Oreo Truffles

While we were living in Dallas working with CARES each team was to bring treats into the leasing office once a month. Erin made a big hit when she brought these into the leasing office (that further obligated her to be truffle maker extraordinaire for the next couple of years). These little treats are, in theory, quite disgusting. But once you take a bite you forget the ingredients and give way to the chocolately goodness. Only make these if you want to impress folks and be obligated to make more.



1 lb Oreo Cookies
8 oz Cream Cheese
1/2 to 1 tsp. Extract (vanilla, almond, mint or whatever sounds good to you)
1 lb. Milk or Semi-Sweet Chocolate (after experimenting I prefer to use the Wilton baking chips)
1/2 lb. White Chocolate (see note above)
Food coloring if you would like your drizzle to be colored

Using a food processor, grind cookies to a fine powder. With a mixer, blend cookie powder, cream cheese and vanilla extract until thoroughly mixed (there should be no white traces of cream cheese).

Roll into small balls and place on wax-lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 45 minutes.

Line two cookie sheets with wax paper. In double-boiler, melt milk chocolate. Dip balls and coat thoroughly.With slotted spoon, lift balls out of chocolate and let excess chocolate drip off. Place on wax-paper-lined cookie sheet.

In separate double boiler, melt white chocolate and food coloring if you are using it. Using a fork, drizzle white chocolate over balls (I prefer to use a plastic squeeze bottle that you can find in the cake decorating section of Michaels). Let cool.

Store in airtight container, in refrigerator.

Garlic-Rosemary Roast Chicken with Potatoes

For most of my life I thought that I didn't like Roast Chicken. I had never tried making it until Cook's Illustrated magazine allowed me to see that it is because the typical way to roast chicken (slowly over a lower heat) results in very dry white meat. The same goes for turkey. In almost any recipe for chicken or turkey they will have you brine the meat. The exception would be if the meat is packed in a solution or even more so if it is kosher. The other trick is cooking it at a high temperature for a shorter period of time. And, finally, avoid stuffing. It truly is a matter of food safety. Besides, by the time the inner temperature of the turkey is hot enough to make your stuffing safe to eat, your meat is way too dry.

This is a recipe I found in the magazine a few years ago and to me it is quintessential comfort food. It's got a lot of garlic, which is my favorite way to cook. I vary a little in the way I make the potatoes, using fingerling (purple if you can find them) and adding rosemary.

The chicken juices drip down over the potatoes making them absolutely fabulous, but not very healthy. As a side note, I have tried this method both with sliced fennel and green beans. Both are good, but the potatoes take the cake. I suppose sweet potatoes would work nicely as well.



Brine:
1/2 C. Kosher Salt
10 unpeeled garlic cloves
3 Rosemary sprigs
1 4lb Chicken

Paste:
2 tsp. minced rosemary leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp. salt
Ground Black Pepper
1 Tbsp. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Potatoes:
1 1/4 Lb. New or Fingerling Potatoes
10 unpeeled garlic cloves
1 1/2 Tbsp. Olive oil
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
1 sprig rosemary, leaves removed from stem

For the Brine: Combine salt, garlic, and rosemary in zipperlock bag. Pound with meat pounder or rolling pin until garlic cloves are crushed. Trasfer misture to stockpot and stir in 2 cups hot tap water; let stand 10 minutes to release flavors. Add 1 1/2 Quarts cold tap water and stir until salt is dissolved. Submerge chicken in brine and refrigerate 1 hour.

Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat over to 450 degrees. Set V-rack in small roasting pan and lightly spray rack with nonstick cooking spray.

For the paste: Stir together rosemary, garlic, salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper and 1 Tbsp oil in small bowl. Rub about 1 1/2 tsp of paste in cavity of chicken. Carefully loosen skin over breast and thigh on each side; slip half of remaining paste under skin, then, using fingers, distribute paste over outside of chicken. Tie ends of drumsticks together with twine and tuck wings behind back. Spray chicken with oil and season with salt and pepper. Set chicken breast-side down on prepared V-rack and roast 15 minutes.

Meanwhile quarter potatoes (do not quarter if you are using fingerling) and toss with garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Remove chicken from oven and scatter potatoes and garlic in bottom of roasting pan. Roast for 15 minutes. Stir the Potatoes and roast for another 15 minutes.

Remove raosting pan from oven; decrease oven temp to 375. Rotate chicken breast-side up; spray with oil. Stir potatoes.

