(A more healthful) chocolate chip cookie recipe

(a more healthful) chocolate chip cookie by Pamela Salzman

One of my students asked me the other day if I had a good chocolate chip cookie recipe and I instinctively said, “Sure, just check my website.”  To which she replied, “I did.  But all you have on there is your Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.”  And then it hit me.  I have neither taught in a class nor posted my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Gasp!  Coincidentally, Mr. Picky had been asking if we could make homemade ice cream sandwiches, so I got to work lickety split!

beat butter and sugars until smooth, then add eggs, baking soda and vanilla

In my defense, there are good reasons I haven’t posted my chocolate chip cookie recipe.  First of all, I do use refined white sugar because it just makes the best cookie.  But it isn’t exactly clean and healthful and I want this site to be your destination for high quality recipes.  However, even with the white and brown sugars, I use whole grain flours and everything is organic so these will be waaaaaaay better for you than bakery cookies or packaged (really now?) ones.  It’s all about balance and moderation!

next add the flours, baking powder and salt

The other issue is that I keep changing my recipe when I learn something new to make them even better than the last time.  And this has happened often.  Many of you are so in the know about food trends that you might think my ah-ha chocolate chip moments are sooooo 2005, but I never said I was an early adopter.  Let me first make it clear what kind of chocolate chip cookie I love, because that’s what you’re getting here — my favorite.  If you love the thin and crispy kind, hmmmm, today’s not your day.  Cakey?  Yeah, not me.  Milk chocolate?  Don’t waste my time!  Friends, I like a cookie with some heft and substance, something that you can sink your teeth into.  But I also don’t want a greasy cookie which makes me feel like I’m sucking on butter.  Slightly crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside with chunks of semisweet or dark chocolate is the way I roll.  Sometimes I’m feeling fancy and I’ll add a pinch of flaky sea salt on on the tops and that is just heaven.

chop chocolate from a bar for nice chunky pieces

Something I learned to achieve my perfect cookie is to use cold butter instead of room temperature, which is a trick I learned from Mrs. Fields (not that I met her, but that’s how she makes her cookies.)  The combination of cold butter and  a low oven temperature help to keep the cookie from spreading out too thin and too fast.  I also started adding a little oat flour after I saw this Neiman Marcus cookie recipe which I found out later was not the official recipe but the oat flour stayed in mine.  The oat flour makes the cookie a little nuttier and dense.  Ina Garten taught me (via television, of course) that a chocolate bar cut into pieces is much more satisfying than chocolate chips, although I do use those often.  And every fancy restaurant in the last several years has added a pinch of flaky sea salt to the tops of their cookies — a smart and delicious move.

using an ice cream scooper gives you uniform, round cookies

add a pinch of flaky sea salt for a grown-up twist

I grated some of the chocolate into the batter
I grated some of the chocolate into the batter

It may have taken me a while to bring it to you, but I’m sure with certain special occasions coming up, like Father’s Day or end-of-the-year parties, it’s never too late to try a great chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Of course, if you have the latest and greatest twist on chocolate chip cookies, I’m always open to improvement!

freshly baked | Pamela Salzman

(a more healthful) chocolate chip cookie by Pamela Salzman

 

 
 
 

 
 
View this post on Instagram

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 

 

A post shared by Pamela Salzman (@pamelasalzman)

 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pamela
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup 2 sticks cold unsalted butter or organic Earth Balance, cut into ½-inch pieces
  • ¾ cup cane sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar or Muscovado sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup oat flour you can take a cup of rolled oats and process them in the food processor to make your own oat flour
  • 1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 18 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate bars chopped coarsely or use chocolate chips
  • 1 ½ cups chopped walnuts or pecans optional
  • flaky sea salt optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper or silicone mats.
  • Place the butter and sugars in the bowl of stand mixer and blend on medium speed until the mixture is smooth.
  • Add the baking soda, eggs and vanilla to the mixing bowl and mix until combined.
  • In a medium bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder and sea salt. Add to the butter mixture and blend on low speed until just combined.
  • Stir in the chocolate and nuts.
  • Scoop the dough with a 1 ¾ -inch ice cream scooper onto the prepared baking sheets or use a tablespoon. Space them evenly apart. I was able to get 12 on each sheet.
  • Bake 18-20 minutes or until just set. The cookies will be slightly soft in the center. If you like them crispier, bake them for up to 23 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheets 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Notes

