Part II: Spotlight On- World Peace Coookies

Feuding families beware, warring countries take note; if a cookie were to ever initiate world peace it would have to be these. The name was coined by Dorie’s neighbour who thought that a daily dose of these cookies would be enough to instigate world peace. These are high aspirations for a mere cookie but if they really had it in them, perhaps we should start sending boxes of these overseas instead of our troops?

Just imagine, in place of battalions of armoury and tanks we send over boxes of these delicious chocolate cookies. I think they would go down really well. Really, who can resist the power of the cookie? I know I can’t. Especially one that was originated by the man dubbed the “Picasso of Pastries”, the master himself, Pierre Hermé. Dorie learned how to make these cookies while working with Mr. Hermé and in the spirit of sharing in all good things here I present to you World Peace Cookies!

The cookies are fabulously moist, sinfully moreish and terribly addictive. After making one batch you realise that you will need to employ a method of creating these on some form of production line. Be it a cookie-making robot or a posse of hard-working elves that never sleep, something certainly needs to be done; as after one taste, your appetite for these cookies will be unrelenting. Days after baking them, I am still yearning for more.

This is the kind of cookie you eat with your gut, not with your head. It’s not only the cookie’s moist chocolate flavour, or its loose melt-in-your-mouth crumb, but the cookie’s charm comes mostly from the bursts of saltiness you get in every bite. The addition of fleur de sel (or fine sea salt) is the cookie’s secret power. Chocolate and salt are probably one of the oddest and unlikely couplings in the epicurean arena, however they work quite well. It's like Tim Burton and Helena Bonham-Carter’s oddball union, it looks weird, it sounds weird but strangely enough it works.

Their capacity for causing a sensation is undoubted, as for their peace-inducing faculties, this I am yet to vouch for; although, I don’t think it would hurt to find out. Come to think, more research is probably required and I guess I will just have to keep eating them until I come across a sound conclusion. Trust me, I am more than happy to sacrifice myself in the interests of world harmony.

World Peace Cookies
(makes about 36 cookies)

from this book featured on Spotlight On

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp baking soda
155g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp fleur de sel or ¼ tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
140g bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous ¾ cup mini chocolate chips

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder together.
Beat the butter until soft and creamy.
Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.
Pour in the dry ingredients and mix just until the flour disappears into the dough- for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don’t be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly.
Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.
Turn the dough out onto t a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half.
Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 4cm in diameter.
Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you’ve frozen the dough, you needn’t defrost it before making- bake for 1 minute longer.)
Preheat oven to 160˚C.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Using a sharp knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1 cm thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you’re cutting them- don’t be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.)
Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 3cm between them.
Bake the cookies on sheet at a time for 12 minutes- they won’t look done, nor will they be firm, but that’s just the way they should be.
Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

STORING: Packed airtight, the cookies will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days; they can be frozen for up to 2 months.

THE VERDICT

THINGS I LIKED:

+ Dorie’s intimate writing style- it’s far from aloof or snobbish and she appeals to the baker in everyone. She has a flair for winning even the most reluctant baker.
+ Most recipes are prefaced by an anecdote or at least Dorie’s notes on how they taste and look. It makes for an insightful and informative read.
+ The recipes are great. Not only are they delicious and actually inspire you to bake but her instructions are detailed and thorough. There won’t be any blank stares and vague expressons as her instructions are meticulous and although her recipes are quite verbose, she leaves no stone unturned.
+ She includes a section called “Indispensables” that contains a heap of base recipes- a must in any dessert cookbook, as sweets are quite open to personal adaptation.
+ Every recipe has instructions for storage and some recipes also include variations.
+ Dorie includes a comprehensive glossary in the back that explains most of the terminology, techniques and the ingredients contained in the recipes.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE (there aren't that many):

+ No metric conversions! Most countries use the metric system so I cannot understand why most cookbooks from the US do not bother including them. I know that this can get quite tedious, and writing a cookbook is hard work enough, although if the baker at home is expected to make the conversions, I think the writer should take this into account.
+ This brings me to my next point, if you do not include metric conversions in your recipes, then at least have a conversions table somewhere in the book. I hate maths as it is, and it would be nice to include a table of conversions for those who are mathematically challenged.

