Georgian Eggplant with Walnuts and Garlic

I returned from Georgia with a pretty good stash of contraband; largely wine and cheese but I also picked up some Georgian spices: marigold and blue fenurgeek. The massive amount of cheese I'll address later and for reviews of all those lovely wines check my website ParMieux Wine Adventures because today we're talking about cooking with those spices.

I love Georgian food. If it weren't for the copious amounts of cilantro they use then I'd say Georgian food was pretty darn perfect.While I was in Tbilisi I made sure to buy a lot of the spices I need to make Georgian food at home, namely dried marigold and blue fenugreek.

I really have absolutely no idea what blue fenugreek is but it's a vital ingredient in my favorite Georgian side dish-the eggplants with walnut and garlic paste. This appetizer, served cold, is an amazing melding of flavors. I particularly like to garnish it with pomegranate seeds which, while entirely optional, really add just an extra pop of flavor that brings it all together.

I can, and have, eaten an entire plate of these on my own. I believe that on our recent visit KMac and I ordered this at least once a day. So when I got home with my stash of Georgian spices and wine it seemed like the perfect thing to pair with the Tsitska wine I brought-and it rather was quite a perfect pairing!

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do! They're a little fussy to make, especially if you use the pomegranate seeds, but so worth it!

Georgian Eggplant with Walnuts

Ingredients:

• 500 grams of eggplant (5-ish eggplants)
• 250 grams walnuts
• 1 teaspoon dried blue fenugreek
• 1 teaspoon dried marigold
• 1 teaspoon dried coriander
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 4 large cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• salt
• oil
• water
• pomegranate seeds (optional)

Method:

1.  Using a food processor, blend the walnuts and garlic. In a medium sized bowl combine the walnut garlic mixture with the spices, salt, and vinegar, Add enough water to bring the mixture to a paste-like consistency (5 or tablespoonsful).
2. Slice the eggplants fairly thinly. In a frying pan heat the oil and fry on both sides for 3-4 minutes. Place eggplant slices on paper towels to absorb the extra oil.
3. Once the eggplant slices have cooled, spread the walnut mixture on half the eggplant, fold (in half) then spread more walnut mixture on top.
4. Garnish with fresh cilantro if you're crazy or pomegranate seeds. Serve cold.

Brutti Ma Buoni - My Trials and Tribulations

In November when I was in Rome L and I had the most magnificent cookies called brutti ma buoni - literally ugly but good. I have tried several times now to recreate them and are consistently turning out far more brutti than buoni. I shall persevere!!

Both attempts had good and bad points. The first recipe I found was, I now believe, miswritten. No way one egg white was enough so I did some guesstimating and randomly threw in a few more egg whites. I also went the whole nine yards with roasting whole hazelnuts then putting them through a food processor with confectioner's sugar.

I'm sure it was an ingredient  proportional issue but these baked flatter than a pancake. Brutti ma buoni should be puffy and round, kind of like a coconut macaroon. Sans the coconut.They were both brutti and buoni but brutti in a completely different way than they should have been. But wow did they taste good.

For my second batch I used a completely different recipe. I also skipped a step and used prepulverized hazelnuts that I found at Carrefour. Even the method with these cookies was much different and involved hand whisking the egg whites and sugar in a double boiler-which I think made a big difference in how the cookie turned out.

I knew as soon as I scooped these onto the cookie sheet that I had a better chance this time of making them look right. The meringue was fluffier and the raw dough stayed put instead of migrating into the surrounding cookies.

This recipe also called for a significantly less amount of hazelnuts so that explains why they may have looked slightly better (well, better = the way they're supposed to) but did not have the big hazelnut flavor that the first batch did. I also think I let them bake like two minutes longer than they needed. My new oven and I are still learning how to get along.

So the first batch wins for taste but the second sort of wins for looks. I think my next attempt will be with the below recipe which is the one I used for the second batch but with some tweaks.  When made correctly these cookies are amazing and totally worth all this trial and error to get right!

