Madhu Knits and Cooks

Recipe, knitting, and sewing project notes

Tag: Cooking — Snacks

  • Cook’s Illustrated Drop Biscuits – Maybe Only to be Used in a Pinch in the Future

    Still catching up a long back-log of posts, so this one, like many to follow, will be relatively short.  I made a half batch of Cook's Illustrated drop biscuits recipe because I liked the simplicity of the recipe and wanted to ingest a lot of carbs 🙂  The recipe was pretty easy to follow, and required only a few ingredients which is a nice change of pace for CI recipes.  

    I used a silicone cupcake holder to measure out the dough, and I think I ended up with one of two more biscuits which explains why my 13 minutes of baking time seemed to overbake the biscuits.  The biscuits were fine – really nice out of the oven, but generally didn't have that much of a flavor to them.  So generally, I think I'll follow one of their more complicated biscuits in the future and save this one for when I need to make a quick batch of hot biscuits.

    Drop Biscuits

  • 30 Minute Dessert – Chocolate Mousse

    I recently went to a dinner party where I volunteered to bring a gluten-free dessert.  Because of some other time constraints on my end, I couldn't commit myself to making something extravagant but I still wanted to make something homemade and tasty.  I found a chocolate mousse recipe on the Cook's Illustrated website that seemed perfect for the task at hand – gluten free and something I could make early in the morning before my day got too nuts.  The recipe was incredibly fast and simple to make, though it used more bowls that I would have liked 🙂  The result was enjoyed by all as well – please check out the action shots graciously provided by Robert Burnett, Jr. (who also enjoyed the dessert!).

    Chocolate Mousse

    Re-whisking the whipped cream garnish for serving:

    MadhuriWhisk
    Yum!

    Elizabethmousse

  • Cook’s Illustrated Molasses Spice Cookies – Fluffy and Rich Winter Cookies

    Molasses has been on my mind for most of this winter.  And while I could re-make gingerbread cake or gingerbread cookies, as always, why not try something new?  I turned, naturally, to Cook's Illustrated and chose their Molasses Spice Cookies with Orange Essence recipe for my new bottle of molasses.  The recipe was really easy to follow, and I made just a few modifications:

    • 1.5 tsp. of orange zest
    • no allspice, instead maybe 1/4 tsp. of nutmeg
    • baked for 10 minutes total
    • cookies were probably slightly smaller than the original recipes because I ended up with 26 instead of 22

    I also had a good 1/2 cup – 3/4 cup of leftover orange/sugar mix, and instead of throwing it away, I put the remainder in the freezer which I have no idea if that is a good idea or not.  We'll see when I try to re-purpose it, but for this recipe, I would recommend reducing the sugar mix so you don't end up with waste at the end.

    The cookies were pretty light and fluffy, though maybe a tad on the dry side.  I will probably make the recipe again, though gingerbread cake is definitely more winter-esque, just to use up the sugar mix.

    Molasses Spice Cookies

  • Very Simple Rosemary-White Bean Dip/Spread

    Perhaps in anticipation of the upcoming holiday season, a few months back I became focused on eating a delicious white bean dip.  I didn't have parsley on hand to make my standard white bean dip, so I checked on CooksIllustrated.com and found a white bean spread that they recommend using on bruschetta.  The white bean spread is paired with arugula, balsamic and red onions, but because I was trying to stick to ingredients on hand, I decided to just make (and eat) the spread without those accompaniments.  

    The dip/spread turned out wonderfully – very flavorful and incredibly simple to make.  I ate the dip with pita chips and toast, which was a fine (could be improved upon) pairing.  I will definitely be making this dip again.

    Cooks Illustrated White Bean Spread

  • Chewy Gingerbread Cookies – and Ruminations on Why Baking is Not Just Chemistry

    I recently made the Cook's Illustrated Thick and Chewy Gingerbread Cookie recipe and while assembling the ingredients, I realized that I did not have the exact measurements the recipe called for.  Unfortunately, many people I know would have told me to stop there.  I have been told time and time again that "baking is chemisty" and that to get a good baked good result, one needs to follow a recipe EXACTLY.  I really dislike having those conversations because I don't think that baking is or needs to be more precise than cooking.  I make modifications frequently to baked goods, and although the result may not be perfect (just like most of my cooking isn't perfect), nothing is actually perfect to everyone.  We all have different palates and making baking modifications, like making cooking modifications, isn't wrong to achieve the outcomes we want.  I don't mean substitute baking powder for baking soda (there is certainly chemistry in baking), but I think people should treat baking like cooking – experimenting to find something you like, and using the recipe as a guide and not a fail-safe scientific formula.

