real onion dip

Dip is kind of tied up in ideas of the past. First, you have an entire type of plate dedicated to it, and then there’s a notion that dip is something that comes in a foil packet. Chip’n'dips are fun to talk about, but I serve chips and dip in a bowl. As for the foil packet–throw it away. Real dip comes from sour cream, onions, vegetables, and herbs.

This is an easy recipe for a classic onion dip that is surprisingly sophisticated, and really delicious. Rich flavor and creamy sour cream, with real onions make for a dip that is classic, festive, and easy. Just right for a New Year’s celebration or watching a football game with friends. It is a slight variation on an onion dip recipe I posted last year. I guess I love onion dip during the holidays.

I like to mix a blend of caramelized onions, slow cooked for almost an hour, and finely diced raw onions. The two types of onion preparation lend more depth to the onion flavor. I also add a bit of lemon zest, diced for flavor, and thin strips for garnish. Use preserved lemon if you have it. The other ingredients are salt, pepper, sherry or madeira, herbs (in this case a bit of rosemary, sage and parsley), and a squeeze or two of lemon juice.

Because sour cream is the base for your dip, you want a high quality, full fat variety. I almost always opt for local or organic dairy products, but in this case I go with Axlerod brand sour cream. It is super thick and has a mild, creamy flavor. It’s totally my favorite sour cream–thank you C-town.

Finally, a note about the timing. I like to prepare the cooked onions well ahead of time, then cool completely, and drain off any liquids from the cooking process. If you need to speed things up, simply saute the onions until they are translucent, drain if needed, and put in the refrigerator for a while. I tend to prepare my ingredients and then combine everything 6 or so hours before serving. This gives things time to meld, but not turn watery. If you are hurrying, the dip could be put together and served right away; it will still be great.

Real Onion Dip (adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything)
makes a lot–don’t put it all out at once

1 pint full fat Axlerod brand sour cream
2 tablespoons butter
1-2 medium red onions
1 teaspoon plus several thin strips of lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sherry
salt to taste
a good amount of pepper
2 tablespoons herbs–diced for the dip, plus some whole leaves for garnish

Dice one of the onions. Heat a small frying pan with the butter over medium heat. When the butter is foamy and fragrant, add the onions. Allow them to sizzle for 30 seconds, add the sherry, and then turn the heat to the lowest setting. Stir occasionally and cook for 45 minutes. At first it will seem like nothing is happening, but the onions will slowly develop a caramel-y rich flavor. When they are done, set aside to cool. Before you add them to the dip, drain any excess cooking juices.

Meanwhile, take most of the other onion and dice it finely. Prepare the zest and herbs. Once the cooked onions are cool, combine half the diced onion, and everything else but the lemon juice, and then add the onion and juice as necessary to achieve your desired onion flavor and dip consistency. You can also add more juice just prior to serving. Check the salt levels and set aside, covered, in the refrigerator for 3-6 hours. Check the flavors just before serving, then add the garnishes. Serve with high quality or homemade potato chips, and carrot sticks.

simplest butterscotch cookies

This is a kind of austere cookie. Rather like shortbread, it has a bit of crunch, is relatively light on the sugar, and is fully saturated with the comforting flavor of butter. The zest and ginger add minor, but delicious flavor tones. The particular cookie cutters I used were heavy on the edges, so my cookies were on the crispy side. It didn’t matter too much though, since no one can resist finding their letter in a pile of alphabet cookies. If you’d like a softer bite, cut into more traditional rounder shapes and watch for the edges of the cookie to set while the center is still soft.

These can easily become regular butter cookies, simply change out the brown sugar for regular. If you don’t want to roll them out, roll the dough into three logs, wrap tightly in plastic, chill, and then slice off 1/4″ thick coins and place on the prepared cookie sheet.

Basic Butterscotch Cookies

2 sticks room temperature butter
2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
1 teaspoon finely diced ginger (optional)
1 room temperature egg
2 teaspoons milk
2 1/2 cups flour

Cream the butter with the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, and then add the sugar. Beat until everything is fluffy and light. Then add the vanilla, salt, zest, ginger, egg, and milk. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour until the cookie dough is just combined.

Separate the dough into two discs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or so. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and prepare two cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Then take one disc out of the fridge, let it sit out to soften slightly and then begin rolling out on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper. Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thick, and cut out your shapes, re-rolling the dough as you go.

Place the cookies one or two inches apart on the baking sheet and bake, just until the cookies are set, 8-10 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for two minutes and then remove to a rack to cool twenty minutes longer.