Brutti ma buoni

Ingredients:

• 200 grams whole hazelnuts
• 1 cup (200 grams) sugar
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3 Tbs (30 grams) flour

Method:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F/177 C and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the hazelnuts on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes (or until fragrant) and skins begin to flake. Remove and place on a clean dish towel. Roll up the towel and let them steam for about 10 minutes then rub the (still in the towel) briskly to remove the skins. Let them cool completely then coarsely chop (or run through a food processor).
2. In a heatproof bowl placed over a shallow pan of simmering water combine the sugar and egg whites whisking constantly until opaque in color.
3. Remove from heat and beat with a hand mixer until thick and glossy. Beat in the vanilla then fold in the flour and chopped nuts.
4. Place heaping tablespoonsful on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 12-ish minutes then check and bake more or not.

These are best the day of but will keep for a day or two in an airtight container. 

Orange-Scented Date Rice Pudding

Happy Christmas Eve Day!!!

I decided I wanted something a little special for breakfast this morning. I seem to always have rice on hand which must be a symptom of living in Turkey because there was never rice in my cupboard in the US. With the rice there it seemed only sensible to make rice pudding. So with one of my favorite Christmas movies (Elf) playing in the background I set to work.

More than any other day of the year, Christmas Eve is when I feel the most homesick. Although a 40 degree (F) temperature drop last night caused huge winds and massive power outages...

For as long as I can remember Christmas Eve has always been done at my parents with an assortment of family, friends, and neighbors coming. Mom would spend the day running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to cook and clean while we lounged around watching movies and maybe moved around a few things to pretend we were helping with the cleaning.

 Then it was off to the children's Christmas Eve Mass! Which is seriously, the same exact thing year after year. My mom managed it once and tried to make it less bad but as bad as it is people go crazy if you try to change it. Today for me marks one year of singing the Psalms at my church here in Istanbul. I feel so much calmer about it this year than I did last! I was freaking out last year and I know it didn't go well but I think (knock on wood!) that I've got it this year. This is the only time of the year that more than a dozen people turn up to my church so hopefully being faced with packed pews and Turkish curiosity seekers standing in the back won't throw my game!

Even though I'm not in Michigan pretending to help get the house ready for tonight's party I still have plenty of prep of my own here. I've already cleaned and mopped, have to "work" for a few hours, try on all my red dresses, do my nails, practice the psalms for tonight and tomorrow morning, and watch the digital Christmas presents roll in! Oh and clean up the rice pudding mess...

I had a few wee problems with this recipe and it wasn't quite as good as I wanted it to be. I prefer the takes longer but also seems to taste better rice pudding methods. However aspects of this recipe still have merit.

Recipe (adapted from My Gourmet Connection)

Ingredients (serves 4-6):

• 1 3/4 cups (whole) milk
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup rice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• a few dashes of clove
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 8 ounces vanilla yogurt*
• 1/4 cup cream
• zest of one orange
• 1 1/2 cups chopped dates 
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation:

1. Combine liquids and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and add the spices, honey, vanilla, and salt. Once combined add rice, cover, and let simmer until almost all the liquid has been absorbed (about 30 minutes).
2. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Stir in remaining ingredients. *I did not have vanilla flavored yogurt on hand so I used Turkish süzme style yogurt and a little additional vanilla extract.
3. Serve room temperature or cold.

Truffled Macaroni Cheese

I deeply and truly love cheese. I love it. A few years ago my doctor told me I should stop eating hard cheeses because of my cholesterol levels. I'd rather go happy than give up cheese. I've complained before about the lack of cheese variety (particularly the lack of not dyed or insanely expensive cheddar) so I won't do that again.

That's like 7 cups of cheese. It was beautiful.

I recently came back from the States and brought three suitcases full, largely, of groceries. There were about six pounds of pork products and probably eight or more of cheeses. I went to both Michigan and DC while I was in the US and on my DC leg Lauren took my to Trader Joe's.

