Gotham Gal

S'mores

There is nothing like a s'more to bring you back to your youth.  It is more the memory than the actual taste.  Roasting marshmallows.  Some like them golden brown, others black.  Big chunks of chocolate between 2 graham crackers and the finale of the warm marshmallows that gets the chocolate a little soft to seal the deal.  Yum.

Fred likes this too...

Amazon

Amazon is letting me down.  I can't believe it! 

I have been a customer with Amazon for 10 years.  I will not share how much money I have spent with them over the years but believe me it is a hefty number. 

UPS has always been the mode of shipment for me when it comes to using Amazon.  I pay a service at the beginning of the year to insure that I get 2 day delivery free for the rest of the year.  It is totally worth. I find UPS to be one of the premier mail services.  The delivery people are courteous and helpful.  They sometimes attempt to deliver more than once during the day.  They come around the same time during the day and evening.  They also attempt a few deliveries over a course a 3 days.  They rule.

Amazon is now taken to using USPS.  Why?  More than likely because it is a less expensive mode of shipping and if you read anything about Amazon these days, they need to increase their margins to effect the profits.  They should consider closing down some of their facilities and streamlining their operations to create a heftier bottom line instead of shafting their customers by changing shippers in mid-steam.

I do not mean to slam the US Postal Service but their shipping sucks, at least in NYC.  If you aren't there at the exact moment they arrive, it goes back to your local Post Office.  Then you have to go to your local Post Office, stand in line for 20 minutes or more, have all the appropriate paperwork to pick it up and they are rude to boot.  Not something I am interested in doing during my day, that is exactly why I use UPS.

So, I just got a package bounced from Amazon because they shipped it USPS to a home that we use during the summer months.  We have PO Boxes.  The PO Boxes don't take UPS and the homes don't take USPS.  Amazon now can't guarantee UPS so I'm screwed.  It is a gamble which they ship me. 

So, do I now move all my  loyalties to Barnes and Noble?  I guess if Amazon doesn't come up with a resolution to this and go back to my good old UPS, I will have to make the move.  I wonder how many other customers will do the same?

I learned over the years that customers are trained from the onset.  Set up the rules from the beginning but attempting to change them later creates a loss of your customer base.  Amazon's success has been their huge customer base.  Now turning that into a profitable business is the challenge.  Looking at the inside of their operation is the most difficult.  Changing how you ship your customers is easy. In the long run the hard decisions pay off, not the easy ones.   Shame on Amazon. 

The Kids are Back in Town

The kids came back from camp yesterday.  They are consuming all the goodies I made.  Jess's bus got a flat tire and she was 3 hours delayed.  Not that fun sitting around Nassau Colliseum, oh well.  But here is a picture of my 2 other happy campers (Josh and Em) on their arrival. 

Now the summer gets fun...

Peach Crumble Pie

I have made many peach pies over the years but this could be the best recipe yet.  It is a mixture of a few different recipes I put together. 

The dough is a winner.  If you don't want to make dough, don't.  Just buy is already made in the grocery store.  But if the mood strikes, this is a good one.

• 3 cups flour
• 2 T sugar
• 2 t. kosher salt
• 2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter
• 8 T or more of unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 t. apple cider vinegar

Blend the flour, sugar and salt.  You can either use a food processor or your hands.  I used to be all about the hands but I am using the food processor more these days.  Blend the butter in thoroughly until it looks like little pebbles.  Then add in the water and vinegar until the dough is moist.  Don't over work the dough at this point. You can work the dough all you want but once the liquid goes in, you must be quick. Divide into 2 balls, cover in plastic wrap, put in the fridge for at least 2 hours before using. 

Once the dough is ready, make the bottom part of the pie as you were making a tart. In a tart you always bake the crust first and put the fillings in later.  Make sure you mark the bottom with fork pricks.  Cover this with tin foil and heavy beans or rice and bake for about 30 minutes at 350 or until crisp but not totally done.  This will insure that the pie won't get mushy on the bottom when you cook it.  It sounds like a pain but it is worth it.  I did it without baking the pie crust first and it is just as good but the crust flakes out a little when you cut it.

The best part, the peaches. 

• 15 peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
• 1 T. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 t. kosher salt
• 1/2 t. ground cinnamon

Put all of this in a bowl and let sit for about 30 minutes.  Next...

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 T. whipping cream
• 2 T. unsalted butter

Combine the water and sugar into a small sauce pan over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.  You can stir is a few times.  Now stop stirring and watch until this turns a light caramel color.  If happens quickly and you don't want it to burn.  Just as it darkens, take it off the heat and stir in the cream and butter.  This will create a caramel.  Put aside.

Drain the peaches in a strainer to get rid of all the juices that have built up with the sugar.  This is key otherwise it becomes too mushy.  Put the peaches back into the bowl and pour the caramel over the peaches and thoroughly mix.

You can use the other 1/2 of the dough to create a pie but I did a crumble instead.  Here is the crumble part.

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

This is a little more than you need but you can always use it for something else later.  Put this in a food process to really chop it up. 

Now to assemble.  Pour the peaches into your pie bottom and cover the top with the crumble.  Bake at 350 for about 30-35 minutes or until browned.  Voila!

Penzey's One

There are more new magazines launching and unfortunately the majority of them won't make it.  I have yet to find a new one that is good and I am still going with that theme after receiving the first edition of Penzey's One in the mail last week. 