Raw cookie dough can be frozen, but it’s a great idea to scoop the dough into balls first and freeze those so you can just pull out as many as you want to bake instead of having to defrost the whole batch of dough.  I have even baked cookies in the toaster oven!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

 

 

Raspberry chia seed jam

Raspberry Chia Jam by Pamela Salzman

Poor Mr. Picky was crying a little when I put him to bed last Sunday night.  I thought it was because his baseball team got walloped in their playoff game which then ended their season.  That wasn’t it.  I thought it might be because his pitching was lousy and he felt bad it.  Nope, apparently he had forgotten about his performance already.  Oh, wait.  It’s because I forgot to pick him up from religious school.   “No, Mom!  And who cares?  I only had to wait like 20 minutes.”  Bless his heart.  Then what’s the matter?  “The weekends are too shoooooort,” he sobbed and buried his face in his pillow.  Ahhhhh, you are quite right, Mr. Picky.  Quite right indeed.  That made me a little bummed out since I don’t think I felt time fly until I was much older than his 9 years.  Is life more fast-paced now than it used to be or does my family have too much going on?  I don’t know.  But I have good news, Mr. Picky — it’s a 3-day weekend!  Hooray!  And not only do we get an extra day of leisure, there are no practices or tournaments or stuff like that.  We’re on easy street.

chia seeds, defrosted frozen raspberries and maple syrup

I remember when I was a stay-at-home mom, I used to think, “Oy, the weekend!”  Weekends were so much more work for me to coordinate the kids and naps and birthday parties and soccer games.  I loved Mondays!  Mama got some quiet time.  But now, it’s a different life and even though I love my work, I also love a little break from a 5:30 am alarm clock and not having to face LA traffic in the morning, which has anyone noticed gets WORSE every year?

let those chia seeds do their magic!

I’ve mentioned before that I so look forward to leisurely breakfasts on the weekends and vacations.  I just made a double batch of this raspberry chia “jam” and I can’t stop day dreaming about all the ways I’m going to enjoy it this weekend!  I have never made “real” jam in my life because it just seems like a bit too much work and sugar.  But this is a raw jam that requires nothing more than a quick stir and some patience as it needs to sit a bit to thicken.  And it’s so much better for you than the cooked sugary kind!

raspberry chia seed jam

The secret ingredient here is chia seed, which is such a little miracle food.  They’re naturally rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, which are super anti-inflammatory, as well as chock full of fiber and calcium.  When chia seeds come into contact with liquid, they become very gelatinous and thick.  So they make an awesome “pudding” when mixed with almond milk and help thicken up your morning smoothie.  They have no taste at all which makes them very easy to use.  They key is just knowing the right ratios of chia to liquid so your pudding or smoothie doesn’t get too thick or too thin and giving the chia seeds a little time to work their magic.

raspberry chia seed jam by Pamela Salzman

All you do here is defrost some frozen raspberries, which are good and mushy and already a little seedy, and mix with the chia seeds and a little maple syrup to sweeten.  Feel free to use a couple drops of stevia if you prefer.  After at least 6 hours in the fridge, you have a lovely, spreadable jam which is perfect for nut butter sandwiches (excuse the not-whole-grain bread here), pancakes or stirred into yogurt.  You could even do a yogurt-granola parfait with a layer of this raspberry -chia jam.  It’s always a nice idea to start your day off with a healthful breakfast during a holiday weekend, especially if you’re going to a BBQ later and you want to indulge a little.  Here’s hoping your Memorial weekend is a restful and restorative one!

raspberry chia seed jam by Pamela Salzman

Raspberry Chia Seed Jam

Pamela, adapted from eatgood4life.com
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons chia seeds
  • 10 ounce package frozen organic raspberries thawed (drain the raspberries if you want a very thick jam)
  • 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup or more to taste

Instructions
 

  • Place all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir to mix, making sure all the chia seeds have been moistened with the juice from the berries.
  • Cover and allow jam to thicken in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours. Lasts for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

How to segment citrus fruit

Juicy citrus segments and pinwheels

Right now is probably not the most exciting time of the year for fruit, even in Southern California.  Sure, we have amazing citrus coming our of our ears, but that’s pretty much it.  Pomegranates and persimmons just finished.  Even the apples we  buy now were picked a few months ago and kept in cold storage.  They’re great for cooking in desserts or on top of morning oatmeal, but they’re not as crunchy, crispy, and juicy as they were in November.  Mr. Picky keeps asking me, “are strawberries in season yet?”  Almost, little guy.

