Mushroom Piroshki Appetizers

Umami. Flavor that hits on all six cylinders. Mushrooms have it. And until a few years ago, I admit that my misunderstanding of mushrooms led me to dislike and avoid them. Thank goodness I've moved past that, because YUM. 

With a few simple steps, even common brown mushrooms can deliver powerhouse flavor, and in this case, kick the butt of the beef piroshki I made to accompany these mushroom ones for Easter. 

Mushroom 101

• Selecting Fresh Mushrooms: How can you tell? See the photo above? Fresh mushrooms will have a smooth, glossy cap, that (for the most part) will not have come away from the stem. Like all produce, use it ASAP for the best results. 
• Storing - A Cool Dark Place: Store in a paper bag in a low-humidity drawer in the fridge.
• Washing: YES. Wash off the dirt, for they grow in the ground. Just rinse them under some cool water, and gently rub off any dirt. Allow them to dry, then use them as desired. 

Makes about 50 bite-sized piroshki 

The Dough
4oz cream cheese (just half of a regular old brick), at room temp
4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 1/4C AP flour
1/2t kosher salt

Cream the butter til smooth. Add the cream cheese, and cream til combined. Stir in the flour and salt to form a ball. Flatten it out into a rectangular slab about 1/2" thick, wrap in parchment or plastic wrap, and chill for about an hour. 

The Filling
3 8oz packages organic brown mushrooms 
1 small, or 1/2 large white or yellow onion
2T olive oil
1T butter
salt & pepper 
sherry (optional)

1 beaten egg to seal the piroshki, and for an eggwash

For this recipe, we'll use the whole mushroom. Trim off the ends of the stems. If you have a food processor, you're very happy right now. Chop the shrooms in batches of 3 on "pulse" til finely diced. Otherwise, grab a sharp knife and go to town. Finely dice the onion. Heat a large skillet on medium-high, heat 2T olive oil, then saute the onion til golden. Remove from the pan. Turn heat to high. 

Dump the chopped mushrooms into a cheesecloth or clean kitchen towel (it will turn brown) and squeeze out as much liquid as you can, saving it in a jar for later use (I froze mine to use later in a soup or sauce). Dump the mushrooms into the hot pan, and saute, stirring constantly for even browning. Sprinkle with about 1/2t salt and freshly ground pepper. Saute for about 10 minutes. If you have some sherry, drizzle about 2T over the shrooms to deglaze the pan (about 1 minute). Add the shrooms to the sauteed onions, dot with butter, and allow to cool, stirring occasionally to let off steam. Taste the cooled filling. Add more salt & pepper if needed. 

Roll the Dough
Dust a clean work surface lightly with flour. This dough isn't very sticky, so you only need a little flour to help roll out your dough to about 1/16." Cut silver dollar-sized discs and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 

My dough cutter is 2" in diameter 

Fill and Shape
Take a disc of dough and using your finger, brush some beaten egg around the inside edge. Scoop a full spoon of filling onto the center. Fold the disc in half like a taco. Press the edges together, then crimp the edge to further seal it. 

If making ahead, freeze the piroshki on the sheet pan, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag. 

unbaked frozen piroshki. space them out farther when baking.

Baking
Preheat oven to 400'. Space out piroshki on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Brush with eggwash, and bake until golden brown. Serve hot. 

my test bake popped open, so I added some eggwash to the seal. either way, they're delicious!

на здоровья! 

Chocolate Almond Macaroons GF

My Mom discovered the recipe for these a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, and made them every year for Christmas. It was a BIG production. For the almond macaroon, we'd shell almonds, blanch them to remove the skins, dry them, and grind them to make the almond meal. The last few years, Mom was taking care of her Mom, and didn't have the bandwidth to make these. This year, I was fortunate to have a lot of time off around the holidays, so I volunteered to make them. And guess what? You can BUY organic ground almond meal at most stores with bulk sections. So that simplified things quite a bit to start. The rest may seem complicated or fancy, but most of these steps can be done ahead of time, allowing you to relax and enjoy time with your guests, while wowing them with these irresistibly delicious treats. 

If you make these ahead (which I recommend), do all the steps in one day, and freeze the macaroons, defrosting them about 20-30 minutes before serving (they're also really good frozen). As with any seemingly intimidating recipe, you have a greater chance of succeeding if you read through the recipe a few times first, and organize all your ingredients and tools ahead of time, visualizing each step. 

