To make the fortunes for these cookies, cut 3- by 1/2-inch strips of paper and write or type your own fortunes with non-toxic ink. Because you must work quickly to shape the cookies, it’s best to make them one at a time. Using more than one baking sheet is also helpful because you won’t have to waste time waiting for the baking sheet to cool. A liquid measuring cup or deep heavy bowl os a good tool for shaping the cookies.

Servings: Makes about 8 cookies.

Ingredients:

1 large egg white
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped sliced almonds
fortunes

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400°F. and butter a large round area (about 6 inches) in middle of a baking sheet.

In a small bowl whisk egg white just until foamy. Add flour, sugar, almonds and a pinch salt and beat until smooth. Put 2 teaspoons batter on buttered area of baking sheet and with back of measuring spoon spread batter evenly into a round about 3 inches in diameter.

Bake cookie in middle of oven until golden around edge but pale in center, about 5 minutes. Working quickly, with a spatula remove cookie from baking sheet and invert onto a work surface. Put a fortune in middle of cookie and fold cookie in half. Bend pointed edges of cookie toward each other and hook them onto rim of a liquid measuring cup or deep heavy bowl to cool completely.

Make more cookies with remaining batter in same manner, letting baking sheet cool between cookies. Cookies may be made 3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container.

Source: http://www.epicurious.com/recipesmenus/gourmet/recipes

Excerpted from Gourmet magazine, February 1997

• According to a 2003 report published by the American Dietetic Association, the flavanols contained in chocolate, especially dark chocolate, may decrease the risk of heart disease.*
• Dark chocolate has also been shown to lower high blood pressure, as detailed in another 2003 report published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.**
• In addition, chocolate triggers the release of endorphins in the brain — feel-good chemicals like those released after running several miles — as well as serotonin, an anti-depressant.

*http://www.eatright.org/

**http://www.webmd.com/

Serves 6

“I like to dip orange sections, strawberries and crystallized or uncrystallized ginger in melted baking chocolate for an easy and DELICIOUS dessert or snack. You can also use other fruits.”

Oranges and Candied Ginger dipped in chocolate!
One 5.3 oz. Green & Blacks Baking Chocolate bar with 72% cocoa content including extra cocoa butter for easier melting
3 Navel oranges, peeled and sectioned
12 pieces or slices crystallized or uncrystallized ginger

Break the chocolate into sections and place in a double boiler (or one saucepan containing boiling water placed over another. Heat the water over medium-low heat until the chocolate is melted. Dip the orange sections and ginger slices in the chocolate and let drip back into the chocolate. Arrange on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Freeze or chill in the refrigerator until hardened. Arrange on a serving dish and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

Oranges and Candied Ginger dipped in chocolate!

Ingredients:

6 Navel Oranges, peeled and cut into ½-inch-thick slices
¼ cup tightly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon minced candied ginger

Arrange the orange slices side by side on a serving platter. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and candied ginger and sprinkle over the oranges. Let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature, and serve.

Variation: substitute grapefruit slices for the oranges

© 2008 Nina Simonds “China Express”

Serves 6

“I like to dip orange sections, strawberries and crystallized or uncrystallized ginger in melted baking chocolate for an easy and DELICIOUS dessert or snack. You can also use other fruits.”

Oranges and Candied Ginger dipped in chocolate!
One 5.3 oz. Green & Blacks Baking Chocolate bar with 72% cocoa content including extra cocoa butter for easier melting
3 Navel oranges, peeled and sectioned
12 pieces or slices crystallized or uncrystallized ginger

Break the chocolate into sections and place in a double boiler (or one saucepan containing boiling water placed over another. Heat the water over medium-low heat until the chocolate is melted. Dip the orange sections and ginger slices in the chocolate and let drip back into the chocolate. Arrange on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Freeze or chill in the refrigerator until hardened. Arrange on a serving dish and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

Oranges and Candied Ginger dipped in chocolate!

