dessert | A Good Dish

The Easiest and Quickest Cookie to Bake – Coconut Haystacks

December 21, 2016

Lemon Coconut Haystacks Earthenware flower plate by Holly Walker — Lemon Coconut Haystacks
Earthenware flower plate by Holly Walker

I love to bake although I don’t do it much anymore. However, around the holidays I always find myself in the mood. I’ve been known to bake 8 kinds of cookies just to compose holiday gifts. My mother had a friend who used to bring us a tin with a variety of the most beautiful, delicious and buttery cookies every December; I think I’ve been trying to recreate something as special ever since. My cookies are never quite as delicate or complicated but I make an effort to make sure they taste good.

The simplest cookie recipe I know is a coconut haystack or macaroon. It is flourless and can be made with finely shredded coconut or a combination of fine and broad shreds as long as they are unsweetened. You could easily double or halve the recipe and you can swap out the traditional vanilla for almond or lemon extract with some lemon zest added for more flavor. Once cooled, the haystacks can be stored in an airtight container for a few days and, if you like them warm, can be reheated on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. They freeze well but must be in a single layer so as not to stick together.

haystacks on parchment ready to bake — Haystacks on parchment ready to bake

Some recipes call for sweetened condensed milk. You can add a 14 oz can in place of the sugar if you want your cookies moister and richer. You can also drizzle or dip them in melted chocolate for a fancier cookie. Any version you choose will be delicious with a cup of coffee or tea – just right for a bright moment on the shortest day of the year. Happy winter!!

COCONUT HAYSTACKS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat together until well combined:
2 egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
1tsp vanilla or lemon extract (if using lemon, add zest of 1 lemon)
Pinch salt
Mix in:
2 generous cups shredded unsweetened coconut

Spoon up by heaping tablespoonfuls and form into haystacks by compressing with your fingers (wet fingers in water to keep from sticking).

Arrange on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet about 1″ apart.

Bake 20-25 minutes until starting to brown. Check often in last 5 minutes so they don’t burn.

Cool completely on wire racks and store for up to 3 days or freeze in a single layer.

If you like, dip in melted chocolate and place on waxed paper to set up.

Makes 20-24 cookies, depending on size.

Pumpkin Pudding, Not Pie, for Thanksgiving This Year

November 2, 2016

Pumpkin pudding with nuts, seeds and currants Carved mugs by Matthew Metz — Pumpkin pudding with nuts, seeds and currants
Carved mugs by Matthew Metz

Although the main star of Thanksgiving dinner is usually turkey, the food I look forward to most is pumpkin pie. This may seem unusual as pie crust is far down on my list of reasons to eat simple carbs. On the other hand, the silky pumpkin pudding that fills a fall pie is a good enough excuse for me to eat sweets! Something about the combination of pumpkin custard and spices just hits the spot.

Because I don’t care about the crust, I simply make a straightforward pumpkin filling, substituting maple syrup for sugar. Yes, maple syrup is still a sugar but a naturally occurring one with some minerals. At least, that is what I tell myself to justify occasional use! I’ve noticed that not eating sugar helps relieve my joint and muscle pain but every once in a while it’s festive to partake in a sweet to celebrate an occasion. After a big meal, I rarely feel like a heavy dessert but it is satisfying to have something with which to finish. There have been Thanksgiving meals we have ended with applesauce and molasses cookies but I think we will have pudding this year. And, as Anthony Bourdain suggests, there is always cheese.

This is the basic recipe that comes on every label of canned pumpkin with a few changes. I used maple syrup instead of sugar, added some spices and an egg, and substituted organic evaporated milk instead of cream or half milk/half cream. I tried the recipe with home baked butternut squash (2 cups) and I thought it was tastier than the canned pumpkin, if slightly more labor intensive. Next time you are baking a squash, just cook an extra to make this pudding. I also tried buttermilk, cream, sweetened condensed milk (I reduced the syrup to 1TB) and coconut milk with mixed results. The buttermilk version was tangy and a little too watery while the one with coconut milk was tasted good but might have been better with another egg to help it firm up. The batches with cream and sweetened condensed milk were denser and delicious, as you might imagine, but rich for my palette. I prefer to save the cream to whip separately with a little bourbon or vanilla to dollop on top of the pudding.

Organic pumpkin comes in cans and shelf stable boxes

Organic evaporated and sweetened condensed milk is now widely available

My favorite version, with evaporated milk, is mildly sweetened and highly spiced. In addition to dessert, it is delicious for breakfast (maybe even better because it firms up overnight in the refrigerator) with chopped walnuts, dates or raisins, chia, hemp and ground flax seeds. You can make it in individual ramekins (I don’t have any so I used small ceramic bowls and cups) or in a single pie plate or Pyrex. You can bake it without the water bath but it won’t have the same custardy consistency. If you put it in when you take out your turkey, it will be ready and warm for dessert. Or you can make it ahead and keep it overnight to stiffen up in the refrigerator.