And god bless us, every one. Happy holidays.

apple pear upside-down cake with vanilla infused butter

Between the title and the pictures, I’m not sure there’s much else to say. The recipe is a bit intricate, but pretty easy. The flavor is complex, with butterscotch and vanilla undertones. The topping is almost crisp, and the cake has a wholesome, moist crumb. I highly recommend it.

A quick note on the recipe–you really do need to measure carefully when baking cakes or cookies. You probably knew this, but I thought I was above the rules of science.

Apple and Pear Upside-Down Cake with Vanilla Infused Butter (adapted from Cook’s Illustrated)

for the fruit
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2″ section of fresh vanilla bean (optional)
2 fresh apples
2 ripe pears
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

for the cake
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (or heaping if you have a salt tooth) kosher salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
6 tablespoons room temperature butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large stainless steel or enamel skillet (not cast iron), gently heat the 4 tablespoons butter, until it is bubbly and fragrant. Add the vanilla bean and set aside for 10 minutes or more while you prepare the fruit.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Core and cut the pears into 1/2 inch slices. Then core, and cut the apples into 1/4 inch slices. Remove the vanilla bean from the pan and gently rewarm the butter. Add the pears and cook over medium heat for 5 or so minutes, until they just start to brown. Add the apples, brown sugar, and lemon, and stir gently while the sugar dissolves, cooking for a minute or two. Remove from heat and set aside while you make the cake batter.

In a smallish bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, fluff the room temperature butter with your beater, or a paddle if using a stand mixer. Then add the sugars and beat until fluffy. Stir in the eggs just until combined, and then add the sour cream and vanilla. Gradually stir in the flour.

Tilt the pan with the fruit so that the butter coats the sides, then pour in the cake batter. Gently set into the oven, and cook until cake is golden and toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Cool pan on a rack for 20 minutes, then carefully invert onto wire rack and cool another 20 minutes or so before removing to a large serving plate. Serve in slices all by itself, or with barely sweetened lightly whipped cream. Wrap up over night–it makes for an excellent breakfast too.

12.30.09 Update: I made this cake again over the holiday and had remarkably different results. In the first place, I had relatively unripe pears this time and I cooked them for much longer so that they were rather overcooked by the time I added the batter. The end result was a much moister cake, bordering on a pudding. It was sill really good, though. If you want a fluffier cake and fruit with bite, use just ripe fruit, and saute for the short five minutes over medium to medium high heat (just so the butter doesn’t smoke). If you want a more dense pudding-like cake, cook the fruit longer until the edges are quite soft. In both cases, remove from oven when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. It will take longer for the second cake to cook, look for it to set in the middle.

spiced oatmeal cookies with raisins

This is a classic oatmeal cookie with crisp, lacy edges and a slightly cakey center. The oatmeal lends the wholesomeness, and the raisins bring the nostalgia. The right texture, and a hint of sophisticated flavor, make for a very satisfying cookie.

Spiced Oatmeal Cookies with Raisins (adapted from the Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters)
makes roughly 3 dozen cookies

1 1/2″ segment of ginger, peeled and sliced, plus 1 teaspoon finely diced
heaping 1/2 cup raisins
4 whole cloves
1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon water
1 stick unsalted, slightly soft, butter
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 egg (preferably room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups rolled oats (not quick cook)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 -1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground, or crushed, coriander seed
2 pinches ground cloves
2 dashes cinnamon
maybe a couple twists of pepper

In a small saucepan combine 1/2 cup water, the raisins, coriander, cloves, and ginger slices; bring everything to a boil and set aside to steep for 20 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line two heavy duty baking sheets with parchment.

Assemble the dry ingredients. Grind the oats in a food processor–a few pulses should do it. In a medium bowl, whisk together the ground oats, flour, cinnamon, and cloves, and then set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter with beaters, or, if using a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment. Beat on a low speed until the butter is fluffy and creamy. Then add the sugars, and beat again until the mixture is fluffy and light. Toss in the fresh ginger. Combine the 1 teaspoon boiling water and the baking soda and then add the the butter mixture. Beat in the egg just until combined. Remove the ginger slices and cloves from the steeping raisins, and strain out any water. Fold into the butter mixture. Slowly add the flour, beating until just combined.

Drop in 1″ balls onto the prepared baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes, then remove to a plate, or wrap up.

a brief history of the waffle

It stands to reason that if you have a waffle iron, you probably also know how to make waffles. Or at least you know how to find a waffle recipe. But, I made waffles so that’s what I’m blogging about. As Brian frequently points out, the origins of waffle irons are mysterious. Why create a device so elaborate for a food you’ve never had?

