Shrimp Scampi

Oh boy. We're now into our vegetarian recipes from our first month of conscious eating. To be fair, it would be better referenced as pescatarian month, since we still ate fish. We will revisit vegetarianism after in the year and be completely meat-free.

But I digress.

We started the year eating Slimfast recipes in order to get us back on track. However, we abandoned Slimfast after the first week because, well, the vegetarian recipes are not that great.

This was an interesting interpretation of shrimp scampi. It definitely could use some tweaking, but isn't terrible. It's a good starting point, in any case.

Shrimp Scampi
Adapted from Slimfast

4 tablespoons butter
8 garlic cloves
20 ounces fresh baby spinach
1 pound shrimp, large, fresh
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons parsley, fresh, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, ground

In 12-inch skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat and cook 1 clove garlic 30 seconds.

Add spinach and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute or until spinach is wilted. Remove spinach to serving platter and keep warm.

In same skillet, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat and cook remaining 6 cloves garlic, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes or until softened.

Add shrimp and cook 4 minutes or until shrimp turn pink, turning once. Remove from heat, then stir in lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper.

To serve, arrange shrimp mixture over hot spinach.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

I have read a lot of horror stories about crazy mother-in-laws. Every one I read makes me realize one thing: I am very lucky. Though she is not technically my mother-in-law since Alex and I are not married, she is the mother of my significant other and she is awesome.

The reason I am starting this post with that little bit of information is because the recipe I'm sharing today is what I made for breakfast Christmas morning. Alex's mom typically makes breakfast on Christmas, but I wanted to make a little something to help out. We ate this as sort of a pre-breakfast, and it was ready just after we opened presents. Think of it as the breakfast appetizer...

Oh, and Alex and I helped with the actual breakfast, too.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
From Alton Brown

For rolls:
4 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 large whole egg, room temperature
2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/4 cup
3 ounces unsalted butter, melted, approximately 6 tablespoons
6 ounces buttermilk, room temperature
20 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 cups, plus additional for dusting
1 package instant dry yeast, approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
Vegetable oil or cooking spray

For filling:
8 ounces light brown sugar, approximately 1 cup packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
3/4-ounce unsalted butter, melted, approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons

For the dough:
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter, and buttermilk.

Add approximately 2 cups of the flour along with the yeast and salt; whisk until moistened and combined. Remove the whisk attachment and replace with a dough hook.

Add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough, add more flour if necessary; the dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky. Knead on low speed 5 minutes more or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead by hand about 30 seconds. Lightly oil a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl, lightly oil the top of the dough, cover and let double in volume, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until well incorporated. Set aside until ready to use.

Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently shape the dough into a rectangle with the long side nearest you. Roll into an 18 by 12-inch rectangle.

Brush the dough with the 3/4-ounce of melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch border along the top edge. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the top edge; gently press the filling into the dough.

Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Very gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness.

Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2-inch rolls; yielding 12 rolls. Arrange rolls cut side down in the baking dish; cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 16 hours.

Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off. Fill a shallow pan 2/3-full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; approximately 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

When the oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown, or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, approximately 30 minutes.

Let rolls cool, and then eat them. I bet you could save them, but why would you?

Brown Sugar Balsamic Swirl Ice Cream

This is the ice cream to accompany the dessert I made for my family Christmas dinner. I don't know that I'd eat this on it's own, but it went really well with the tarte tatin. Even Alex liked it, though it's definitely not his favorite.

Brown Sugar Balsamic Swirl Ice Cream
From Bon Appetit

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar, divided
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Combine heavy whipping cream, whole milk, and 1/2 cup sugar in heavy large saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring cream mixture to simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Meanwhile, whisk yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in large bowl until very thick, about 2 minutes.

Gradually whisk hot cream mixture into yolk mixture. Return mixture to saucepan. Stir over medium heat until custard thickens and thermometer inserted into custard registers 180F, about 3 minutes (do not boil). Strain custard into large bowl set over another bowl of ice and water. Cool custard completely, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Cover and chill overnight.

Boil balsamic vinegar in heavy small saucepan until reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 6 minutes. Cool syrup in pan.

