Belly up to the Momofuku Milk Bar for Compost Cookies

We celebrated Easter with a gourmet picnic in the park, with close friends and family.  As usual, all of our dishes rocked... especially during the 7.2 magnitude earthquake!

Mom offered to bring dessert and jumped on the Momofuku Milk Bar bandwagon, taking me along for the ride assisting in the preparation and baking, and eating.  Momofuku Milk Bar is located in New York, and is home to pastry chef Christina Tosi's $44 Crack Pie and Compost Cookies.  I became addicted to the Crack Pie when Carmen made two for her Time Change Party.  Now, I'm having a heck of time hiding the last of our Compost Cookies from John, which I promised to Pammy.

What's not to like about sweet, salty, chewy, crunchy, and gooey cookies, overloaded with all your favorite baking ingredients and snack foods?  You can mix up your favorites, experiment with new combinations, and never end up with the same batch of cookies.

It appears the Compost Cookie recipe first appeared on the Live with Regis and Kelly web site, and has now made its way to various blogs, including The Amateur Gourmet, Momofuku for 2, and  La Fuji Mama.  I was too busy Easter morning to photograph step by step shots, but these bloggers did an outstanding job.

Incidentally, Compost Cookie is a registered trademark for "bakery products, namely, sweet bakery goods."  Try to keep that in your head when you eat these, rather than envisioning "a mixture of decaying organic matter, as from leaves and manure, used to improve soil structure and provide nutrients."  Just a little tidbit from your favorite trademark attorney!

Here are the raw cookies after the requisite refrigeration.  You MUST allow much more space between the cookies when baking or you will end up with one gigantic mess!  Each of the "compost" balls pictured below weighed 1 3/4 oz.  They manured matured into 5-inch cookies during baking.  I don't recommend making these any larger.

 

Momofuku Milk Bar Compost Cookies

Makes about 21 2-ounce cookies

8 ounces (1 cup) butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups Your favorite baking ingredients! (chopped chocolate, mini chocolate chips, Raisinettes, Rolos, Cocoa Krispies, etc.)
1 1/2 cups Your favorite snack foods (potato chips, pretzels, goldfish crackers, etc.)

*Momofuku Milk Bar uses pretzels, potato chips, coffee, oats, butterscotch chips and chocolate chips.  We used yogurt-covered pretzels, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, espresso powder, Cadbury Caramel Eggs, Reese's Peanut Butter cups, and graham cracker crumbs.

1. In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and corn syrup on medium high speed for 2 – 3 minutes until the mixture is fluffy and pale yellow in color. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.

2. On low speed, add the eggs and vanilla and mix until they are incorporated. then increase the speed to medium-high and start a timer for 10 minutes. During the 10 minutes, the sugar granules will fully dissolve and the mixture will become a pale cream color and double in size.

3. After the 10 minutes, lower the speed to low and add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix for 45 – 6o seconds—just until your dough comes together and the dry ingredients have become incorporated. DO NOT overmix the dough. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula.

4. Continuing on the low speed, add the mix of your favorite baking ingredients and mix for 30 – 45 seconds until they are evenly mixed into the dough. Then finally, add your favorite snack foods last, mixing on low until they are just incorporated.

5. Use a 6-ounce ice cream scoop to scoop out balls of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. When you have scooped out all of the dough, wrap the baking sheet tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour (or up to 1 week). DO NOT bake your cookies from room temperature or they will not hold their shape.

6. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahreneheit. When the oven has come to temperature, arrange the chilled cookie dough balls on a parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet 4-inches apart. Bake the cookies for 9 – 11 minutes. Check the cookies at 9 minutes. They should be browned on the edges and just beginning to brown towards the center. If not (if they seem pale and dough on the surface), leave them in the oven for the additional 2 minutes. Cool the cookies completely on the baking sheet before transferring them to a plate or airtight container for storage.

* The cookies will keep fresh at room temperature for 5 days, or in the freezer for 1 month.