Part I: Spotlight On

I am not usually too wary when people offer me things for free. Often times, I accept without giving it a second thought. The words “free” or “sale” usually get my attention without too much coercion. However, I have to admit I was little cautious when Sara made me the offer to participate in a cookbook spotlight, where I would receive a copy of a new cookbook and then were to blog about it. Did they want something in return? Was there more to it than just a mere exercise in blogging? What if I don’t like the book?

I wasn’t sure at first, but my qualms were quickly allayed when I read that I would be receiving a copy of Dorie Greenspan’s new book, Baking: From My Home to Yours. I had been coveting this book for sometime and knew that it would not be available here for some time if at all. In fact Sara’s email just came in time as I was just about to buy myself a copy of the book on Amazon; fortunately I decided to read my emails before purchasing the book!

The book is quite thick; it landed with a thud on my doorstep and woke my dog Jack up from his daily afternoon nap. It’s a big solid piece of culinary literature, and would take up a sizeable amount of the meagre shelf space I already have. So for now it sits with a stack of other cookbooks on the floor that I have yet to find a home for. Despite it occupying a rather lowly piece of real estate in my room, the book has been read, pored over and admired many times since its arrival. The book is one that you can sit with on a lazy afternoon and lose yourself in. And at times it seems as if Dorie is right there reading it to you, the book is personal and reads more like a diary than a cookbook.

I love Dorie’s intimate writing style. Most of her recipes are accompanied by insightful anecdotes or a short history as to how they came about. There’s one thing to make a chocolate Armagnac cake but it’s another to make the chocolate and Armagnac cake that got her fired. There is a certain level of familiarity that she assumes with her readers that is sometimes absent in other cookbooks.

Being the cookie fiend that I am, I decided to make two cookie recipes. The great thing about these two recipes in particular is that both can be done whether you are pressed for time or on the contrary, if you are looking at exhausting time by means of baking. Both recipes are divided into two parts so if your time is limited you can either carry out the two parts separately, or spend a good few hours completing one.

Dorie’s Rugelach recipe comes from her mother-in-law; passed down and adapted through several generations, this recipe has bit on ancestry to it. The dough can be made in advance and then rolled and baked later. Being somewhat time-poor this week, I made the dough one night then baked the cookies the next day.

These cookies remind me Christmas, perhaps it’s the chocolate and fruit filling and the fresh burst of spicy sweetness that is somewhat reminiscent of fruit cake, a yuletide staple when I was younger. And come to think, these cookies would probably make for great presents over Christmas. But whatever season, I will certainly be making these cookies, as that the extra rolling out and filling of the dough is worth the result in the end. The cream cheese pastry is wonderfully flaky and biting into one results in an eruption of flavours in your mouth that cannot be accurately described but can only be understood through experince. Here is the recipe:

Rugelach
(makes 32 cookies)

FOR THE DOUGH
110g cold cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces
110g cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt

FOR THE FILLING
2/3 cup raspberry jam, apricot jam or marmalade
2 tbsp sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts or almonds)
¼ cup plump, moist dried currants
110g bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, or 2/3 cup mini chocolate chips

FOR THE GLAZE
1 egg
1 tsp cold water
2 tbsp sugar, preferably decorating (coarse) sugar

TO MAKE THE DOUGH
Let the cream cheese and butter rest on the counter for 10 minutes- you want them to be slightly softened but still cool.
Put the flour and salt into a food processor, scatter over the chunks of cream cheese and butter and pulse the machine 6 to 10 times. Then process, scraping down the sides of the bowl often, just until the dough forms large curds- don’t work so long that it forms a ball on the blade.
Turn the dough out, gather it into a ball and divide it in half.
Shape each half into a disc, wrap the disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 1 day. (Wrapped airtight, the dough can be frozen for up to 2 months.)

TO MAKE THE FILLING
Heat the jam in a saucepan over low heat, or do this in a microwave, until ti liquefies.
Mix the sugar and cinnamon together.
Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

TO SHAPE THE COOKIES
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 30cm circle.
Spoon a thin gloss of jam over the dough, and sprinkle over half of the cinnamon sugar.
Scatter over half of the nuts, half of the currants and half of the chopped chocolate.
Cover the filling with a piece of wax paper and gently press the filling into the dough.
Using a pizza wheel or sharp knife, cut the dough into 16 wedges. (The easiest way to do this is to cut the dough into quarters, then to cut each quarter into 4 triangles.)
Starting at the base of each triangle, roll the dough up so that each cookie becomes a little crescent.
Arrange the roll-ups on one baking sheet, making sure the points are tucked under the cookies.
Refrigerate the cookies for at least 30 minutes before baking.
Repeat with second packet of dough, and refrigerate the cookies for 30 minutes. (The cookies can be covered and refrigerated overnight or frozen for up to 2 months; don’t defrost before baking, just add a couple of minutes to the baking time.)

