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For Him

Just in case you're like me and end up waiting until the last minute to buy Christmas presents because you have no idea what to get anyone ever, I thought I'd share a few of my recent revelations. I have the most trouble buying gifts for the men in my life and over the years I've come to realize that there are really only two approaches to this problem: one, buy him something that you like to look at on him or two, give him cheese or pie. I'm yet to meet a man who dislikes both.

So if you're taking approach number one, I can't recommend anything more than a shirt from William Gray. They've been made by hand at the same factory for more than 75 years and each one is completely timeless. My favorite is The Braddock, which is a version of a vintage work shirt made out of sturdy but soft chambray. Also, this here model is one of my oldest and dearest friends, Jonathan Warner, and I'm happy to tell you that he moved to Nashville last week. He's such a creative and determined man and well, really an all-around sweet soul. If you see him around town, say hi!

Anyway, if you're taking the second approach, might I suggest that you order a serving tray or geometric cutting board (both pictured above) from my friend James at Handy Dandy Productions? They're the perfect accompaniment to the gift of cheese or pie and can hang on the wall all year round as a remembrance of a good meal shared and a promise of good meals to come. As far as cheese goes, you just can't go wrong with Sequatchie Cove Dancing Fern or Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog. And if you're in Nashville, you absolutely must get a Bella Nashville demi baguette to go with the cheese. Email James for pricing or to purchase one of his boards.

Olive Tapenade Hand Pies
-makes ten small pies 

one container (roughly two cups) pitted brined mixed Greek olives
zest of one small orange
1 teaspoon fennel seed, lightly pounded
2 small cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped
scant 1/2 cup good olive oil
2 sheets puff pastry, thawed*
one egg, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. Place orange zest, fennel seed and garlic in a small pot with olive oil over medium low. When tiny bubbles start to form, watch closely. Don't let olive oil get too hot, but leave on heat until garlic is soft, about five minutes. Remove from heat and add well-drained olives.

2. Pulse in a food processor until everything is well chopped.

3. Cut puff pastry with the top of a pint glass. Spoon a reasonable amount of tapenade onto one round and coat the edges with a bit of water before sealing on the second round (here is a prettier way to make them). Brush with egg.

4. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on a rack.

*Or your favorite pie dough.

Kinfolk + Spiced Bourbon Madeleines

As much as I love hosting Kinfolk workshops, I think I might love attending them even more. Yesterday afternoon I had the pleasure of photographing the Natural Home & Holiday gathering which was put together by my friends Ruthie and Emily. And of course, I spent the morning helping Beth make snacks for the occasion: thyme biscuits with ham and honey butter, deviled eggs, mushroom and goat cheese tartines, pimento cheese, and a whole array of Christmas cookies.

The weather was perfect, unseasonably warm and sunny, but chilly enough to sip on spiked hot chocolate (made by Courtney) while we listened to the ever-wonderful Rebekka Seale demonstrate how to dye napkins with natural indigo. Like all of the Kinfolk workshops I've been to, the guests were an innovative bunch and by the time the napkins were hung to dry, several of them stripped the clothes right off their backs and dyed those, too. 

Then the sun set gracefully over the trees, leaving us to craft wreaths by the glow of candles and Christmas lights. And might I just say: perhaps my favorite part of this entire workshop was getting to know sweet Emily, who meticulously collected pine and magnolia clippings from farms all around Nashville and helped our new friends assemble ten of the most unique wreaths I've ever seen. She's a third generation, self-taught woodworker and fellow lover of Amy Poehler. Okay, she's just plain cool. 

By the way, this jacket is from local maker Elizabeth Suzann and yes, dear Santa, I sure would like to see one just like it under my tree a week from now.

I thought I'd share with you one last type of holiday cookie since they were such a big hit at the after party last night: a madeleine, spiced with white pepper, fennel, star anise, cinnamon, cloves and orange, and dipped in a boozy, bourbon glaze. If you've never had a madeleine, it's a little bit like a cake donut, but about a hundred times prettier and twice as buttery. The texture is totally dependent on the batter being very cold and the oven very hot, but as long as you get those two things right they're an amazingly simple way to show off a bit during the holidays. 

And no, that's not a promise. I'm probably going to share at least one more type of cookie with you before the week is over. 

Spiced Bourbon Madeleines
makes 24 regular madeleines or 40(ish) mini madeleines
adapted from David Lebovitz 

For cookies:
3 large eggs at room temp
2/3 cup raw cane sugar
1 1/4 cups AP flour, plus extra for pan
9 Tablespoons salted butter, plus extra for pan
1 teaspoon baking powder
zest of one large orange
1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese five spice
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt (optional)

For glaze:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon bourbon*
2 Tablespoons water

1. Melt butter with orange zest and set aside to cool. In a small bowl, sift together flour, spices, salt and baking powder.

2. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and sugar together until frothy and thick, about five minutes. Fold in flour mixture with a spatula.

3. Add butter a little bit at a time, cover and refrigerate.

4. Chill for at least 1 hour, or up to 12 hours. Preheat oven to 425, then butter and flour your pan when you're ready to bake. If you have the time, pop the pan in the freezer for a few minutes.

5. Spoon batter into pan so that it fills the molds up 3/4 of the way (this scoop is the perfect size for minis). Don't try to spread it out. Bake for 5-6 minutes for mini madeleines and 8-9 minutes for regular madeleines.

6. Remove from pan and let cool. Meanwhile, mix glaze- the amount of bourbon you use is totally up to you. I suggest starting with one Tablespoon and if it's not "bourbony" enough for you, add more bourbon and powdered sugar accordingly. Glaze madeleines as soon as they cool.

These madeleines are best if eaten the day they are made, but will keep in a container for up to three days. Do not wrap tightly in plastic or the glaze will melt. 

Foodie Crush

I'm happy to announce that the holiday issue of Foodie Crush came out today and my recipe for linzer thumbprint cookies with apple butter is featured on page 25. Hop over to http://www.foodiecrush.com/holiday-2013/ to see the recipe, plus lots more holiday cooking ideas.

Classic Anise Pizzelles

Special thanks to Maria Fine, who both introduced me to pizzelles and made them for this shoot. 

The older I get the less enamored I am with things. Different shades of lip gloss and plates for special occasions and specialized kitchen gadgets all look the same to me; they are bits of clutter overtaking my house and therefore too, they are my hard earned money on the fast track from my bank account to the Goodwill. And at first glance, a pizzelle iron seems to fall under that condemnable category of barely useable kitchen gadgets, but I've given it a lot of thought since I fell in love with the pizzelle in Pittsburgh last Thanksgiving. The fact of the matter is that, like a fancy dress and nowhere to wear it, I just plain wanted one because they're pretty. A pizzelle iron takes a minute amount of rather mundane looking batter and transforms it into an intricately ornate, buttery morsel. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this kitchen tool may only make one thing, but the thing it makes is a palate for an endless number of flavorings and uses.

Before I ramble on about all the proverbial places I plan to wear my prom dress, let me tell you about the little black dress version of the pizzelle. It's nothing but butter, eggs, flour and sugar, accented elegantly with the distinct scent of anise. For those of you who don't care for that somewhat abrasive, licorice-y punch that is usually associated with anise, I urge you to give it one last try in a pizzelle that is made with natural oil or whole seeds. When combined with copious amount of butter, toasted and caramelized on a hot cast iron press, the flavor of anise is metamorphosed into something earthy, sweet and mild. If you still don't like it, that's okay because there's only about a million other flavors of pizzelle you can make.

So now let's talk about the possibilities, starting with flavor. You can use this basic recipe and add practically any extract you'd like, maybe even a few drops of some food grade essential oil. You could make vanilla bean pizzelles, dip them half in dark chocolate and dust them with pomegranate salt. You could add the zest of any citrus, crushed coriander seeds, honey, sesame or poppy seeds, chopped thyme. And that brings us to application: this pizzelle iron comes with a cone roller, meaning you could make beautiful little waffle cones to compliment any flavor of ice cream you can imagine. Or, using this technique, make pizzelle ice cream sandwiches. If you happen to have a cannoli form on hand, you could make pizzelle cannoli! Go crazy.

If you make a flavor of pizzelle based on this recipe, I'm dying to hear about it! Post a picture to Instagram or Twitter and tag me @HMMessinger. 

Maria Fine's Pizzelles
-makes 50-60 5" cookies
6 eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 1/2 cups AP flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
flavoring: 1 Tablespoon anise oil OR 1 1/2 Tablespoons anise extract plus 1 Tablespoon anise seeds cooking spray

1. Preheat pizzelle iron according to manufacturer's instructions. Beat eggs and sugar together until sugar is dissolved.

2. Add butter, a little bit at a time, followed by flavoring. If using anise seeds, crush lightly with a mortar and pestle.

3. Fluff flour and baking powder together with a fork and add to egg mixture in three additions. Stir only until just combined.

4. Spray pizzelle iron before each cookie and ladle in the recommended amount of batter (once you get a feel for the right amount I recommend you order an ice cream scoop that size to make your work easier). The first few usually stick, so have a popsicle stick or scraper of some kind handy to get the cookies out before they burn. Cool on a wire rack.

