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Groundhog Day Cookies

I never got around to posting about Groundhog Day Cookies last year, although I did take some photos.  So, this year, before I've even made a batch, I thought I would go ahead and post for those of you who may want to make these on Wednesday for Groundhog Day.

First, a little background.  My dad was from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, home of the groundhog.  Not only is my Dad from Punxsy, but we can trace the Shermer family living in Punxsy back in 1848 where my great-great grandfather owned a shoe store. When I was a kid my mom made these cookies for us and we even had Groundhog Day parties some years.  I still have the old napkins that my mom saved.  I remember where they used to live in the dining room china cabinet and pulling them out every year.  I love that I still have her cookie cutters and can carry on this tradition with my kids.  If you'd like to order your own cookie cutter, click here.

I went to Punxsy a few times growing up.  And we visited Punxsy Phil, the groundhog.  He lives in the library and you can view him through a window from the outside.  My last trip to Punxsy was Labor Day weekend 2009.  We were living in Ohio and some of my cousins who I hadn't seen in many, many, MANY years were getting together for a reunion.  Since this is the first time I've ever lived within decent driving distance, we made the trip.  It was nice to see everyone again and revisit the Punxsy Camp, site of the last reunion I had attended around 18 years ago.  

So in honor of my Punxsutawney heritage, I give you Groundhog Day cookies.  :)

Cutting out the cookies.


Here are the little critters before heading into the oven.

 

Groundhog Cookies
from www.groundhogday.org 

2 cups sifted flour (I did half whole wheat and half all-purpose, and threw in some flaxseed)
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger 
1 teaspoon ground cloves 
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 
1/2 cup soft butter 
1 cup sugar 
1/2 cup molasses 
1 egg yolk
1 egg, slightly beaten 
Currants or raisins

Sift together first seven ingredients. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Blend in molasses and yolk. Stir in flour mixture and mix well. Form into a ball.

Wrap in plastic wrap. Chill overnight, several nights or freeze. (I more than likely made this the same day I baked, so just chill for 1/2 and hour to an hour then proceed)

Place small amounts of dough on a sheet of plastic wrap, and cover with plastic wrap. Roll 1/8 inch thick. Cut out cookies with lightly floured cutter.

Place cookies on greased baking sheet. Brush with slightly beaten egg. Decorate with currants or raisin eyes. Repeat until all dough is used.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes in a preheated 350-degree oven. Cool slightly before removing from cookie sheet. Makes 72 or more medium-sized groundhogs.

Baked Banana Pudding

I do love Alton Brown's show Good Eats.  And watching his show generally makes me want to try whatever it is he's cooking.  A few weeks ago he did a show all about banana pudding (entitled "Yes We Have No Banana Pudding"...which then made me start singing Louis Prima in my head).  And of course, being pregnant and highly susceptible to wanting yummy things I see on TV, it made me really want banana pudding.  This week, the stars aligned, I had 3 ripe bananas and an afternoon to put it together.  And, oh my, the yumminess.  It took me back to those church potlucks when I was a kid.  I hadn't had this southern-style baked banana pudding in quite a long time.  And his recipe is easy to make and delicious.  Especially if you make the homemade vanilla wafers ahead of time.  Although, I'm sure store bought would be just fine if you are short on time.

I didn't take any photos of the 'nilla wafers.  They turned out yummy, but they didn't look very pretty.  

My little guy helped me cut up the bananas with a butter knife.  He did a great job and was too funny because he wouldn't touch the cut bananas with his fingers (too sticky).  He would cut a slice off and then balance it on the knife and put it in the bowl.

Making the pudding part was easier than I thought it might be.  I didn't have the half 'n' half that Alton Brown called for, so I used 2% milk, and it thickened nicely and tasted really good.  The trick is to use a thermometer if you have one.  I used my digital meat thermometer and held it on the side of my pot with a binder clip.  It worked great.  I stirred the pudding while Dylan cut up the bananas.

Then it was time to layer it in.  Alton Brown calls for a glass mixing bowl to layer it all in.  Which is nice, and looks pretty because you can see the layers.  However, I prefer to use a flatter, even dish so you get the yummy meringue topping in every serving.  With a deep bowl you'd lose that.  