Unbaked Pumpkin Pudding in Cups and Bowls in a water bath ready to go into the oven — Unbaked Pumpkin Pudding in Cups and Bowls
in a water bath ready to go into the oven

If you really want to make a pie-like dessert but without crust, you can layer the pudding with crumbled ginger cookies (try the hard-to-stop-eating Tate’s gluten-free version (or the Trader Joe’s Ginger Chunk knock off) or even graham crackers. Add lightly toasted walnuts or pumpkin seeds, chopped dates, raisins or currants and bourbon or vanilla scented or plain whipped cream or yogurt to create a lush parfait.

PUMPKIN PUDDING

Blend together until smooth:

1 can (15oz.) organic pumpkin (or 2 cups baked and mashed pumpkin or squash)
1 can (12oz.) organic evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp bourbon (optional)
1/3 cup maple syrup
3 eggs
2 tsps cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 shake cayenne (optional)
1 tsp grated organic orange peel (optional)

Pour into a glass pie pan or 6 6oz ramekins. If using ramekins, set in a baking dish and pour in boiling water half way up the ramekins, being careful not to splash the puddings.

Put in a preheated 375 degree oven and bake until puffed and browned, 30 minutes-1 hour depending on size.

Serve warm or cold with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle of nuts.

The Great Northern Food Hall: A Reason to Head for Grand Central Station

October 19, 2016

Great Northern Food Hall in the western half of Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Station — Great Northern Food Hall in the western half of Vanderbilt Hall
at Grand Central Station

It used to be that if you were catching a train at Grand Central Station and needed something to eat, you could grab a bagel at Zaro’s, some nuts at Hudson News or hunker down for a meal at the Oyster Bar. In recent years, the lower level food court has been upgraded and improved but I wouldn’t eat there by choice. The high- end marketplace on the Lexington Avenue side of the station, anchored by Eli Zabar’s and including a nut shop, fish market, coffee shop, flowers, cheese and charcuterie is well stocked but it is quite pricey. I would buy bread or a gift there but nothing else really beckons to me.

The Grain Bar on one side of the Great Northern Food Hall serving morning porridges and full meals later in the day — The Grain Bar on one side of the Great Northern Food Hall
serving morning porridges and full meals later in the day

I’m happy to report there are new grab and go and dine-in options in Grand Central. Claus Meyer, the Danish restaurateur who opened a chain of bakeries and Noma (voted best restaurant for several years running) in Copenhagen, recently turned his culinary talents to bringing Scandinavian food to New York. Starting with a pop-up patisserie, now brick and mortar, and a coffee roaster in Brooklyn, he has now tackled Manhattan. Lucky for us, he opened the Great Nordic Food Hall this summer in half of Vanderbilt Hall, the old Grand Central waiting room on 42nd Street, a bakery and deli near the IRT subway, a “hot dog” (really sausage) kiosk, and Agern, a high end restaurant focusing on local and seasonal food and drink, which I haven’t tried yet but hope to find an occasion to do so.

Havarti Sandwich ($3.50) at the Great Northern Food Hall and the Great Northern Deli — Havarti Sandwich ($3.50) at the Great Northern Food Hall
and the Great Northern Deli

Since finding the Meyer Bageri (the bakery) at the Great Northern Deli, I have detoured whenever in the neighborhood or taking the train or the shuttle (just down the hall) to buy a sourdough or whole grain rye bread and, full disclosure, the raspberry bars – they are heavenly! Full of freshly made raspberry filling and sweet, buttery pastry, they are a reason to take the train. After sampling the delectable almond poppyseed twist and flaky, creamy maple pecan Danish, I didn’t dare try their gluten-free valrhona chocolate brownies but they look fantastic. The deli also sells sandwiches, drinks, bags of granola, cookbooks and gift items, in case you forgot a little something, either as a hostess gift or to eat while waiting for or riding a train.

Grab coffee, sandwiches, salads, bread, pastry and all kinds of food gifts at the Great Northern Deli off the hallway near the S shuttle to Times Square — Grab coffee, sandwiches, salads, bread, pastry and all kinds of food gifts
at the Great Northern Deli near the S shuttle to Times Square

Hindbaersnitte (what Meyers Bageri calls a Danish pop tart with raspberry)

Next door to the deli is the diminutive but well designed and very tasty Danish Dogs. These are not traditional hot dogs but for $8 you have a choice of 4 kinds of sausage on an in-house made hot dog bun with abundant and interesting toppings including lingonberries, beet remoulade, cucumber salad, sorrel leaves and fried onions. Just remembering the delicious chicken sausage assemblage I ate there makes me want to return in a hurry! Until 10:30 every morning (when it is really too early to be seen eating a hot dog), this counter serves made to order $7 omelet sandwiches.

