This is an adaptation of a recipe for molasses cookies from The Silver Palate Cookbook. I tried it yesterday and the cookies are delicious, soft and chewy. Using golden syrup was an emergency measure, since I couldn’t get molasses anywhere (not even treacle, which is the same thing, only in British English), but it worked out fine. I will make them again when I manage to find some molasses/treacle and report on the difference. I think they would also be great made with honey.
170 g (12 tbs or 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup Lyle’s Golden Syrup or molasses/treacle
1 egg
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
Preheat oven to 175°C/350°F (165°C/330°F if you have a convection oven).
Melt the butter and add the sugar and molasses. Mix throughly. Lightly beat egg and add to butter mixture; blend well.
Sift the flour with the spices, salt and baking soda, and add to butter mixture mixture; mix. Batter will be wet.
Lay a sheet of foil or baking paper on a cookie sheet. Drop tablespoons of cookie batter on foil, leaving 3 inches between the cookies. They will spread during baking.
Bake until cookies start to darken, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven will still soft. Let cool on foil.
Showing posts with label Silver Palate Cookbook recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Silver Palate Cookbook recipes. Show all posts
Monday, December 17, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Recipe update: Orange Cake from The Silver Palate Cookbook
Originally posted September 6, 2007, as part of the lead-up to the Silver Palate Cookbook recipe of the week.
If this is the cake I think it is, it is absolutely delicious. Even if it isn't, it's probably delicious anyway.
8 tbs (1 stick) sweet (unsalted) butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, separated
Grated zest of 2 oranges
1 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease a 25-cm (10-inch) Bundt pan.
Cream the butter and gradually add the sugar, beating until light. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, and the orange zest.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to the batter little by little, alternating with the orange juice.
Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the batter.
Pour batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the sides of the cake shrink away from the edges of the pan and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then unmold onto a rack and drizzle with orange glaze while warm. Cool before serving.
Orange glaze:
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Put sugar and juice together in a small saucepan and simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until a light syrup forms.
Edit, September 25, 2007:
I made the cake yesterday. It is the cake I thought it was. Someone once brought one to work and I loved it then and love it still. This recipe is going in my blue notebook where I write down my keeper recipes.
There are quite a lot of steps in making it: zest and squeeze the oranges, separate the eggs, beat the butter, beat in the egg yolks, mix dry ingredients together and mix in little by little with the orange juice, whip the whites and fold in, bake. But it is worth it!
The only Bundt pan I have is a miniature, so I used a small spring pan instead and baked it a little longer than the recipe calls for. The orange juice was rather weak, so I added a dash of Grand Marnier to the syrup to make the orange flavour stronger. The cake is very light and the orange taste is mild and lovely, and it is not too sweet. Probably not a cake to serve to kids, but the members of my, um, handicrafts club would love it.
Another time I would probably:
a) use a little more zest to get a stronger orange flavour,
b) make two smaller cakes in round molds, and
c) double the amount of syrup so there was enough for both cakes.
If this is the cake I think it is, it is absolutely delicious. Even if it isn't, it's probably delicious anyway.
8 tbs (1 stick) sweet (unsalted) butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, separated
Grated zest of 2 oranges
1 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease a 25-cm (10-inch) Bundt pan.
Cream the butter and gradually add the sugar, beating until light. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, and the orange zest.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to the batter little by little, alternating with the orange juice.
Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the batter.
Pour batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the sides of the cake shrink away from the edges of the pan and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then unmold onto a rack and drizzle with orange glaze while warm. Cool before serving.
Orange glaze:
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Put sugar and juice together in a small saucepan and simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until a light syrup forms.
Edit, September 25, 2007:
I made the cake yesterday. It is the cake I thought it was. Someone once brought one to work and I loved it then and love it still. This recipe is going in my blue notebook where I write down my keeper recipes.
There are quite a lot of steps in making it: zest and squeeze the oranges, separate the eggs, beat the butter, beat in the egg yolks, mix dry ingredients together and mix in little by little with the orange juice, whip the whites and fold in, bake. But it is worth it!
