- Thread starter
- #1,031
How was your Christmas guys?
Mine very nice.
Mine very nice.
What is Your Favorite Christmas Dish? (PARTY!)
- Thread starter TheChiggens
- Start date
Fruit cake is the worst.
Thank you.
The egg basket works really nice. Going out to eat at China Buffet to celebrate my B-day.
My Christmas was great.
I learned this week on BYC that the red cedars we have are actually junipers and that their tiny blue berries are actually cones, are edible, and can be used as a spice.I went out and picked some, ground them up, and made these delightful cookies yesterday. I had hazelnuts I brought back from OR, but I think they'd be just as good, if not better, with walnuts. I divided the recipe by 4, afraid it might not work out, since it has no eggs or baking soda/powder. But they are really good and they do keep their shape. The juniper adds an exotic taste. I know you all probably have had enough cookies, but you might like to save this recipe, if you have juniper berries in your area.
Juniper berry spiced Chocolate Hazelnut cookies
Juniper Berry spiced Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies - these slice-and-bake chocolate hazelnut cookies are easy to make, and have a unique bittersweet, chocolatey, nutty, floral flavor profile with a crunchy edge and soft, fudgy center!
Ingredients:
◦ 2 tsp whole juniper berries
◦ 225 g / 8 oz unsalted softened butter
◦ 200 g / 7 oz brown sugar
◦ ½ tsp kosher salt
◦ 2 tsp vanilla
◦ 200 g / 7 oz AP flour
◦ 75 g / 2.6oz Dutch cocoa powder
◦ 170 g / 6 oz of hazelnuts toasted
◦ 225 g / 8 oz milk chocolate roughly chopped into chunks
◦ 1 - 2 cups of raw sugar to roll the cookies in
Instructions:
◦ Place the juniper berries in a dry pan. Heat to dry roast the berries for a few minutes and to toast them. (You will start to smell the juniper berries and find that they look toasted when they are done).
◦ Remove from heat and let them cool down. Place the cooled juniper berries in a spice grinder (or use a mortar and pestle) and grind them to a powder. Juniper berry powder will be slightly wet and sticky. Set aside until needed.
◦ Add the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla and juniper berry spice to a large bowl OR your mixer bowl. With a hand mixer or stand mixer (with a paddle mix), mix until the butter and sugar are well mixed and creamy - do not beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
◦ Add the sifted flour and sifted cocoa powder. Fold them in by hand, OR use the mixer/hand mixer, to incorporate the flour and cocoa powder.
◦ Add the hazelnuts and milk chocolate chunks and mix them in until they are spread throughout the dough. Divide the dough in half.
◦ Form a 2 - 2 ½ inch wide cookie dough log with each of the dough portions. Wrap each log in plastic wrap (knotting the ends tightly).
◦ Refrigerate for about 1 - 2 hours until the cookie dough is firm. The dough can be refrigerated overnight as well.
When ready to bake
◦ Line two half sheet pans / cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. Sprinkle the raw sugar on a flat plate.
◦ Unwrap one of the cookie dough logs and roll the log in the raw sugar. Using a sharp knife, cut off the tapered end of the cookie dough log. Then cut 1cm thick slices. Please note that because of the nuts and chocolate chips, you may not get clean slices, so reshape the cookies into rounds when they don’t cut cleanly. Roll the edges in the raw sugar again if you need to. Place the cookies on the lined baking sheet. Each log should make about 12 cookies (not including the ends).
◦ Cover the lined baking sheet with plastic wrap / parchment paper / or a another baking tray and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minute before baking. This chilling is important to allow the cookies to keep their shape while baking. (I skipped this part and they kept their shape anyway.)
◦ While the cookies are chilling, preheat oven to 325°F. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. The cookies will be soft when you take them out of the oven, and since they are dark brown, it would be hard to tell if they are done. But they will firm up as they cool. Once the cookies have cooled down, remove them from the baking tray and place them on a wire rack.
◦ Repeat with the second cookie log and the second baking sheet.The cookies will be crunchy on the outside, but soft and fudgy in the middle.
◦ Store in an airtight container. Enjoy!
If we can find a fresh caught salmon and a good supply of dill, we will make gravalax.
- Thread starter
- #1,039
Alton Brown uses juniper berries in his sauerbraten. It's an unusual recipe in which the meat is seared first and then marinated but it works.
His recipe makes a generous amount of brine (and the most divine gravy!) so I do 2 smaller roasts at the same time, split the brine and vacuum pack one roast with it for the freezer.
BRINE
• 2 cup water
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 medium-sized onion, chopped
• 2 large carrot, sliced
• 4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning meat
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaf
• 6 whole cloves
• 12 juniper berries
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
ROAST
• 1 bottom round (3 1/2 to 4 pounds)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup sugar
• salt and freshly ground pepper
GRAVY
• 5 ounce old-fashioned gingersnaps, crushed
• 2 generous spoonfuls sour cream
1. In a large saucepan over high heat combine the water, cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, onion, carrot, salt, pepper, bay leaves, cloves, juniper, and mustard seeds. Cover and bring this to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Pat the bottom round dry and rub with vegetable oil and salt on all sides. Heat a large saute pan over high heat; add the meat and brown on all sides, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side.
3. When the marinade has cooled to a point where you can stick your finger in it and not be burned, place the meat in a non-reactive vessel and pour over the marinade. Place into the refrigerator for 3 days. If the meat is not completely submerged in the liquid, turn it over once a day.
4. After 3 days of marinating, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
5. Add the sugar to the meat and marinade, cover and place on the middle rack of the oven and cook until tender, approximately 4 hours.
6. Remove the meat from the vessel and keep warm. Strain the liquid to remove the solids. Return the liquid to the pan and place over medium-high heat. Whisk in the gingersnaps and cook until thickened, stirring occasionally. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps. Stir in a couple generous spoonfuls of sour cream just before serving.
7. Slice the meat and serve with the sauce.
His recipe makes a generous amount of brine (and the most divine gravy!) so I do 2 smaller roasts at the same time, split the brine and vacuum pack one roast with it for the freezer.
Sauerbraten
BRINE
• 2 cup water
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 medium-sized onion, chopped
• 2 large carrot, sliced
• 4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning meat
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaf
• 6 whole cloves
• 12 juniper berries
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
ROAST
• 1 bottom round (3 1/2 to 4 pounds)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup sugar
• salt and freshly ground pepper
GRAVY
• 5 ounce old-fashioned gingersnaps, crushed
• 2 generous spoonfuls sour cream
1. In a large saucepan over high heat combine the water, cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, onion, carrot, salt, pepper, bay leaves, cloves, juniper, and mustard seeds. Cover and bring this to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Pat the bottom round dry and rub with vegetable oil and salt on all sides. Heat a large saute pan over high heat; add the meat and brown on all sides, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side.
3. When the marinade has cooled to a point where you can stick your finger in it and not be burned, place the meat in a non-reactive vessel and pour over the marinade. Place into the refrigerator for 3 days. If the meat is not completely submerged in the liquid, turn it over once a day.
4. After 3 days of marinating, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
5. Add the sugar to the meat and marinade, cover and place on the middle rack of the oven and cook until tender, approximately 4 hours.
6. Remove the meat from the vessel and keep warm. Strain the liquid to remove the solids. Return the liquid to the pan and place over medium-high heat. Whisk in the gingersnaps and cook until thickened, stirring occasionally. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps. Stir in a couple generous spoonfuls of sour cream just before serving.
7. Slice the meat and serve with the sauce.
Last edited:
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