Oh Trader Joe. I think I miss you the most.

I really only mean to buy the Italian truffle cheese. But then there was the raw milk cheddar, the port sault, the apricot Stilton, and something I've never seen there before...truffle cheddar. Those (some Manchego, roasted garlic cheddar, and several more pounds of extra sharp white cheddar) came home with me.

As much as I would love to savor them slowly over time, cheese doesn't really freeze well. Technically it freezes just fine, its the thawing when things go wrong. So when you have a surplus of cheeses that don't have a long shelf life and need to be consumed pretty quickly what do you do? Make macaroni cheese.

Adding the pasta to the bechamel.

But not just any macaroni cheese. When you have Italian truffle cheese that's going bad fast you really just need to fully commit to truffle macaroni cheese. It's worth the extra effort and expense. The night I made this I was a béchamel genius. I was a hero.

Recipe

Ingredients
For the topping:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons truffle oil
• 2 cups panko flakes
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Cup grated Parmesan 

For macaroni:

• 1 pound noodles (shells, elbow, etc)
• 1/2 Cup butter
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups whole milk
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 6 cups grated cheddar*
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• Truffle salt
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in the middle of oven. Butter the baking dish**. Set a large, covered pot of salted water over high heat to boil.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, heat butter and oil until butter foam subsides. Add panko and garlic; cook, stirring, until crumbs are golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer crumbs to a medium bowl, stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan and salt, and set aside.
3. Add macaroni to boiling salted water and cook until just al dente (avoid overcooking). Drain macaroni and set aside. 
4. In a large wide pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Sprinkle flour over butter, whisking to incorporate and make a roux. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until roux is light golden, about 4 minutes. Gradually pour in milk and cream, whisking constantly to incorporate and make a béchamel sauce. Raise heat to medium-high and bring sauce to a low boil, whisking constantly. Reduce to a simmer, whisking occasionally, and cook until béchamel sauce is thick and coats the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes more. 
5. Add the salt, pepper, and truffle salt. Add the cheeses in three batches, whisking until each addition is completely melted before adding more. Remove from heat.
6. Add the drained macaroni to the pot with the cheese sauce and stir well to coat. Transfer macaroni mixture to the buttered baking dish and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle topping evenly over macaroni and bake until golden and bubbling, 18 to 23 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

*I used a combination of Turkish gruyere, Italian truffle cheese, and raw milk cheddar.

** Or go the extra step and use truffle oil!

Turkish Wine of the Week - Sevillen 2012 W

A while back E and I trekked out to the Kanyon mall to visit Macro Center-a place I have avoided for two and a half years because I heard it was addictive. Macro Center, you see, is the import grocery store. In the end I was actually pretty disappointed by it. My local Carrefour carries a lot of the same things; although I was thrilled beyond measure to find large tubs of red curry paste! No more having to get people to bring/send me the itty bitty pots of Thai Kitchen paste. I was of course hoping that the import store would have a decent selection of foreign wines (and I heard that you could get them cheaper there than at La Cave)...

I bought local wines. Who goes to the fancy import store and comes home with local products? Apparently I do. The imported wine selection was slim and, like at many of the alcohol stores in Istanbul, it was a selection of the bottom of the barrel wines at top shelf prices. No thank you. So I purchased a couple Turkish wines I'd never seen before, one of which was Sevillen's 2012 W.

Frankly I was drawn to this because of the label. I'm not too proud to admit that I often choose wine based on how attractive I find the label so, kudos to the ad people. This particular label reminded me of "Wicked" which has long been both one of my favorite books and musicals.

The W is a blend of Semillion and Sauvignon Blanc, a blend we tried (in reverse) recently with Suvla. The W is a very pale straw yellow with a delicate floral, citrus, apple nose. On the palate it's clean, dry, and with a long finish with a lot of citrus and apple. Really lovely. We really liked this one. 