Process custard in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. When ice cream is done, spoon in balsamic syrup and churn 3 to 4 seconds longer to swirl. Transfer ice cream to container. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.

Roasted Pear Tarte Tatin

When I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit, I knew it would be great. It was elegant, but simple (in flavor, if not in technique). It looked beautiful.

I saved it immediately and knew I would make it for Christmas.

I had originally intended on prepping this the night before and finishing it just before serving dinner, but it didn't work out like that. When cooking a large meal, things rarely go as planned.

It ended up working out quite well, as my family sat around and we played Apples to Apples. We laughed and talked and truly had a wonderful time.

And dessert was pretty darn good too. (Though my little sister decided to skip it in favor of eating brussels sprouts!)

Roasted Pear Tarte Tatin
From Bon Appetit

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
4 large Bosc pears (2 1/4 to 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, halved, cored
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed
1 1/2 tablespoons pear nectar

Position 1 rack in center and 1 rack in top third of oven and preheat to 375°F. Sprinkle sugar evenly over bottom of heavy 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides. Scatter butter cubes over sugar, then drizzle with light corn syrup. Arrange pear halves, cut side up and narrow end pointing toward center, snugly in cake pan (pears may not lie flat, but will shrink during cooking and fit evenly).

Place pan on center rack in oven. Bake pears until tender and dark brown in spots, about 2 3/4 hours.

Meanwhile, line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Unfold thawed puff pastry sheet on work surface. Using another 9-inch-diameter cake pan as guide, cut 9-inch round from pastry sheet. Place pastry round on prepared baking sheet. Place baking sheet on upper rack in oven and bake pastry round until puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool pastry round completely.

Using slotted spoon, carefully lift pears from syrup in cake pan and transfer to large plate to cool.

Before serving, place pastry round, flat side up, on platter. Carefully arrange pears, cut side down and narrow end in center, atop pastry round. Place pan with syrup over medium-high heat. Boil until syrup turns dark amber color, whisking occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add pear nectar (mixture will bubble up). Whisk until caramel is smooth, then spoon over pears.

Cut tart into wedges. Divide among plates. Serve ice cream alongside. (See that recipe on Monday!)

Alton Brown's City Ham

I don't know where the picture of this went. Particularly because we made it TWICE in December. Alex and I made this for Christmas dinner with my family (the Saturday before Christmas), and again for Christmas dinner with his family.

It's okay though, because I'm still going to share the recipe with you. It was good. So good we made it twice within a week. Seriously.

City Ham
From Alton Brown

1 city style (brined) ham, hock end
1/4 cup brown mustard
2 cups dark brown sugar
1-ounce bourbon (poured into a spritz bottle)
2 cups crushed ginger snap cookies

Heat oven to 250 degrees F.

Remove ham from bag, rinse and drain thoroughly. Place ham, cut side down, in a roasting pan. Using a small paring knife or clean utility knife set to the smallest blade setting, score the ham from bottom to top, spiraling clockwise as you cut. (If you're using a paring knife, be careful to only cut through the skin and first few layers of fat). Rotate the ham after each cut so that the scores are no more than 2-inches across. Once you've made it all the way around, move the knife to the other hand and repeat, spiraling counter clockwise. The aim is to create a diamond pattern all over the ham.

Tent the ham with heavy duty foil, insert a thermometer, and cook for 3 to 4 hours or until the internal temperature at the deepest part of the meat registers 130 degrees F.

Remove and use tongs to pull away the diamonds of skin and any sheets of fat that come off with them.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Dab dry with paper towels, then brush on a liberal coat of mustard, using either a basting brush or a clean paint brush (clean as in never-touched paint). Sprinkle on brown sugar, packing loosely as you go until the ham is coated. Spritz this layer lightly with bourbon, then loosely pack on as much of the crushed cookies as you can.

Insert the thermometer (don't use the old hole) and return to the oven (uncovered). Cook until interior temperature reaches 140 degrees F, approximately 1 hour.

Let the roast rest for 1/2 hour before carving.

Spicy Fettuccine with Mussels and Chorizo

Every year for Thanksgiving, we go to California. I've mentioned previously that there are food traditions that Alex's family adheres to. One of those traditions is Italian food the last Saturday that everyone is in town.