****

As you can see, there are only 7 cookies on this baking sheet and they still spread out and touched.  They also flattened quite a bit.  Most pictured in various blogs are flat.  Some say it depends on the amount of flour and weighing the flour to make sure the quantity is accurate, but it also must depend on the ingredients you choose, and how much you chop them.  Be sure to chill the dough and make sure your oven is at the correct temperature.

Our batch yielded about 21 large cookies.

Better hurry over, Pammy, for that last one!  But if you don't make it in time, we also have a few of mom's Superfudge Brownies with Reese's Peanut-Butter Cups.  Mom definitely had a sweet-tooth this weekend!

You can find this recipe from Ellie at Almost Boudain. 

ATTENTION:  There's a Newf in My Soup! is attending CampBlogAway next month and I'm trying to win a private room and REAL full-size bed at camp, rather than sleeping in bunk in a bunkroom!  There's a few more days left for you to visit my post to read about my gourmet take on camp food, and why I really NEED that private room.  All you need to do is click on the link to CampBlogAway.  That's it!  Thank you for helping me win.  Click here to go to gourmet camp food post!  There are still a few spaces available at Camp, if you're so inclined.

Cherry and Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

First of all, I would like to thank all of you who have visited my Beanie Weenie post, and clicked on the link, to help me win the Camp BlogAway Gimme a Private Room contest!  The contest continues until April 11, so please check out my post and read about Camp BlogAway if you haven't done so already.  I'm looking forward to learning some new tips and tricks in furtherance of my efforts and desire to make There's a Newf in My Soup! one of your favorite blogs to visit.

Spring has sprung!  These cookies were inspired by a variety of sources, including our rosemary bush covered with purple flowers and an overabundance of lemons on Jim & Melinda's lemon tree.  I've seen shortbread cookies incorporating lemon and thyme, strawberries and thyme, and lavender, so I wondered how a combination of dried cherries, fresh rosemary, and lemon zest would taste. Let's just say I've found it hard to resist the crumbly shortbread, chewy cherries, zing of lemon, and a slight hint of rosemary on the finish.

Cherry and Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
Adapted from Pecan Shortbread, Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
Makes about 4 dozen cookies

3/4 lb. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
Zest of two lemons
1 Tbsp. minced, fresh rosemary
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup Luxardo Maraschino cherry liqueur

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Put the cherries in a small, microwave-safe bowl, pour the Maraschino liqueur over the top, and stir to coat the cherries.  Microwave on high for 30 seconds and let cool.  Drain,  coarsely chop cherries, and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the lemon zest and rosemary and mix until combined.  Sift together the flour and salt in a medium bowl, and then slowly add to the butter/sugar mixture while mixing on low speed.  Continue mixing on low until the dough comes together.  Add the chopped cherries and gently mix until distributed evenly.

Dump the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap, shape into a disk, and wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough 1/4-inch thick and cut into 2-inch rounds with a plain or fluted cutter.  Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature and serve.

I plant rosemary all over the garden, so pleasant is it to

know that at every few steps one may draw the kindly

branchlets through one's hand, and have the enjoyment of

their incomparable incense; and I grow it against walls, so

that the sun may draw out its inexhaustible sweetness

to greet me as I pass ....

- Gertrude Jekyll

Daring Bakers' October Challenge: French Kissing & Macarons

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

This was a doozy!

Amy challenged us to "practice our French kissing." Trust me, I would have preferred to practice my French Kissing during the endless hours I spent trying to produce a handful of proper French Macarons, those delicate Parisian cookies filled with luscious creams, jams or mousselines.

They're delicate alright.

Throughout the month we had to complete this challenge, fellow Daring Bakers were posting their comments and results in the private forum.  Very few achieved success right off the bat.  Very few achieved success after several attempts.  After reading all the problems experienced and troubleshooting tips, I felt like I was walking on egg shells when I finally embarked on this nightmare.  Believe me, I had enough egg shells to carpet my kitchen, and enough egg yolks to make about nine gallons of ice cream (the recipe calls for egg whites, almond flour, powdered sugar, and granulated sugar).