The W went beautifully with our dinner that night of grilled vegetables, Turkish carrot salad (recipe below!), and...the Heaven...pork sausage. Which we bought at the Macro Center. I love you, Devil's Meat.

I would definitely by Sevillen's W again. We all really enjoyed it and even as much as I love wine even I have to say that it can be difficult to find a wine that you like both with and without food and that is an easy drinking experience. I may even dare to blaspheme and say that I liked this better than the Suvla iteration...

Turkish Carrot Salad:

• 4-5 large carrots, peeled and grated
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3-4 big cloves of garlic, crushed
• 500 grams thick yogurt (suzme if you're in Turkey, otherwise Greek yogurt should work)

1. Heat the oil over medium flames and cook the grated carrots with salt and pepper until they're about half done, you want them still crunchy. Frankly I don't know why you want to half cook them but the chef on our blue cruise (who taught me the recipe) said to do it. When they're (half) done set them aside to cool.
2. Crush the garlic cloves and combine them with the yogurt.
3. When the carrots are cool, combine them with the yogurt and let your taste buds explode! 

Truffled Macaroni Cheese

One of the things I miss the most while living in Turkey is cheddar cheese. It's not impossible to find here...but you'll end up spending about your entire paycheck for that really awful, dyed orange cheddar. That's just not worth it. Luckily I have friends who love me and the last time E was in the US she brought back a TWO pound brick of extra sharp white cheddar for me.

2 pounds!! There was happy dancing.

Kasar, cheddar, and Parmesan

What do you do to thank the friend who brings you two pounds of cheese? Make macaroni cheese of course! Macaroni cheese is the most amazing comfort food. It could only have been better if I'd had some friend chicken too. Preferably made by Lauren. Lauren makes amazing friend chicken. You will not be surprised to learn that I have a high cholesterol count. A few years ago my doctor told me to stay away from cheeses, cream, greasy and fatty foods etc. I was all: "No. No just give me some drugs please and I'll either eat a lot of oatmeal with the drugs or will die young but happy and full of cheese." Give up cheese. There's laughing in my head.

This turned out pretty well if I do say so. While I add nutmeg I'm not really sure why; just seems to work. Baking it at the end both keeps it warm for serving and has the added advantage of crisping up the top layer of pasta for texture. Even after all the cheddar I've eaten and making this batch of macaroni cheese...I just might have enough cheddar left to make it again!

*Nom nom* I really should have made more. The recipe made enough for four of us to each have a very generous bowl and with a side salad no one went hungry...but I totally would have eaten more after my gusts left had there been any more!

Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons truffle oil
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 3 Tablespoons flour
• 1 Teaspoon sea or table salt
• 2 Teaspoons truffle salt (optional)
• 1 Teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
• 1 Cup milk
• 1 Cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 Cup grated mild cheese (I used kasar but Fontina would be great)
• 1/2 Cup grated Parmesan
• 1 Package pasta of your choice

Instructions: 

1. Cook pasta as per the package directions.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat a stock pot or deep sauce pan over medium heat. Combine oil, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and flour and whisk until a thick paste forms. 
3. Reduce the heat to low, whisk in half the milk until a paste forms; then whisk in remaining milk. 
4. Add the cheeses, reserving half the Parmesan, whisking thoroughly and add truffle salt (if using) to taste. I find that the flavor is usually more mild than I expect it to be.
5. Combine with drained pasta.
6. Optional last step: pour macaroni cheese into a baking dash, sprinkle the remaining Parmesan on top, and bake near the top of the oven (or broil) at about 250F for 10-15 minutes. Gives you time to prepare a salad if you're pretending to care about health.

