Jam Thumbprint Cookies (Ina Garten and Hana)

 Hana from Bon Appetit’s take on Ina Garten’s recipe

• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
• 7 ounces unsweetened coconut, processed to small bits (like Trader Joe’s)*
• Raspberry and/or apricot jam

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until they are just combined and then add the vanilla. Separately, sift together the flour and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix until the dough starts to come together. Dump on a floured board and roll together into a flat disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough into 1-1/4 inch balls. (If you have a scale, they should each weigh 1 ounce.) Dip each ball into the egg wash and then roll it in coconut. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and press a light indentation into the top of each with your finger. Drop 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each indentation. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the coconut is a golden brown. Cool and serve.

*This is Hana’s variation from using sweetened shredded coconut

Copyright 2002, Barefoot Contessa Family Style by Ina Garten, Clarkson Potter/Publishers, All Rights Reserved

 

Sauce Rémoulade (Bittman)

(From The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005)

Forget tartar sauce. Rémoulade is its predecessor, and it’s superior in every way, the ideal sauce for grilled (and other) fish.

Ingredients

makes about 1 cup

1 cup mayonnaise, preferably homemade (page 602)

Salt and black pepper to taste

1 small garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons chopped capers

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves or a pinch of dried

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 anchovy fillets, minced, optional

1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

1.       Step 1

If you’ve already made the mayonnaise, combine it with all the remaining ingredients. If you’re making the mayonnaise for this recipe and you’re using a food processor or blender, you can save yourself some mincing by adding the garlic at the beginning and pulsing in the other solid ingredients while the sauce is still in the machine.

Step 2

The sauce will keep well in the refrigerator for a few days, though it will lose a bit of intensity each day. To freshen it before serving, squeeze in a little lemon juice.

 Just for comparison, here's Bobby Flay's Tartar Sauce recipe:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  
  
• 1/2 cup sour cream
  
  
• 1/3 cup finely chopped dill pickle (or relish)
  
  
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
  
  
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped capers
  
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped chives or ¼ tsp onion powder
  
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried
  
  
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  
  
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  
  
• 1/8 tsp each salt, and pepper, plus more to taste

 

 

 

 

Ultranutty Pecan Bars (Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen)

 Original Recipe source: Ultranutty Pecan Bars | America's Test Kitchen

 Makes 24 bars

 TIME 1 hour, plus 1½ hours cooling

 A couple notes:

·       This did not work in our stainless steel All-Clad 13 x 9 pan. The cookie layer didn’t brown. A cheap darker pan from TJ Maxx ($7) worked great.

·       I ran out of light corn syrup for my second batch and used dark corn syrup and I thought it was better.

·       I thought the original crust recipe wasn’t enough. Too thin for me, so I used the “Crust x 1.25” measurements below, and that was better.

INGREDIENTS

Crust

1 ¾ cups (8 3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour

6 tablespoons (2 2/3 ounces) sugar

½ teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons melted

 

Crust x 1.25 (Recommended):

All-purpose flour | 273.75 grams

Sugar | 93.75 grams

Salt | 3.75 grams

Unsalted butter, melted | 141.75 grams

 

Topping

¾ cup packed (5 1/4 ounces) light brown sugar

½ cup light dark corn syrup (164 grams)

7 tablespoons melted and hot

1 teaspoon

½ teaspoon salt

4 cups (1 pound) pecan halves, toasted

½ teaspoon fancy flake salt, like Malden’s (optional)

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

It is important to use pecan halves, not pieces. The edges of the bars will be slightly firmer than the center. If desired, trim 1/4 inch from the edges before cutting into bars. Toast the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet in a 350-degree oven until fragrant, 8 to 12 minutes, shaking the sheet halfway through.

INSTRUCTIONS

FOR THE CRUST: Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Make foil sling for 13 by 9-inch baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil; first sheet should be 13 inches wide and second sheet should be 9 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Lightly spray foil with vegetable oil spray.

 

Whisk flour, sugar, and salt together in medium bowl. Add melted butter and stir with wooden spoon until dough begins to form. Using your hands, continue to combine until no dry flour remains and small portion of dough holds together when squeezed in palm of your hand. Evenly scatter tablespoon-size pieces of dough over surface of pan. Using your fingertips and palm of your hand, press and smooth dough into even thickness in bottom of pan.

 

FOR THE TOPPING: Whisk sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, vanilla, and salt together in medium bowl until smooth (mixture will look separated at first but will become homogeneous), about 20 seconds. Fold pecans into sugar mixture until nuts are evenly coated.

 

Pour topping over crust. Using spatula, spread topping over crust, pushing to edges and into corners (there will be bare patches). Bake until topping is evenly distributed and rapidly bubbling across entire surface, 23 to 25 minutes.

 

Transfer pan to wire rack and lightly sprinkle with flake sea salt, if using. Let bars cool completely in pan on rack, about 1 1/2 hours. Using foil overhang, lift bars out of pan and transfer to cutting board. Cut into 24 bars. (Bars can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days.)