Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons (Passover)

Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons from A Thought For Food #recipe #dessert #passover

I'm kind of embarrassed to admit how nervous I was to make macaroons. Like, I was petrified. There's no rational reason for it.  I just was.  I've been a coconut lover my whole life and have always had a strong affinity for these treats.  My first were devoured as a child, attending pre-school at the synagogue.  Over Passover, our Oreos were replaced with macaroons.  A canister bearing the Manischewitz logo made its way around the room, our little fingers groping inside.  I immediately fell in love with the chewy cookie and how little specks of coconut hid in my mouth for me to snack on throughout the afternoon.

I got it in my head that making macaroons had to be complicated.  There was no way that you could whip something like this up quickly and have it actually turn out ok.  But it's true... they're ridiculously easy and just as wonderful as I remember.

Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons from A Thought For Food #recipe #dessert #passover

Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons

(adapted from the recipe from Gourmet via Epicurious)

Makes 4 macaroons

Ingredients

Butter for preparing baking sheet
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 oz chocolate, chopped into a few pieces
1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter

Directions

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 300°F. Butter a baking sheet, then line with foil and lightly butter foil.

2. Stir together egg white, sugar, vanilla, almond extract, and a pinch of salt until combined, then stir in coconut. Divide coconut mixture into fourths, then drop in 4 mounds (about 2 inches apart) onto baking sheet.

3. Bake until tops are pale golden in spots, 15 to 20 minutes, then carefully lift foil with cookies from baking sheet and transfer to a rack to cool completely, about 15 minutes. Peel macaroons from foil.

4. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and butter.  Let chocolate mixture cool before dipping the tops of the macaroons.

5. Transfer the macaroons to a parchment-lined platter or baking sheet and place in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes, or until the chocolate has hardened.

Shrimp Shu Mai

Shrimp Shu Mai from A Thought For Food #recipe #seafood

Shrimp Shu Mai from A Thought For Food #recipe #seafood

Shrimp Shu Mai from A Thought For Food #recipe #seafood

I dabbed heaping spoonfuls of gingery shrimp mixture in the center of wonton wrappers and clumsily attempted to fold them into little dumplings.  Not a single one met my expectations.  Eric watched as I struggled and provided silent emotional support. Often, he stays out of my way when I'm cooking, afraid that I might jump down his throat if he makes the smallest comment. I definitely get territorial and oddly sensitive when I'm in the kitchen. It's my personal space and I'm usually not in the mood to have someone around to tell me I'm doing something wrong (which I almost always am).

It'd been my plan to make shu mai for quite some time.  Growing up, I was a voracious eater, never turning down food, even if it was something a bit out of the ordinary.  But my connection to cooking stems from a single moment from my childhood.  It was over summer break and my sister was away at camp, leaving me with my parents for a full month.  They filled each day with trips to the pool, art projects, and film festivals (one year we watched all of the James Bond films). One afternoon, they suggested that we make a recipe from a Chinese cookbook tucked on the shelf.  We all agreed on shrimp shu mai and went to the store for the ingredients.  Back at home, I peeled (heads and all) and deveined each one, a process that for a 9 year old took a lot longer than it should have.  We chopped the scallion, herbs, garlic, and ginger by hand.   A wok was placed on the stove, a bit of water added to the bottom, and was then covered with a bamboo steamer.  A feast followed, the result of all the hard work.

It's been almost 20 years since I last made shu mai, and I thought it was about time to try it again. The process was almost exactly how I had remembered.  Except this time, I was joined by my husband.  I didn't want to push him aside, I wanted this to be something we experienced together.  We stood there and made a few.  I looked up at him and realized, at that moment, a new memory had been created.  

Shrimp Shu Mai from A Thought For Food #recipe #seafood

Shrimp Shu Mai

Ingredients

1/2 lb fresh, uncooked white shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tbsp ginger, peeled and minced

3 scallions, green parts only, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro (or parsley if you're not a cilantro fan), chopped

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2 tbsps soy sauce

1/2 tbsp distilled white vinegar

Directions

1. Place half the shrimp in the food processor and pulse until it becomes a thick paste.

2. Add the remaining shrimp in the food processor, along with the garlic, ginger, scallions, and cilantro, and pulse five times to chop the shrimp, but make sure the remaining shrimp does not turn into a paste.

3. Place the wonton wrapper on a work surface.  Using your finger, slightly moisten the edges of the wrapper with water.  Spoon a heaping teaspoon into the center of the wrapper.  Squeeze the edges of the wrapper up and around the shrimp mixture, making sure to leave some of the mixture exposed on top.

4. Set a steamer basket in a large pot (one that contains a top) over an inch of water.  Bring the water to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.

5. Gently place the shu mai in the steamer in a single layer.  Cover the pot and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the mixture turns pinkish.

6. Meanwhile, mix together the soy sauce and rice vinegar in a mixing bowl.  Red chili peppers can be added as well if desired.

7. Transfer shu mai to a serving platter and eat immediately (they're never as good when they get cool).  Serve with the dipping sauce.

8. Cook the remaining dumplings and enjoy!

Marinated Eggplant with Mint and Capers

MarinatedEggplant2

MarinatedEggplantDuo

At the beginning of the year, when I sat down to think about the direction I wanted to take this site, I decided on a few things.  One, I didn't want to stress about it anymore. I've cut back on the number of posts.  I think this will allow me to focus on creating quality content rather than trying to bang out material for the sake of putting it up here.  And I think it will allow me to focus on the other things in my life, like relationships and exercise (still working on that one) and getting out a bit more to enjoy all the culture this city has to offer.

The second thing I decided was that I wanted to get back to the roots of why I started A Thought For Food.  As a home cook, I created this site as a way to share recipes that I have come to love... and to hopefully inspire a few people along the way to try dishes they wouldn't have normally made.  I always want these recipes, whether my own creations or from the vast collection coming from my always growing magazine collection, to be accessible to the masses. For me, there's nothing better than a meal that's not only flavorful, but uncomplicated.

This marinated eggplant is one of those dishes that I can't get enough of.  I've been making it for years, which is why I'm kind of surprised it's taken me this long to put it up.  I recently prepared it for our annual winter BBQ, where we served up lamb kabobs and falafel, along with an assortment of middle-eastern inspired sides. The briny capers help to balance the richness of the eggplant, and the mint adds a brightness that almost makes you forget about the snow laden streets.

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Marinated Eggplant with Mint and Capers

Slightly adapted from Gourmet Magazine via Epicurious

Yields: 8 appetizer portions

Ingredients

2 pounds thin Italian or Asian eggplants, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds

10 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

4 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

1/2 cup chopped mint

4 tablespoons small capers, rinsed

Directions

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Arrange eggplant in a single layer.

3. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with 4 tablespoons of the olive oil.  Broil about 4 inches from the heat, turning once, until golden, 8 to 12 minutes total.

4. Stir together vinegar, mint, capers, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and remaining oil and toss with warm eggplant. Marinate at least 20 minutes.

*Can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.