slice off a little from the top and bottom

But like I said, citrus fruits are in full force and I buy a wide assortment every week, including blood oranges, navels, Satsuma tangerines, and grapefruits, to name a few.  You probably already know that citrus fruits contain tons of Vitamin C, a very powerful antioxidant which is so helpful during cold and flu season, but keep in mind fresher is better since fruits lose 10% of their Vitamin C every day they are off the vine.  My family goes through quite a bit of citrus fruit between breakfast, lunch boxes, and after school snacks.  Sometimes I’ll even put some citrus segments in salads just for fun.  Blood oranges are especially tasty in Raw Kale Salad or mixed greens with an Asian vinaigrette.

hug the fruit as you cut with the knife

 

But I have made an interesting observation about grapefruit and my family.  They absolutely love grapefruit, but when I buy them, they seem to sit around untouched.  Everyone seems to think of grapefruit as a breakfast-only food and no one takes the time in the morning to cut them for eating.  Is it that we’re always short on time in the morning?  Is it that everyone is too lazy?  Perhaps a little of both.  I supposed grapefruits do take a few minutes more to prep than other citrus fruits since merely peeling a grapefruit leaves the white bitter pith which no one really cares for.   But if I segment a bunch of grapefruits when I come home from the market and put them in a container in the fridge, the kids fight over the last bite.  I’ve even seen Mr. Picky sitting at the kitchen counter with a bowl of grapefruit, a fork and his homework.  Would you call this “healthful convenience food?”  If so, I’ll take the extra time in the beginning of the week to do this for my family if it means they’ll eat fruit instead of the Halloween candy they don’t know I know they have stashed under their bathroom sinks behind the extra toilet paper.  What, was I born yesterday?

segmenting citrus

cut alongside the other membrane and wedge the segment out

this will get eaten lickety split

While I was segmenting grapefruits, a technique you can also use for larger oranges, I decided to demo how to cut smaller citrus into “pinwheel” slices.  These take a little less time and make for a beautiful presentation for citrus salads or to add to winter salads.

segmenting citrus

pinwheels

pinwheels

I didn’t have any images for this post, but I have done a citrus pinwheel salad with oranges, blood oranges, and tangerines which is just so pretty.  On the  site I posted a salad with spinach, blood oranges and beets to which you can add seared wild salmon.  That is a great light meal for a weeknight or guests.  Grapefruit and avocado is a classic pairing.  However you slice them, citrus fruits are worth the effort!

segmented and pinwheel citrus | pamela salzman

how to segment citrus fruit

  1. Using a very sharp knife, slice a bit off the top and the bottom of the grapefruit so it sits flat on a cutting board.
  2. Starting at the top of the grapefruit, cut the peel away from the fruit following the natural curve of the fruit down towards the cutting board.  The idea is to take off the peel, white pith and membrane, but not to remove too much of the fruit.  Continue around the entire grapefruit until no more peel is remaining.
  3. Take the grapefruit in one hand positioned over a bowl (to catch the juices) and the knife in the other hand.  Identify the white lines in the grapefruit which separate the segments from each other and slice as close to the white line as possible cutting down to the center of the grapefruit.  Cut alongside the membrane holding the segment and wedge the piece out with the knife.
  4. Continue with the remaining segments.  The leftover membranes can be eaten if you like.

 

how to cut citrus pinwheels

  1. Using a very sharp knife, slice a bit off the top and the bottom of the fruit so it sits flat on a cutting board.
  2. Starting at the top of the fruit, cut the peel away following the natural curve of the fruit down towards the cutting board.  The idea is to take off the peel, white pith and membrane, but not to remove too much of the fruit.  Continue around the entire piece of fruit until no more peel is remaining.
  3. Place the fruit on its side and slice crosswise into pinwheels.