Six Servings

Poaching Mixture:
1 bottle red wine ( French or American Merlot)
6 cups water
1 ½ cups sugar
peel of 1 orange
2 sticks cinnamon
2 stars anise*
6 slightly under- ripe Bosc pears
2 lemons, cut in half
2 tablespoons chopped candied ginger, for garnish (optional)

1. Mix the ingredients of the Poaching Mixture in a large, non-aluminum pot. Bring to boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

Peel the pears, leaving the stem on. Rub the surface with the cut lemons to prevent them from turning brown. Lower the pears into the poaching liquid and squeeze the juice from the lemons into the pot. Bring the liquid to a boil again, then reduce the heat to low, and simmer uncovered until pears are tender, about 40 to minutes. Test by piercing the pears with a knife. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pears to a bowl.

2. Strain out the seasonings (orange peel, cinnamon sticks, and star anise) and discard. Pour 3 cups of the cooking liquid into a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 30 minutes, until the sauce is reduced. Pour the syrup over the pears. Serve warm or chilled for at least 3 hours with a little syrup. Sprinkle the top with the candied ginger. The pears can be poached 1 day ahead and refrigerated.

© Copyright Nina Simonds 2008.

Serves ten.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup club soda
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbs. dark rum
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups flour
6 tbs. melted butter
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Grated zest of 1 orange
Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions:

1. In a bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the milk, club soda, sugar, salt, rum and vanilla, and blend well until the sugar has dissolved. Gradually sift in the flour to form a batter; then stir in the melted butter. (The consistency should be that of melted ice cream). Add the citrus zests.
2. In a 6- to 7-inch crepe pan, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over moderately high flame, pouring off the excess. Tilt the heated and oiled pan at a 45 degree angle to the floor and pour a small amount of batter in small batches into the pan, allowing it to run down from the highest point. (Usually ½ a ladle of batter will cover the pan adequately.) The secret is to flex your wrist, distributing the batter as thinly as possible.
3. Return the pan to the heat, reduce the flame to moderate, and cook the crepe until lightly browned, 30-40 seconds. Flip it carefully with a spatula and cook the second side until brown spots appear. Remove from the pan to a warmed platter and repeat the process with the remaining batter, re-oiling the pan only as necessary. (Each crepe takes about ½ minute on each side.) Stack the finished crepes and keep warm, under a mixing bowl.

The finished crepes are best served warm. They can be sprinkled with sugar or spread with marmalade, folded into quarters, drizzled with a little Grand Marinier, sprinkled with confectioners sugar, served hot with a spoonful of whipped cream and some fresh berries. For a chocolate finish, spread 1 tablespoon of nutella or melted bittersweet chocolate on warm crepes, fold them into quarters, top with whipped cream and drizzle with warm melted chocolate.

Source: Lidia’s Italy

If you like chocolate chip ice-cream, you’ll love this. Buy the thin chocolate mints – chocolate with tiny chunks of mint – and not the chocolates with the runny mint centre

Ingredients
Serves 6 – or 1 if you eat nothing else all day!

8 trifle sponges
6 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream
1 x 400g can pear halves in natural juice
300 ml (10 fl oz) double cream
1 x 250 g tub mascarpone cheese
200 g (8 oz) mint chocolate wafer thins Fresh mint, to garnish
Icing sugar, to dust

Preparation time 10 minutes

You will need a shallow glass bowl of about 1.5 litre (23/4 pint) capacity.

1. Slice the trifle sponges horizontally through the middle. Use eight halves to cover the base of the glass bowl. Sprinkle over 3 tablespoons of the Bailey’s and 2 tablespoons of juice from the can of pears.
2. Whisk together the cream and mascarpone in a large bowl until lightly whipped (be careful not to over-whisk). Reserve six of the chocolate thins and chop the rest so they are still very chunky – about the size of hazelnuts. Mix the chopped chocolate in with the cream.
3. Cut the pear halves into 1cm (1/2 in) slices and lay over the soaked sponge mixture. Spread with half the cream mixture and repeat the whole process again starting with the sponge. Coarsely chop the remaining chocolate thins and sprinkle over the top.
4. Leave to chill in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours, and serve garnished with fresh mint and a dusting of icing sugar.

