Picnic Ready
I've decided on a menu for the World-Record-Breaking picnic in Bryant Park tomorrow (see entry below): steak salad with blue cheese, red onion, walnuts and greens, almond madeleines (which I made yesterday) and lemonade.
The madeleine recipe I used is from Ladies' Home Journal. I don't know if it's the recipe or the weather, but even though they taste good and have a nice, fluffy texture, they've become a little sticky on the side that was up top during baking. I guess it's been pretty humid here, so I shouldn't blame the recipe.
Mix 1/2 cup sugar with 3 eggs, then add 3/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup finely ground almonds, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Mix until combined, then pour in 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter and 1/2 teaspoon each vanilla and almond extract. Let it sit, covered, at room temperature 20 minutes, then spoon into madeleine mold (I had found a mini-madeleine mold on the giveaway table at work, so I ended up making almost 100 little cakes instead of the 24 specified in the recipe - it was one of those rubbery "pans," and I think I approve, even though I was skeptical at first - the madeleines popped right out, and I hear that getting them out of the pan is usually a big problem with traditional pans).
Made the lemonade same as last time, then stuck it in the freezer in plastic bottles so it'll be cold for the picnic.
Oh, and we didn't go to Dos Caminos the other night. The reservation was late, so I made an earlier one at Noche, then Todd decided he'd rather have barbecue so we went to Virgil's instead. We love Virgil's (well, Todd loves it, and I'm kind of a fan). It's not fine dining, but I love the cheesy grits, which are the epitome of comfort food to me, and the ribs are good and plentiful so you're eating them for the whole week (at least, the next day).
Categories
Cooking Misc. , Recipes & Cooking0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Picnic Ready.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.walkernewyork.com/cgi-bin/mt4/mt-tb.cgi/159
Hi Kim-
Your cookies look wonderful. I especially like the way the biscotti turrned out. I've always had trouble slicing mine so that they turn out looking like yours. I always end up with chubby little versions of the long cookie. Is there a technique to how you slice them?
I've only used one basic recipe for biscotti, from Cooking Light, and varied it in different ways. The batter turns out really sticky and kind of thin, so I tend to form it into two wide slabs instead of logs, which is where the length comes from (when I slice them crosswise). The loaves turn out so wide that just slice them straight across (not diagonal). I know it's not the way it's supposed to work, but it works for me.
Hi there,
I've just discovered your blog, and am loving it. I have friends who live out in Forest Hills and rave about Cheeses of the World ;) Anyway, there's nothing wrong with your madeleines getting sticky the next day - it's what happens with all madeleines the day after they've been baked. They're sort of like baguette in that they taste and feel different the day they're made and mildly deteriorate after that.