Cranberry Relish Pie

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Aren't you looking forward to Thanksgiving? I don't mean to wish time away, but these days between the time change and the holidays are my least favorite of the entire year. It's oppressive, the way the night settles in too soon and overstays its welcome, encouraging me to hibernate lazily under my down comforter. With Thanksgiving comes the promise that the darkness will be trumped by twinkling Christmas lights, giving me the courage and fortitude to brave the cold and seek out company.

To keep my spirits up (and to stay awake past 7PM) until November 28th actually arrives, I've been practicing holiday recipes. The best and most unusual thing I've made so far is undoubtedly this cranberry relish pie. It is heady with the fragrance of orange peel, boldly tart, subtly sweet, and encased by cheddar flecked crust. Even if you're not interested in going to the trouble of baking a pie, the relish itself is delicious spooned over store-bought angel food cake or mixed into oatmeal. It's also an easy and colorful gift for a hostess or a guest and will keep in a mason jar for several weeks.

Cranberry Relish

12 ounce bag fresh cranberries
1 unwaxed orange
1 apple, core removed*
1 cup baking walnuts
1 1/2 cups raw cane sugar

1. Pulse cranberries, orange (pith and all) and apple individually and mix with sugar and walnuts. Let sit in the fridge at least over night, but ideally for five days before using.

*Normally I use a Fuji apple, but in this pie I recommend a Pink Lady for a sweeter pie or a Granny Smith for a more tart flavor.

Cranberry Pie
-serves eight

Cheddar Vodka Crust (<-- click link for recipe) *
1 batch cranberry relish
1/4 cup AP flour or 3 Tablespoons corn starch
1 egg yolk
splash of heavy cream
2 Tablesooons butter
turbinado sugar for dusting (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. Mix flour with cranberry relish. Roll out half of dough and place in a greased 9" pie pan. Fill with relish mix, dot with butter and working quickly, decorate as desired with the other half (here is how to lattice).

3. Beat egg yolk with heavy cream. Brush on top part of crust and dust with sugar.

4. Bake for 45-55 minutes, turning every 15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. You may need to use a crust shield half way through (here is how you make one).

* For this particular pie, I like a really strong, aged sharp white cheddar.

Pimento Cheese

 

No respectable Southern woman would hand out her recipe for pimento cheese willy-nilly. Each of us thinks of her own pimento cheese- which is ever-so-slightly different from our neighbor's- as the crème de la crème. We relish in the delight of being begged for the details of its assembly. Luckily for y'all I gave up on being respectable long ago. Plus, I just plain like talking about pimento cheese. It's the stuff of my childhood, of long trips to Florida sitting in the back back seat of my family's woody wagon. Of Wednesday night potluck dinners at church. Of tea parties on my birthday. It is food that I at a time when I didn't know the phrase "hold the mayonnaise," when I didn't question whether white Wonder bread was covertly and slowly killing me.

 

In recent years pimento cheese has been quite the fad food and has served as an addition to far too many dishes, cupcakes unfortunately not excluded. Certain celebrity chefs recommend that you make it in the food processor, use cream cheese in lieu of mayonnaise, or add pickle relish, raw onion, BBQ dry rub, etc. Let me be clear: none of the aforementioned things are acceptable. Not North of the Mason Dixon line, not West of the Mississippi, not in Outer Siberia- not anywhere, not at all, not at any time.

Pimento cheese dates back to 1870, but started gaining a lot of popularity in the mid 20th century. Back before union laws guaranteed lunch breaks, ladies would roll a cart right through the textile factories selling pimento cheese sandwiches, and get this- they were so delicious and so popular that the carts were referred to as "dope wagons." At the very same time, upper class ladies were serving identical sandwhiches, cut into tiny triangles, at the stuffiest of high society luncheons. And that's what's fascinating about this old Southern staple: in its simplest form- cheese, mayonnaise and peppers on white bread- it is not fettered by age, race or class. Something that good deserves to be left alone.

Proper pimento cheese should be a blend of yellow and white cheeses, bound but not overcome by mayonnaise, with a staccato of sweet, red peppers. The texture should be smooth, but not mushy and all elements, save except the pimentos themselves, should be savory. Often called the "caviar of the South," it deserves to be treated as such; putting it on top of a burger, a BLT, a hamburger- whatever insane thing the internet has thought of this week- will only dilute and mask the already perfect flavor combination of pimento cheese. It is to be eaten on top of crackers or between two slices of white bread (grilled occasionally) without care or inhibition regarding nutrition.

