Weighing in On Paula Deen

It's taken me a day to get over my anger and disgust at the Paula Deen roadshow yesterday.  Now I know there are a lot of people who love Paula Deen and I understand that watching someone who cooks like she does is really spectator sport, but I am in Anthony Bourdain's corner on this one.  He described her as the most dangerous woman on the Food Network.  Here's exhibit A:

The Krispy Kreme Burger with two Krispy Kreme donuts, fried egg and bacon.  Just because she makes food like this doesn't give you permission to eat like this.  Ms Deen's admission (after knowing about her diabetes for over 3 years) came only after she had secured a lucrative spokesperson gig with a drug company.  The Food Network denied knowing about this but it's interesting that Paula's son has a show that began airing a few weeks ago titled "Not My Mama's Cooking", I find that all a bit too coincidental.

Anyone who has to deal with a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes, has to deal with a life long battle, and I do sympathize with that, but  when Ms. Deen said that "diabetes isn't your fault" I was flabbergasted.  I would say serial overeating, no exercise, and smoking are probably contributing factors.  How about this dish?

This is the deep fried baked potato....now I know it looks great, but could you really eat a steady diet of this?  Julia Child lived to be 92 years old; no one enjoyed good food and drink as much as she did, the operative words here are good food, fresh, simply prepared food.  Her quote was always, everything in moderation  which should be the American mantra when it comes to our diet. 
Now, I realize we are all adults here, and we make our own decisions, and face the consequence of our actions, but cooking with Ms. Deen can be hazardous to your health.  I think we all should follow my friend Cookie Monsters' advice...

Enjoy your day, and I'll be back tomorrow with a few tips for weekend cooking. 

More Cookies

Today I was given some really delicious biscotti from a friend, and thought that biscotti make a great gift from your kitchen.  You can dress up the gift by putting the biscotti into a coffee mug, and adding chocolate spoons for stirring, and a 1/2 pound of Italian Roast Coffee.
These biscotti are addictive, with their bittersweet chocolate notes, off set by salted almonds and milk chocolate chunks.  I usually make several batches, and they freeze beautifully if you want to get a head start on your holiday baking. 

Chocolate Almond Biscotti



Makes 40


2 Cups all-purpose flour
½ cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon instant espresso powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, salted, room temperature
½ cup sugar
½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste
1 cup chopped dry roasted salted almonds
1 cup milk chocolate chips




Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the baking sheet with parchment or silicone pan liner.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
Scrape down bowl; add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and beat till light and fluffy again, approximately 2 minutes. Scrape down bowl.
Add flour mixture slowly, mixing till combined.
Add chopped nuts and chocolate chips. Mix till just combined.
Divide dough in half and roll each piece into a 12-inch cylinder. Pat down cylinder to 1 inch thick and 2 inches wide.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove baking sheet from oven and let cool at least 15 minutes. You can let them cool for hours at this point if you run out of time and continue later, or you can freeze the cooled logs for a later date.
With a long serrated knife, cut each log into ¾ slices. Stand slices onto prepared baking pan, 1 inch apart. Cookies can lie down flat onto the baking sheet, but I feel you get a nicer bake upright.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes more. Cookies should not be soft.
Remove to wire racks to cool completely, store in airtight containers for up to 2 weeks at room temperature or freeze for up to two months. 
Adapted from Tate's Bake Shop Recipe of the Month

I'll be teaching tonight at KitchenArt in West Lafayette, IN, and then heading to Bloomington tonight and on to the East Coast tomorrow.  The temperature here this morning was 29 degrees, so I'm off to find some woolie things to wear, wish me luck!  Enjoy your day, I'll be back tomorrow with more.

C is for cookie

 
Today is Cookie Monster's 41st birthday.  Cookie and I have had a thing since I discovered him on Sesame Street many years ago; he and I share a common love of cookies, and we love to spell!!
Some of my favorite episodes of Sesame Street were when Cookie would be looking for something that rhymed with another word, and he could never find it even though it was right in front of him. For a great video go here.
In honor of Cookie's birthday I'm going to share a recipe for Cranberry Bliss Bars; you may have had these at Starbucks, I think mine are a bit better since the Starbucks pastries usually taste pretty wet, like they are defrosted.  No one will be able to resist these and when you have a cup of tea or coffee and treat yourself to one of these, remember to wish Cookie Monster a happy birthday!  I'll be back tomorrow with more, until then, have a safe night.

Cranberry Bliss Bars

Makes about forty 2-inch bars

Bars

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons orange orange extract

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

3/4 cup unsweetened dried cranberries

3/4 cup chopped white chocolate  

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan with a silicone liner, aluminum foil, or parchment paper.  If you are using foil or parchment, coat it with nonstick cooking spray.
2. To make the bars, with an electric mixer, beat together the butter, brown and granulated sugars, eggs, and orange oil in a large bowl  until combined.
3. Add the flour, baking powder, and spices and beat until the flour begins to blend into the batter, 45 seconds to 1 minute. 
4. Add the cranberries and chocolate, stirring just to blend and being careful not to over mix.
5. Spread in the prepared pan and bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs adhering to it, 15 to 17 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan on a rack. 

Creamy Orange-and-White Chocolate Frosting

One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter or margarine

4 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon orange extract

1/4 cup unsweetened dried cranberries

1/4 cup chopped white chocolate

1. To make the frosting, with an electric mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until fluffy, or process them in a food processor.
2. Add the confectioners’ sugar and orange oil and beat or process until the frosting reaches a spreadable consistency. Spread it evenly over the cooled bars.
3. Sprinkle with the 1/4 cup of cranberries and white chocolate chips.

Garnishes and Drizzles

8 ounces white chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. To make the drizzle, in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, melt the chopped white chocolate with the butter, stirring until smooth. 
2. Drizzle over the frosting in a decorative pattern.
3. Do-Ahead: At this point, you can cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 6 weeks.