Note: Not suitable for freezing

Tip
If you prefer, you could use brandy or rum instead of Bailey’s. Remember to keep Bailey’s in the fridge; because it has a cream base, it can easily go off (although I find it doesn’t last long enough to worry about) .If you have over-whipped your cream and it looks a little curdled, add a little pouring cream and stir in (don’t whisk) and the cream will become smooth again.

Recipe taken from Secrets From a Country Kitchen by Lucy Young, published by Ebury Press.

This recipe appeared in Aga magazine, Issue 5. To subscribe to the magazine visit http://www.agamagazine.co.uk/

Flickr photo by Stef Noble Some rights reserved.

As I say in the supermarket every now and then it’s healthy to indulge yourself. Try my assistant Ingrid’s AMAZING chocolate chip cookies. They are THE BEST!!! We like to eat them frozen, but watch your dental work!!

2 sticks unsalted butter
¾ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup sugar
3 tsp. real vanilla extract
2 large eggs
4 1/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips ( a little more than 2 twelve oz. bags)
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Beat butter and sugars together until creamy.
3. Add vanilla extract and eggs one at a time.
4. Add flour, baking soda and salt then beat thoroughly.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips, making sure they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
6. Form small balls of dough with your fingers and place them on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake them for five minutes then rotate your cookie sheets and cook them for about 4-5 more minutes or until they are just cooked enough to maintain their shape when transferred to a cooling rack. They will not yet be golden brown.
7. Once the cookies have cooled enough to be handled, move them to a parchment paper lined tray and finish cooling them in the freezer. These cookies are chewy and delicious either frozen or room temperature once they have initially been freezer cooled.

FIVE-TREASURE MOON CAKES
makes20 moon cakes

During the Harvest Moon Festival, Chinese bakery shelves are loaded with moon cakes — salty with a meat or vegetable filling, or sweet with red bean date pastes or candied fruits. I’ve developed an easy filling that’s a mixture of apricot jam, raisins, dates, and coconut. I recommend using a moon cake mold (see note *), but you may improvise by hand-shaping the cookies into circles and drawing a simple design on top.

CRUST
4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup dried milk powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Filling
1 cup apricot preserves (one 12-ounce jar)
1 cup chopped pitted dates
1 cup sweetened, flaked coconut
3/4 cup raisins

Glaze
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons water

1. To make the crust, sift together the flour, dried milk powder, and salt. Break the eggs into a mixing bowl, add the sugar, and beat vigorously until the mixture “ribbons” off the beaters, about 5 minutes. Add the melted butter, vanilla extract, and the sifted, dry ingredients to the egg mixture, folding after each addition. Mix to a rough dough, turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead briefly to a smooth dough. Form the dough into a long, snake-like roll and cut into 20 pieces.
2. Mix together the ingredients of the filling and stir to combine evenly. Divide into 20 portions.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets. Using your fingers, press each dough piece into a 3-inch circle with the edges thinner and the center thicker. Place a portion of filling in the center, gather up the edges of the dough to enclose the filling and pinch to seal. Roll the cake into a ball and flatten it to a 3-inch round. Press into a moon cake mold or carve a crisscross design on top. (If you are using a moon cake press *, arrange on a cookie sheet and chill overnight.) Rearrange the the cakes about 1 inch apart on lightly buttered baking sheets. Brush the surface of the moon cakes with the glaze. Bake the cakes for about 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on a rack and serve.

From “Moonbeams, Dumplings, and Dragonboats,” by Nina Simonds

* Moon cake presses can be ordered through Woks ‘n’ Things, 2234 S. Wentworth Ave., Chicago, Ill., 60616. Phone: 312-842-0701