In my childhood, I rarely heard the words "pimento cheese" without a woman's name possessing them. But that's how really good, old recipes go in the South- they're passed from woman to woman on note cards bearing the original inventor's name. My Mother's recipe box is brimming with handwritten note cards, the secrets of women she has convinced to spill the beans- Katie's gingersnaps, Carol's peach pie, Shirley's cheesecake- each written in the formal cursive that all women of generations before mine seem to know and practice. The cards are stained a greasy because this isn't Pinterest; these recipes are recorded in only a handful of places and that's the way we Southern women intend it to stay. 

With that being said, I'm only going to tell you most of the secrets of my recipe: the types of cheese I use, the ratio of cheese to peppers to mayo, and that I always add walnuts. A good recipe may also call for: a couple dashes Worcestershire or hot sauce, a small spoonful of Dijon mustard, the liquid from hot and sweet pepper relish, or pecans. But that part is up to you. Whatever you choose to add is your secret; it is completely within your power, and yours alone, to whisper it to a dear friend on the back porch after the party has died down, to write a single copy on a note card bearing your name, or perhaps, never to tell it at all.

Pimento Cheese
-serves 10-15 as an appetizer

2 pounds cheese: equal parts mild cheddar, extra sharp aged cheddar, and colby jack
1 cup mayonnaise
5 ounces (about one large whole) roasted red pepper, chopped
large handful baking walnuts
salt and pepper to taste
Acceptable and optional additions: a couple dashes Worcestershire or hot sauce, a small spoonful of Dijon mustard, the liquid from hot and sweet pepper relish, pecans.
Unacceptable additions: anything crunchy like pickle relish, stinky or harsh like raw onion or garlic, or overwhelming like BBQ dry rub.

Grate cheese by hand on the large holes of a box grater. Mix with all other ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. Store in the fridge for up to ten days.

Notes
1. Pre-grated cheese is dry and processed with cellulose from wood pulp.
2. Blending the cheese and mayo in a food processor will result in a heap of greasy mush.
3. It is completely inappropriate to use a mayo that contains sugar. Trader Joe's organic mayo is good, but the traditional choice is Duke's.

Kinfolk (part 2)

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There is a reason that, despite their eternal and ever-growing popularity, s'mores are not on the menu at hardly any restaurants. S'mores feed a particular type of hunger, one that is greater than the hankering for something sweet at the end of a meal and is satisfied only by the act of their making.

For all of my blithering over my feelings and my salad, I failed to mention that our Kinfolk dinner was actually a workshop about "the art of campfire cooking." Whereas the first part of the evening was spent either sweating by the grill or acting like a pinball, bouncing between flippers Beth and Rebekka, the second half began with a sigh of relief. Our guests with full bellies, the dishes in the sink, the last shutter of our cameras clicked, we all sat down, (that glorious feeling, sitting) around the campfire and made s'mores.

The art of campfire cooking is in its layout; rather than the unilateral nature of the grill, the campfire is a panorama, ripe for camaraderie. Camaraderie and anticipation- those are the secret ingredients, the two things that make or break a s'more. Settled down around the crackling fire, we took pause to relish in that delicious type of yearning before indulging in the final course of our meal. We laughed. We told stories. We were fixed in one place at one time, with the worries of bills and emails and deadlines restrained at a safe distance beyond Rebekka's fence. We started as a group of strangers and acquaintances, but ended the evening- sticky and smudged with chocolate- as good friends, or "new old friends," as one rather insightful guest named it.

photo by Beth Kirby

photo by Beth Kirby

Southern Graham Crackers

yields about 20 crackers

adapted from Alton Brown

2 ounces all purpose flour
6 1/2 ounces whole wheat flour
1 1/4 ounces wheat bran
1/2 ounce wheat germ
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
3 ounces unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 ounces sorghum
1 1/4 ounces buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In a blender or food processor, pulse all dry ingredients together. Add sorghum, buttermilk, butter and vanilla and pulse until a ball forms.

3. Chill dough if desired. I found it easier to work with straight out of the blender. Roll out under parchment paper (that's very important!) until it's 1/8" thick.

4. Cut dough into rectangles that fit the chocolate you are using (I recommend Olive and Sinclair 67% dark). Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and make perforations with a fork. A pastry scraper comes in handy here.

5. Bake on the center rack for 20-25 minutes or until the edges just barely start to brown. Serve with earl gray marshmallows.

*Note: these are very old-fashioned graham crackers. If you find that they are too earthy or not sweet enough for you, brush them with melted butter and dust with cinnamon sugar. If you don't have a kitchen scale, here is a conversion chart that should help with the math.