Sweets
Orange-Oatmeal-Fig-Raisin Cookies
I have to confess I am mad for cookies! More often than not I wander into a cafe for a cappuccino and a light indulgence only to find a refrigerated case filled with fancy cakes, berry cheese pies, and tarts piled high with whipped cream. Disappointingly, not a cookie to be found!
The recipe for Orange-Oatmeal-Fig-Raisin cookies that follows is adapted from Elizabeth Prueitt & Chad Robertson’s TARTINE cookbook. These oatmeal cookies are perfection in my world! They are just slightly crispy around the edges and indulgently soft and yummy on the inside.
I have substituted figs and raisins for the currants and made the cookies slightly larger. Easy to make and an infinity pleasurable modest indulgence!
You might also try Tartine’s Oatmeal Cookies with currants, Walnuts, and Dark Chocolate Chips as well. (see here)
Orange-Oatmeal-Fig-Raisin Cookies     Makes about 48 cookies
- ¾ cup chopped dried figs
- ¾ cup raisins
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 cup/ 8oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 1 large organic egg
- 1 large organic egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon dark molasses
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 4 teaspoons grated orange zest
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats
Idealy make the cookie dough the night before you intend to bake as the dough must be completely chilled and firm throughout before baking.
Place the figs and raisins in a small sauce pan and add water to just cover. Heat the contents until hot but not boiling. Remove from the heat and set aside to plump. Drain, chop the figs into small bits, and set aside together with the raisins.
Zest 2 oranges and refrigerate.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, and nutmeg in a bowl, stir and set aside.
Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium high speed until light and creamy; about 5 minutes. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Turn on the mixer to medium speed and slowly begin adding the sugar, mixing until light and fluffy; about 4 minutes.
Stop the mixer and again scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the whole egg, egg yolk, vanilla, honey, molasses, salt, and orange zest. Turn on the mixer to medium low speed and mix just until the ingredients are uniformly combined. Then begin adding the flour mixture and mixing until incorporated.
Stop the mixer and stir in the figs, raisins, and rolled oats by hand using a rubber spatula.
Cut two long pieces of cling film and place them out flat on a work surface. Divide the dough into two equal portions. Place each portion on a cling film sheet lengthwise and shape into a uniform log about 2 ½ inches in diameter. Pull the cling film nearest you over the log and roll it a bit until the log is evenly shaped, then wrap tightly in the cling film, twisting the ends tightly and folded under the log. Place on a tray and transfer to the refrigerator. Repeat the same procedure for the second log and refrigerate the dough overnight.
The following day, preheat the oven to 350f/180c, placing an oven thermometer in the center of the oven and adjust the heat as needed once the oven is preheated.
Have ready 2 baking trays lined with baking mats or parchment paper and 2 cooling racks.
Unwrap one log of dough, leaving the remaining log in the refrigerator. Using a very sharp knife slice the log crosswise about 1/3 in thick. Place the slices on the prepared baking tray about one inch apart; about 12 slices per tray. Transfer to the oven and bake for 8 to 11 minutes. The edges of the cookies should be just slightly browned, with the centers remaining pale. If you find the cookies are baking unevenly rotate the tray 180 degrees midway through baking. When done promptly remove from the oven and slide the cookies on the baking mat or parchment onto a wire rack and cool several minutes to firm up before transferring the cookies to a second cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat the process for the remaining cookies, remembering to keep the remaining dough chilled as you bake each batch.
When the cookies are completely cool transfer to a cookie tin, seal the tin with cling film and cover tightly with the lid. The cookies can be kept at room temperature for about two weeks. If you prefer refrigerating the cookies, be sure to bring them to room temperature before serving.
French Toast
You’re probably rolling your eyes and thinking “oh no, not another Nigella moment†re: the now infamous avocado on toast sequence featured on Nigella’s new BBC show Simply Nigella that elicited an onslaught of whinging and incendiary barbs from malcontent viewers which, for whatever reasons, eludes me. Nigella’s response to the criticism was “Well, as I said on the show, it’s not a recipe but chatting about food I eat is what I do!†I suppose this could be construed as self indulgent to the unconsoled.
In Nigella’s defence I have to say I’ve been an unabashed fan for many years. You can think what you like, but Nigella is an astutely seasoned home cook with an engaging gift for descriptive copy. The recipes are well tested and transcribed into easy to follow recipes that deliver the delicious results that have been so persuasively described and photographed.
Of course everyone knows how to make French toast which has been around since medieval times. However, in most recipes little credence is ever given to the bread itself other than to mention to use pan perdu (day old or stale bread). Bread is after all the main ingredient. With a resurgence of traditional bread baking methods using whole grain flours and natural leavening, there is now a proliferation of bread possibilities to choose from that will turn out some of the best French toast you could ever imagine.
To avoid any Nigella moment pitfalls I’m going to follow Elizabeth David’s lead here with a missive rather than a recipe for making French toast. For the bread I chose a crusty yeasted maize loaf that has a slight sweetness from the fresh corn kernels mixed into the dough. The bread choice is completely up to you, so here is your chance to be creative.