The only Bundt pan I have is a miniature, so I used a small spring pan instead and baked it a little longer than the recipe calls for. The orange juice was rather weak, so I added a dash of Grand Marnier to the syrup to make the orange flavour stronger. The cake is very light and the orange taste is mild and lovely, and it is not too sweet. Probably not a cake to serve to kids, but the members of my, um, handicrafts club would love it.
Another time I would probably:
a) use a little more zest to get a stronger orange flavour,
b) make two smaller cakes in round molds, and
c) double the amount of syrup so there was enough for both cakes.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Recipe of the week: Pasta Carbonara
The recipe of the week is for a simple and delicious Italian dish that I have eaten in restaurants but have only ever made once myself. In that recipe, like in the Silver Palate recipe below, pancetta (Italian bacon) was replaced by regular bacon. I was unhappy with that recipe and decided to try the Silver Palate version.
The recipe:
Serves 4-6.
500 g (1 lb) thick-sliced bacon, diced
2 tbs salt (I am inclined to think this is an error and it must be 2 tsp)
500 g (1 lb) spaghetti or linguine
3 eggs
1/3 cup chopped Italian parsley
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Sautée the bacon in a skillet until crisp. Remove and drain well on paper towels
Bring 4 liters (4 quarts) of water to the boil in a large soup pot. Add the salt and drop in the pasta. Stir to separate the strands. Cook until al dente (tender but not mushy) according to instructions on packaging (if you make it yourself, you will know best yourself when it is cooked).
While the pasta cooks, beat the eggs well in a serving bowl large enough to take the cooked pasta and other ingredients. Have the bacon and parsley at hand.
When the pasta is cooked, drain quickly in a colander and shake briefly to get rid of excess water.
Pour the drained hot spaghetti into the bowl of eggs and immediately begin tossing it. Toss until the pasta is coated with egg and the heat of the pasta has cooked the eggs.
Add the bacon and parsley, toss again to mix and serve immediately. Grated Parmesan is delicious with this dish, freshly ground black pepper is essential.
My alterations and substitutions:
The book mentions that in the original authentic dish pancetta or proscuitto would be used, and I decided to try it with Proscuitto di Parma: dry-cured ham from Parma. Knowing that Parma ham is both saltier and more flavourful than the local bacon, I used less of it than I would have of bacon. Additionally, I was unable to get Italian parsley, and had to use curly parsley instead. I used a lot less salt than the recipe calls for, since I knew the ham would add to the saltiness of the dish.
Since there were only two of us, my mother and myself, I made half a recipe. The final recipe I used looked like this:
160 g Parma ham, thin slices cut into small squares and sautéed until cooked through but not crisp (about 1 minute)
1/2 tsp salt
250 g spaghetti
2 small eggs
About 1 1/2 tbs curly parsley
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste (as you can see in the photo, I had not added the pepper when it was taken – in fact we had started eating when I remembered the pepper and added it, and we agreed that the pepper was a good but not necessary addition)
Grated Parmesan cheese (we tried it, but decided the dish was better without it)
The instructions are the same as for the above version.
Review:
Magnifico! This is such a simple dish, and it is so good. I like it with bacon, but with proscuitto it it is simply delicious.
The halved amount of proscuitto was just right. If I had used more the dish would have been too salty. The rich, salty flavour of proscuitto, the freshness of the parsley and the mild flavour of pasta and eggs combine beautifully and deliciously and this dish will definitely be going in my recipe notebook for further use.
My mother is already "threatening" to make me cook it for her again.
-------O-------
More information about carbonara
The recipe:
Serves 4-6.
500 g (1 lb) thick-sliced bacon, diced
2 tbs salt (I am inclined to think this is an error and it must be 2 tsp)
500 g (1 lb) spaghetti or linguine
3 eggs
1/3 cup chopped Italian parsley
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Sautée the bacon in a skillet until crisp. Remove and drain well on paper towels
Bring 4 liters (4 quarts) of water to the boil in a large soup pot. Add the salt and drop in the pasta. Stir to separate the strands. Cook until al dente (tender but not mushy) according to instructions on packaging (if you make it yourself, you will know best yourself when it is cooked).