By Saturday night, I was just too tired to deal with another batch.  I was unsuccessful with the recipe provided for the challenge, and had similar failures with a few other recipes.  All the recipes I reviewed were so different in the ratios of ingredients, baking temperature, and methods.

My macarons displayed most of the visible signs of disaster...too flat, too puffed, irregular shape, cracked shells, guts left on parchment paper, overcooked, undercooked and, the most disastrous sign of all, which they all shared...NO FEET.  You know, the little frickin' frilly ruffles they are supposed to grow around the edges!  None.  Not even a toe.

I won't bore you with too many ghastly details and photos.  On Saturday night, I photographed the most presentable of the bunch:  Espresso and Chocolate Buttercream Macarons, my Macarons of Darkness...Macarons of Despair...

They tasted fairly delicious and some seemed to have the right texture, but they were still missing the characteristic feet.  With our Halloween party only a week away, I was able to borrow a few black roses for the photo shoot.  Seemed appropriate considering the result.

I was ready to succumb to defeat (defeat, get it?) and went to bed.  But I tossed and turned all night about my Macarons of Defeat.  I woke up Sunday morning with a new, refreshed attitude, and was ready to give it another go.  These cookies can't be THAT difficult to master.  I forced myself to work on our Gingerbread City 2009 entry most of the day, but had that nagging feeling in the back of my mind.  I must produce a batch of macarons, with feet, by the end of the following day!

As I sit here Monday night, preparing the remainder of this post for the official "reveal" tomorrow, my kitchen counter is covered with cooling macarons.  The good news is they finally have feet.  However, they are  browned and spotted and the insides are gooey.  Some have cracks; others have "caved in" shells due to too much attic space (don't ask).  I'm learning the lingo.

I had such high hopes for this final batch.  The batter was flavored with a little Pomegranate powder (I even practiced the molecular gastronomy I learned from our past Daring Cooks' Challenge to obtain this powder), and I envisioned a pomegranate mascarpone buttercream filling.  Everything seemed to be going along quite nicely.  I pulsed my almond flour and powdered sugar a few times in the food processor, sifted it to make sure it was nice and fine, aged the eggs whites, whipped the egg whites to a shiny meringue, folded in the almond flour mixture with the suggested number of strokes, made sure the batter flowed like lava, carefully piped out small circles, let them sit on the counter to form skins, used a double baking sheet, tried various oven temperatures, blah, blah, blah.  I just wasn't able to find the right set of criteria to make the stars align for me.

I know I have oven and/or oven temperature issues, as well as high humidity on the island.  Humidity is not my friend; it frizzes my hair and ruins my macarons.  I'm convinced, when we build our rustic, but elegant, Tuscan farmhouse, in the mountains of Montana or Colorado, complete with a gourmet kitchen and Wolf convection oven, my Macarons will emerge from the oven as if they came out of a Parisian bakery.  For the time being, I am forced to accept this batch of unsandwiched macarons.

However, in my quest for macarons with feet, I did find some comfort, inspiration and smiles from the following....

“We have not wings we cannot soar; but, we have FEET to scale and climb, by slow degrees, by more and more, the cloudy summits of our time.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Keep your eyes on the stars, and your FEET on the ground.” Theodore Roosevelt

“Eve was not taken out of Adam's head to top him, neither out of his FEET to be trampled on by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected by him, and near his heart to be loved by him.”  Matthew Henry

“Ah, the patter of little FEET around the house. There's nothing like having a midget for a butler.” W. C. Fields

“I just put my FEET in the air and move them around.” Fred Astaire

"Where we love is home, home that our FEET may leave, but not our hearts." Oliver Wendell Holmes

and my favorite... 

“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare FEET and the winds long to play with your hair.” Kahlil Gilbran

Have a Happy Halloween!

Thank you, Ami, for testing my patience and ultimately kicking my butt on this challenge.  I did learn more than I cared to about Macarons, and I did give it my best shot.  This was truly an excellent Daring Bakers' Challenge.  I won't give up.  I simply prefer to take a little break to practice my French kissing instead. 