 

Even Easier Homemade Almond Milk Recipe

homemade almond milk | pamela salzman

I know I’ve already posted a How-to-Make-Almond-Milk-from-Scratch recipe.  In fact, I gave you three different versions!  But my how-to involves slipping the skins off the soaked almonds before blitzing them in your blender which is really no big deal.  The reason I do that is because I went to an ayurvedic cooking lecture many, many years ago and the teacher went into great detail about almonds.  Almonds are wonderful and alkalizing and high in protein and good fats, BUT (I was hanging on the edge of my seat when I heard that “BUT”) they can be very hard to digest unless they are soaked.  AND the skins can be a little bitter.  AND the skins cause wrinkles.  Whaaaaaat????   I will tell you no one was listening until she said that and then every manicured brow in the room went up.  “Did she say almond skins cause WRINKLES?”

So obviously do you really think I was going to start eating almond skins after that?  Silly question.  Duh, noooooo.  Of course I never did any research as to the validity of that statement and I still haven’t.  But I did research how to make almond milk from other sources and everyone says to slip those skins off, perhaps due more to a bitter aftertaste than the wrinkles theory.  But your friend Pamela here has gotten much busier since my last almond milk post and I have become practically dairy-free, so I have been making almond milk about twice a week.  And there came a point when I decided that slipping those almond skins off was GIVING me wrinkles!  Or maybe because I was doing it while watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.  Oy.  Anyhoo, I decided to see what would happen if I soaked the almonds, drained them and blended them in fresh water WITH their supposedly bitter, age-advancing skins.  Gasp.  No difference.  Same delicious taste and my skin still looks like it did before I drank the almond milk.  Life-changing moment!

I also now exclusively use a nut milk bag (I know, sounds nasty, but totally fabulous!) instead of my fine mesh sieve to squeeze out every last drop from the blended almonds.  If you don’t have a nut milk bag (gives me the willies every time I type that, but a great product, really!), a fine mesh sieve works great.  You just really want to press down on the pureed almonds or squeeze them with your hands as I am convinced that the creamiest part of the almond milk comes from that last squeeze.

I use almond milk all the time, especially to finish off hot breakfast porridges like oats and millet.  I use it in acai bowls and smoothies, as well as chia seed pudding and desserts.  The girls have been using it over granola and my friend Matt pours it over cereal and in coffee.  Just remember, homemade almond milk is pure goodness with no preservatives so it doesn’t last as long as the stuff in a box.  What else do you use almond milk for?

 

Basic Almond Milk

Pamela
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Instructions
 

  • Soak 1 cup raw almonds in bowl with plenty of room temperature water for 6-8 hours. (Soaking will make the almonds softer and more digestible.)
  • Drain the almonds in a colander and rinse with fresh water.
  • Place the almonds in a blender or Vitamix. Add 3 cups fresh water and blend until the nuts are pulverized.
  • Strain through a fine mesh sieve, cheesecloth or a nut milk bag into a glass bowl. If using a sieve, use a spoon to scrape the almond meal around and allow as much liquid to drain through.
  • Transfer to a glass jar and refrigerate, covered for up to 4 days. Add the remaining pulp, sweetened with honey or maple syrup, to hot cereal, granola or fruit.

Notes

Almond milk with coconut water:
Soak almonds in regular water, but use coconut water to blend with the soaked almonds.
Almond milk sweetened with dates:
Follow directions for basic almond milk, but blend soaked almonds with water and 8 pitted dates. You can add a drop of vanilla and sea salt, if you like, but it is delicious just like this. Of course you can sweeten almond milk with stevia or honey or whatever you like, but I think dates are the best! You don’t need to sweeten the remaining pulp if you choose to eat it since it is already sweet from the dates.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Slow cooker whole chicken and stock recipe

slow cooker whole chicken | pamela salzman

Daughter #2 asked me the other day if I was “ever going to put that thing away?”  She was referring to my slow cooker, of course.  Not that Daughter #2 is complaining since she’s the first one to the dinner table every night and has always been the easiest one to cook for.  But she had a point.  That slow cooker has has become part of the family!

salting the chicken early is key!