To GLAZE
Stir the egg and water together, and brush a bit of the glaze over each rugelach.
Sprinkle the cookies with sugar.

Preheat oven to 180˚C.
Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until they are puffed and golden.
Transfer the cookies to racks to cool to just warm or room temperature.

STORING: The cookies can be kept covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 months.

TOMORROW: World Peace Cookies and my verdict on Dorie's new book.

Beyond That Gate

We had probably driven past that inconspicuous metal gate a thousand times. Back and forth, in perpetual ignorance of what exactly lied beyond that gate. Then, I became a “foodie” and those gates somehow began to mean something else. It was as if the moment I began to love food a homing beacon was turned on; and one day while naively driving down Kent St, I saw the indistinct sign and exclaimed to G, “That’s Tetsuya’s!” And from that moment on, I began to dream of what gastronomic pleasures lied beyond those hallowed gates.

The dreaming continued for some time, then not too long ago, when G and I were planning what we were going to do to celebrate 4 years together, he proceeded to utter five most magical words, “I’m taking you to Tetsuya’s”. A rush of blood to the head and a brief rendition of the victory dance ensued and I’m sure if there were a couch nearby I would have jumped up and down on it, fists punching the air and all.

So began four weeks of counting down to the day of our degustation lunch and it seemed that those days could not have passed by more slowly. Oh how waiting can feel so long. We had tried to book dinner, but seeing as that it was only four weeks prior to the date we wanted to go, and dinner usually needs to be booked at least three to four months ahead we could only secure a table for lunch. Not that lunch would be any less magnificent. At this stage there was no going back, I was determined and if that meant sneaking in my own table and chairs, so let it be.

Like one of our waiters who graciously took our photos in the Japanese garden said, "It's not everyday you come to Tetsuya's". So I’ll try my best to recount what we actually ate, but at that time my head was clouded with the giddy delirium of a lovesick school girl. I was just ecstatic to be actually there and that was probably enough for me. However for the noble purposes of food blogging I did whip my camera out at every course to faithfully document our meal. And surprisingly many other people were doing the same and I did get one business man and his wife requesting me to email them our photos. It was a nice piece of flattery that soothed every shred of embarrassment I felt in taking photos at such a fine establishment. It's not everyday you go to Tetsuya's so why not have a photographic account of your experience.

* * * * *

And so it began, the day I was finally going to find out what lied beyond the gate. I imagined that some sort of alarm bell or siren must sound the second that automatic metal gate opens because valets, hosts, greeters, an entire entourage somehow materialises in the previously unmanned entrance as if they knew we were coming. This is what I call service and I thought to myself, “That was quick!” It was a great start to our lunch and not a morsel of food had been served yet.

Just minutes after being seated you are presented with a choice between freshly baked white bread or sourdough rolls and is accompanied by a small supply of black truffle salsa butter! The only way to eat the bread is to smear the butter on thick like there’s no tomorrow. As you can see we savagely mauled this little pot just minutes after receiving our bread.

Then came the wine list, it was a thick black book that almost rivalled the size of War and Peace. Okay, perhaps I exaggerate although it did take G a good fifteen minutes to pore over the list and eventually settle on a bottle. He opted for a 2005 bottle of Lost Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($55), which was a little dry for my tastes but was beautifully earthy and aromatic.

The degustation started of with a cold corn soup with basil ice cream which I have to say was a great start. It was a beautiful mingling of flavours; the sweet corn soup and the crisp sharpness of the basil ice cream. It was certainly an imaginative introduction to the menu.

Next in line was an optional course of Pacific oysters with rice vinegar and ginger. We shared one serving seeing that I do eat oysters, but don’t exactly love them. It’s an acquired taste that I never really acquired even after numerous attempts to do so. These oysters were fresh, I would not have been surprised it the kitchen staff had fished them out of the restaurant pond themselves as they were so plump and succulent, and I had almost acquired the taste for them. But I do emphasise, almost.