Many of the Daring Bakers performed incredibly on this challenge.  Please go visit the Daring Bakers forum and check out some of the trials and tribulations in mastering the French Macaron!  Thank you also to Helen at Tartelette, and Audax, at Audax Artifex, for all their inspiration, tips and support.  And here's the recipe provided for our challenge.

The Finale for Coronado Concerts in the Park: Last Supper

Our culinary challenges for the summer have been so extraordinary and diverse.  Shall we take a moment to review?  We kicked off this summer's Concert in the Park Season with Challenge Fill Me Up Until I'm Stuffed. Next was Challenge Cherries, followed by Challenge Spanish Tapas, Challenge Beer, Challenge Chile Peppers, and Challenge All-American. After the Fourth of July weekend, we embarked on culinary travel around the world:  Sailing the South Seas, Passage to India, Basque Country, and Journey to Russia.  We took a two week break from our travels with Challenge Citrus and Gourmazing Fast Food, and then set off to Greece and Peru.  If you are ever planning a theme party, this group has you covered with lots of ideas and recipes!  I wanted to highlight some of my favorite dishes from each chef, but it was absolutely impossible after looking back at all the incredible dishes everyone created throughout the summer.

This past Sunday, we put on quite a finale for the last Coronado Concert in the Park of the 2009 Season, with the theme of "Last Supper." 

I'll warn you now, this is a quite lengthy post.  Get comfy, pour yourself a glass of vino, and stay for a few minutes.  I found this bottle of Chianti, My Cousin Vino, and thought it was appropriate for my dish of the evening, Timpano!

Not too long ago, we rented the movie Big Night, after seeing a photo of Timpano.  I know, the movie came out in 1996 and I am over 10 years late jumping on the Timpano bandwagon.  However, after seeing the movie, and because I've never created such a pasta masterpiece, I promptly ordered a Timpano pan from Kolorful Kitchen.  It's a 6 quart, 14" enamel basin, that comes in a variety of colors.  At $17.00, plus shipping, it's a steal.  It's a necessity for Timpano, but also makes a beautiful and decorative accessory for the kitchen.  Ours hangs on the wall and adds a little character to kitchen. 

Here it is with the 2 lbs. of dried pasta (rigatoni or ziti) you will need for this recipe.

My beautiful, burgundy marbled, Timpano pan has been displayed for several months now, patiently waiting for me to try my hand at Timpano for my own "Big Night."  Our theme for the final Concert in the Park, Last Supper, provided all the inspiration I needed.  In Big Night, the Italian brothers are desperate to keep their restaurant afloat and plan a magnificent, extraordinary feast, starring Timpano.  Unfortunately, it was the restaurant's last supper, but the guests had a marvelous time.

Coronado Concert in the Park, Last Supper Timpano
Adapted from Mario Batali's Pasta, Old-Fashioned Style, to Cover: Pasta al'Antica Per Timpano
and Cucina & Famiglia: Two Italian Families Share Their Stories, Recipes, And Traditions

Ingredients
2 pounds rigatoni or ziti pasta
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Pasta Frolla, recipe follows
1 1/2 cups toasted bread crumbs
Ragu Napoletano (Neapolitan Meat Sauce), recipe follows
2 cups Provolone cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes  (about 12 oz.)
Besciamella, recipe follows
2 cups Genoa Salami, cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 12 oz.)
Neapolitan Meatballs, recipe follows
8 hard-boiled eggs, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 cup butter

I prepared this over two days and my recommendation is to prepare the Ragu Napoletano, Basic Tomato Sauce and Neapolitan Meatballs, in that order, on Day 1.   You can also cut up the salami and cheese and hard-boil your eggs.

On Day 2, or the day you plan to serve the Timpano, make the Pasta Frolla, Besciamella, boil the pasta, assemble the Timpano, and bake.