Return chicken to oven and roast until chicken is medium golden brown and thickest part of breast is 160. Transfer chicken to large plate

Allow the chicken to rest. Carve and serve with potatoes and garlic. Garlic is good spread over bread.

Eggplant Salad

One of the sayings in Israel is that if a woman doesn't know how to make eggplant 80 different ways she will not make a good wife (or something like that). I, personally, love eggplant and have done some experimenting with a salad/dip. It's very similar to Bhabaghanoush, but since I don't know what's in Bhabaghanoush, I won't call it that.

1 lg. Eggplant
1 lg. Red Bell Pepper
2 cl. Garlic
About 1/4 C. Tehina
1 - 2 tsp. Lemon Juice
Salt
Pepper
1/2 - 1 tsp. cumin
Water, if needed.

Fire up the grill (the best way) or your broiler. Wash the pepper and eggplant. Poke holes in the skin of the eggplant all the way around (this will keep it from exploding). Roast on the grill or the broiler until the vegetables are very soft (eggplant) and the skin is charred (pepper).

Meanwhile place the garlic clove, tehina, Lemon juice, salt, pepper and cumin in a food processor bowl.

When the vegetables are done remove them from the grill and place the red pepper in a covered dish for about 10 minutes. Cut the eggplant in half, scoop out the middle, and place it in the food processor bowl. Peel the skin off of the pepper (should just rub off) and remove the core and seeds. Place the pepper in the food processor bowl.

Process on pulse until the vegetables are chopped and all the ingredients are combined well. Adjust seasonings as necessary and add water if the dip seems too thick.

Serve with Pita.

Shakshukah

Shakshukah is a very common egg/tomato dish here in Israel. Just about every restaurant has it on their menu. I believe it is traditionally Yemin, but may be from another Sephardic origin. It is a common Shabbat breakfast because you can let the sauce simmer on low heat overnight and develop a rich flavor. I've experimented with it a few times and believe I have finally found my masterpiece.

1 Onion, sliced
3 cl. Garlic, finely chopped
1 Sm. Red Bell Pepper, sliced
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Pinch of crushed red peppers
1/2 Tbsp (or more) Cumin
About 12 oz. Tomato Paste
Water
1 Med. Carrot, coarsely grated
1 Small Zucchini, , coarsely grated
5-6 eggs

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet (cast iron works great, but you have to be sure to cook other foods in the skillet between shakshukah because the tomato will ruin the "seasoning" on the cast iron). Add onion, garlic, red pepper, salt, pepper, and cumin. Saute until the vegetables are soft.

Add tomato paste and stir in water until the tomato is quite runny. Let the tomato mixture simmer on low, stirring occasionally for about an hour or more, adding water, if necessary. The tomato mixture should be a dark red color and the sauce should have thickened.

Add more water to loosen the sauce and stir in the carrot and zucchini. Make a divet in the mixture with a spoon and crack an egg into the space. Continue until you've added all your eggs (or there is no more space in your skillet). Allow the eggs to cook to your desired consistency. Typically the eggs are hard cooked here, but we found that we like the yolk a little runny.

Serve with bread or pita for dipping/scooping the vegetable mixture. Feel free to experiment with the vegetables you add as well. There is debate in Israel whether chopped tomatoes should be added. I, personally, like it better without.

Why didn't we find this place earlier

You may read in all of the tour books and magazines about the famous Abu Shukri Hummus in the old city of Jerusalem, or Abu Ghosh, but the truth is that the hummus you find in the north far exceeds all others. Whether it be Hummus Said in Acco or Abu Adam in Kfar Yasif, it is simply better. Another gem we recently discovered in Kfar Yasif is a little bakery. On a few occassions we have had baklava here made with peanuts. I suppose if you are a big peanut butter and honey fan (Nina) this may appeal to you, but I prefer the salty goodness of pistachio...that is I did until we found this place. The pistachio baklava is great, as is the Kanafe, but the peanut baklava has stolen my affection. They grind the peanuts so that it is almost the consistency of peanut butter - good, natural, chunky peanut butter. Salty. Sweet. Amazing.

So much anticipation...can you stand it?


Kanafe. I'm not really sure what it is, but Scott loves it. I'll safe my calories for the nut filled treats.


And, finally, the baklava in a variety of shapes and sizes.


