Thursday, June 29, 2006

Whole Grain (Fake) Mexican Wedding Cookies

101 Cookbooks

1 cup pecans, toasted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup organic unsalted butter
1/2 cup fine grain evaporated cane sugar (I used Alter-Eco brand)
A splash of vanilla extract
A splash of bourbon (optional)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry four
1 cup oat flour
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
organic powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Puree the pecans in a food processor until they become a fine meal. You don't want to go so far that they become a paste.
In a mixer beat the butter until it becomes creamy, add the sugar and mix until everything is creamy and lighter in color. The vanilla and bourbon go in next followed but the nut meal. Slowly add the flours and salt and mix until a stiff dough is formed (it was warm out today, so stiff might be a stretch). On a piece of plastic wrap pat the dough into a disk 3/4-inch thick. Cover with another piece of plastic wrap and chill in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. This makes for easy cookie stamping.Use a 1-inch cookie cutter to shape the cookies and place them on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies begin to brown ever so slightly. Dust with powdered sugar.
Makes 1 1/2 dozen small cookies.

Toasting flour:
Put whole wheat flour into a 10-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring often with a whisk, until well toasted. This will take about 10 minutes. Flour should be watched carefully to prevent scorching. Set aside.

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Aderezos de pimiento rojo // ajonjolí

Pimiento

Se pone a asar en la lumbre directa un pimiento rojo. Se deja en una bolsa de plástico para que sude por 20 minutos. Se despelleja, se desvena, se corta en pedazos y se pone en la licuadora con un diente de ajo, el jugo de tres limones, media cucharadita de sal, una rebanada de cebolla y un cuarto de taza de aceite de oliva. Se licua muy bien y se sirve sobre una ensalada de lechuga con pepino, berro, apio, tomate, cebolla y aguacate.

Ajonjolí

Se pone en la licuadora una taza de ajonjolí con un cuarto de taza de aceite de oliva, un cuarto de taza de agua, una cucharadita de sal, un diente de ajo y el diente de tres limones. Se licua perfectamente bien y se revuelve con cualquier ensalada.