Honeycomb Candy

A girl in my office, Sarah, is Australian and every time she comes back from a visit home, she brings us Violet Crumble - thanks, Sarah! I'm obsessed. Why this is not available in the US, I have no idea. My lovely new baking book, the Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook, has a recipe for "Sorghum-Molasses Chips" which are basically homemade violet crumbles. I couldn't find sorghum, so I used a mix of honey and corn syrup, and wow - amazing! Homemade candy that is addicting. The caramel inside is crunchy and light, coated in dark chocolate. It's not that hard to make, as long as you have a candy/frying thermometer, and it's very impressive and a huge hit. This may be my new present when I'm invited to dinner/stay somewhere for the weekend.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 tsp cream of tarter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup honey
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
12 oz dark chocolate (they said 6, but I needed 12 to cover them all)

Directions:
Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a large, heavy saucepan combine the sugar, 1/3 cup water, the butter, and the cream of tarter and heat over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Insert a candy thermometer and bring the mixture to a boil, without stirring, then cook until it reaches 250 degrees.

NY Times Braised Short Rib Nachos

Super Bowl involved a lot of food. Wings, Bacon Explosion, and this newcomer - the amazing nachos you may have recently seen in the Times. Yum! They were so rich but the salsa verde cut through the richness, and the leftover short ribs made incredible tacos. (It makes a LOT of short ribs, but it's worth it because they're great for leftovers.) I actually (oops) forgot the beer but they worked out great. 

Ingredients:

4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs, patted dry

5 teaspoons coarse kosher salt, more to taste

1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

5 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

2 jalapeño or serrano peppers, halved lengthwise, seeded if desired

1 onion, peeled and quartered lengthwise

1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes

Ina's Easy Sole Meuniere

This Ina recipe is from her cookbook "Back to Basics," another Christmas present (this one from my lovely sister-in-law, Katie - everyone seems to know the way to my heart). It's easy enough that I'm going to teach it to my novice-cook friend Alice, and it's so rich and tart and great. It serves two, but with some hearty sides it can serve four.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
Kosher salt and black pepper
4 fresh sole fillets, 3-4 oz each
1 tsp lemon zest
6 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh parsley
6 tbsp butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 200 and have 2 heat-proof plates ready.

Lobster Corn Fritters

...or the Best Hors d'Oeuvres Ever. Yum! These are amazing. I made them for Jamie to start out a special dinner. They taste like summer. The lobster is rich, the corn is sweet, and the spicy mayo is the perfect accompaniment. They're definitely a treat and a little pricey, but tooootally worth it! Ina is just the best. (These are from her new cookbook, Foolproof, a wonderful Christmas present from my mother-in-law - thanks, Cindy!)

I halved the recipe because there were just two of us, but I will definitely be making it again another time in full force. This recipe makes 12-14 fritters and served 4-6.

Ingredients:
6-8 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 scallions, thinly sliced
1 1/4 cups fresh corn (I used frozen)
12 oz freshly cooked lobster meat, 1/4-inch diced
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp paprika
3/4 tbsp Old Bay
Kosher salt
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup half and half

Bacon-Jam Empanadas

Amazing. How could I not try this recipe? Bacon jam is an incredible condiment, and these tasty, flaky little empanadas make an impressive breakfast, or a light lunch with some salad. They're salt and smoky and sweet and totally irresistible. Austen gave me this cookbook for Christmas. Isn't the cover so cute? I can't wait to try more recipes, but this one is definitely a keeper!

Ingredients:
For Jam
1 lb applewood-smoked bacon
1 medium Vidalia onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup strong brewed coffee
2 tbsp Coca Cola
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp Bourbon

Cider-Glazed Lamb Chops and Buttery Cauliflower Puree

When Jamie started eating these lamb chops, he immediately demanded, "Are you going to put this on the blog? Will this be on the blog?" Needless to say, he loved them. They were so tender and tangy and just delicious. The reduced ginger-garlic-cider-soy-vinegar glaze is complex and sweet and salty and has a great zip from the vinegar. The cauliflower puree is a little sinful, but wow is it good. It's light and fluffy and rich.

Lamb Chops (from this recipe) it's supposed to serve 4 people, but Jamie and I ate it all
Ingredients:

1 cup apple cider

2 tablespoons minced peeled ginger

2 tablespoons minced garlic

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)

1 tablespoon honey

8 rib lamb chops (3/4 inch thick), cut from 1 rack

1 scallion, finely chopped

Directions:

In a small sauce pan, boil cider, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, and honey until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 10 to 12 minutes, and cool. Preheat broiler.

February!

Rabbit rabbit!

This has been a hectic month! We had our big annual showcase event at work, I hosted a Mad Men birthday party, and most of all, Jamie and I are in the process of buying an apartment! We're so excited and will probably be relocating across the river in the spring. More on that to come!

I promise I will post more ASAP, including some Bacon-Jam Empanadas from the Back in the Day Bakery cookbook, a Christmas present from my wonderful brother-in-law, Austen. (He always gets me the best cookbooks for Christmas!)