It is by far the best baklava we've had in Israel... and anywhere else for that matter.

Hummus with Mushrooms

In Israel they don't eat Hummus like a dip as Americans do. Hummus is sometimes an appetizer, but may also be a main course - probably not for dinner, but definitely for lunch. This is my adaptation of a recipe we have found in several restaurants. It's makes a great weekend lunch or a nice vegetarian dinner. Serves 2-3

Olive oil
12 oz. Small Button Mushrooms
1 Onion, sliced
2 cl Garlic, chopped finely
1/2 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Tumeric
Salt and Pepper to taste
Hummus
Tahini (Add lemon juice, water, garlic, and parsley to taste. Whisk until the sauce thins)
Pita

Wash the mushrooms and trim the ends off. Place oil in pan and turn to med-high heat. Add onions, garlic, mushrooms and spices (I'm guessing about how much I use because I just eyeball it - feel free to experiment with the amount that you like). Saute until the vegetables are soft and have released their moisture, so the pan is no longer dry.

Prepare a plate by spreading the hummus on the bottom creating a sort of crater. Place a moderate amount of the tahini sauce in the crater, so that there is a thin layer filling it. Top it with the mushroom mixture.

Serve with warm pita. As a tip, most people in Israel buy pita fresh and place it in the freezer. When they need it they heat it on the stove or in the oven. This keeps it fresh.

The figs are coming...

I wasn't sure if the figs on the tree in our backyard were ripe until I noticed the sugary syrup that hardened as it had dripped from the opening at the base of some of them. So, I picked a few. Ilan went crazy over them and we both had a couple. Today I scooped the pulp out of a couple of them and mixed it with some plain yogurt. Yum. I can't wait to find other ways to use them. Let me know if you have any ideas. Typically they ripen in stages, so you don't have a bunch of ripe figs all at one time. I think we'll have figs for the rest of our time here.

Agvaniot

I just want to ask when the last time you bought tomatoes like this in the grocery store in the states? You don't want to know how little I paid for these.

Nana Mint Nana Mint

So, last year my favorite thing was my little concoction with green tea (Zen) and just lemon that I liked to call Tiger Woods (a little twist on the old fashioned Arnold Palmer). In Israel we have invented a drink just as refreshing. It starts back at Burke Williams Spa. They always have ice-cold water scented with lemon, orange and sliced cucumber. I can't imagine anything more refreshing when you step out of a sauna or come from a wrap. Not that I go often, but every once in a while my mom likes to treat my sister and I. Anyway, this is the base of the drink. Yesterday when we were at Shook Faisal, Scott got some fresh nana (mint) for making hot tea (it cost less than a dollar for a huge bunch). As we were driving home the fragrance of the mint filled the car and there was only one word to describe it: refreshing. Upon arriving home, I made some fresh lemonade (with lemons from our neighbors tree) and some mint and last night we made some tea with it. While we were sipping we agreed that the mint would be really good with out water drink. So, here it is:

Add a few sprigs of mint to a large iced tea jar. Pour in a cup or so of hot water and let it sit for a few minutes. Meanwhile, slice 1 orange, 1 lemon, 1 cucumber. Add fruit/vegetable slices to jar and fill with cold water and refrigerate. Yum. Don't expect something with strong flavor, however. It is subtle and very refreshing.

As a side note, I have been collecting a list of trees and herbs I would like to have in my garden one day and mint has definitely moved up on the list. My friend Melissa made a carrot salad with mint and garlic the other day and it was great. I'm not sure the exact recipe, but it was something like: grated/julienned carrots, chopped fresh mint, chopped garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

The Set Table

Our origianl plans were to spend Passover with our friend Amir and his family in the Yemen tradition, but our hosts in Israel made a last minute trip here this week and wanted to do a seder at the house. They were going to bring in some rotisserie chicken and pre-made salads, when the host in me said "I'll cook."

In the states probably the most common Passover main entree is Brisket, something I have gotten down pretty well. Now, I know that they don't use the same cuts of meat here in Israel - the use an international numbering system that, as usual, the US doesn't follow. So, finding the right cut of meat is always a little interesting. I went to the store and tried to eyeball it, thinking that it was probably cut Shelosh. But they didn't have it. I sent Scott out yesterday to do some hunting and basically said try to find it, but whatever you do, just come back with something. He came home with cut Chamesh, which to the best of my ability is a Chuck-eye Roast. Not a great cut of meat, but still very expensive here. So, I did a little search on the web and found a recipe from none other than Cook's Illustrated. Wish me luck.

