Coconut Shortbread

This is one of those recipes where I can't decide whether I like the dough or the baked cookie better. I know which one Julia votes for...

This is from the August 2000 issue of Bon Appétit. Not sure why it never made it onto the Epicurious site...

Coconut Shortbread

1 c. (2 sticks; 8 oz.) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 c.+2 T. (4.2 oz.) sugar

1/2 t. coconut extract (vanilla would be fine, too)

1/4 t. salt

1-3/4 c. (8.75 oz.) flour

1/4 c. (1 oz.) cornstarch

3/4 c. (3 oz.) coconut

Heat the oven to 325. Cream together the butter, sugar, extract, and salt until light and fluffy. Remove from the mixer and stir in the flour, cornstarch, and coconut with your hands or a wooden spoon. It will take a while, but it will come together.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/3 inch; use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut it into triangles of the size you feel is appropriate. Place fairly close together on parchment- or foil-lined cookie sheets. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until just turning golden. Check sooner rather than later--mine were the other side of golden, though still OK.

Mustard-Crusted Bass

We had friends over for Sunday lunch yesterday, and this was one of the many things I made. Now that the French gastronomic meal has UNESCO protected status and all, I feel the pressure has ramped up to produce the proper meal in its many courses. So we had gougères with the aperitif, then salad, then this fish and a quinoa pilaf, then cheese, then an apple crumble of sorts, then coffee and macarons. Our friends came at 12:30 and left at 5. That's a civilization worthy of protection, I guess...

Instead of buying frozen fish fillets, which I usually do because I'm a squeamish frightened fish buyer, I bought whole fish at the market, which the friendly guys cleaned and gutted for me. I also had them cut the heads and tails. They gave me the look, "OK, weird foreign lady." But I hate having my food look at me. So sue me.

This recipe, which I've adapted for a bit more simplicity, is from the August 2005 issue of Bon Appétit. I'm not sure why it didn't make it onto the Epicurious site--it's very good: flavorful and light. Which is good if you're doing an all-afternoon meal.

Mustard-Crusted Bass with Tomato Sauce

2 T. olive oil

2 T. butter

4 cloves garlic

1 branch thyme

Salt, pepper

2 lbs. tomatoes (get the tastiest you can find), cut into cubes

1 basket cherry/grape tomatoes, halved

1/3 c. Dijon mustard

1/3 c. whole-grain mustard

1 t. hot pepper sauce (I used Sriracha)

1-2 T. chopped fresh thyme

2 c. panko breadcrumbs (I used regular dry breadcrumbs because I couldn't find panko anywhere...)

4 striped bass fillets (or whatever bass-like fish is considered sustainable in your area)

Canola or other neutral oil

In a large saucepan or skillet, heat the butter and olive oil until the butter is melted and no longer foamy. Add the garlic and heat it until it sizzles a bit. Throw in the thyme and some salt and pepper, and then the cubed big tomatoes (save the little tomatoes for later). Let simmer until the tomatoes have broken down and the sauce has thickened--mine took at least half an hour. Throw in the cherry tomatoes when you're ready to cook the fish.

For the fish, get out two pie plates: put the mustards, hot pepper sauce, and thyme in one; put the panko in the other. Get out a skillet (nonstick is probably best) and heat some oil in it--enough to cover the bottom of the pan generously. Dip the fish in the mustard--you may need to smear it on with your hands or with a rubber scraper--and then in the breadcrumbs. Fry the fish until the outside is crisp and the fish is just opaque in the center--about 3 minutes per side.

To serve, spoon some tomato sauce on a plate and top it with a fish filet. Enjoy and get ready for the cheese.

Mexican Bean-Stuffed Peppers

I seem to be continuing with the retro recipes. This one comes from New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant, which, as I see from the inscription, my cousin Cate gave me in 1987. I know for a fact that this book has traveled to Germany and back at least once, and now it's here with me--and there are still recipes I haven't tried. I liked this one--it's hearty but still has some good texture interplay, and if you leave out the cheese/sour cream thing (maybe top with avocado?), it's vegan.

The recipe recommended serving this with rice, but I didn't think that was necessary. Bulgur might also be nice if you want to be really healthy...

Mexican Bean-Stuffed Peppers

First, make a bit of a cooked salsa thing. Get out a food processor and put in it:

1 large can whole tomatoes, juice and all

1 bell pepper, green or red, seeded, cored, and coarsely chopped

(1-2 jalapeños, if you have them lying around, also cored and perhaps seeded)

1 onion, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 chipotle chili

2 t. cumin

2 t. coriander

2 t. salt

Whiz that all together until it's pretty much smooth. Put it in a pot over medium heat and let it bubble away for an hour or so. If you don't have time for this foolishness, you could just use salsa or even enchilada sauce. Your call. Now we'll stuff some peppers.