This last year was no different.

The dish I had for dinner that night was amazing. I was so thrilled with it that I actually asked for the recipe. That's something I rarely do.

The chef didn't write it out for me, but the waitress did walk me through it. It was easy enough to follow (but requires high quality ingredients for it to be just right.)

I knew that I wanted to make it again. I knew I wanted to share it with friends. So I made it for pre-Christmas dinner for Monica and Andrew. Unfortunately, Abby had a terrible cold and wasn't able to come.

My rendition didn't come out as well as the dish I'd originally had. But I had an idea what to do differently. (It has to do with the type of chorizo we got).

Spicy Fettuccine with Mussels and Chorizo
Based on a recipe from Poggio

3/4 pound fettuccine or linguine pasta (preferably fresh)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Three 5-inch links precooked chorizo (9 ounces total), sliced 1/4 inch thick
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1-1/2 cups dry white wine
3 dozen mussels, rinsed and debearded
1-1/2 cups diced tomatoes with their juice

Cook the pasta according in boiling water until just before al dente.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook, letting the fat start to render. Add the garlic and cook until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Increase the heat to high, add the wine and mussels, cover and boil. Stir occasionally and, as the mussels open, transfer them to a large bowl, cover to keep them warm. Add the tomatoes to the pan and boil for 5 minutes.

Lower the heat to low, add the pasta to the sauce and stir to combine. Divide among 4 shallow bowls, add the mussels.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Salt

The first time I had this cookie, I was blown away. It was at Delancey and was served to me warm. The chocolate chips were gooey. The cookie was crisp around the edges and soft in the middle. And it was sprinkled with sea salt. All in all, it was a transcendent cookie experience.

Lucky for me, the co-owner of Delancey is a food blogger. The recipe was posted there and I was thrilled. No more tollhouse cookies for me; I'm a sea salt chocolate chip cookie girl from now on.

I think I can safely say that the cookies that I made, while not quite the transcendent cookies I ate at Delancey, were good enough to convince others to the cause.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Salt
From Orangette

2 cups minus 2 tbsp cake flour
1 2/3 cups bread flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt, such as kosher
1 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ¼ pounds bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks
Sea salt, such as Maldon (I used Murray River Flake Salt, because I like it)

Combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk well; then set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until very light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

Reduce the mixer speed to low; then add dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Add the chocolate chips, and mix briefly to incorporate. Press plastic wrap against the dough, and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove the bowl of dough from the refrigerator, and allow it to soften slightly. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Scoop six mounds of dough onto the baking sheet, making sure to space them evenly. (This is Molly's recommendation... I made mine smaller. Hers are better, so do what you will). Sprinkle lightly with sea salt, and bake until golden brown but still soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies onto the rack to cool.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

These cookies are a big hit whenever I make them. Alex, who claims to not really like peanut butter, loves these cookies. In fact, the first year I made them, he ate our entire share. No joke.

I make this every year because the come together quickly and are quite decadent. Plus, I love peanut butter cups. They are little bits of wonderful.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
From Allrecipes

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
40 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.

Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk. Add the flour mixture; mix well.

Shape into 40 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. Cool and carefully remove from pan.

Sweet Spiced Nuts

I made so many of these in December. With good reason. They're delicious. They are fantastically easy to put together and the results are awesome. They are also very adaptable.

I won't tell you how many of these didn't make it to the people intended (they sat on our table! They were delicious!) but a fair number did go out as gifts.

These will definitely be on my list to make during the holidays. How could I not when the results are so good with so little effort.

Sweet Spiced Nuts
From Smitten Kitchen

1/3 cup dark-brown sugar
2/3 cup white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 pound walnuts
1/2 pound pecan halves
1 egg white, room temperature
1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Mix sugars, salt, paprika, and cinnamon. Try to make sure there are no lumps and then set aside.

Beat egg white and water until frothy but not stiff. Add walnuts and pecans, and stir to coat evenly.

Sprinkle nuts with sugar mixture, and toss until evenly coated. Spread sugared nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet fitted with parchment paper. (The parchment paper is key! Don't make these without it!)

Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven, and separate nuts as they cool. When completely cool, pour the nuts into a bowl, breaking up any that stick together.