And without further ado, here's the recipe.  :)

Vanilla Wafers
Recipe by Alton Brown, 2010

 7 ounces all-purpose flour (I split this in half and did half white whole wheat flour and half all purpose)
3/4 teaspoon aluminum free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
3 1/2 ounces vanilla sugar (You can use regular sugar here, or do what I did and put the sugar in a food processor with the scrapings from the inside of a vanilla bean or two)
1 large egg
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon whole milk (I used 2%)

Position 1 oven rack in the top third of the oven and another in the bottom third. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Cream the butter and vanilla sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl after 1 minute. Add the egg and incorporate on medium speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl. Add the vanilla extract and milk and blend on low speed for 15 seconds. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed just to incorporate. Chill the batter in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes before scooping.

Scoop the batter in teaspoon-sized balls and arrange them on 2 parchment paper-lined half sheet pans, approximately 35 cookies per pan. Use the heel of your hand to slightly flatten each ball. Bake, 2 pans at a time, rotating the pans halfway through the baking, until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the pans to a cooling rack to cool completely before removing the cookies from the pan.  

(Alton Brown's recipe says it makes 70 cookies, we didn't get that many...I think we had 50, which was still plenty for the pudding recipe).

Baked Banana Pudding
Recipe by Alton Brown, 2010

 3 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 large eggs, separated
2 cups half-and-half (I used 2% milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
45 vanilla wafers (I didn't count mine and probably didn't layer them as thickly so I don't think I used this many)
1 pinch cream of tartar

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss the banana slices and lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside. (I skipped this step, so my bananas turned brown by the next day.)

Combine 1/2 cup of the sugar, the flour and salt in a 3-quart saucier. Add the egg yolks and whisk to combine. Add the half-and-half and carefully whisk to combine. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture reaches 172 to 180 degrees F, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. The mixture will begin to thicken and bubble around the edges. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract.

Spread a small amount of the pudding in the bottom of an oven-safe 1 1/2-quart glass mixing bowl (as you can see from my photos, I used a flatter corning ware dish instead.  I imagine a square glass pyrex would work too). Cover with a layer of vanilla wafers, followed by a layer of banana slices. Pour 1/3 of the remaining pudding on top of the bananas and repeat, ending with a layer of pudding.

Whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form (I used my whisk attachment on my immersion blender...it whips up egg whites in no time). Gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and continue whisking until stiff peaks form. Spoon the meringue over the warm pudding, being sure to cover the edges. Bake until the meringue is evenly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pudding from the oven and cool for 15 minutes before serving. Cool completely before refrigerating. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

ENJOY!  Really, I mean it.  Be sure to eat some while its warm....that's the best :)

 

The Best Way to Cook Salmon (and my stack of cookbooks)

I don't know if I mentioned this in any previous posts or not, but I received a stack of cookbooks for Christmas.  I have yet to make it through all of them, but I've been steadily reading through "Good Eats: The Early Years" and "Forgotten Skills of Cooking" plus I read the Georgia chapter of "Jamie's America".  I've also cooked a few recipes out of each.  My favorite so far from Good Eats are the Southern Biscuits.  Yum!  I've been keeping a little cookbook journal so when I come to a recipe I want to try, I note the book, page number and recipe name.  

Darina Allen's "Forgotten Skills of Cooking" has so far yielded how I can make my own Buttermilk (2 cups of milk to 1 T white vinegar), Brown Soda Bread, Brown Yeast Bread and the most delicious Salmon I've ever made.  I've learned a lot reading her book.  She goes through everything you would need to know....from foraging plants to scaling and gutting fish, to cleaning game.  There are sections on Dairy and Baking.  And the recipes look so good.  

The salmon recipe is so simple its not even a recipe in the book.  It's a paragraph in the fish section that tells you the the best way to cook salmon fillets.  And, I have to agree, it is the best way I've found so far.  