Sweet Potato Eggplant Thai Curry

The only really good Asian food you can get in Istanbul are Thai and Korean-luckily there are great restaurants near my apartment for these but I do like to cook at home sometimes, especially Thai. Unfortunately (refer to early grumbling about ingredients you can't get here) it can be a little tough. So I take advantage of visitors and people's trips to the US to stock up on important grocery items; in this case, Thai curry paste.

Normally when I post a recipe I put it at the bottom of the post however a friend of mine who can't cook really wanted the recipe so this time I'm doing step-by-step instructions with pictures just for her.

Ingredients (to make enough for 4 people):

• 2 large-ish sweet potatoes
• 2 medium to large eggplants-the long kind, not the fat ones
• 2 red bell peppers
• 1-2 red chilies
• 2 cans of coconut milk
• lots of Thai red curry paste
• kaffir lime leaves (if you can get them) or juice of half a lime
• salt and pepper

Rinse eggplants and peppers and peel the potatoes.

Chop potatoes in cubes, the smaller the cube the faster they will cook.

De-stem and slice the eggplants into rounds.

De-stem, de-seed, and slice bell peppers.

De-stem, de-seed, and slice chillies if using-avoid touching anything before thoroughly wash your hands after handling the chilies.

You're probably going to need about half of one of these jars depending on how spicy you like things.

Mommy's kitchen helper

A feline kitchen helper is not a requirement but I do recommend one!

Pour 1 can coconut milk into a deep saucepan or pot, and heat over low-medium heat until hot.

Stir in 3 generous tablespoons full curry paste (more can always be added later).

Once the paste is incorporated, add remaining coconut milk and bring to a low simmer.

Once the curry milk is simmering add the potatoes and cover, cooking over low to medium heat for about 10-ish minutes.

Add eggplant and bell peppers and simmer another 15 or so minutes until vegetables are cooked through.

Add (if using) chilies and kaffir lime leaves/juice.

Season with salt/pepper to taste then serve over rice, bulgar, or whatever strikes your fancy!

And because everything is ultimately about wine...a reminder that spicy dishes go nicely with sweet white wines like a sweet Riesling, a Muscat, or a light Chenin Blanc!

A Disappointing Museum and Blue Cheese Mushroom Risotto

Last weekend E and I went to the newly reopened Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Sultanahmet. This museum has been closed for renovation since before E&M visited me the summer of 2013 (which incidentally is also the summer I was fired from a not-to-be-named DC-based organization somewhat famous for misappropriating American tax dollars). We've been waiting impatiently for this museum to reopen and a rainy Sunday seemed a great day to visit.

The museum, which sits at the far end of the Hippodrome was a little hard to reach. When we arrived in Sultanahmet the entire are was crowded with people there for both a bike marathon and I suppose to hear the Prime Minister who was there making a speech ahead of the June elections.

We finally made our way into the museum and I waited with my dripping umbrella while E bought her ticket. My Muzekart gets me in free and, after our visit I am so glad I did not have to spend 20TL on the entrance fee.

I love sundried tomatoes

It was so disappointing! The building itself is somewhat interesting and I enjoy an illuminated manuscript as much as the next person...but aside from a rather interesting coffin, a handful of moth-eaten rugs, and a few hairs from Mohammad's beard there's not much else in there. The collection covers only one floor. While it's a nice building it doesn't make up for the lack of content or information. It's not even like visiting the Native American Museum at the Smithsonian; really amazing architecture, best food court the Smithsonian has to offer...and that's about it.

Which wouldn't be so bad if there were at least some information. It's set up to take the visitor through the history of the area's peoples and their art. Information boards at the beginning of each age tell you that you will see examples of the art typical of the time. Typical how? An illuminated manuscript looks like an illuminated manuscript looks like an illuminated manuscript. Placards next to each item tell you only (in Turkish and English) that this is a Quran from the something period, or a cuzden* from a something period.

I think we left the museum with less information than we had going in.