1 large onion, chopped

2 T. olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 t. cumin

2 t. coriander

1 t. ancho chile, if you've got it

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 large tomatoes, chopped (I used a basket of cherry tomatoes, quartered)

2 c. corn (I used a can of corn--I'm sure frozen or fresh would be better)

2 cans pinto and/or kidney beans, drained, rinsed, and mashed up with a fork just a bit

2 T. soy sauce (that's how you can tell this is a Moosewood recipe--leave it out if you like)

6 bell peppers--you can buy two of those "stoplight" packs

Grated Cheddar/Jack/pepper jack and/or sour cream and/or avocado

Get out a 13x9-inch pan and oil it. Put about a cup of the salsa you just made in the bottom of it. In a large skillet, sauté the onion in the olive oil over medium-high heat until translucent. Add the salt, pepper, and spices and garlic and sauté another minute. Add the tomatoes, corn, beans, and soy sauce, and heat until it's all hot. Take off the stove and get your peppers ready: cut them in half lengthwise, core and seed them. Fill each one with the bean mixture (I had way more beans than peppers; oh, well) and put into the pan that you've put salsa in. When all your peppers are lined up, cover the pan and bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until the peppers are tender and everything is nice and hot. Garnish the peppers with cheese and/or sour cream and/or avocado and enjoy a taste of the 80s.

Lentil and Split Pea Soup

This is another recipe that's been lurking in the archives: it's from the December 1994 Bon Appétit, which I have in hard copy form in my apartment because I'm That Kind of a Person. Made as written, it's not very vegetarian, but you could leave out the smoked pork products and it would still be quite good--if you had a Parmesan rind lying around your refrigerator, you could put that in, as I did, which would add a nice savory edge. One more thing: I used the ham hock to make broth and then didn't use chicken broth. It's an easy enough thing to do if you have time and/or a Crock Pot.

Lentil and Split Pea Soup

3 slices bacon, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 leek, cleaned and chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

Salt and pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup lentils, rinsed

1/2 cup split peas, rinsed

6 cups chicken broth

1 smoked ham hock

1 bay leaf

1/2 t. dried thyme

1 smallish potato, peeled and cubed

2 T. red wine

In a big pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until it's rendered and brown. Scoop out the bacon and sauté the onion, carrot, leek, and celery in the bacon fat until light brown. Add salt and pepper to taste (remember that smoked pork products tend to be salty) and the garlic; sauté another minute. Add the lentils, split peas, chicken broth, ham hock, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the cubed potato and red wine and cook for another 20 minutes, or until the lentils, peas, and potato are all tender. Fish out the bay leaf and the ham hock. If you want, you can cut the meat off the ham hock, cube it, and put it back in the soup. If you like your soup on the thick side, get out an immersion blender, if you have one (you could also ladle a few cups of soup into your blender and turn it on, but be careful!) and blend until the soup has some body but also still some chunks. Top with the bacon, if you haven't already eaten it as a snack, and ham chunks. Serve on a cold day. Should serve about 6.

Pear-Walnut Muffins

Saturday breakfast! A very fall-appropriate choice. These came together easily, taste good, and are on the semi-healthy side, especially if you boost the whole-wheat flour a bit (I did about 1 c. whole wheat and 1 c. white). This recipe is one I typed up from the January 27, 1997 issue of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which shows I've been obsessive about cooking a good long while...

Pear Muffins

2/3 c. brown sugar 1-1/4 c. finely chopped pear

1-1/2 c. flour 1/3 c. chopped toasted walnuts

1/2 c. whole wheat flour 3/4 c. milk

1 T. baking powder 2 T. oil

1/2 t. salt 1 egg

1/2 t. cinnamon 1 T. sugar (raw sugar, or cinnamon sugar, would be good here)

Heat oven to 400. Combine sugar, flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl; stir well. Add pear and walnuts; toss gently to coat. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk, oil, and egg; stir well. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Divide batter evenly among 12 muffin cups sprayed with Pam; sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove muffins from pans immediately; let cool on a wire rack. Makes 1 dozen.

Stir-Fried Garlic Chicken

I think the girls' three favorite answers to "What's for dinner?" are "pasta", "gratin", and "stir-fry". Maybe "pizza" is up there, too. So everyone was happy last night.

Of course, making everyone happy usually means messing with the recipe. In this case, I changed the snow peas (hard to find, expensive, no-one really loves them) to broccoli (no problem on any of those accounts) and did the veggies in a separate pan with half the ginger/garlic and half the pan sauce. It's an extra pot to wash, but hey, now that I have a dishwasher...

