Paper Palate

Like it or not, the holiday season is quickly descending upon us. As proof of this, I hold in my hands the December issue of Fine Cooking, whose cover boasts gingerbread desserts and easy holiday roasts. I get so excited when this magazine arrives at my door, every issue is like a present, (speaking of which, if you’re looking for a gift for someone who loves to cook, I highly recommend a magazine subscription, it’s the gift that keeps on giving) and this month is a good one! I feel like it’s a holiday issue that’s suitable for any occasion. If you’re looking for an impressive dinner that’s not the standard turkey, Fine Cooking has three full feast menus for mains of Elegant Beef Tenderloin, Dramatic Crown Roast of Pork and Quick Rack of Lamb.

If you’re planning on entertaining, you can learn how to put together and serve a cheese platter. And if you’ve got cheese, you might as well have a look at how to make some of your very own crackers to serve them on! (I know I will be).

Want to learn more? Each issue of Fine Cooking has a section of reader tips where I always learn something new. This best tip this month was to freeze a few slotted metal spoons when making stock or soup. After letting the stock cool a bit you can skim the top with one of the frozen spoons. The fat congeals on the back of the metal spoon, while the stock slides through.

Of course there’s the obligatory holiday cookie section, but it features 6 recipes that aren’t your typical Christmas cookie and I want to try them all. I started at the beginning with Dark Chocolate Crackles, which initially don’t sound all that different, but they’ve got orange zest in them and that makes them fabulous. So fabulous in fact, that I had to try them out the very day I got my issue in the mail. What will I try second? I see Peanut Butter & Chocolate Sandwiches in my very near future…

As if all of this weren’t enough for one issue, there’s also a bonus breakfast section with recipes for pancakes, waffles, muffins, granola and eggs. Oh how I love Fine Cooking!

Dark Chocolate Crackles (from Fine Cooking, December 2007)

Yields about 5 dozen cookies.

11 ½ oz (2 ½ cups) unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp table salt
8 oz (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 oz (2/3 cup) natural, unsweetened cocoa, sifted if lumpy
2 tsp finely grated orange zest
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled until barely warm
¾ cup (4 oz) chopped chocolate, (white, bittersweet or semisweet)
1/3 cup granulated sugar; more as needed

Position a rack in the centre of the oven and heat the oven to 350F. Line 3 large cookie sheets with parchment or nonstick baking liners.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), beat the butter, brown sugar, cocoa, orange zest, and vanilla on medium speed until well combined, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs on e at a time, beating briefly between additions. Add the cooled chocolate and mix until blended, about 1 minute. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until almost completely blended, about 1 minute. Add the chopped chocolate and mix until blended, about 15 seconds.

Shape the dough into 1 ¼ inch balls with a small ice cream scoop or two tablespoons. (The balls of dough may be frozen for 1 month. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding with the recipe.)

Pour the granulated sugar into a shallow dish. Dip the top of each ball in the sugar and set the balls sugar side up about 1 ½ inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake one sheet at a time until the cookies are puffed and cracked on top, 11-12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.