You what is not disappointing? Risotto. Blue cheese. Mushrooms (except for shitake mushrooms to which I seem to be allergic). Except for Salmon Friday, dinner at E&M's, and eating out I pretty much live on pasta. It's just so easy. While I never made risotto in the States I often make it here, although usually I skip the Parmesan since it's so insanely expensive here. Of all the imported cheese here, blue cheese is oddly affordable. As is often the case with cooking and baking here, I decided to get a little creative with substitutes; and as long as I was adding blue cheese to the mix I might as well throw in some walnuts too.

I wasn't quite sure how well this would all turn out; between the blue cheese and deglazing with red wine which I've never done to risotto.I am happy to say that the blue cheese did not disappoint. Doing this again I would make a few changes though which are reflected below. Blue cheese is strong so I was a little shy about how much I used. Next time I would use the entire package. Also I need to stop being afraid of the truffle salt.

Paired with a spinach salad, a gorgeous Spanish red, and a terrace view of Istanbul my blue cheese mushroom risotto was lovely. It warmed up pretty well the next day too. In the end, a disappointing museum trip that ends with a lovely dinner is still a pretty good day.

*A cuzden is apparently a chapter or fragmented section from the Quran. We had to Google that.

Recipe

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon truffle oil (optional)
• 2 white or yellow onions, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic (crushed and/or chopped)
• 140 grams mushrooms, sliced
• 140 grams (3/4 Cup) risotto 
• 75 ml dry red wine
•  4 sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 500 ml hot vegetable stock (or hot water)
• 100+ grams (baby) spinach
• 115 grams (1/2 Cup) walnuts, chopped
• 100 grams blue cheese
• salt
• black pepper
• truffle salt (optional)

1. Heat the oils in a deep sauce pan or pot over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and mushrooms and cook gently for another 3-4 minutes.
2. Add risotto and stir until all the grains are covered in onion-garlic-mushroomy goodness. Pour in the wine and cook for another couple minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the wine is incorporated. 
3. Reduce heat to low. Add the sundried tomatoes and about 125 ml/4 fl ozs stock and cook, stirring occasionally, until all liquid is absorbed. Continue to add the stock in small batches until it's all absorbed and the risotto is creamy and tender.
4. Stir in the blue cheese and walnuts and season to taste. If you're using truffle salt don't be afraid of it. I never add enough. Once all that is incorporated, sprinkle the spinach over the risotto, cover, and cook for about 5 more minutes/until the spinach has wilted. Stir in the spinach and serve! Goes well with a spinach salad and/or some nicely rare meat. And more red wine. Always more red wine!

Salted Caramel Sticky Buns

A funny thing happened to me on the way to a friend's.

After two years in Turkey I've experienced a number of odd incidents but I think this one takes the cake (or sticky bun if you prefer). I was headed to a friend's place in Şişli which requires a trip on the metro. As I was headed toward the exit I noticed a group of three or four men, also headed toward the exit turnstiles, veer away from the exit to where a security guard was standing. Thinking nothing of it, I passed through a turnstile and veered left to the exit I needed. Then the world exploded! The men I'd noticed earlier attacked a security guard. Several more guards rushed in as the brawling group moved quickly across the station (in the same direction I needed to go). And then the gun came out.

The guard pulled his gun and started waving it around. That is when the majority of bystanders who moments ago were merely curious as to what was going on, myself included, hit the walls. I stood with a group of people near a bank of ATMs, hoping that the machines would take any bullets instead of me. All I could think was, "Fantastic. The absolute last thing I need is to get shot in fracking Turkey." And to my absolute bewilderment, while 85% of people in the station were doing their best to stay clear of whatever the heck was going down, the other 15% apparently had no sense and/or self preservation instincts because they continued to mosey on past the gun waving group of fighting idiots.

It's moments like this when I really wish my Turkish were better. I am really curious as to what made these guys decide to attack an armed man. Eventually the other guards separated the fighters and wrestled the idiots out of the station; unfortunately out the same exit I needed though. I stayed put by the ATMs until dude (who was still waving around his gun while yelling at the departing idiots) also left the station. I've never been so glad to be of drinking age and helped my friend sample the vats of punch she'd made (vodka, satsuma (clementine? whatever) juice, and thyme gets two thumbs up).