But I wasn’t about to shelve my new baby so soon.  Just when I thought cooking a whole chicken couldn’t get any easier, I decided to put my Easy No-Fail Roast Chicken method to the test in…the slow cooker.  Believe me, I don’t normally mess with the easiest, most popular dinners in my repertoire.  But roasting a whole chicken is something that needs to be started well before I get home some days and I need a back-up.  That and I was on a roll and feeling lucky, so I figured this was going to work like everything else I’ve been trying.  I decided to prep the chicken in basically the same way I do an oven-roasted chicken — rubbed on the inside and out with some kosher salt early on, stuffed with a bit of fresh thyme and some crushed garlic and cooked on a bed of onions.  I usually add cut lemons to the cavity, but I was nervous that cooking the lemons for a long time would result in a bitter taste, so I left those out.  The only other change I made was to rub the outside of the chicken with a little olive oil mixed with paprika so that the skin would get a little color and not be pale and unattractive.

sprinkle with paprika and olive oil

The conclusion is that I think I should call this recipe “Easier than Easy No-Fail Roast Chicken and Still So Darn Good.”  The chicken was predictably fall-off-the-bones.  In fact, I had a hard time getting the chicken out of the slow cooker in one piece!  My kids love super soft meat and my husband likes chicken that is beyond well done.  I’ve made chicken once or twice a week for the last 17 1/2 years and he has asked me every single time if the chicken is cooked through.  No comment on whether or not that is annoying since my husband occasionally reads my blog AND Valentine’s Day is coming up.  Get my drift?  My point is that this chicken satisfies everyone, including me since it takes all of 5 minutes to prep and you can do it 8 hours before you want to eat dinner.  “Is this cooked through?”  “Darling, it’s been cooking for 8 hours.”

slow cooker whole chicken

So you all know I am completely obsessed with making homemade chicken stock.  I swear, if teaching cooking classes and blogging doesn’t work out, I will go into the homemade stock-making business.  The world must know the goodness of homemade stock somehow!  So before I served this chicken to the family, I removed and reserved all the bones.  I put the bones back in there with a chicken back I had in the freezer plus some stock veggies (onions, carrots, celery) and water and I made chicken stock overnight.  It was delicious.  And because there was no skin and foam and such, it turned out to be such a clear stock with minimal fat.  It’s crazy not to try this!  (Sorry I don’t have photos.  It was too dark in my kitchen and the images didn’t turn out well.)

lovely juices on the bottom can be used for gravy

Cooking a whole chicken in a slow cooker opens up so many possibilities for what you can do with the meat.  You don’t have to cut the chicken into traditional breast, thigh, drumstick pieces.  You can use the meat just as you would rotisserie chicken meat and heaven knows there have been more articles on what to do with rotisserie chicken meat than how to get your baby to sleep through the night.   Just to remind — chicken soup, enchiladas, tacos, pot pie, sandwiches, salads and so on.  For those of you who do not have a slow cooker and feel excluded, please revisit the Easy No Fail Roast Chicken Recipe.  I still love you and I will put away the slow cooker and come back to you.  Eventually.  Wink, wink.

falling off the bones

 

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken and Stock

Pamela
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 1 whole roasting chicken about 4-5 pounds (save the neck for stock)
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4-5 cloves garlic crushed
  • ½ bunch fresh thyme or a couple sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 2 Tablespoons unrefined olive oil
  • 1-2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 brown onion peeled and sliced into thick slices
  • For the stock:
  • Some additional bony chicken pieces if you have them such as backs, necks, wings and/or feet, up to 2 pounds
  • 2 brown onions cut into large pieces
  • 3 carrots cut into large chunks
  • 3 celery stalks cut into large chunks
  • 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • water amount depends on size of your slow cooker

Instructions
 

  • When you get home from the market, unwrap the chicken and remove any giblets from the cavity. Save the neck for stock.
  • Take a heaping tablespoon of kosher salt and rub it around the inside of the cavity. Any remaining salt on your hands can be rubbed on the outside of the chicken. Rewrap the chicken and refrigerate until ready to cook. This can be done up to two days in advance.
  • The day you are making the chicken, remove it from the wrapping and sprinkle a few pinches of black pepper, as well as the garlic and thyme in the cavity of the chicken.
  • Truss the chicken by tying the legs together. Rub the outside of the chicken with olive oil and paprika.
  • Place the onion slices on the bottom of the slow cooker insert and place the chicken on top of the onions. You do not need any liquid, I promise. Cover and cook on LOW for 7- 8 hours or HIGH 4-5 hours.
  • Serve with the cooked onions and pan juices, if desired.