While the pasta cooks, beat the eggs well in a serving bowl large enough to take the cooked pasta and other ingredients. Have the bacon and parsley at hand.
When the pasta is cooked, drain quickly in a colander and shake briefly to get rid of excess water.
Pour the drained hot spaghetti into the bowl of eggs and immediately begin tossing it. Toss until the pasta is coated with egg and the heat of the pasta has cooked the eggs.
Add the bacon and parsley, toss again to mix and serve immediately. Grated Parmesan is delicious with this dish, freshly ground black pepper is essential.
My alterations and substitutions:
The book mentions that in the original authentic dish pancetta or proscuitto would be used, and I decided to try it with Proscuitto di Parma: dry-cured ham from Parma. Knowing that Parma ham is both saltier and more flavourful than the local bacon, I used less of it than I would have of bacon. Additionally, I was unable to get Italian parsley, and had to use curly parsley instead. I used a lot less salt than the recipe calls for, since I knew the ham would add to the saltiness of the dish.
Since there were only two of us, my mother and myself, I made half a recipe. The final recipe I used looked like this:
160 g Parma ham, thin slices cut into small squares and sautéed until cooked through but not crisp (about 1 minute)
1/2 tsp salt
250 g spaghetti
2 small eggs
About 1 1/2 tbs curly parsley
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste (as you can see in the photo, I had not added the pepper when it was taken – in fact we had started eating when I remembered the pepper and added it, and we agreed that the pepper was a good but not necessary addition)
Grated Parmesan cheese (we tried it, but decided the dish was better without it)
The instructions are the same as for the above version.
Review:
Magnifico! This is such a simple dish, and it is so good. I like it with bacon, but with proscuitto it it is simply delicious.
The halved amount of proscuitto was just right. If I had used more the dish would have been too salty. The rich, salty flavour of proscuitto, the freshness of the parsley and the mild flavour of pasta and eggs combine beautifully and deliciously and this dish will definitely be going in my recipe notebook for further use.
My mother is already "threatening" to make me cook it for her again.
More information about carbonara
Friday, September 7, 2007
Sample The Silver Palate Cookbook (links)
Here are links to some more Silver Palate recipes. I don’t know if all of them were in the original cookbook - I haven't looked them up. Some may have come from subsequent Silver Palate cookbooks or books by the same authors, but all have the Silver Palate stamp.
Of course, nothing beats actually owning the book.
Roast Lamb with Peppercorn Crust
Blueberry Lemon Tart
Sweet Buttery Tart Crust
Mayonnaise Niçoise
Raspberry Chicken
French Toast
Chicken Marbella
Tapenade
This one comes from Simply Delicious by Sheila Lukins, but was used at the Silver Palate: Sour cream apple pie
and finally, The Silver Palate online store. There are some recipes here, most if not all using products sold at the store.
Of course, nothing beats actually owning the book.
Roast Lamb with Peppercorn Crust
Blueberry Lemon Tart
Sweet Buttery Tart Crust
Mayonnaise Niçoise
Raspberry Chicken
French Toast
Chicken Marbella
Tapenade
This one comes from Simply Delicious by Sheila Lukins, but was used at the Silver Palate: Sour cream apple pie
and finally, The Silver Palate online store. There are some recipes here, most if not all using products sold at the store.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Recipe from The Silver Palate Cookbook: Zabaglione
Makes 6 portions.
8 egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup Marsala wine
Mix ingredients together in the top part of a double boiler* and cook over rapidly boiling water, whisking constantly until mixture doubles in bulk and thickens.
Remove from heat and continue whisking for about a minute.
Pour mixture warm over fresh berries, serve by itself in tall glasses, or chill and use as a sauce for berries.
*If you haven't got a double boiler, do what I do: use a bowl that fits tightly into the mouth of a cooking pot so that little or no steam can escape, and hold it tight with an oven mitt-clad hand while whisking with the other hand.
