Alex Guarnaschelli's Gingerbread Cookies

12 Days of Christmas Cookies, Day 1, 2009

1 1/2 sticks of lightly salted butter, softened
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 orange, zested
4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbs ground dried ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup dark molasses
1 lemon, juiced
1 recipe Easy Orange Frosting

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, dry ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, molasses and lemon juice until well combined.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter, sugar and orange zest until smooth, about 5 to 8 minutes.

When the butter and sugar are creamed and light, lower the speed of the mixer and add the dry ingredients in 2 or 3 increments. Add the egg mixture beat until well blended.

Divide the cookie dough in half. Press each half of the dough in between 2 sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap and chill for 15 minutes.

Lightly dust the counter top with flour. Use a rolling pin to gently roll one half of the dough about 1/2-inch thick. Lightly flour the cookie cutter(s) and cut the shapes (cookies should be of similar size for even baking) making as few scraps as possible. Use a metal spatula to gently transfer them to a baking sheet. Repeat with the other half of the dough and transfer them to another baking sheet. A note about crowding the tray(s): these particular cookies can spread a little. Leave room between the cookies. Better to use 3 baking sheets with fewer cookies than to crowd them on 2 trays. Bake until brown around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes.

Pate Spice Blend

1 Tbs crushed bay leaf

1 Tbs powdered mace
1 tsp ground white pepper
2 tsp Spanish paprika
1 Tbs dried basil
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 c salt
1 Tbs dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground allspice
2 Tbs ground cinnamon
1 Tbs dried rosemary

Mix all ingredients well in a spice grinder, or crush them very well with a mortar and pestle. Sift through a fine mesh sieve and re-grind the remnants which don't pass through the sieve. Continue until everything goes through the sieve. Store in the pantry in a tightly covered jar.

Orange Wine

From Saveur Magazine

4 bottles rosé wine (preferably Provençal)
2 cups grappa
6 valencia oranges, halved
3 lemons, halved
1 vanilla bean, split
2 cups sugar

In a 2 gallon or larger glass jar, combine all ingredients. Stir well to dissolve sugar.

Leave in a cool, dark place with a lid set lightly on top for 40 days, shaking gently once a day. Strain through a funnel lined with cheesecloth into clean, dry wine bottles. Seal with corks and refrigerate for up to a year.

44 Cordial

From Saveur Magazine

1 large navel orange
44 coffee beans
1 cup sugar (just over 44 tsp.)
1 liter white rum (roughly a quart)

Poke forty-four 1"-deep slits all over the orange with a paring knife; stuff a coffee bean into each slit.

Put the orange, along with the sugar and rum, into a widemouthed jar with a tight-sealing lid. Store and let steep in a cool, dark spot, swirling the jar occasionally, for 44 days.

Remove and discard the orange and strain the liqueur through a cheesecloth-lined strainer. Transfer to a clean bottle and store in the freezer until ready to drink. Serve neat or over ice.

Spiced Arancello

From the BBC Good Food website

5 large oranges
1 vanilla bean
1 cinnamon stick
2 - 3 cardamom pods
1, 750 ml bottle 100-proof vodka
600 grams caster sugar
500 ml water

Pare the zest from the oranges using a peeler, making sure that none of the bitter white pith is left on the peel. Put the zest, spices and vanilla pod in one large or several smaller clean jars, then tip in the vodka. Seal and leave for a week, shaking the jar each day.

After one week, you're ready for the next stage. Boil a kettle of water. Put the sugar in a heatproof bowl, then pour over 500ml boiling water, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add to the vodka mix, then leave for another week, shaking the jar regularly. Strain into decorative bottles, discarding the peel and spices, and store in a cool place until Christmas. Before giving, drop some fresh spices and peel into each bottle to decorate. Will keep bottled for 6 months.

Scallop Ceviche with Mango

Adapted from recipe by PDXLawCat

8 oz diver or dry-pack sea scallops, cut into small dice.
3 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, deveined and minced
1 Tbs olive oil
Juice of 2 limes
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into small dice

Bibb lettuce leaves or tortilla chips for serving.

In medium bowl combine first five ingredients. Add the salt and season with pepper to taste. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 - 8 hours, stirring occasionally. Scallops should be firm and opaque.

Just before serving, add the mango and taste for seasoning. For a dramatic effect, serve in individual martini glasses, each lined with a Bibb lettuce leaf.

Nona Luna's Rice with Shrimp

By Giada DeLaurentis

1 stick unsalted butter, divided
1 clove garlic, whole, peeled
2 cups of par-boiled long grain rice like Uncle Ben’s
3 ½ cups chicken broth
2 tsp kosher salt
2 lbs small raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons
1 Tbs Tabasco sauce
1 cup heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper

In a medium nonstick saucepan, heat 1/2 of the butter over low heat with the clove of garlic. When butter is melted, remove and reserve the garlic.

Raise temperature to medium-low; add the rice and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken stock and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer covered for 20 to 25 minutes until the rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat and rest covered for 5 minutes.

In a large skillet, melt the remaining butter over low heat with the reserved garlic, stirring frequently, for 1 to 2 minutes until aromatic. Increase heat to medium and add the shrimp, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the shrimp is pink and cooked through. Remove the clove of garlic and discard. Stir in the cream and heat through. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Using a fork, fluff the rice and arrange on a platter. Spoon the shrimp cream sauce over the rice and serve.

Coconut-Molasses Cake

Recipe by Ming Tsai

8 Tbs unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 extra large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbs lime juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup coconut milk
Butter for greasing pan
Flour for dusting pan

Topping:
1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup cream
2 Tbs sugar

Preheat oven to 325°F convection or 350°F standard and prepare an 8-inch cake pan by greasing, lining with a round of parchment, greasing and flouring.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, cream together butter, sugar and molasses. Add eggs one at a time, allowing each to be fully incorporated before adding the next, scraping continually.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together lime juice, vanilla and coconut milk.

Alternate adding flour mixture and coconut milk mixture to the creamed butter gradually, allowing each to be fully incorporated before adding next and scraping continually.

Pour cake batter into prepared cake pan.

In a bowl, combine coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg, half and half and sugar. Stir to combine, and spoon evenly over cake batter.

Bake in middle of oven until center springs back when touched with fingertip, about 50-60 minutes convection, 60 minutes standard. Let cool on a rack and serve in slices.