Notes

Leave whatever you didn’t use in the slow cooker (juices and onions).
Remove all the bones from the entire chicken and place in the slow cooker with any additional chicken parts you have, including the neck from the chicken you just cooked. Add vegetables, vinegar, and enough water to come up to about an inch from the top.
Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or overnight. My slow cooker automatically goes to WARM mode after 8 hours.
Strain and use immediately if you don’t see too much fat at the top or cool slightly and refrigerate. When cold, skim and discard any fat from the top. Stock can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

 

How to thicken soups and stews without cream, butter or flour

I make a lot of soups and stews for the family, especially from September through May.   I know many of you have been freezing your buns off on the East Coast and Midwest lately and are likely craving a bowl of steamy, thick, rich soup to warm your body and soul.  I love all types of soups from brothy to substantial and hearty, but I always try to keep them nutritious and clean.   Fortunately, I have learned a few tricks for making soups and stews richer or creamier without using the old-fashioned techniques of a roux, heavy cream, flour or cornstarch.  Actually, my mom taught me to thicken my stews by mashing softened butter with equal parts all-purpose flour and stir that in the pot towards the end of cooking which works just fine, but these days many people are dairy and/or gluten-intolerant or looking to save a few calories wherever possible without sacrificing flavor and nutrition.  Why add unnecessary fat, non-nutritive calories, and/or hard-to-digest ingredients if you can achieve the same result more naturally?

Here are my favorite tricks for thickening soups and stews:

pureeing cooked vegetables and stock — this is the method I use most often.  I like to take a cup of vegetables and stock (leave any pieces of animal protein in the pot) from the cooked soup and blend them in a blender or mini food processor and then add it back to the pot.

white beans — cooked Cannellini or Great Northern beans have a bland, neutral flavor and fantastic creaminess when they are pureed.    Take a can of beans with a cup of hot stock from the soup and blend together until smooth, then add back to pot.  Or cook beans with soup and puree the entire soup, beans included.  Beans add great fiber and protein, as well!  I love this recipe for Potato and White Bean Soup and this post for how to cook your beans from scratch.  Otherwise, Eden is my favorite BPA-free, organic brand.

Yukon Gold potatoes — potatoes add a lovely richness and neutral flavor to soups, especially if you can puree some or all of them.  Use same technique above, either cook potatoes separately, puree with hot stock and add to the soup or cook potatoes with the soup and puree in the pot.  The Yukon Gold variety has a nice buttery flavor and you get the benefits of a whole food.  Check out Potato and White Bean Soup, as well as Cauliflower and Roasted Garlic Soup.

rolled oats — sounds weird, I know.  But if you plan on a pureed soup, you won’t detect any oatmeal.  The rolled oats not only thicken the soup and add great fiber, but add an amazing silkiness.  I use rolled oats in my Puree of Asparagus Soup which I can post this Spring.  Several manufacturers sell gluten-free rolled oats, such as Bob’s Red Mill

coconut milk instead of cream — okay, you won’t be saving many calories using coconut milk, but I am a huge fan of unrefined coconut products and their myriad health benefits.  And generally speaking unrefined coconut products are easier to digest than pasteurized cow dairy.  I love coconut milk in my Sweet Potato Soup, Chicken Tikka Masala, Thai Coconut Chicken Soup (to be posted soon!), as well as any soups with winter squash.  It’s so smooth and rich with a subtle sweetness and it won’t make your soup taste like a piña colada — promise!  My favorite brand is Native Forest which supposedly doesn’t contain BPA in their can liners.

ground nuts, like almonds or cashews —  I’ve seen this in some Spanish or North African soups.  The nuts add some high quality protein, as well.  I use cashew butter or ground cashews in my Chicken and Vegetable Curry.

immersion blender — sure you can puree with a standard blender, but you have to do it in batches and veeerrrry carefully so that you don’t create a heat explosion.  Then you need to pour the puree into another container and puree what’s left in the pot.  Too much work for me and I don’t love the extra dishwashing involved.  Stick an immersion blender directly in the pot and puree as much or as little as you like.  Rinse the immersion blender in the sink and put it away.  I have the Breville immersion blender which I love, but some of my students bought the Cusinart which they think is great.

What are your tried and true methods of thickening soups?