--
If I make this, how can I use the egg whites, besides making a ton of meringue?
Suggestions welcome.
8 egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup Marsala wine
Mix ingredients together in the top part of a double boiler* and cook over rapidly boiling water, whisking constantly until mixture doubles in bulk and thickens.
Remove from heat and continue whisking for about a minute.
Pour mixture warm over fresh berries, serve by itself in tall glasses, or chill and use as a sauce for berries.
*If you haven't got a double boiler, do what I do: use a bowl that fits tightly into the mouth of a cooking pot so that little or no steam can escape, and hold it tight with an oven mitt-clad hand while whisking with the other hand.
--
If I make this, how can I use the egg whites, besides making a ton of meringue?
Suggestions welcome.
Monday, September 3, 2007
Recipe from The Silver Palate Cookbook: Salmon Mousse
1 envelope (7 g) unflavoured gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs finely grated onion
Dash of Tabasco-sauce
1/4 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp salt
2 tbs finely chopped dill
2 cups finely flaked poached fresh salmon or canned salmon, skin and bones removed
1 cup heavy cream
Put the cold water in a large bowl and soak the gelatin in it until softened. Stir in the boiling water and whisk the mixture slowly until the gelatin dissolves. Cool to room temperature.
Whisk in the mayonnaise, lemon juice, chopped onion, Tabasco, paprika, salt and dill. Stir to blend completely and refrigerate for about 20 minutes, or until the mixture begins to thicken slightly. (An icy water-bath hastens the process).
Fold in the flaked salmon. Whip the cream until it is fluffy and forms peaks and fold gently into the salmon mixture. Put the mixture into a decorative bowl or mold, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Serve on toast, black bread or crackers, or slice and serve as a first course, garnished with watercress.
(I love salmon mousse served with a simple sauce made from sour cream, garlic and a dash of salt).
This mold is nice if you plan on having your guests help themselves.
If served in slices, I recommend a loaf mold or a plain circular mold.
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs finely grated onion
Dash of Tabasco-sauce
1/4 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp salt
2 tbs finely chopped dill
2 cups finely flaked poached fresh salmon or canned salmon, skin and bones removed
1 cup heavy cream
Put the cold water in a large bowl and soak the gelatin in it until softened. Stir in the boiling water and whisk the mixture slowly until the gelatin dissolves. Cool to room temperature.
Whisk in the mayonnaise, lemon juice, chopped onion, Tabasco, paprika, salt and dill. Stir to blend completely and refrigerate for about 20 minutes, or until the mixture begins to thicken slightly. (An icy water-bath hastens the process).
Fold in the flaked salmon. Whip the cream until it is fluffy and forms peaks and fold gently into the salmon mixture. Put the mixture into a decorative bowl or mold, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Serve on toast, black bread or crackers, or slice and serve as a first course, garnished with watercress.
(I love salmon mousse served with a simple sauce made from sour cream, garlic and a dash of salt).
This mold is nice if you plan on having your guests help themselves.
If served in slices, I recommend a loaf mold or a plain circular mold.
Cookbook of the week #5: The Silver Palate Cookbook: Delicious recipes, menus, tips, lore from Manhattan's celebrated gourmet food shop
Authors: Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins with Michael McLaughlin. Illustrations by Sheila Lukins.
I have the first edition of this (justly) famous cookbook that was first published in 1982. It was a lucky charity shop find for me, at only 200 krónur (about 3$). It has just been republished in a 25th anniversary edition, with colour photographs in addition to the original drawings and I urge anyone who is seriously interested in cooking and good food to go out and buy it.
This is one of the few cookbooks I have that I actually use (I also read it for fun), but there are still many, many recipes in it that I have never tried. By the look of it the previous owner did not use it much, although they did leave a slip-on bookmark on one of the pages, at the exact same place where the spine had been broken, so I suppose they used at least one recipe (Chili for a crowd, p. 130).
The book is lovingly illustrated by Lukins and is among of the prettiest of my cookbooks.
Instead of listing the recipes I'm most interested in, I will simply pick one I like the look of for each day.
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