    So, in any case, modifications I made.  I only had around 1/2 a cup of molasses (probably btwn. 1/3 and 1/2 cup of molasses), so I just used that.  I added more liquid in the form of adding maybe 3.5 tbsps. of low-fat milk.  The dark sugar I used was also a bit dry and old, so I warmed it up in the microwave with some water to make it more moist.  I reduced the baking time to about 7 – 8 minutes to avoid too dry cookies and to adjust for making much smaller cookies – in the form of Star Wars cutouts.  

    The result was great – soft, chewy and thin cookies, which were rich in flavor.  I look forward to making more in the coming winter months!

    Thick and Chewy Gingerbread

  • Simple Roasted Cabbage – Easy Way to Use Up Leftover Cabbage

    For some reason, I have never thought about roasting cabbage even though I have roasted a good number of other vegetables over the years.  Thankfully, I recently tried roasting cabbage in an attempt to use up a 1/2 head of leftover cabbage from a recent Indian cabbage preparation.  I had searched for cabbage recipes online, and ended up finding references to a Cook's Illustrated roasted cabbage wedges recipe though I couldn't find the actual recipe on the CI website.  The "recipe" though is pretty simple and basically the standard recipe for roasting any vegetable – cut into uniform pieces, cover with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.  I put the cabbage in an oven at 450 degrees, and roasted for approximately 20 minutes or until the cabbage started to brown.  The roasted cabbage that resulted makes a perfect, low-calorie side to any fall/winter main course.

    Roasted Cabbage

  • Very Easy and Very Tasty Crispier Chocolate Chip Cookies

    The Cook's Illustrated Thin, Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe is incredibly easy (a rarity, sadly, for Cook's Illustrated), uses ingredients that I often have on hand, and makes a decent number of cookies (though not the 4 dozen cookies promised in the recipe!).  I enjoyed the cookies so much after making the recipe a first time that I ended up making them again within a few days.  If you have a bake sale, office potluck or barbeque to bring something to, I would definitely recommend checking out this recipe.  I think it does appeal to all cookie lovers as well, despite the title, because the cookies aren't THAT crispy, especially when serving them the day-of baking.

    Thin Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • Corn Fritters – Unfortunately Sound Better than They Taste

    Quick post about the Cook's Illustrated Corn Fritters recipe:  unfortunately, they sound better than they actually taste.  I perhaps used too much corn because the mixture didn't stick together than well (3 ears, 1 of which was grated), and during the frying, some of the kernels popped which made it a somewhat dangerous cooking experiment.  

    The ultimate result wasn't that great as well – just far too eggy, and otherwise bland.  I had added a minced serrano and removed the dijon mustard from the recipe, simply because I didn't have it onhand.  I think that ultimately, I just may not like fried foods with an egg base that much?

    Corn Fritters Frying

    Corn Fritters

  • Never Say Never…Actually Delicious Lower-Fat Brownies

    Dedicated MadhuKnitsandCooks.com readers may remember my pronouncement that low-fat brownie recipes just don't seem to work, and that I would foreswear them in the future for more flavorful "full" fat brownie recipes.  

    Well, that promise clearly didn't hold up as I recently tried the Cook's Illustrated Lighter Brownies recipe.  And the result was actually really delicious – fudgy and moist (almost too moist in a sense because of how fudgy the brownies were).  I have made them twice this summer for barbeques, and they were a big hit both times.  The only downside is that the recipe makes a relatively small number of brownies so it is easy for just a few people to polish off the whole batch!  I also substituted 1 oz. of bittersweet chocolate for 1 oz. of the semisweet chocolate in the last batch I made, added a little bit more sugar, and the result was fine – so just a note for those like me who don't always have full semisweet chocolate bars in their cupboards.

    Cooks Illustrated Lowfat Brownies

  • Delicious Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic, Gorgonzola and Herbs

    Another Giada book from the library, another Giada success!  This time, I checked out the Giada at Home book and decided to make the Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic, Gorzonzola and Herbs.  I really enjoyed the final product, and can definitely envision making some variant of this dish for dinner parties.  My modifications to the recipe follow the picture of the roasted tomatoes below.

    Roasted Tomatoes

    I used only 2 "artisanal" tomatoes I purchased at the farmers market, and to fit the reduced number of tomatoes, I halved the olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.  I also just eyeballed the panko bread crumb and gorgonzola mixture proportions, which resulted in maybe a 1/2 – 3/4 cup of the mixture?  

    The book version of this recipe and the online recipe linked above differ slightly in their recommendations – one calls for plum tomatoes and the other roma.  The market tomatoes also worked out well, so would not hesistate to use any tomato in this general type of variety!