Roasted Whole Bone-In Turkey Breast Recipe

This is it, friends!  We’re in the home stretch and I’ve got one last recipe to share before the big day.  By now you know I get most excited about the side dishes, but in my classes I spend more time answering questions about turkey.  What size should I order?  What kind of turkey should I buy?  Why does my turkey always turn out dry?  How do I know when it’s done?  What do you think about deep frying a turkey?  (I don’t.)  And so on.  Even though I’ve been around this block quite a few times, and I’ll admit that I can get a little unnerved when it’s time to make the turkey.  With so many factors at play here, e.g. size, temperature of the bird, variance in oven temperatures, and so many methods, e.g. dry brine, wet brine, kosher, breast side down, basting every 20 minutes, etc., it can be a little tricky knowing how to achieve the best result.  I think most of my turkeys have turned out great.  But I’ve had my mishaps and I have learned there’s always a solution, even when I forgot to close the door to my garage refrigerator and my turkeys were about 80 degrees the next morning.  Total rookie move, and that was three years ago. (I didn’t cook them, by the way.  I went to Whole Foods at 7:00 am and bought 2 brined turkeys.  Problem solved!)

I’ve really only cooked two different versions of turkey, a whole roasted bird and a whole roasted breast.  Like I said, I get more excited and have more fun with the side dishes!  But traditionally since the turkey is the star of the show, I like to put my best foot forward and prepare a delicious bird.  Normally I roast two whole turkeys on Thanksgiving, but a whole roasted breast can come in handy for a smaller crowd or to supplement a whole turkey if most of your guests prefer white meat.  I’ve tested many methods for cooking a breast and this is hands-down my favorite.  It is also a little different from how I cook a whole turkey.  Whereas I prefer dry brining a whole turkey, I’ll go for the wet brine with a turkey breast which is much more easy to maneuver in a ziptop bag full of brining liquid. (Unlike the time in 2001 when my bag o’brine surrounding my 20-pound turkey exploded all over my kitchen floor.  Cleaning that mess was definitely NOT on the schedule.)  Either way, it is key to get that meat pre-seasoned with salt so it’s tasty and stays moist.  It makes a huge difference!

I’ve made a dozen of these whole breasts over the last couple weeks and each one has turned out moist and flavorful.  The best part is that with this straightforward method, there’s no constant basting and no worrying about wether or not the thigh meat will cook at the same rate as the breast.  Funny, the question I received the most after classes this month was “why do we only make turkey on Thanksgiving?”

Roasted Whole Bone-In Turkey Breast

Pamela
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Servings 10 -12

Ingredients
  

  • For the brine: do not brine a kosher turkey
  • 1 1/3 cups Kosher salt such as Diamond Crystal
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons whole peppercorns
  • 1 quart water
  • 4 quarts ice water
  • 1 brining bag or heavy duty gigantic Ziploc bag
  • For the turkey:
  • 1 , 6-7 pound whole bone-in skin-on turkey breast
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme leaves chopped
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 Tablespoons softened unsalted butter or unrefined cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup chicken or turkey stock or water stock will allow you to make gravy
  • Gravy
  • ¼ cup white wine
  • 5 Tablespoons all-purpose flour or a gluten-free flour blend, such as King Arthur's Multi-purpose
  • 3- 3 ½ cups chicken or turkey stock preferably homemade
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Make the brine: In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine the salt, brown sugar, peppercorns and 1 quart water. Bring to a boil and continue boiling, stirring until the salt and sugar are dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl. Stir the ice water into the brine and make sure this mixture is cool before proceeding, otherwise add more ice.
  • Place the brining bag in a large bowl or pot and transfer the turkey to the bag. Pour in the brine into the bag with additional ice, if needed. Seal the bag securely! Refrigerate the turkey for 12 to 18 hours.
  • About an hour before cooking, remove the turkey from the brine, rinse thoroughly with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Combine the thyme, black pepper and butter in a small bowl. Loosen the skin from the breast and open it to make a pocket. Spread the butter mixture directly on the meat. Rub a little all over the skin. Place the turkey breast-side down in a v-shaped rack in a roasting pan. Add the stock. Roast the turkey for 30 minutes.
  • Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Turn turkey breast-side up (I wear rubber gloves to flip) and tent with foil. Continue to roast until an instant read thermometer registers 160-165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the breast, about an additional 1 ½ to 2 hours, depending on the size of the turkey. The temperature of the meat is more important than how long the turkey is in the oven!
  • Remove from oven and keep covered with foil and allow to rest at room temperature at least 30 minutes. Carve and serve with pan juices or prepare gravy. Don't forget to save the carcass for making stock!
  • To make gravy: remove the turkey from the roasting pan, pour the pan drippings into a fat separator.
  • Pour the wine and the pan juices (that have been separated from the fat) back into the roasting pan, and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge any brown bits. Strain into a bowl and set aside.
  • In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the reserved fat until it is bubbly. If you don't get 3-4 Tablespoons of fat from the drippings, add some olive oil. Add the flour and whisk rapidly to cook the flour.
  • Strain the mixture from the roasting pan into the saucepan and 2 cups of stock. Cook, while rapidly stirring, until smooth and thickened, 1-2 minutes. Add the remaining stock as needed to achieve desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Notes