"Salmon fillets are best dipped in a little seasoned flour and cooked slowly in a little butter in a pan, or, alternatively, pan-grilled with a little butter.  Serve with a few pats of Maître d' Hotel Butter and a wedge of lemon."  –Darina Allen, "Forgotten Skills of Cooking"

See, simple isn't it?  Here's what I did.  I seasoned a mixture of whole wheat and all purpose flour with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  I also sprinkled salt on the salmon fillets before dipping them in the flour.  I coated the whole fillets with flour and then shook off any excess.  In the meantime, I fired up my cast iron skillet and melted the butter.  (I had it on a medium heat...around a 4 or 5 on my stovetop).  Then, place the fillets into the skillet.  I let them cook for about 4-5 minutes on the first side until the bottoms looked golden brown and delicious.  Then flip and cook for another 4-5 minutes until done to your taste.  

While the salmon was cooking, I made the butter.  The Maître d' Hotel Butter recipe from the book is butter, lemon juice and parsley.  I, personally, don't use a lot of parsley.  It tends to just give a grassy flavor to things to me.  So, instead, I used chopped fresh basil and mashed it into softened salted butter and added a squeeze of lemon.  When the salmon is finished cooking, put a little pat of butter on top (and I smeared it around a bit), squeeze on some lemon and eat.  Really, this is so good we could eat it every night.  Luckily, we do have some more salmon in the freezer that our neighbor gave us over the summer.  I think we will be having this again next week.

I served mine with roasted butternut squash.  Simply peel and slice the squash into 1/4" to 1/2" slices.  Spray your pan with oil, then put the squash on in one layer.  Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper and put in a hot oven (400º) for about 20 minutes or until golden and carmelized on one side.  Enjoy!

 

 

Blueberry, Chocolate and Orange Buttermilk Scones

I've been seeing lots of scone recipes lately.  There's one in my Forgotten Skills of Cooking cookbook that uses fresh (wild) blueberries.  I saw Buttermilk-Cherry Scones in Mary Jane's Farm Magazine that are baked in a cast iron skillet.  And most recently I spotted a chocolate and orange scone recipe on the Joy the Baker blog.  They all look delish and all a little different.  I decided to use the Mary Jane's Farm recipe and change it up a little bit (also, this was the only one that doesn't call for eggs, and I was out of eggs this morning) by using whole wheat flour and flaxseed and cutting down on the amount of butter.  I love the crust formed on the bottom from baking in the cast iron skillet.  These were melt-in-your mouth tender and the flavor combination was divine.  

I took this photo pre-glaze...the glaze adds a nice shiny top to the scones.

Blueberry, Chocolate and Orange Buttermilk Scones
(adapted from Mary Jane's Farm Magazine)

2 cups white whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

a handful of flaxseed

1/3 cup sugar

2 1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

7-8 tablespoons of cold butter, cut into chunks (I used what was left of the stick after buttering my skillet)

3/4 - 1 cup of blueberries

a handful or two of chocolate chips

1-2 T orange zest

1 to 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (I ended up using about 1 1/2 cups to make my dough)
Note:  If you don't have buttermilk, you can sour your milk by adding 1 T of white vinegar to 2 cups of milk.  Let it sit for 5 minutes or so until it thickens.  I store this in a mason jar in the fridge for when I need buttermilk. 

Glaze:

1 T heavy cream (you could substitute milk here and just have a less decadent glaze)

1/4 t cinnamon

2 T powdered sugar

 

1. Preheat oven to 400º.  Butter a 12" cast-iron skillet.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the flours, flaxseed, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add the butter and beat with an electric hand mixer until just blended (I cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter until it looked crumbly...no mixer necessary).  Stir in the blueberries, chocolate chips and orange zest.  Gradually add the buttermilk until all the dry ingredients are incorporated and a dough is formed (here is where I needed about a 1/2 cup more buttermilk than what was called for in the original recipe.  I also got messy and used my hands to get all the dry ingredients incorporated).

3. Form a ball with the dough and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface.  Press the dough into an 8" inch circle, about 1/2" - 3/4" thick. Cut the circle into eight wedges.

4. Place the scones 1/2" apart in the prepared skillet (mine were closer together than this and they baked up with no problems).  Bake 20-25 minutes, until golden.

5. While the scones are cooking, whisk together the glaze ingredients.

6. Remove scones from oven and brush on the glaze.  Allow to cool completely (or don't, we didn't and man those warm scones were awesome!  Lovely crust on the bottom and tender on the inside.  Mmmmmm!)