Ragu Napoletano (Neapolitan Meat Sauce):
Yields 4 cups

Ingredients
1/2 pound veal, cut into chunks (I mistakenly bought ground veal, but it worked out fine)
1/2 pound beef chuck, cut into chunks
1 onion, finely chopped
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup red wine
2 (28-ounce) cans peeled San Marzano tomatoes and juices, passed through a food mill (I have yet to invest in a food mill, so I used an immersion blender)
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausages
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch hot chile flakes

In a large pasta pot or Dutch oven, combine the veal, beef, onion, and oil over high heat and cook until meat is seared on all sides and meat juices have evaporated, 10 to 12 minutes.

Add the wine and cook, stirring constantly, until wine evaporates and meat is darker brown, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the tomatoes, sausages, salt, and chile flakes.

Reduce heat to simmer and cook about 3 hours, stirring occasionally and skimming fat as necessary.  Remove from heat and remove meat from ragu. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, and allow to cool.

This is a wonderful, rich, meat sauce.

Basic Tomato Sauce:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Spanish onion, chopped in 1/4-inch dice
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tablespoon dried
1/2 medium carrot, finely shredded
2 (28-ounce) cans peeled whole tomatoes, crushed by hand and juices reserved
Salt, to taste

Onions, garlic, carrot and thyme

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the thyme and carrot and cook 5 minutes more, until the carrot is quite soft.

Add the tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until as thick as hot cereal. Season with salt and serve. This sauce holds one week in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer. Yield: 4 cups.

Neapolitan Meatballs (Polpette alla Napoletana):

3 cups day-old bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/4 pounds ground beef, preferably chuck
3 eggs, beaten
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup pecorino, grated
1 bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped to yield 1/4 cup
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted for 2 minutes in a 400 degree oven
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 cups basic tomato sauce, recipe follows

In a shallow bowl, soak the bread cubes in enough water to cover. Remove the bread cubes and squeeze by hand to wring excess moisture.

In a large bowl, combine the bread, beef, eggs, garlic, pecorino, parsley, pine nuts, salt, and pepper, and mix by hand to incorporate bread into meat. With wet hands, form the mixture into 12 to 15 meatballs, each of a size somewhere between a golf ball and a tennis ball.

Some of the meatball ingredients (I love the addition of toasted pine nuts)

In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the oil until almost smoking. Add the meatballs, working in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pan (I did half, or 8 at a time), and cook until deep golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.

Add the tomato sauce and reduce the heat to a simmer. Add all meatballs, cook for 10 minutes and allow to cool.

This are so good!

Besciamella Sauce:
5 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

In a medium saucepan, heat butter until melted. Add flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until light golden brown, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat milk in separate pan until just about to boil. Add milk to butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth and bring to a boil. Cook 30 seconds and remove from heat. Season with salt and nutmeg and set aside.

Pasta Frolla
4 cups flour
4 eggs, whisked
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup ice water

Place flour, salt and egss in food processor and pulse until blended.  Add ice water, slowly, until dough holds together.  Place dough on lightly floured surface and knead for 4 to 5 minutes. Wrap in plastic and set aside.

Cook the Pasta

Place 6 quarts water in large pot, bring to a boil, and add 2 tablespoons salt. Drop pasta in and cook 2 minutes less than the package instructions. Remove and refresh under cold running water until cool, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from refreshing bath and toss with 2 tablespoons oil and set aside.

ASSEMBLING THE TIMPANO

Make sure all of your ingredients are ready to go.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Roll out the pasta frolla to 1/4-inch thick. 

Butter the metal bowl and dust with the bread crumbs. Lay the pasta frolla in to completely line all of the bowl plus 2 inches over the edge and set aside.

Mix half of the cooked rigatoni with 3 cups Ragu Napoletano and 1 cup of the Provolone cubes and set aside. Mix the remaining half of the cooked rigatoni with the besciamella, the remaining cup of the Provolone cubes and the 2 cups of the salami, and set aside.

Place the white mixed pasta into the mold and press down lightly.

Place the meatballs (polpette) over the white pasta carefully in a consistent layer and press carefully down.

Place the 8 hard-boiled eggs over the meatball layer.

Place the red pasta over the meatballs and press down gently.

Stretch and fold the extra 2 inches of pasta frolla over the whole thing and press gently.