I have been shopping for spices at Penzeys for at least 7 years.  It is fantastic.  The prices are great and the product is top.  Unfortunately the magazine is awful. 

Penzeys catalog always had a few recipes in it.  I gather they have decided to expand on that.  The magazine has pictures of god awful food.  The stories are about Christian loving people who are sharing their joyous recipes.  I felt like I was reading a piece put out by the local Church and the parishioners were sharing their lasagna recipes.  Maybe there is an audience for this terrible publication out there but if I were Penzey's, I would stick to the spice business.

Peanut Butter Buckeyes

These taste like an over sized peanut butter cup.  They taste better than they look.  The recipe is easy but is hard to make them come out beautiful.  I'm still working on that part.

• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Mix these ingredients together with a mixer.  It doesn't take long to mix so  you could easily use a hand held mixer.  Roll the peanut butter mixture into small 1 inch balls, put them on a cookie tray covered in wax paper and freeze for 20 minutes.

• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tsp. vegetable shortening

Melt these 2 ingredients together, stirring often.  The problem I have found is that it doesn't stay melted for long and it doesn't stay creamy.  This is the difficult part.  Keep remelting. 

Take the peanut butter balls out of the freeze and dip in the chocolate, return to the cookie tray covered in wax paper.  The concept is the peanut butter should be peaking out but it isn't easy working with these small goodies.  I have tried toothpicks and tongs.  This time I just went for the full dip on most of them.  I got too frustrated.

Stick them back in the freezer after you have finished.  Once they are totally firm, put in the refrigerator.  Good for a few weeks.

Banana Blueberry Bread

I have been into the banana with blueberries this summer.  This recipe makes about 3 loaves.  I used the tin bread pans to make life easier. 

• 1 1/4 sticks of unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 t. vanilla
• 3 really ripe bananas
• 3 cups flour
• 1 full teaspoon baking soda ( full meaning a little more than 1 teaspoon)
• 1 full teaspoon baking power
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 pints blueberries

Use a nonstick spray and coat the tins.

Mix together butter and sugar until really incorporated.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time.  Beat in the vanilla.  Beat in the bananas, one at a time. 

Combine the dry ingredients into a separate bowl.  Pour half of this mixture into the batter and mix.  Beat in the sour cream.  Beat in the rest of the dry ingredients. 

Fold the blueberries into the batter.  You don't want them breaking just mixed in well but be gentle.

Bake at 350 for about an hour or until the toothpick comes out clean.  I found out that once I had pulled them out of the oven the blueberries made the bottoms a tad too soft.  The breads were room temperature at this point.  So I inverted the breads onto a cookie sheet and baked them a little bit more and it seemed to do the trick.  That  toasted up the bottom just enough.  Be careful when removing them from the cookie tray.  Wait until they have cooled. 

Gingersnaps

This is a really good gingersnap recipe.  Chewy and crispy.  This recipe can easily be doubled too.

• 2 Cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 3/4 cup vegetable shortening (this is the key)
• 1 cup. sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar

Put flour, baking soda and salt together.  If you have a sifter, go for it but if you don't, no worries.  Beat together the sugar and shortening until combined.  Beat in the egg, molasses, ginger and cinnamon.  Now add the 1/2 the flour mixture and beat well, then add the rest of the flour mixture until completely mixed.  Form this into a large ball and put in the refrigerator for 2 hours.  It really should be cold before you bake.

Roll the dough into small balls and then cover in superfine sugar.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until they are done. 

Makes about 40-50 cookies. 

Mondel Bread

G'ma Sally made the best mondel bread.  She was an incredible baker.  When I asked her, many many years ago for the recipe, she wasn't really specific.  She had to make the cookies in order to give me the recipe because she sort of made mondel bread by feel.  After making mondel bread many times, I know why.  It is one of those cookies that sometimes turn out better than others.  Why?  Who knows.  I will give some hints that might help through the process.

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 T. cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cup canola oil

Beat these four ingredients together.  The question is the sugar and the oil.  If you don't want them that sweet just add 1 cup sugar instead of the extra 1/4 cup.  Originally I used only 1 cup of oil but have found a little more is better.

• 3 cups flour
• 2 t. baking power
• pinch kosher salt
• 1 t. lemon rind
• 1 t. fresh lemon juice
• 2 t. vanilla
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (I went with a whole cup and sliced almonds but you can pick your own nut)

Add this to the first mixture and beat.  The teaspoon of lemon juice isn't necessary if you don't have.  The batter should be thick and sticky.  Make 2 logs out of it (long and about 3 inches across) on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper and put in the refrigerator until cold.  About 20 minutes or more.

Bake at 350 until the log is a golden brown.  It takes anywhere from 15-25 minutes.   They loaf should be done but still has some spring because you don't want the log cooked all the way through.  Take out and let cool for about 5-8 minutes.  Then take a serrated knife and slice across the loaf to create the cookies.  I cut them about 1/2 inch thick.  It is best if the loaf is underdone that way they don't crumble when you cut. 

Lay the cookies back on the cookie sheet.  Crank up the oven to 425 and let them toast from 5-10 minutes depending on how toasty you like your mondel bread.

Orange Swordfish

We were intrigued by the orange Swordfish and went with it for dinner.  Supposedly they only see it about once a summer off the shores of Montauk.  This variety of Swordfish only eats shrimp and calamari.  So we were told. 

Taste wise it was much richer than Swordfish.  Also kind of mealy vs. the firmness of Swordfish. 

Worth the experience.  The color is pretty awesome.