The Menu:
Matzoh Ball Soup
Chopped Liver (Liver in Israel is very popular. Scott loves chopped liver and even though I insisted I would not make it, I am.)
Cucumber Salad
Beet Salad
Hummus and some other purchased salads
All the usual seder items, except the lamb shank. We have our own at home that Scott has cleaned and saved for use at Pesach, but we didn't bring it with us. Our neighbor said they just use any bone they have, so I figured I'll use the wish bone I saved from the chicken soup I made. Ha Ha.

I don't really have high hopes, but we'll see!

With a little help from my friends...

In our efforts to cut costs, I decided I would try my hand at Hummus. Now, the #1 problem with homemade hummus is the consistency. Lucky for me Cooks Illustrated had a recipe for hummus in their latest issue. If you aren't familiar with the magazine, you definitely should check it out when you see it at the market (probably whole foods or central market). Since I wasn't going to be able to receive the magazine this year, I decided to try a web subscription. So, this is my success story:

Me: "I made some hummus, you'll have to tell me what you think."
Amir: "You made hummus? Making hummus is very hard. Most people can't do it. The most trouble is with the consistency."
Me: "Well, the consistency seems pretty good. It's smooth and creamy. You'll have to give me your honest opinion."
Amir: "I will. That's why I'm telling you ahead of time."
Later....
Me: "Oh, the hummus. Tell me what you think, honestly"
Amir: "Okay" breaking apart the pita, dipping, chewing "Well...(silence)...I think this is probably the best homemade hummus I've ever had."

So, the cool thing about Cooks Illustrated is that they approach the recipe like a scientific
experiment. They do all kinds of tests until they find the best result. What I'm telling you is that the process is critical...no skipping steps.

Ultimate Hummus (ala Cooks Illustrated)
We recommend Joyva or Krinos tahini. The hummus can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 5 days. If you do not plan on serving it immediately, refrigerate the hummus and garnishes separately. When ready to serve, stir in approximately 1 tablespoon of warm water if the texture is too thick.

Makes about 2 cups
1/2 cup dried chickpeas
2 quarts water
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons juice from 1 to 2 lemons
6 tablespoons tahini , stirred well (see note)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil , plus extra for drizzling
1 small garlic clove , minced or pressed through garlic press
(about 1/2 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch cayenne
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro or parsley leaves

1. Pick through and rinse dried chickpeas. Place beans in large bowl, cover with 1 quart water, and soak overnight. Drain. Bring beans, baking soda, and remaining quart water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender, about 1 hour. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup bean cooking water, and cool.

2. Combine lemon juice and reserved cooking water in small bowl or measuring cup. Whisk together tahini and 2 tablespoons oil in second small bowl or measuring cup. Set aside 2 tablespoons chickpeas for garnish.

3. Process remaining chickpeas, garlic, salt, cumin, and cayenne in food processor until almost fully ground, about 15 seconds. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula. With machine running, add lemon juice-water mixture in steady stream through feed tube. Scrape down bowl and continue to process for 1 minute. With machine running, add oil-tahini mixture in steady stream through feed tube; continue to process until hummus is smooth and creamy, about 15 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.

4. Transfer hummus to serving bowl, sprinkle reserved chickpeas and cilantro or parsley over surface, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand until flavors meld, at least 30 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

I don't have a food processor here in Israel, so I tried the same method with a blender. It took a bit longer, but it had the same result. Yay!

Count me in

So, a few days ago my friend joined The-Cupcake-Club and wrote about it on her blog. The fam had dinner with said friend and family last night and guess what we had for dessert? That's right folks! Cupcakes!!!

Cupcakes have been an up and coming trend so as any curious American would do, I used the opportunity of my mother's birthday to try out the little demons. After my experience with Dots, I thought I could pass on the cupcake rage, but then there was Sprinkles. In what world would I choose white cake over chocolate? I have become a proud citizen of cupcake land...and will pledge my allegiance to the frosting (Cream cheese, buttercream, or otherwise).

Last night we tasted the double chocolate, red velvet, carrot cake, white, and black and white varieties. No one could decide which one cupcake they wanted so we cut them up on quarters and tasted them all! Surprisingly, white was my favorite! So, there's one more reason to come visit us in California.