The "Big Apple" Manhattan

It seems somehow correct that rye whiskey would serve as the traditional foundation for a "Manhattan".   A good rye whiskey is solid yet brash,  fortifying yet with the complexity of a good wine.  The intensity of a good rye whiskey screams to be noticed.     Just like a lot of New Yorkers.

I am nearly certain that whomever first coined the phrase "give me a good, stiff drink" was referring to a shot of rye whiskey.   But if you mix that shot of rye with sweet vermouth and a dash of bitters that bracing slap across the face becomes a relaxing, meditative massage.  It becomes a Manhattan.

Nobody will argue that this is one fine cocktail but there is room for variety in its execution -- much like the art of massage itself.  The so-called purists will never approve of Manhattans made with bourbon, its sweeter and more rounded cousin, but these types would also never think twice about perverting the drink with a goopy maraschino cherry.  (A garnish I never quite believed belonged in there anyway.)

This version rounds the bourbon out even further with a knock of apple brandy's caramel, apples and spice notes and it skips the maraschino cherry altogether earning it a few bonus points with me.  I can't tell you why but I seem to enjoy this drink when it is shaken and not stirred.  HIghly irregular.  But so are some New Yorkers.  And I like 'em that way.

Big Apple Manhattan

• 2 ounces good Bourbon
• 1 ounce  Laird's Applejack 
• 1 ounce sweet vermouth
• 2 splashes bitters
• 1 apple slice for garnish

Add the bourbon, Applejack, vermouth and bitters to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.  Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with the apple slice.

Cocoa SablésHaiku French Fridays with Dorie

Pretty much the same...

World Peace, Korova, Sable

Dorie must love 'em

Three cookbooks!

Chocolate short breads in each. 

Redundant cookie!

Eh, what can you do?

You cannot stop with just one

So grab some cold milk

Shout from the rooftop!

Evangelical cookies

Dorie preaches them. 

And preach she should!   So if it seems as if I'm giving Dor' a bit of a hard time its because I am.  This cookie variant has been featured in quite a few of The Dor's books but the tasty truth of the matter is this particular cookie deserves it.  Its that good.

This week it is the assignment for French Friday's with Dorie and even thought I've made it before several times you didn't need to ask me twice to join right in.  In previous posts I've shared a bit about my adaptations and secrets for keeping things round as well...

Cocoa Sablés

File This Under: It's Funny Because Its True.

Via The New Yorker.

Cheese Soufflé French Fridays with Dorie

I owe a lot to the Cheese Soufflé.

I'm pretty sure it was the dramatic allure of a Cheese Soufflé  that  coaxed my mother from the relative comfort of her mother's recipe box towards a more exciting world full of culinary challenges and French flavors.  

These were the days before All Clad.  Home cooks were happy with Revere Ware and because Julia said so, my mom went out to find a big copper bowl to whip her egg whites in.   This was when she set her sights on mastering the art of the soufflé.

My eight-year-old self would have a front row seat to watch her while she deftly conquered this tasty "whole is greater than the sum of its parts" French classic.     Eggs, milk, cheese, butter.    Who could have first imagined what sublime wonder could be spun from such ordinary ingredients?

After testing it out on my father before debuting it 'live' for her lucky company, the souffle quickly became her "signature dish."   It was always timed perfectly and presented as her guests took their seats at the table.   Her guests would "ooh" and "aah" and marvel at their good fortune at having scored an invitation to her table. for invitations were beginning to be coveted.   The soufflé says you are in the hands of an accomplished home cook, that is,  if dishes can actually say such things.

My mom figured out what I think all of us who have actually cooked one knows:  the soufflé is much easier than it looks.   Its joys are open for the taking if you decide you are worth receiving them.

How is that for a metaphor for life?  

The cheese soufflé is a definite confidence builder making it the perfect 'first dish' for serious learning in the kitchen.  Mom knew this from experience swhen it was my time in my life to need a little confidence in the kitchen.  When  I  needed some 'oohs' and 'aahs' of my own it was one of the first dishes she would set out to teach me.    Her experience told her that this dish could always get the job done.  

Oooh and ahh your child and they are happy for a moment.   Teach them to get their own and they are happy for a lifetime.

It worked, of course, and my culinary journey was launched.  

I owe a lot to the Cheese Soufflé.

The soufflé is this week's French Fridays with Dorie assignment.  I didn't want to miss this one as it has  been years since I actually made one.   A plain one that is although no soufflé deserves to be called "plain".   Just recently, I've made spinach soufflés, leek soufflés, spinach and leek soufflés, chocolate soufflés, and even a Grand Marnier soufflé (another mom favorite); but I haven't  made a Cheese Souffle -- not since that year I set out to emulate mom's cooking skills and score some little personal confidence. 