Best to gather your ingredients before you begin, which include an organic egg, about a third cup of whole milk, a splash of pure vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, a large thick slice of crusty bread of choice (day old or stale is best), a couple teaspoons butter, honey or pure maple syrup, and cinnamon sugar. This will make a single serving, so simply increase the ingredient proportions for the servings required.
Whisk together the egg, milk, vanilla extract, nutmeg, and salt. Pour into a shallow dish and add a bread slice. Let soak for at least five minutes and then turn the bread over and soak another five minutes. You want the bread to be completely saturated.
Place a skillet over medium low flame and add a teaspoon of butter. Swirl to coat the bottom of the skillet. Carefully lift the bread out of the egg mixture and lower it into the skillet. Fry until the underside of the bread is an even golden brown, checking by lifting the bread with a spatula now and again as it fries. Then slip the spatula under the bread, lifting it up, adding another teaspoon of butter to the skillet, again giving the pan a swirl to distribute the butter, before flipping the bread over into the skillet. Again fry until the bread is an even golden brown.
Gently lift the finished French toast out of the pan and onto a plate. Drizzle the honey or maple syrup generously over the toast. Dust lightly with cinnamon sugar and serve.
Voila!
Oatmeal Cookies with Currants, Walnuts, and Dark Chocolate Chips
With temperatures dropping it is feeling like cookie season is fast approaching. But way delay? Better to satisfy your cravings and bake up a batch of an old time favorite, oatmeal cookies, this time with a difference.
These oatmeal cookies are extraordinary! I had been wanting to try Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson’s Chocolate-Oatmeal-Walnut Cookies recipe from their Tartine cookbook since the book arrived a year ago. Every recipe in the book tantalizes and reflects a dedication to fresh made by hand pastries, pies, tarts, cakes, cookies, and breads that has made Tartine Bakery legendary in the San Francisco Bay Area. For anyone who loves to bake breads, Tartine Book No 3 is an essential resource not to be missed.
The recipe that follows is an adaptation of Tartine’s recipe. I halved the recipe, added currants, adjusted quantities of walnuts, and substituted small chocolate chips, as opposed to chunks, for a balance in flavors.  I chose not to flatten the cookies before baking as directed, simply because I was wanting a more plump old fashioned oatmeal cookie. It all worked out beautifully. The cookies have a slight crispness around the edges and a moist and unctuous center thanks to Elizabeth and Chad’s masterful recipe.
Oatmeal Cookies with Currants, Walnuts, and Dark Chocolate Chips
Makes 26 cookies (2 inch diameter by ½ inch thick)
- 3 oz dried currants
- 3 oz walnuts halves broken into bits
- 3 oz small dark semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons dark molasses
- 1 large organic egg
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
In a small bowl combine the currants, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Stir together and place in the refrigerator to chill.
In a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and the rolled oats. Stir together and set aside.
Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium high speed until light and creamy, stopping the machine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Slowly add the sugar and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, stopping the machine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the molasses and beat until combined. Add the egg and beat until mixed in. Then beat in the milk, vanilla extract, and salt until combined.
Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Gradually add the flour mixture on low speed until it is well incorporated. The dough will be quite stiff.
Stop the machine, remove the bowl, and stir in the currants, walnuts, and chocolate chips by hand using a silicone spatula.
Transfer the bowl of dough to the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350F/180C Line a baking tray with a silicone baking mat or parchment
Have a small bowl of water on your work surface. Using a small ice cream scoop (about 1 ½ oz capacity), scoop the chilled dough onto the lined baking tray about 2 inches apart. Lightly wet your finger tips and gently press the top of the dough to flatten it just slightly.
Refrigerate the remaining dough while you are baking the first batch.
Place the tray of cookies in the oven and bake 10 to 11 minutes, turning the tray after 5 minutes to insure even baking. Once the edges of the cookies are just beginning to color they are done. Do not over bake! The cookies will still be soft when touching the top, but they will firm up as they cool.
Remove the tray from the oven promptly and set the tray aside to cool for a minute or two. Then gently transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack using a flat spatula.
Repeat the same process for the second batch.
Once the cookies are completely cool transfer to a cookie tin with a tightly fitting lid. The cookies will keep for at least a week in the tin at room temperature.
Pink Grapefruit with Rosewater
To my great delight I found a rare cachet of grapefruit at Kasem’s store in Chiang Mai’s kad Lung (old market) the other day. Grapefruit is a rarity here in Thailand where the South East Asian pommelo reigns supreme. Pommelo, while delicious in spicy Thai salads, is not nearly as tantalizingly sweet sour nor as juicy as the grapefruit I relished back home in America.
Pink Grapefruit with Rosewater
Grapefruit is a hybrid that originates from Barbados, a crossing of sweet orange and pommelo that were both introduced to the Americas from South East Asia.
No recipe needed for this exquisite combination that I encountered at a friends party back in New York years ago; a sectioned half pink grapefruit doused with rosewater and sprinkled with turbinado sugar. It is a visual feast and a taste bite that is sure to keep you feeling in the pink for the rest of the day!
Rosewater originates from the Middle East, Turkey, Greece and available at Middle eastern shops.
