Sunday, September 28, 2014

Neiman Marcus Cookies.

 

Rimmed like lace, 
the soft crumb
hides dark and light bits.

Ravenous bite, 
follow sweet
with gulps of milk.

...

Neiman Marcus Cookies

time 30 minutes preparation, 30 minutes baking
yields 16-18 cookies

100g butter
50g granulated sugar
60g brown sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 medium egg
45g oatmeal, processed in blender to a fine powder
70g flour
¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. Himalayan salt
50g dark chocolate chunks
50g walnuts, chopped
30g dark chocolate, grated

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugars together in a large bowl until fluffy, about 3 minutes. 
Add vanilla and egg and beat until combined, about 30 seconds. 
Add oatmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat until combined, about 30 seconds. 
Stir in chocolate chips, walnuts, and grated chocolate.
Roll dough into walnut sized balls and place them a couple centimeters apart on lined baking sheets. 
Bake until light golden but still soft in the middle, 10–12 minutes. 
Transfer cookies to a rack and let cool.


Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Instagram of the week.


Second month back in Portland.
Life is good, I just said goodbye to summer on Sunday, today was the first day I would consider fall. 
To pumpkin season!


(1) Mt. Hood from Mt. Tabor Park (2) shots through a disposable camera lens on Sauvie Island (3) Bagheera hanging out on my dresser (4) veggie hash with eggs and local cherry tomatoes (5) plums from a neighbor's garden (6) challah french toast with marionberry sauce from Waves of Grain 2250 E Burnside St. Portland, OR 97214 (7) new friends (8) sandwich and Crater Lake orange cream soda at Cannon Beach on the Oregon Coast (9) our Cannon Beach adventure crew (10) Pacific Ocean (11) wandering the beach (12) chocolate peanut butter Tillamook ice cream (13) me and a roommates at a house bbq (14) house granola at Waves of Grain (15) Moultan Falls rope swinging and swimming (16) Moultan adventure group - see those leaves? First indication of fall (17) a beautiful day in Astoria (18) color contrast on stairs in Astoria (19) the last bounty of the Oregon berry season (20) the gift of many gardens after one of my runs (21) Dog Mountain Trailhead in Washington's Gorge (22) hazy days on top of the Gorge (23) jumping in joy with my lovely blogging friend Kylie from The Baking Bird (24) post-hike and trail run lunch at Roman Candle, the bianca pizza is SO good 3377 SE Division St. Portland, OR 97202 (25) awesome goat's cheese cheesecake with figs and red wine reduction from the same (26) fall forest in the Gorge (27) brunch for breakfast at Radio Room in NE Portland 1101 NE Alberta St. Portland, OR 97211 (28) enjoying the last real summer day on the Sandy River in Oxbow Regional Park

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Peanut Butter Ice Cream (with Reeses Bits).


A raw dense mass, 
The flavor disperses, 
Carried by cream.
Only the best memories, 
Of cookies, of laden spoons,
Those sandwiches. 
All this and more
With every melt.



Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Reeses Bits

time 20 minutes for the ice cream base plus freezing
yields 500 ml

3 egg yolks
25g sugar
200ml cream
85g milk
45g unsweetened smooth peanut butter
50g sugar
1/4 tsp. himalayan salt

optional: Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, chopped into bite-sized pieces

In a heatproof bowl, whisk the yolks with the first amount of sugar.
Set aside.
In a heavy saucepan, stir together the cream, milk, and sugar.
Put the pan over medium-high heat, bring to a simmer.
Scoop out half a cup of the hot mixture and mix well with the egg yolks.
Add the yolk mix back into the cream and stir until thickened.
Remove from heat, strain, add the peanut butter and salt, stir in an ice bath for cooling and refrigerate.
Once cool, freeze in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions.
To make the finished ice cream: freeze the ice cream.
Spoon it into your preferred container, sprinkling the Reeses bits in between the spoonful’s.


Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Crater Lake.


Adventure to Crater Lake with my two best girls.