The word origin of waffle is related to wafer, and a waffle is essentially a leavened wafer. In order to cook wafers, one had to press the thin batter between two irons and then stick it into the fire, or a coal bucket, to cook. So, if you’re pressing the wafer anyway, you might as well make a design, and then you realize that texture makes things taste better, and then you add the leavening, and then you realize how perfect the basket pattern is for holding syrup, or, in this case, apple compote and syrup.

Ivan Day’s site historicalfood.com has detailed information about the history of waffles and wafers. It’s a pretty cool site. Once Brian sees it, he’s going to want make every recipe featured–he is always threatening to make figgy pudding and stuff like that. The following recipe for a dutch style wafer, or waffle, is from 1724, and I am taken with the simplicity as much as the butter content.

The Right Dutch-Wafer (from Ivan Day’s historicalfood.com)

Take four Eggs, and beat them very well, then take a good Spoonful of a Pint of fine Sugar, one nutmeg grated, Cream, and a Pound of Flower, a Pound of butter melted, two or three Spoonfuls of Rose-water, and two good Spoonfuls of Yeast; mix all, well together, and bake them in your Wafer-tongs on the Fire. For the Sauce, take grated Cinnamon, Sack, and melted Butter, sweeten’d to your Taste.

From Mary Kettilby, A Collection of Above Three Hundred Receipts (London: 1724).

Since you probably don’t have wafer tongs, allow me to offer a more contemporary recipe, served with a bit of fresh apple compote and maple syrup.

Easy Waffles (adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman)
serves four or five

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar (more for a sweet waffle)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
2 eggs
4 tablespoons butter, melted and then set aside
1 teaspoon or so vanilla

Preheat your waffle iron. Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the milk and eggs, beating them together a little bit; then add the butter and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir until just combined. The batter should be a touch drippy, so add a little more milk if you need it.

Brush a neutral oil on the waffle iron, and ladle in a 1/4 cup of batter at a time. The waffles are going to get much bigger, so don’t overdo it. If you have an electric waffle iron like mine, the light will change from red to green when the waffles are almost done. I keep a close eye and tend to pull them when they’re golden, and the slightest bit crispy. Keep the waffles in a warm oven until you are ready to serve them. If you are totally classy, throw your plates in the oven too.

Quick Apple Compote

an amount of apples, sliced
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon or orange juice
1 teaspoon of lemon or orange zest
spices of choice
pinch of salt
honey

While you are cooking the waffles, combine all, or some, of the ingredients above, and cook on medium heat until the apples are falling apart and bubbly.

Serve the waffles with a ladleful of compote, and a drizzle of real maple syrup.

classic braised red cabbage with apples

I have a complicated relationship with red cabbage. On the one hand, it grosses me out. On the other hand, I love it. One time I ate a falafel that had red cabbage in it and it mixed with the tahini and there was this lavender liquid oozing out of the pita and it grossed me out so much that it was a long time before I could eat falafel again. Kind of like when you get sick after you eat something and then you can’t eat it again, only I didn’t actually get sick, it just makes me sick to think of lavender tahini. Disgusting.

On the other hand, I love German food and I especially love German food in the fall, which means I love braised red cabbage and apples. There’s not really a whole lot of difference taste and texture-wise between red cabbage and green cabbage, but I think for this dish, red cabbage looks a lot more appetizing. The pale flesh of the apples against the white cabbage, just looks bland. With the red cabbage, the apples will take on a little fall color. When you cook with red cabbage it’s really important to use an acid (in this case vinegar) or it will turn blue (which is kind of cool because there aren’t a lot of blue foods, but it would probably turn most people off).

Braised Red Cabbage with Apples (adapted from Mark Bittman’s Best Recipes in the World)
makes a dutch oven full of cabbage

One medium sized red cabbage, diced
2 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
6 tbs. butter! (The original recipe called for 8 and even I couldn’t bring myself to do it.)
3 tbs. apple cider vinegar (or white or red wine vinegar)
2 tbs. sugar
2 big spoonfuls apple butter (or a sweet jelly)
salt
pepper

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter. Add the vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.

Dump in the cabbage and stir. Let it go for a few minutes until it starts to get soft.

Turn the heat to low and add the apples and apple butter. Give it a stir and put the lid on it.

Cook for 45 minutes-1 hour. Check every once in a while and if it seems like it’s getting dry in there, add just a little bit of water.

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