Then we were treated with what I would say was one of my favourite courses, a tartare of tuna on sushi rice with avocado. The tuna was gorgeous, it melted in your mouth and the avocado cream was just the right amount of spiciness. The servers always explain what is on your plate and he suggested we eat this by mixing a little bit of everything in one spoonful. Too bad, the servings are quite small, I could have eaten about three of these!

You might need your magnifying glass to see the Tuna Marinated in Soy & Mirin, Soft Smoked Ocean Trout with Asparagus and Marinated NZ Scampi with Chicken Parfait and Walnut. Again, the servings are quite small, and I do realise it is a degustation but it really wouldn't hurt to have just a fraction more on your plate. Small as it may have been in size, the flvours were huge enough. My favourite of the three would probably be the tuna as I love mirin although all three were so fresh and felt so luscious on your tongue.

This really doesn’t need an introduction, but it was presented to us as Tetsuya’s signature dish, his confit of Petuna Tasmanian Ocean Trout with konbu, daikon and fennel served with seasonal green salad. We were guessing that the trout is slow-cooked as that it tasted quite raw and we really couldn’t be bothered asking our server the finer points of the dish as we were too busy eating it. The small crumbs of konbu that crusted the top of the trout are quite salty and I thought that the fish would taste like a glass of sea water, but in one mouthful is an absolute burst of flavours; salty, sweet and a touch of bitterness all in one. On the outside I was cool calm and collected, nodding in quiet recognition of it goodness, however inside I was doing my little victory dance.

The next two dishes were great but in my opinion were not "out-of-the-ballpark" amazing. But I must give some credit to these two brave dishes; it’s not easy following the signature dish. Here you see a ravioli of lobster and crab with shellfish essence. Beneath, the ravioli sits on what appears to be a sort of terrine. I think this is what killed it for me; I just didn’t like the terrine. The shellfish essence was beautiful though, and I was scooping up every spoonful on my plate until it was clean.

I think the only reason I was disappointed about this braised duck with fennel (I couldn’t even remember exactly what it was called) was that I was expecting the de-boned spatchcock. The duck was flawlessy tender and juicy, and the sauce was beautifully sweet, although my pining for the spatchcock clouded my judgement and I probably wrongfully overlooked it in my disappointment.

This next dish normally would have been the Wagyu beef, but was replaced with a tender veal with wasabi butter and spinach. I was so excited at the sound of wasabi butter that I hastily hacked into my plate before taking a photograph. Luckily G reminded me, and I tried to salvage the already ravaged plate and attempted to make it look like how it was before. This was a real treat, the wasabi butter was exquisite and as one who loves her butter this dish made me forget about the Wagyu. Wagyu-shmagyu.

from the side


from above

A palate-cleanser and a magnificent introduction to dessert was this vibrant beetroot and blood orange sorbet accompanied by Tetsuya’s rendition of the strawberry shortcake. The sorbet was refreshing and the beetroot’s sweetness was a perfect marriage to the blood orange’s tartness. I am still dreaming of this sorbet and am thinking of replicating it one day.

The strawberry shortcake was the sweetness that I was waiting for. It was not cloyingly sweet, but just enough to satiate my sweet tooth. What it looked like was a sweet yellow pulp at the base, some strawberry pieces in the middle and a thick layer of strawberry coulis topped with the cutest, perfectly plopped dollop of thick cream. It was hard not to end up scraping down the sides, as that the serving comes in such a tiny shot glass.

up close...

Almost to the end of the meal, next up is the vanilla bean ice cream with coffee syrup, dates and beans served in stylish martini glass. At first I was a little apprehensive about the beans with the ice cream. I really dislike all those Asian desserts that involve beans and thought this one would be the same. However I was proved wrong, the beans, which were apparently Great Northern Beans went surprisingly well the vanilla bean ice cream. Although I still could have done without them. The dates and the coffee syrup was intoxicatingly good and again it was a pity that there was only one scoop.