All that and I was still the first person to arrive! While waiting for the situation to clear I was at least happy that, were it my time, I would have died after enjoying the successful labors of my first ever attempt at making sticky buns. While I usually eschew short cuts like mixes or pre-made doughs, my inability to find many/afford certain ingredients and implements has made me get over myself a little. When I found a recipe for sticky buns using defrosted phyllo dough I was more than happy to try it.

Dude. Phyllo dough, puff pastry, something in the family...whatever it was I bought created some sort of salted caramel sticky bun baklava chimera. A beautiful, nutty, gooey, sticky, chimera. Life as I know it will never again be the same.

Recipe
Salted Caramel: (here)

Sticky Buns:

• 1/2 butter
• 1/2 brown sugar
• pecans, walnuts, etc as desired
• cinnamon
• frozen puff pastry or phyllo dough (thawed)

1. Pre heat oven to 350F and grease a 9x9 baking dish.
2. Melt the butter and whisk in the brown sugar. Pour into dish and sprinkle with chopped nuts.
3. Sprinkle cinnamon to taste and pre made salted caramel on the dough. Roll into some sort of approximation of what a sticky bun should look like. Be careful that you don't handle the dough too much as it will quickly lose its integrity.
4. Place buns in the dish in the butter/sugar mixture.
5. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the uncovered part of the buns are a nice golden brown.
6. When they come out of the oven, spoon some of the caramel mixture over the top buns a couple times. After they've cooled slightly (don't let them cool too much because the caramel might harden in the pan) turn over on to a plate and scrape remaining caramel over the buns.

The Muppet Christmas Carol and Aztec Hot Chocolate

Today I'm watching what is, surprisingly, one of my favorite Christmas movies, The Muppet Christmas Carol. Why is that surprising? Because puppets are fracking scary and Muppets most of all. Full body Kermit gives me nightmares.

Speaking of nightmares, someone on the Harry Potter team has to have seen this movie. The Muppet Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is clearly a Dementor precursor.Equally scary is a singing, dancing Michael Caine.

Let's talk about today's hot chocolate. I imagine it was very startling and probably even off putting the first time someone was served chocolate that had chili in it but it's not an uncommon thing anymore. There's something really special to me about it because I think when you get other flavored chocolates, caramel, mint, what have you, that second flavor shares as much space on your tongue as the chocolate. Chili is different though simply through its nature. I mean the amount of chili you're going to put in chocolate is a heck of a lot less than the amount of caramel you'd use. Chili brings chocolate to the next level and then kind of kicks you in the face during the finish. It's like a bonus.

You do have to be careful with it. I especially did since my bottle of cayenne pepper didn't have one of those perforated tops that helps you sprinkle spices. This could have gone full on disaster for me. I suggest sprinkling a little bit at a time then taste an mull. Did the chili kick you in the face? No? Add a little more. And so on.

The very timely Lauren sent me this link to an article about the history of hot chocolate. It's fascinating.Authors Brett & Kate McKay talk about how chocolate came to Europe, the difference between hot chocolate and hot cocoa, and how many a drink hot chocolate is. Even though we didn't write it, it's totally worth a read! The Surprisingly Manly History of Hot Cocoa

And speaking of a kick in the face; does anyone else ever want to punch Tiny Tim?


Recipe:

• 1 C milk
• 1/4 C heavy cream
• 50 gr chopped dark chocolate
• 3 TSP sugar
• 1 heaping TSP cocoa powder
• 1/2 TSP cinnamon
• few pinches (to taste) cayenne pepper

1. Heat milk and cream until just barely bubbling around the edges.
2. Whisk in milk and dry ingredients.
3.  Enjoy getting kicked in the face :)