweaks that M. Torres has added make all the difference.

A dough refrigeration time of at least 24 hours before baking.

A sprinkling of sea salt.

High quality bittersweet chocolate disks.

These aren't revolutionary ideas, just smart ones that make sense. 

These are perfect for this cookie. I found them at Whole Foods.

What you get, at least in my mind, is pretty close to a perfect chocolate chip cookie, especially right out of the oven. 

Chewy and soft in the middle, slightly crispy around the edge.

Buttery, with a whisper of caramel brown sugar. The prize is the occasional hit of sea salt. You'll keep eating one after the other, hoping for another bite that strikes that irresistible sweet/salty combination.

These are certainly no harder to make than any other recipe out there. One thing I did find helpful was making the switch from Silpat (a silicone baking mat) to parchment. My cookies often have a spreading problem, and this combined with the refrigeration, seemed to prevent that. Also, when you take the batter out of the fridge, it might be rock hard, as mine was. Just let it soften for about 15 minutes before attempting to scoop it out.

One more note, the recipe calls for two kinds of flour and neither of them is all-purpose. Check your pantry, or hit the supermarket.

What is a bit difficult though, is sitting out the 24 hour waiting time. 

Try to keep in mind, delayed gratification is character building!

While you wait, you could look through your new cookie cookbook that you've won from Mignardise. Alice Medrich is my baking idol and this book rocks.

All you have to do is...

Leave a comment at the end of this post, telling me what you think makes the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Is there a memorable cookie you want to tell me about? I'd love to hear it.

And let me know if you are a Mignardise Facebook fan. If you are, I'll put your name in twice. If you aren't yet, click on the link and "Like" Mignardise. 

I'll also send along a special Mignardise apron so you can bake in style.

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

adapted from Jacques Torres

2 cups minus 2 Tbsps. (8 1/2 oz.) cake flour

1 2/3 cup (8 1/2 oz.) bread flour

1 1/4 tsps. baking soda

1 1/2 tsps. baking powder

1 1/2 tsps. coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (10 oz.) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 Tbsps. (8 oz.) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsps. vanilla extract

1 1/4 lbs. (20 oz.) bittersweet chocolate disks (if you can't find them use a high quality chocolate chip)

sea salt

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.

Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them with out breaking (I did this by hand).

Press plastic wrap against dough in the bowl and refrigerate for 24-36 hours. 

Dough may be used in batches and can be refrigerated up to 72 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop 3 1/2 oz mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are sticking; it will make a prettier cookie (that's Jacques speaking). Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, approximately 18 minutes*.

Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another cooling rack to cool a bit more. 

Just a bit - eat while still warm if possible.

Repeat with any remaining dough, or reserve and refrigerate for another day.

*I set the timer for half way through and turn the pan so they bake more evenly. That's for my oven. You might not have to.

Derby Pie Bars

I don't really care which horse wins the Kentucky Derby. They're all beautiful, graceful and strong.

Photo by Sam English

I like the colors of the silks that the jockeys wear.

And of course the ladies' hats are.. so... interesting.

As with many sporting events (except state championship football), I am mostly interested in the food.

I heard they eat pimento cheese in the south.
(Wait...is Kentucky even considered to be the "south"?)
So when I saw some at Scratch Baking Co. this morning, I grabbed it, along with a baguette. I'm pretty sure they eat pimento cheese on plain white bread in the south, but the baguette seemed like a good idea to me.
An even better idea?
Spread the cheese on baguette slices and put them under the broiler for a few minutes.

Dinner!

Well, that was easy. And tasty too.

How about dessert?
There's the traditional Derby Pie, an extremely sweet confection of chocolate, walnuts and bourbon.
Since I was already betraying tradition by serving pimento cheese on a baguette, I figured a could go a step further and desecrate the beloved dessert as well.

Thus we have Virgin Derby Pie Bars, the handheld, alcohol-free version.
I know...gasp!
 These bars probably don't deserve to even be in the same sentence as Kentucky Derby, but there it is.
But I'm just working with what I have.
If you happen to have bourbon in your pantry, by all means, use it.

The big run for the roses may be over, but feel free to make and enjoy this dessert any time. The top gets nice and puffy and delicate, but it's all pretty sweet. Small pieces are recommended.
A scoop of vanilla froyo on top is an excellent accompaniment.
Taking the bastardization of southern cooking one more step.

Derby Pie Bars
adapted from thekitchn.com


For the shortbread crust:

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine powdered sugar, flour and salt in a medium bowl. Add cubes of butter, and using a pastry cutter (or your hands) cut butter into dry ingredients, until it resembles corse meal. Firmly pat the mixture into a 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake the crust for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned.

For the filling:

1  1/2 sticks (12 Tbsps.) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1 /2 cups sugar

3 eggs

3/4 cup  all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract + 2 Tbsps. water OR 3 Tbsps. Kentucky bourbon

1  1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (or walnuts, if you like them better)

Cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each. Add flour, salt and vanilla/water or bourbon and continue to mix until well-blended. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Spread butter over partially baked crust. Bake until filling is set and top is slightly browned and puffy, about 30 minutes.
Allow to cool at least 30 minutes before cutting into bars.