In a rush to complete the dish while there was still daylight I had overlooked a few things.   My eggs were straight from the refrigerator and once I poured the mixture into the prepared dish I realized a bit late that the recipe was scaled for a 6 cup dish -- the one size I don't have.     

It seems the soufflé still has some lessons for me:   read the recipe all the way through, always prep your ingredients before you start, and most of all, when nobody is looking, sneak in the new 6 cup soufflé dish you bought at Williams Sonoma.

Cheese Soufflé 

Thin Mint Cookie Scones Happy 100th Birthday Girl Scouts!

So how did I end up with 50 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies this year?

Well, I'll tell you but before I do, did you know that the Girl Scouts recently had to face down a boycott of their beloved annual cookie drive?  Seriously, they did.   

I ask you , is that any way to treat this iconic organization dedicated to building "girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place"?  I didn't think so either. Adding insult to injury this nasty affair exploded only just a few short months ahead of the organization's 100th birthday celebration.    

What on earth did The Girl Scouts do to put spark to kindling and ignite such a fire alarm call for a national boycott of our beloved Girl Scout Cookie sale?  

The whole nasty affair started when a troop in Colorado had the unmitigated gall to allow a particular 7 year-old child into their troop.  This particular child happened to be born a boy who had always self-identified as being a girl. It happens. Inside of their community there was no drama here as this child had already been accepted as a girl.   I can't claim to fully understand this type of situation or the challenges it must bring for the child and her parents but  I can imagine what a blessing it must have been for her to be accepted into such a group.  A group of her peers that welcomed her to participate in all the activities that have made the Girl Scouts great for a century.

Did the other girls in the troop have a problem with this?  No.  Did the parents of the girls in the troop have a problem with it?  No.  Did the local or national organizations have a problem with it?  No, not at all.  

And lack of a problem all around was a problem for a certain 14 year-old girl from California named Taylor.  (More than likely it was her parent's problem too, don't you think?) She (or they) decided to make a YouTube video calling for a national cookie boycott in order to protest this troop's efforts to, um, build this child's confidence and character. They must not have thought she deserved to have any?  (You can find the video yourself if you want to see it, I just refuse to link to it here.) 

This is all it took to open up the flood gates for a national "piling on" of various unfounded accusations against the beloved Girl Scouts.  Their members promise to do their best, to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, and now they were accused of everything from being a "radical group" promoting abortions and homosexuality to being a "tactical arm" of Planned Parenthood.   

Uh huh. Yeah. The Girl Scouts.  (What are they doing on those camping trips anyway?) 

To be honest, I don't really know that many Girl Scouts.  The ones I do know are the daughters of my friends, co-workers, and neighbors who stand outside our local supermarket every year or call me up to sweetly ask me if I would l buy a few boxes to support their camping trips, their council or their many charitable activities. I always do it gladly every year and then suffer through the deliciousness and bloat of my good deed.

Of course, I also love to see the young girls become confident salespeople while they work towards a collective or individual goal.  These girls really didn't strike me as the "promoters of immorality"  types that certain Indiana lawmakers might have you believe.   If you ask me, politics has to be pretty low for its practitioners to start laying into this fine organization.   

This boycott didn't sit very well with a few friends of mine either so we made a pact amongst ourselves to each buy $100 dollars worth of cookies from the first Girl Scout that approached us to make a sale.   (Moms who do the dirty work and merely circulate sign-up sheets at work were disqualified!)

Only two days after making our pledge a work-mate of mine brought her young Girl Scout daughter into the office to sell to a captive audience.  She commandeered one of the vacant executive offices with a large window in front and set up a "Girl Scout Cookie Store" where all who passed by could see. How is that for good thinking?

Boxes of cookies where  set out on an empty bookshelf  which made a very attractive retail display for the ever-popular Thin Mints. Other varieties were used to make up an "end caps" and teaser display on the desk where people would have to sit down to write their checks. This girl certainly has a future in merchandising. Once everything was just perfect she invited her customers into her "shop" by announcing on the PA that she was "open for business."  

A shrewdly announced a "limited supply of Dos-Si-Dos" which caused an initial rush to her store lest any Dos-Si-Dos fan had to go without.  "This girl is good" I thought to myself. I waited for a quiet moment before going on in.  Once my moment arrived we exchanged a mild hello and before she timidly offered to help me make my "cookie selections". She was a definite "10" on the "adorable scale"! I played my part and started asking questions to make sure she actually knew what she was selling. (She did.) Which were her favorites? (Naturally it was one of the slow sellers she was trying to promote.) Which did she think I would like the most? Etc.