The last of the desert course is the serenely plated floating island with praline and vanilla bean anglaise. I have this slight veneration for floating islands as most of my attempts have resulted in a fine mess. The islands were airy and delicate, each spoonful disappears on your palate. I loved the praline and vanilla bean anglaise although I could have done with a little more praline and a little less vanilla, seeing as that vanilla featured in the previous dessert. As you get further in, a chocolate and raspberry sauce oozes out of the islands, which is a pleasant and welcomed surprise.

We had thought that our lunch had come to an end although we still had some petit fours left. We received a small plateful of chocolate truffles which we divided evenly between the two of us and five pieces of these coconut encrusted date biscuits which we rightly fought over. Being the gentleman that G was, he conceded and allowed me the last one. Being the glutton that I was, I gladly accepted the offer.

Maybe I’m just a small girl with the stomach of dozen cows, but I really did wish there was just that little bit more on our plates, not too much, just a fraction more. I do realise that a degustation involves a tasting of flavours, but for the amount of money you part with I did expect servings that were larger than a few mouthfuls.

Even though I do pass judgement on the meagre servings, the flavours and the ingenuity applied in concocting such cuisine needs to be applauded. And not to mention the faultless service you receive from the smartly suited attendants. They knew their stuff and they made you feel at home, their attention to detail was bar none. I loved the way they tuck you into your chair after everytime you have gotten up (and I mean every time) and how they fold your napkin neatly back while you have left the table to go to the bathroom. Your glass of wine and water is watched like a hawk and is always topped up when necessary. Our main server even let us traipse through the pristine Japanese garden out front so he could take our photos. What more could you ask for?

Overall, Tetsuya's degustation lunch proved to be a dining experience we will never forget, and this is testament not only to the excellent cuisine but also to the meticulous attention to detail from the staff and the seamless service we received.

Tetsuya’s
529 Kent St,
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9267 2900

Good Living Pyrmont Grower's Market

Somehow the sight of grey clouds blanketing our usually blue sky gives me the permission to stay in bed and well under cover. A grey day just brings out the lazy in me and I have never been one to be sprightly first thing in the morning. It’s bad enough trying to get me out of bed on a fine day let alone a dreary one. So when the drab morning of the Pyrmont Grower’s Market rolled by yesterday, I reluctantly peered out from the covers, wisely deduced that it would be more favourable to stay indoors and resumed my snooze position. Outside it was wet, cold and miserable. Where did spring go? She came in with such a bang. And to add to my misery, I didn’t have the benefit of an “assistant” like I did last month.

So after a brief pep talk from G about how these markets only come around every month and that I would regret not going later, yada yada yada; I reluctantly got out of bed put on my comfy Chucks and made the trek to Pyrmont. The markets were no where near as crammed as last month, but there certainly was an ample turnout considering the weather. Aside from the usual stallholders, Justin North and Joanna Savill were also there doing cooking demonstrations, although I didn't stop long to watch. Aside from the bad weather, all the great things about the markets were still there; the atmosphere, although a little wetter was still thriving.


Shepherd's Bakehouse sourdoughs proudly on display


Simon Johnson fine cheeses


The season's first cherries!


Yes please!Free samples from Edmundi Smokehouse.


Certified organic sourdoughs from La Tartine. The ones on the right are their fruit loaves, they have huge chunks of whole dates and nuts!


Someone is buying this whole stack of Barrington Beef.


Pineapples


One of my favourite stalls, Consummate. Of course they sell breads, cakes and pastries, just my kind of thing. I cannot go to the markets without leaving with some of their gorgeous Olive Flatbead.

Delicious Wagyu beef pies


Heaven's Leaven assorted baked goods


A staple at these markets for our furry friends. A guide dog gets treated to whatever his puppy dog nose finds by his master at the Pet Food stall. Life doesn't get better for this helpful pooch.


Slicing up some Christmas ham. Is it that time of year already?


I love taking photos of the Gympie Farm stall. There is always a buzz about it with the never ending oohs and aahs from admiring taste testers. Their butter is to die for.


Aside from their cultured butter and assorted cheeses, Gympie Farm sell some exceptional creme fraiche. This I could eat by the spoonful.


Chorizos. I overheard an elderly man telling his other elderly friend that these were the sausages you were only to eat at breakfast. The other friend nodded, although was a little confused. It was very cute.

The last Pyrmont Grower's Market for the year will be on December 2 (my birthday)!! I probably won't be able to make it, but I sure hope you can.