Check out my video on how to make gravy and carve the breast at the bottom of this post!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

Perfect Apple Pie Recipe

I am teaching Apple Pie in my Thanksgiving classes this month and I thought I really should share the recipe with you too, my dear readers.  Perfect for Thanksgiving or if you’re hunkered down watching Election Day coverage tonight.  What is more American, classic and delicious in the fall than a homemade apple pie?  It just oozes love and hugs, don’t you think?  My boyfriend in college was so smitten when I made him an apple pie, I think it’s one of the reasons he asked me to marry him!  Still works!

In addition to pumpkin pie, apple has been on my Thanksgiving table every year since I’ve been married.  I make it the way I like it, not too sweet and not overly spiced, so you really taste the apples.  At this time of year, there are so many varieties of apples with different flavors and textures, and everyone has his or her favorite.  But I think the secret to the best apple pie is using a few different types of apples. When I make apple pie, I like to choose a sweet, a tart and a soft variety.  The flavors are more complex and texture is fabulous.

Do plan ahead when making any pie, especially if you are making the crust from scratch, which I definitely think you should!  Pies take a good hour to bake and I think they benefit from cooling a bit out of the oven.  The juices settle and thicken up and I think apple pie tastes better warm, rather than piping hot, but I know some of you will disagree.

If you are looking to do some of the work in advance, you can make your crust a few days ahead and refrigerate it or a few months ahead and freeze it.  You can also combine your dry ingredients for the pie filling ahead and keep the mixture in a covered container in the pantry.  Unfortunately, you will need to peel and slice your apples just before filling your pie, but it’s a fun activity to do at the kitchen table with your child or friends.  I bake two apple pies on Thanksgiving morning, but I make sure they are out of the oven before the turkey needs to go in.  When the girls were younger, they would always help peel and slice the apples while we watched the Macy’s parade on television.  It’s a lovely memory of time together in the kitchen, but it’s just a memory since the girls haven’t woken up before 11:00 am on Thanksgiving in a few years.  Although I’ll admit, the smiles on their sleepy faces as I pull those pies out of the oven is still just as precious.

PERFECT APPLE PIE

MAKES 1 9-INCH DOUBLE-CRUST PIE

 

3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour (this gets used in the filling) + more for dusting countertop

1 recipe for double pie crust 

1 large egg yolk

1 Tablespoon heavy cream, half-and-half, or whole milk

1 pound tart apples, such as Granny Smith

1 pound sweet apples, such as Fuji

1 pound soft apples, such as Golden Delicious

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¼ cup organic cane sugar + extra for optional sprinkling on crust

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

 

  1. Roll one disk of pie dough on a lightly floured countertop, regularly checking to make sure disk is not sticking to counter.  Roll into a 12-inch round.  Fit pastry into a 9-inch pie plate.  Roll second disk in the same manner.  Transfer to a baking sheet and refrigerate pie shell and 12-inch round until ready to fill pie.
  2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and cream.
  3. Peel, core and slice apples crosswise into ¼-inch slices.  Transfer to a large bowl and mix in lemon juice, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Combine well.  Arrange apple mixture in pie shell and dot with butter.
  4. Place the rolled out disk on top of the apples and press down gently.  Press together the dough at the rim of the pie plate to seal.  Tuck top dough under bottom dough and crimp around the edge as you like.  Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar, if desired.  Cut three slits into the top center of the pie crust to allow steam to escape.  If pie dough is feeling very soft, place pie in the freezer until firm.
  5. Place pie on a baking sheet.  Bake 20 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.  Continue baking until the crust is golden and the juices are bubbling and have thickened, about 40-50 minutes more.  Transfer to a cooling rack to cool.   Pie can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 days.