These (gluten-free!) macaroons have 3 components:
almond macaroon 
cocoa buttercream
dark chocolate coating

Let's start with the buttercream. I like the Neoclassic Buttercream recipe from the Cake Bible, as you don't need a thermometer for the sugar syrup, and it's a relatively quick and simple technique. We modified this recipe to use 3 egg yolks, so you don't waste any eggs, as the macaroon uses 3 whites. 

Before you start, make sure your butter is softened, but not melty. Here's what you'll need:

Cocoa Buttercream
3 egg yolks (I always use extra-large cage-free eggs)
1/4C + 2T sugar (only use white granulated sugar)
1/4C light corn syrup (you can find non-GMO at Whole Foods, etc.)
3/4C unsalted butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
3T cocoa powder, sifted 

Tools

• Hand or stand mixer (I prefer a hand mixer for this small batch). 
• Small sauce pan, preferably nonstick
• Measuring cups, spoons 
• Two small/medium mixing bowls, about the same size 
• Tray of ice cubes (optional)

Method
Beat the yolks on medium-high until pale yellow and thick (about 5 minutes). 
Heat the sugar and corn syrup in the saucepan, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heat-proof silicone spatula, until the mixture comes to a roaring boil with large bubbles on the surface. 

With the mixer on low, VERY CAREFULLY pour the syrup in a thin stream into the egg yolks. 
AVOID pouring the syrup into the mixing blades, or the syrup will splatter on the sides of the bowl, harden, and you'll end up with crunchy bits in your smooth buttercream. Not the end of the world, but avoid it if possible. Start with a little syrup at first to temper the eggs so they don't scramble from the heat. Then continue quickly but carefully to pour in the rest of the syrup while beating on slow-medium. At this point you'll need to keep beating the mixutre for about 10 minutes until it cools to room temperature. You can speed up the cooling process by nesting the bowl in another bowl full of ice. Just keep moving that mixer around to make sure you're cooling the mixture evenly. Test the temperature by putting a dab on your lip. If it feels a bit cooler than your body temp, you can start adding the butter, 1T at a time, making sure it's completely mixed in before adding the next lump. Continue until all the butter is incorportated. 

Sift the cocoa powder over the buttercream, and mix in on low. You did it! Now you can set the buttercream aside while you make the macaroons. 

Preheat the oven to 375'.

Macaroons
3 egg whites
1.5C ground almond meal
1.5C powdered sugar, sifted

Tools

• Stand mixer fitted with whip (or hand mixer). If you're using the same mixer as you did for the buttercream, be sure to wash it thoroughly with soap and hot water. Any oils left on the bowl or beaters can prevent your whites from firming up. You can also just make the macaroons first, and the buttercream second. 
• Pastry bag (or gallon ziploc bag) fitted with a coupler (or you can use a teaspoon).
• Baking sheets
• Parchment sheets

Sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl. Whisk in the almond meal until there are no lumps. 
Beat the egg whites until stiff, wet peaks form (just until the peak holds). 
Fold in the almond sugar mixture 1/3 at a time. 

 

Immediately pour the batter unto your pastry bag. I use a binder clip to keep the batter from running out until I'm ready to pipe. If you're using teaspoons, line your baking sheets with parchment, and start dropping teaspoons of batter about 1" apart. 

Bake at 375' until deeply golden. Depending on your oven, you might want to turn the sheet around halfway through for even baking (my old oven has a hot corner).  You want the cookies good & golden because they are about to encounter a lot of moisture, and need that crunch to stand up to it. Ovens vary, but each batch should take about 15-18 minutes. Cool the cookies on cooling racks. Then gently peel each cookie from the parchment, and flip it over so the flat side is facing up. 

Assembly
Using a teaspoon, spread a mound of buttercream on each cookie, leaving a smooth-ish surface. Once all the cookies are all coated, freeze them for about 30 minutes. This way the buttercream won't melt into the chocolate when you're dipping them. 

Melt about 5oz finely chopped dark chocolate in a double boiler, or as I do, boil a couple inches of water in a sauce pan, and set the bowl of chocolate over it to melt. The water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. The steam will gently melt the chocolate, but DON'T LET ANY WATER GET INTO THE CHOCOLATE. It will seize up and harden. (If that happens, you can add 1T of honey to help remelt it.)

