Making Martha

Say what you will about Martha Stewart, but she does know her way around the kitchen. I mean, you can't hate anyone who gives the melon baller a true purpose in life (making candlesticks out of mini pumpkins) TOO much. Plus, she had Snoop Dogg on her show. And real dogs. So stop sipping on that haterade and move on.

I'm going to share with you two recipes that are probably meant for fall, but taste good any time of year. In fact, I just made the oatmeal cranberry cookies yesterday and they were a hit. The pumpkin cupcakes I made for Halloween; also a hit. I made them with the intention of having them as muffins and didn't frost them. Martha swears they would be delicious with a cream cheese frosting and she's probably right. I just haven't tried that yet. A word of wisdom: with the modern world of spices, you can substitute pumpkin pie spice for all the spices and then add the allspice.

As for the cookies, I don't see why you can't substitute raisins (or any other dried fruit) for the craisins and have yourself a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies instead.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Martha Stewart Living

Makes 18 cupcakes

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

Martha Stewart Living

Makes 36 cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

3 tablespoons milk

2 large eggs

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup dried cranberries

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together vanilla, milk, and eggs. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low, gradually add milk mixture, and beat well. Add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Remove bowl from the electric mixer and stir in the oats and cranberries. Place dough in refrigerator until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Shape 2 tablespoons of dough into a ball and set aside. Repeat with the remaining dough, placing 3 inches apart. Press with the bottom of a glass to flatten dough into 2-inch-diameter rounds.

Bake until golden, but still soft in the middle, 16-18 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove from oven; transfer with parchment paper to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Lunch for Mama

Sometimes my ma decides to spruce up the house a bit. This spring, she took to the living room floor: taking up the carpet (to be replaced with one from her darling daughters), sanding the floor, and staining it. Rather than involve myself in this (somewhat smelly) project I decided to make lunch instead. I stumbled upon a recipe (Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese involving all of Mama's favorites for when she took a break.

The recipe as written is meant as a side dish; when you use a whole pear person, rather than a half, it makes a nice sized lunch. I imagine it would also make a nice a side salad served with steak for dinner.

To be fair, I have to warn you this is a bit pricey to make. Especially if you do your shopping at Whole Foods. But no price is too large for Mama! However, if you want to save a few dollars, you could easily substitute the Stilton for a less costly bleu cheese.

Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese

Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics (Ina Garten)

Serves 6 (or 3 if using 1 pear per person)

3 ripe but firm Anjou pears

Freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)

3 ounces coarsely crumbled sharp blue cheese such as Stilton

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup walnut halves toasted and chopped (see note)

1/2 cup apple cider

3 tablespoons port

1/3 cup light sugar, lightly packed

1/4 cup good olive oil

6 ounces baby arugula

Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Peel the pears and slice them lengthwise into halves. With a small, sharp parking knife and a melon baller, remove the core and seeds from each pear, leaving a round well for the filling. Trim a small slice away from the rounded sides of each pear half so that they will sit in the baking dish without wobbling. Toss the pears with lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown. Arrange them, core side up, in a baking dish large enough to hold the pears snuggly.

Gently toss the crumbled blue cheese, dried cranberries, and walnuts together in a small bowl. Divide the mixture among the pears, mounding it on top of the indentation.

In the same bowl, combine the apple cider, port, and brown sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour the mixture over and around the pears. Bake the pears, basting occasionally with the cider mixture, for 30 minutes, or until tender. Set aside until warm or at room temperature.

Just before serving, whisk together the olive oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of the basting liquid in a large bowl. Add the arugula and toss well. Divide the arugula among 6 (or 3) plates and top each with a pear half (or two). Drizzle each pear with the some of the basting liquid, sprinkle with salt, and serve.

*Note: Toast walnuts in a dry saute pan over medium-low heat for 4 to 5 minutes, tossing frequently, until lightly browned.

. . . with a Cherry on Top

Oops I went MIA for a bit. Then a certain someone, who probably felt he hadn't had gotten any train treats in a while, reminded me I hadn't posted any recipes . . . he knows who he is. He also received his treats this morning.

In my family we have a habit of celebrating birthdays a bit late. We're often lucky if we have the party in the same month as the actual birthday. This time we made it by a day and did Uncle's birthday on Feb 28. When it comes to desserts, Uncle has 2 simple requests: cherries and chocolate. This year he got to have both, making for a rather decadent after dinner surprise.

First there was the cherry cheesecake (adapted from Ina Garten's raspberry cheesecake recipe), which gave me an excellent excuse to scurry over to Bed Bath & Beyond and pick up a springform pan to add to my kitchen collection. Then the white chocolate truffles (also Ina) giving me the perfect opportunity to use my new set of glass bowls.

Not to brag or anything, but both came out looking just like the ones in Ina's photos! Before you feel badly about yourself thinking your food never comes out so picture perfect, you can take solace in the fact that my first batch of truffles ended up in the trash on account of bad taste AND appearance. The cheesecake came out rather close to perfect (it didn't even crack on top) and has a nice butter-graham cracker crust. And I love me some graham cracker crust!

Cherry Cheesecake
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Family Style (Ina Garten)
Serves 12-15

For the Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers)
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling
2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
5 whole extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Topping
1 large jar pitted dark cherries in light syrup (best found at Trader Joe's)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
Note: if you use fresh cherries (about 2 cups worth) increase to 1/2 cup water and 1/2 sugar.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Crust
To make the crust, combine the graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter until moistened. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan. With your hands, press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and about 1 inch up the sides. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Filling
Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees.

To make the filling, cream the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed of the mixer to medium and add the eggs and egg yolks, 2 at a time, mixing well. Scrape down the bowl and beater, as necessary. With the mixer on low, add the sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly and pour into the cooled crust.

Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven temperature to 225 degrees and bake for another 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the oven off and open the door wide. The cake will not be completely set in the center. Allow the cake to sit in the oven with the door open for 30 minutes. Take the cake out of the oven and allow it to sit at room temperature for another 2 to 3 hours, until completely cooled. Wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Topping
To make the topping, drain the majority of the syrup from the cherries. Add the water and cherries to a saucepan and heat over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Mix in sugar and corn starch and continue to cook until syrup is thickened. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.

Arrange the cherries on top of the cake and refrigerate until ready to serve. Leave the cake on the bottom of the springform pan for serving.

White Truffles
Ina Garten
Makes 15-20 truffles

2 tablespoons heavy cream
7 ounces good white chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons Irish cream liqueur (recommended: Baileys)
1/2 teaspoon good vanilla extract
6 ounces bittersweet or dark chocolate, chopped (I used chips)

Place the cream in a heat-proof bowl, and set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Cook until heated through. Using a wire whisk, slowly stir the white chocolate into the warm cream until completely melted. Whisk in the liqueur and vanilla. Cover and chill about 1 hour or until pliable but firm enough to scoop.

With 2 teaspoons or a 1 1/4-inch ice cream scoop, make dollops of the chocolate mixture and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes, until firm enough to roll into rough spheres.

Melt the bittersweet chocolate in a heat-proof bowl, set over a pan of simmering water.

Drizzle the melted bittersweet chocolate over the truffles. (I just used a spoon and let the melted chocolate drip from the bottom) Chill until ready to serve.