Cover the open top with foil and place in oven to bake for one hour. Check internal temperature. If it is not at 120 degrees F, place back in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and let rest in Timpano pan for at least 20 minutes.

Invert onto a large serving platter, and allow to rest another 10 minutes.

Cut wedges and serve immediately.

Granted, it does take some time to prepare all of the homemade sauces and meatballs, but none of it is difficult.  The sauces and meatballs are amazing on their own (next time I will make double batches and freeze the sauces for other pasta dishes), and very impressive when combined together in this dish.  Also, don't be afraid of the dough - it is very easy to work with and roll thin enough to cover the pan.  So, if you haven't jumped on the Timpano bandwagon, I encourage you to do so and try this for a dinner party.  It seves about 15 people.

Now, finally, I want to share the other delectable dishes we enjoyed for our Last Supper...

Kai & Hillary's Lamb Osso Buco and extra Marrow Bones, garnished with Gremolata.  Kai even supplied special marrow spoons for scooping out all of the tasty marrow.

Jim & Carmen's Beans, with Ham hocks and Sauage, and Buttermilk Cornbread

Brad's Stuffed Pizza, courtesy of Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria in Mission Hills...if this isn't your Last Supper, it may not be too far off with 3 lbs. of mozzarella and all that sausage! 

John's Pumpkin Roll

Alec & Nina's Communion Wafers aka Truffle Brownies.  Alec also shared his fabulous Chicken Picata, but most of it was gone one before I could get a nice photo

Mom's Chocolate-Covered Caramelized Matzoh Crunch, courtesy of David Lebovitz.  Mom made half with white chocolate and a sprinkling of sea salt.  You may recall, Nina made another delicious version, for Challenge Citrus, using saltine crackers and a hint of Grand Marnier in the chocolate.

One last photo, our male Chefs de Cuisine:  Brad, Alec, Kai, John and Jim

Although it was the last concert of the season, this group just can't seem to stop cooking and eating.  We're off to the Park again this Sunday, while the weather is still beautiful, for Jubilee!  We'll have the Park to ourselves, the kids can run free, and the adults will gather around John's gigantic boiling pot of shellfish, sausage, corn, potatoes, and whatever else gets thrown in, for yet another opportunity to eat, drink and socialize!

Coronado Concerts in the Park Culinary Challenge: Peruvian Cuisine

Labor Day weekend is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. In Coronado, it marks the end of the tourist season when the locals can reclaim their island. The holiday is often regarded as a day of rest and parades. But for these two cuties, it was no day of rest. Dad needed help getting the wagon to the Park for the second to last concert of the season.

September is also one of the hottest months on the island. We usually get hit with a few weeks of 90+ degree temperatures. Without air conditioning, it's not an enjoyable time. I've been zapped of energy and not too excited about cooking. Dooley and Diver have been hit hard by the heat. This photo of Dooley pretty much says it all.

The good news, as I sit here Tuesday morning, is that we seem to be on a cooling trend. We had almost ideal Newfy weather during our morning walk.

Now, let me tell you about our spread of Peruvian cuisine for this past Sunday's Concert in the Park! We had just the right number of people and everyone came through with incredible dishes. As noted by Food Gal on my recent Challenge Greece post, you've clearly been picnicing with the wrong people unless you've joined us for one of our picnics!

Soon after everyone arrived at the park, we kicked off the evening with Pisco Sours, a cocktail invented in the early 1920s by American expatriate Victor V. "Gringo" Morris at the Morris' Bar in Lima. The cocktail quickly became a favorite of locals. Soon many of the grand Lima hotels at that time began serving pisco sours to their international guests, helping the drink become an international hit. Alec & Nina and Jim & Carmen poured Pisco Sours for the group.
While Pisco originated in Peru, Alec found a Chilean version, Capel Pisco Brandy, bottled in this Easter Island decanter.
Jim skillfully mixed his pisco sours with Pisco, lime juice, egg whites, simple syrup, and bitters.