$8 Sausage Sandwiches at the Danish Dogs Kiosk

The food hall is appealingly spare, in neutral tones with a calm vibe (remarkable considering its setting) and includes a bar, coffee counter and kiosks for sandwiches (both open face Danish style smorrebrod and regular) and baked goods. There are plenty of tables for eating what you purchase as well as a sit-down, full service cafe for salads and hot food. Over the summer, my husband and I tried several sandwiches, drinks and desserts – all were excellent, including the coffee (from Meyer’s Brownsville Roasters.) Our favorite was the celeriac sandwich (thinly sliced celery root, green apple and walnut ($10) on a flavorful in-house made whole grain “hoagie” and the above mentioned hindbaersnitte, the raspberry bar so good my mouth waters just thinking about it.

The philosophy behind the food hall is as attractive as the food displays. The lowest paid employees start at the living wage of $15/hour with benefits – what other casual dining arena in New York can say that? Food is actually locally sourced and well raised, there is a feeling of quality over quantity, and although it is busy, the food hall is a pleasant place to sit and have a coffee, lunch or drink at the bar. It is not that the food is less expensive than what I could find in the downstairs food court. It’s just that it is so much more appealing on so many levels. Instead of just grabbing the least “bad” thing I could find while running for a train, the Nordic Food Hall is a place at which I will plan to eat often and intentionally.

Smorrebrod (open face sandwiches) at Great Northern Food Hall — Smorrebrod (open face sandwiches)
at Great Northern Food Hall

Surprisingly Tasty Fruit In Any Season

May 15, 2016

apricots, cherries, pineapple and lemons

Spring is lovely for many reasons – fresh breezes, blooming flowers, fresh green vegetables. But it isn’t a season of much locally fresh fruit, at least not here in the northeast. Apples and pears have been in cold storage so long they really aren’t crisp anymore and it is even nearing the end of citrus season. Sure we can get kiwi from Italy and pineapple from Costa Rica but until local strawberries come into their own, our fruit is being shipped in from far away. I’m not sure if rhubarb counts – I think it is a vegetable and requires large amounts of sugar to taste good.

For smoothies or baking, frozen fruit can be a good solution, available year round and fine for blending or muffins. But for a more substantial breakfast serving or for dessert, I recommend cooking dried fruit – easier and more delicious than you might guess if you haven’t tried it. Basically all you do is add water or juice and spices, boil, simmer and soak for a few hours or overnight. The name “stewed fruit” may conjure up elderly, apron-clad grannies trying to regulate their systems but these homemade apricots, cherries and pineapple are not your grandmother’s jar of sugary prunes. Don’t let your misconceptions about “stewed” fruit get in your way. Let’s call it simmered fruit, since stewed implies long cooking under a lid and this isn’t, and change its image.

driedfruit

Organic, or at least non-sulfate, dried fruit is pretty easy to find in stores and re-hydrates into a tasty, old-fashioned kind of dessert. Choose from unsweetened plums (a/k/a prunes), peaches, pears, apricots, apples, raisins, pineapple, cherries or berries. I use lots of sliced lemons (I tried lime but it was too tart – if you use it, add some honey or maple syrup) or oranges plus cinnamon and ginger but you could use cardamom, nutmeg, a piece of vanilla bean, allspice, even some lemongrass. A little citrus zest or tiny shake of cayenne before serving helps add zing. Simmered fruit becomes thicker and more flavorful when it sits for a day so it is best made ahead. As a bonus, it keeps well for several days in the refrigerator so you can use it more than once.

Simmered apricots and lemons with whipped cream and almonds

Simmered fruit, by itself, is a satisfying dessert but you can gussy it up by adding whipped cream, liquor (a splash of brandy, creme de cassis or ruby port might be good) and nuts or serve it over ice cream or yogurt or even lady fingers or pound cake. I’ve read that some people like it on hot cereal, waffles and pancakes – could be good. I’ve been out of new breakfast ideas lately so I tried some simmered apricots and prunes with lemons, oranges and cinnamon on plain yogurt and topped it with walnuts, almonds and chia seeds. It was more delicious than I expected! Plate your simmered fruit in a pretty compote dish or ice cream bowl with a cookie alongside it and no one will complain you didn’t bake.

SIMMERED FRUIT

In a small saucepan, place 2-3 cups (or big handfuls) of dried fruit of your choosing. For an example, let us say 1 cup each of prunes, apricots and cherries. Add 1-2 pieces of cinnamon sticks, 1 thinly sliced lemon, a few thin slices of a navel orange, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger powder, 1/4 tsp cardamom powder, a shake of cayenne and water to cover it all by an inch. If you want it to be very sweet, substitute orange or apple juice for some of the water. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer and cook for half an hour. Let sit in the pot until cool and the liquid has thickened and then put in a glass jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

Serve the fruit by itself topped with a little lemon or orange zest and a cookie or two or as a kind of sundae on top of ice cream with nuts and whipped cream or with plain yogurt and nuts and seeds for breakfast. Or reheat and serve over a piece of sponge or pound cake or lady fingers. I like it solo when I want a sweet that isn’t sugary. The serving size will depend on how you use it but about 1/2-3/4 cup is about right – a little goes a long way. It is tasty any time of year.

apricots, prunes, oranges, lemons, walnuts and chia seeds with yogurt

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