Once the chocolate is melted, remove the bowl from the heat, and set it on the counter next to your macaroons. Now, dip away! Hold onto the sides of the macaroon, dip it into the chocolate, then lift it up, bounce it on the surface of the chocolate, and shake of the excess. Set the dipped macaroons back on the sheet with parchment. Once they're all dipped, but them back in the freezer. Store macaroons for up to a month in an airtight container. 

Христос рождается!

Chive Butter

I trust none of you need a recipe for chive butter. This is more of an excuse to eat butter. Because with the addition of chives, it's now healthy. Right? 

The "Recipe"
1 stick of unsalted butter (preferably european style), at room temperature 
2T snipped chives 
kosher salt to taste (about 1/4t)

Use a large spoon to mix the chives and salt into the butter. Transfer to a small serving dish. 
Butter can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or frozen for up to 6 months. 

No Knead to Panic. Easy Buttery Dinner Rolls.

I've tried various recipes and techniques for yeast-based dinner rolls, and so far these are my top seed. The dough mixes up in minutes and requires no hand kneading after its time in the mixer. The only real "work" is dividing the risen dough into 24 equal pieces and shaping them into balls— and as I proved on the eve of Thanksgiving, this task goes quickly and is way more fun when shared with a friend. 

Store the shaped, unbaked rolls in the fridge overnight, then bake the rolls fresh just in time for dinner. As the dough rises whip up some compound butters. Fresh chive butter makes these already addictive rolls irresistible. 

Make the Dough
1 Packet Yeast (1/4oz, 2 1/4t)
1/3C Sugar
1/2C Warm Milk (heated to 110-115')

6 1/2C AP Flour
2t Fine Sea Salt
1.5 Sticks Unsalted Butter, softened (plus 1 stick melted for brushing)
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1 1/4C Milk, room temp 

Start the Yeast
Warm 1/2C milk in a liquid measuring cup. Gently stir in the sugar and yeast, and let it sit for 5 minutes until foamy. 

Mix the Dough
Add the yeast starter to a mixing bowl fitted with a hook attachment. Stir in the softened butter, half the flour, and half the remaining milk. Start slow, then mix until incorporated. Mix in the egg. Then add the rest of the flour and milk. Start slow, then mix for a few minutes until the dough comes together and pulls away from the bowl. It will be sticky. 

The dough before the 2nd batch of flour and milk are added.

Let it Rise! 
Dump the dough into a large oiled bowl, cover loosely with plastic, and let rise in a warm place (not hot) for about 2 hours until the dough has doubled in bulk.

The dough before rising.

Prep the Pans, Shape the Dough
Line a baking sheet with parchment. On a clean work surface (a floured wooden cutting board or clean counter top) dump out the doubled dough, and gently punch it down and give it a few light kneads to get the air out. Using a knife or bench scraper, cut the dough in half. Then divide each half into 12 equal pieces (24 total). Shape each piece into a ball by gathering the edges together, pinching them to seal. Then roll the ball in a tight circle cupped in your hand, against your work surface to create a smooth ball. Distribute the rolls evenly spaced on the lined pan. Cover pan with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight.

To Bake
Remove pan from fridge and leave at room temperature for one hour or more before baking. Preheat oven to 375'. Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter and sprinkle with kosher salt or fancy-pants salt flakes. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until deep golden brown. Turn the pans after about 15 minutes to ensure even baking. Remove the pan and brush the rolls (again!) with more butter. Cool on rack at least 10 minutes before serving. 

Rolls can be baked at least a day ahead. 

Storage
Store remaining cooled rolls in a ziploc bag or airtight container for up to 1 week. Rolls can also be frozen and reheated in foil at 300' until warm.

Chive Butter
Cream 1C (2 sticks, 1/2#) unsalted butter until soft.
Stir in 2-3T finely minced chives.
Season with a little kosher salt to taste.
Transfer to a small serving bowl or ramekin. Cover with plastic and refrigerate, or serve immediately. Store extra butter covered in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. Note: Compound butters that contain fresh herbs or vegetables can spoil faster than regular butter. If you don't need the extra butter for a while, wrap it tightly in parchment, then plastic wrap, then a Ziploc freezer bag. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature before serving. Do not refreeze, or eventually it will turn gross.