This recipe comes from the much-maligned "90s" version of the Joy of Cooking. So sue me--I love mine. I don't think I've had a bad result from it. If you can get through all the mixing and chopping, you will really love this stir-fry as well!

Stir-Fried Garlic Chicken

In a medium bowl, mix together:

1 T. cornstarch

1 T. mirin or dry sherry or white wine or dry vermouth

2 t. soy sauce

2 t. oyster sauce

1 t. salt

1 t. sugar

Cut into small pieces or thin slices:

1-1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs (white meat should probably work here, too)

Marinate the chicken in the sauce above for about half an hour while you get the other stuff ready:

Get a large head of broccoli. Cut off the florets and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Peel the stem and chop that into thin slices as well. Waste not, want not.

Also, cut a large onion into about 8 wedges.

This would be a good time to start cooking your rice.

Mince together, with a knife or in a mini-chopper:

3 cloves garlic

an inch-long piece of ginger, peeled

Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together:

1 T. hoisin sauce (you can probably mix and match the hoisin and oyster sauce here, depending on what you have lying around)

1 T. ketchup

1 T. sesame oil

1-1/2 T. soy sauce

1/2 t. red pepper flakes

Have ready:

1/3 c. chicken broth (I used green tea)

3 scallions (green onions), cut decoratively into diagonal slices or long, thin strips

OK, you can start cooking now. Get out your largest, deepest skillet, preferably one with a lid. Heat about 2 T. peanut or other oil in it (this is probably not the time for olive oil) over high heat. Get it good and hot, then add the chicken and stir and cook until it's no longer pink. Take out the chicken, add more oil if it seems prudent, and throw in the broccoli and onions. Stir-fry for a bit, then pour in the broth or green tea, pop on the lid, and let steam for just a couple of minutes. Take the lid off and let the liquid evaporate, then make room in the center of the pan and put the ginger and garlic in there. Stir that around. When things are starting to smell really good, throw the chicken back in there along with the hoisin mixture and the scallions. Stir until the sauce starts bubbling, then pull off the heat. Serve as soon as possible with the rice.

Courge au Gratin/Squash Casserole

This recipe comes to you via a French cookbook called "Cuisine sans souci," which Sami bought for me at a used cookbook store in Paris probably in the 80s or early 90s. It's a great basic cookbook, without a lot of frills--like most French cookbooks, it assumes you already know how to cook, so the recipes are short. I made the recipe more American by adding cheese.

I think this recipe was designed to be a side dish, but Sami was gone, so the girls and I turned it into a girly main dish. It really is filling enough to take a main role on the plate.

Julia loved this; Claire couldn't or wouldn't finish hers; I liked mine but thought the texture was a bit mushy. That's why I've upped the number of eggs from the original 2 to 3 with an optional 4.

Courge au gratin

2-1/2 lbs. winter squash (I used pumpkin)

Olive or vegetable oil

2 T. butter

2 T. flour

Salt, pepper, nutmeg

Dash Tabasco or other "spiciness enhancer"

1-2/3 c. milk

1 c. grated cheese (I used Comté; a gruyère or sharp cheddar would be nice)

3-4 eggs

2 slices bread, white or wheat

2 T. butter

about an ounce of Parmesan

Heat the oven to 400. Butter a 2-quart gratin or casserole dish and set aside. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds (an ice cream scoop works well for this). Rub the cut side of the squash with the oil and put it on a foil- or parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for about 45 minutes or until nice and soft. You can do this a day or so ahead if you want--just scoop out the squash into a bowl and refrigerate it until you're ready to proceed. If you're proceeding right away, keep the oven on. You can make the sauce while the squash cooks.

The cookbook actually called for "2 cups of thick Béchamel sauce," assuming you knew how to do that. If you do, proceed to make one with the butter, flour, seasonings and milk. Otherwise, get out a heavy smallish saucepan and melt the butter over medium heat until it stops foaming. Add the flour and seasonings and stir for about a minute before gradually whisking in the milk. Heat, whisking almost constantly, until the sauce is bubbly and thickened. Take off the heat and add the cheese, stirring until it melts. OK, now mash up the squash well with a fork, or put it through a sieve or a food mill, or purée it with a food processor (if you do this, make your bread crumbs first--see below). Mix the mashed squash with the cheesy béchamel. Whisk in the eggs one at a time and turn the mixture into the buttered casserole dish.

In a blender or food processor, put the bread (torn into pieces), the butter (cut into 4 pieces), and the Parmesan (broken into crumbles). Pulse that until you have lovely buttered bread crumbs. Sprinkle that on top of your squash mixture.

Put the casserole in the oven and bake for about 20-30 minutes or until the crumbs are nice and brown and the squash mixture has firmed up a bit. Let rest for about 10 minutes before digging in.