John and I didn't run out and buy a copy of The Art of Peruvian Cuisine, but we were tempted. Several of the recipes in the book are featured here, and that's where we found our inspiration.

John saw the beautiful presentation of Aji de Gallina, a hot and spicy chicken dish made with ají amarillo paste and ají mirasol paste. Alec was on the same wavelength this week and we were fortunate for the opportunity to taste two versions. John's version was a little spicier...ok, John's version was much spicier, but both were magnificent.

John's Aji de Gallina for our pre-park photo shoot

At the park, John served it family-style, in our interesting, oblong bowl, over rice, and garnished with Peruvian olives and hard-boiled eggs.

Here's Alec's Aji de Gallina, garnished with sliced potatoes and olives

Kai shared his rendition of Papas a la huancaina, sliced boiled potatoes served with a slightly spicy cheese sauce with olives.

Carmen's dish certainly had the wow factor! She presented this beautiful Causa, a layered, chilled, potato salad, with Huancaina on the side.

Bradley was pleased with himself, and his version of this Quinoa Salad. Quinoa, a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds, originated in the Andean region of South America, where it has been an important food for 6,000 years. Brad tossed in some cucumber, jalapeno chiles, grapes, mint, lime juice, honey and olive oil.


Mike and Zarina joined us for the first time this summer. Zarina taught Mike how to make Empanadas.

I couldn't decide between Rocoto Rellenos and Alfajores. When you can't choose, do both!

Rocoto Rellenos are an Arequipa dish made from stuffed rocoto chilis, one of the very spicy chilies of Peru. In this dish, they are stuffed with a mixture of spiced beef and pork, onions, tomatoes, olives, raisins and hard-boiled eggs. Unfortunately, I was unable to find rocoto chiles or a suitable substitute. However, the Rocoto Relleno stuffing did sound somewhat similar to an empanada filling. I switched gears and decided to use the Rocoto Rellenos stuffing for my version of Peruvian Empanadas, which are also baked rather than deep fried.

The recipe for the Rocoto Rellanos can be found here. The stuffing contains ground chuck, ground pork, red onion, garlic, tomatoes, raisins, Ají Panca paste, olives, and hard-boiled eggs. The sauce traditionally served over the Rellanos contains white wine, heavy cream, and Rocoto Paste. I also made the sauce for my Empanadas.

Here's the stuffing, ready to be transformed into my empanada filling.

For my empanada dough, I used the recipe in Cindy Pawlcyn's Big Small Plates. This cookbook has so many incredible recipes! The dough easily came together in the food processor and was light and flaky, like a buttery pie crust.

Now, for my dessert. I've been attracted to Alfajores for quite some time. I first learned about these cookies while working on a trademark prosecution case, when the United States Patent & Trademark Office examiner refused registration to our client based on "likelihood of confusion" with a registered trademark owned by a South American company, well known for its Alfajores. Since then, I've seen a few recipes out there in the blogsphere and have been wanting to try them.

My first thought was to flavor the cookie dough with espresso. I did a search for espresso shortbread and stumbled upon Smitten Kitchen's Espresso Chocolate Shortbread Cookies, which she adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours. The only change I made was to cut the cookies into 1 1/2 inch rounds.

Then, I made the incredibly easy and addicting Dulce de Leche recipe, by David Lebovitz. A can of sweetened condensed milk, poured into a glass pie plate, set in a water bath, covered with foil, and baked for an hour and 15 minutes. After cooled and refrigerated, it provided the ultimate filling for my Alfajores.

I filled a pastry bag with the Dulce de Leche, piped it between two Espresso Chocolate Shortbread cookies, and dusted them with cinnamon-powdered sugar...my version of Peruvian Alfajores

Brilliant and over the top, I must admit! I WILL be making these again, and again! In fact, gift boxes filled with these and Baci di Dama "Lady's Kisses" Babbo-Style will make wonderful Christmas presents this year.

Sunday is the last Coronado Concert in the Park for the Summer 2009 season. The Sophisticats will entertain us and we've decided on "Last Supper" as our culinary theme. This should be interesting to see how everyone interprets the theme.