Finally, I paused for a moment and pretended as if I still had a question to ask or a decision to make. Finally I uttered:

"They all look so good.  Hmmm...  I'll take 25 boxes please."

The smile I got in return wasn't worth one hundred dollars.  It was worth much, much more. Priceless.

Causing such a smile was such a high that I quickly decided to do it all again and challenged my friends to re-up.  They all had similar stories to tell so it didn't take much convincing to get them to part with more of their cash for a good cause.

This time around  I ended up buying a $100 worth of cookies from a Girl Scout who was actually dressed up as a Thin Mint.  She was standing outside my local Trader Joe's market.

"Mom! Mom! O.M.G. this man wants $100 worth of cookies!"

Her friends, a costumed Trefoil and Do-Si-Dos started screaming and jumping up and down to share in her excitement.   Admittedly under normal circumstances I don't much appreciate the sound of screaming girls one bit but this day and under these circumstances this particular noise that would normally crack a windshield sounded like a symphony. .

At $100 a pop it is was an expensive high so I had to cap it off right there.

So there you go. That is how I  ended up with 50 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies.   I was tempted to hoard them all but I've been getting way too many smiles giving them away wherever I go. Just last night I  took some boxes to the hospital nurses and med techs who are taking care of a friend.   They appreciated my appreciation and I have the Girl Scouts to thank for that.  I gave two boxes to the garbage guys this morning and a box to the security guard down in the lobby.  Smiles all around and so easy.

So, the next time a cookie selling Girl Scout crosses your path, buy something. In fact, buy more than you usually do and give some away. When you buy and then give away a box you get two smiles for the price of one.

Happy Birthday Girl Scouts!  Don't let the turkeys get you down.  You are loved for all you do to
to serve God and our country, to help people at all times, and to live by the Girl Scout Law.

Thin Mint Cookie Scones 

 

 

Impressive Herby Cheese Straw Thingies

 

I think your dinner or cocktail guests will be mighty impressed with these super Impressive Herby Cheese Straw thingies.   They'll try to stop at one but they won't be able to.  So easy to make too!  No big deal.  But, yeah, they ARE a big deal.   'Cause everyone loves cheesy herby baked thingies.      

I'm not trying to imply your guests won't be impressed with everything about your dinner party.  Just throwing one is impressive enough these days.  Who has time?   It's just that you've got to admit that these are mighty impressive straws of cheesy, herby baked stuff .  

If you can impress this much with so little effort, why wouldn't you?  In fact, these are so impressive that they actually have "impressive" in their title.  It doesn't get any more real than that.   Even though I had to put that word in the title myself.  

Want to know something else?   

I never used to serve appetizers.   True that!   I thought why serve appetizers and ruin everyone's appetite for the main course?    How silly.   This just might be the best time to show off and let people know what you can do.   

Its fun to be so, well, nonchalant about the whole thing.   That is, if you can hold back your excitement at having made these.

"Oh, these?  Yes, just something I whipped up a few minutes ago.  Do you like them?"

They like them.  They're impressive. They've got cheese in them. 

And like so many impressive treats and confections that come from the oven, these little lovelies came to me via the Joy the Baker blog.    Its not that I didn't know how to make these before Joy posted them.  Its just that they never seemed so fun before she posted them.    Whats up with that?   Joy, that's what.   She can turn the world on with her smile.      

You want to know something else? 

I think I have a serious crush on her.  No big deal.  But yeah, it's a big deal.     She couldn't know this but I first  blog-met Joy in 2009.  She made me blueberry muffins.  Well, she didn't really make me blueberry muffins.   That would be weird on a first blog-date.   When she posted banana bourbon bread pudding we were seriously blog-going-steady. For real.    And we all know how much I like bourbon and banana.  

You still wanna know something else?  

I stood in line last weekend at her book signing!  This is not the kind of thing I would usually do but, you know, this was JOY THE freakin' BAKER.  Joy is on a book tour for her new cookbook and I get a bit giddy when someone from Food Blog Land gets a book deal.   I try to turn it out for that.   That's real. You go.  I tried  to act nonchalant but I couldn't.

And OMG(!) there were a few hundred people there to see her!   I guess a lot of people have a crush on her as well.    We'll just all have to share.  While we wait, have a cheese straw.

Yes.  I made them.  They were something I whipped up just a few minutes ago. 

These are made with every baker's secret ingredient: frozen puff pastry.  If you don't have any in your freezer you should go out and get some right away.   Joy would want you to.  With FPP you can turn just about anything into an appetizer or dessert at a moments notice  Even a pizza!   Now THAT is impressive, no? 

Impressive Herby Cheese Straw Thingies

 

Saint-German-des-Prés Onion Biscuit BLT's Haiku for French Fridays with Dorie

So, biscuits are French?

They are if you rename them:

"Saint-German-des-Prés"!

What I learned from this week's French Fridays with Dorie recipe is that if you add a little something to the ingredient list of an otherwise well established staple you can then give it an extraordinary sounding name of your own choosing.

Dorie added onions to the ordinary biscuit and rechristened it with the very French sounding "Saint-Germain-des-Prés Onion Biscuits".      I added a bit of fresh thyme to the mix and was going to rename them once again but who can come up with a name better than this?

Unlike Dorie, I'm not likely to serve these to friends with a bottle of champagne for madcap effect.

"Oh look at us! We are eating biscuits with our champagne! Aren't we crazy!"

At least not while I still know how to make the more elegant gougères.

An American serving biscuits to the French must be akin to a Frenchman serving gougères to Americans, don't you think?  (At least this makes sense to me if not to you.)

Half of Dorie's biscuits (with thyme, mind you) found their way to the freezer.  The other half found their way to lunch where they anchored some rather tasty bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches.    

What small tweaks to you make to rather common recipes that transform them into your house specialty?

Saint-German-des-Prés Onion-Thyme Biscuit BLT's

 

Roasted Banana Bourbon Ice Cream

Surprisingly, this blog's inbox will sometime get an email that isn't trying to sell me Viagra:

"Dear Sis Boom blog, 

I think you "get me".  I am addicted to banana.  Unfortunately, when I go shopping my eyes are bigger than my mouth.  I tend to over-buy and so by the end of the week I must race to consume them all.   There must be more to do with ripe bananas than make banana bread, isn't there?   Sometimes I think that if bake any more banana bread for my girls, I will get violent. 

Another thing, I believe in eating locally and reducing my carbon footprint whenever possible.  You seem to have a lot of opinions, what do you think of this? All this social responsibility makes me want to drink...sigh.  

Sincerely,

Possibly Postal in PA 

(P.S.  I love my bourbon, but I have been drinking a ton more of it since your Horse's Neck Cocktail went viral.  It is oddly gratifying to blame it on you!)

Well Postal, you are in luck because I've got something for you that is right up your alley. But first let me say that violence never solved anything except my early struggle to be left alone in high school.  But  I digress...

To be blunt, as far as dining trends go I find the whole "eating local" or "farm to table" movement a bit annoying .  At least with the "put bacon on and in everything you can" movement you ended up with genuinely enjoyable food that didn't cost a fortune.   I know it's a splendid idea to support local farmers and growers and all that stuff when you can, but are you honestly willing to strictly limit your diet to what comes to you in a CSA basket?   You will be sacrificing enough cash and variety to accomplish this movement's lofty goals when you go out to dinner -- are you just as willing to martyr your wallet and menu selections at home too?  

For my part, the day I realized that I lived 2000 miles from where they make good bourbon was also the day I realized how much I disliked "eating local".   Now that I think of it, do farm-to-table restaurants even have a bar?   Who would drink tequila made in Montgomery County or house gin made 'out back' in Allentown?  

There is a lot here to work out if you ask me. Not enough of us live close to where bacon is made.

And you, dear Postal,  help me prove my point.

Your addiction is to the most environmentally incorrect food there is, the banana. When was the last time you saw a banana plantation in Philly?   It takes an awful lot of fuel and regime support to schlep your beloved banana from Ecuador (or wherever), to your kitchen counter.

So, if you aren't going to give up bananas the very least you can do is not let them rot and go to waste after all that they had to do to get to your kitchen counter.

If that means more banana bread for your girls PP then do it!  If we all did more to not waste the food we do transport and buy we could affect greater change than if we dined out at whatever establishment is offering to  baptize our guilt with a high priced, often boring meal.

Luckily you don't have to.  You do have options.  If you are so tired of banana bread, chocolate banana bread, coconut banana bread,  chocolate peanut butter banana bread, or chocolate bacon banana bread you can always make ice cream with your tropical fruits.      

Which brings us to this Roasted Banana Bourbon Ice Cream.  

You're welcome.  

Signed,  Sis. Boom. 

The recipe is adapted from David Lebovitz who is my go-to guy for frozen inspirations.  The added booze was my idea, but something tells me David would approve.    If he doesn't, I would be happy to buy him a bourbon and  discuss it with him further. 

Roasted Banana Bourbon Ice Cream

 

 

Roasted Banana Bourbon Ice Cream