Eat First

It's December! Time to bake!

Flour? Check. Sugar? Check. Eggs? Check. Butter? The more, the merrier. Check!

I love holiday baking and baking for gift-giving. It's the best time of the year. It's cold outside but the kitchen is warm because the oven is in use A LOT! And the aroma of cookies fills the air all the time. What's not to like?

My goal is for baking time to be productive, satisfying and free of mishaps and "cookie fails." There is a strategy to baking in quantity, over time. It doesn't just happen. So I decided to make a list and share some tips.

 

1. First and foremost: Get organized!  Take stock of ingredients, decorations, tools and baking sheets and make sure you have everything you need. You don't want to be making Lemon Extract Cake and find you have no lemon extract or have your heart set on World Peace Cookies and find you have no cocoa powder.

2. Is your oven used as extra storage space? Can't remember the last time you turned it on -- or when you last purchased baking powder and baking soda? Do yourself a favor: Toss the old and buy new. Baking powder and baking soda are key ingredients that are essential to baking success. And they don't cost very much. So put them on your shopping list.

3. Don't use lack of time as an excuse not to bake. Make efficient use of the time you have. Measure/prep your dry ingredients the night before you plan to bake. Set your butter and eggs out, too, and wake up to perfect room temperature ingredients and get baking.

 

4. Get to know refrigerator cookies. Refrigerator cookies are slice and bake cookies, but a major step up from the storebought variety. The dough is made ahead and usually shaped/rolled into a log or logs. Refrigerator cookies are easy, elegant, convenient and indispensable. Add a couple of them to your repertoire.

 

5. Speaking of chilling: Many cookies are freezer friendly -- so make room for precious cargo in your freezer and bake ahead.

 

6. Christmas is all about traditions, but branch out and try something new, too. New can be a roll of the dice and there is not always time for a test run, so turn to a reliable baking source. One of my favorites is Dorie Greenspan, baking goddess and author of "Baking: From My Home to Yours.'' I like the way she writes her recipes, with precise explanations and descriptions. Example: "The cookies won't look done, nor will they look firm, which is exactly as they should be.'' Descriptions like that help you feel confident in what you're doing.

 

 

7. Make your trickiest, most challenging and/or time-consuming cookie or cookies first. Everything you make after that will seem like a cakewalk.

 

8. Host or get yourself invited to a cookie exchange. You get to hang out with friends, share your cookie creations with an appreciative audience and come home with an array of different cookies to share (or horde). Think of it as a cookie swap -- win-win!

Got a holiday baking tip or tips to share? I'd love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the Comments section, below. Happy Baking!

Add some local (and regional) ciders to your cellar

During Colonial times, it is said, every American had a cask or two of hard cider in their cellar. And no wonder: Good hard cider is a beautiful thing. It's crisp and refreshing on its own, and a versatile partner with food and desserts.

We were late to the party on the comeback of hard cider in New York State (the nation's No. 2 producer of apples) because we thought hard cider was sort of a spiked, amped-up version of traditional sweet cider. As usual, we were we wrong.

Some hard ciders are bone dry and some are so fruit-forward they're like a party in your mouth. Some are still, some are bubbly and there's even a super-sweet version called ice cider. Some ciders are combined with fruit or fruit juice (think cherries, raspberries and blueberries) to take them in another direction. These are delightful chilled, or even chilled and poured over ice, if it's hot out.

So give our local and regional hard ciders a try. They're as distinct as the people who produce them. And they could become the apple of your eye.

SIX TO TRY:


1911 Spirits: You gotta love that Beak & Skiff introduced a hard cider six-pack. This gives 1911 a presence on store shelves right next to the Redd's, Johnny Appleseed and other mass-produced ciders made with apples from who knows where. 

1911 Spirits ciders are available in five flavors: original, raspberry, blueberry, light and crisp and sweet apple. The six-packs, for now at least, are available only in the original. Note: It took us several stops, but we found the six-packs at Nice 'n' Easy. 

Harvest Moon Cidery: Ciders from this farm winery at Critz Farms, south of Cazenovia, are made in small batches from apples grown and pressed on the farm, using an antique cider press. Harvest Moon ciders were our first experience with hard ciders. Eureka! We're especially fond of the Rippleton Original, a dry, Champagne-style cider, the Heritage Hops Hard Cider (made with hops grown in Madison County, which gives it slightly "hoppy" aroma and flavor) and the Cherry Moon hard cider, which is blended with tart cherry juice.  

Eve's Cidery: Eve's is a small, family-run orchard and cidery in Van Etten, in the Finger Lakes. The farm doesn't have a tasting room. We happened on their stand at the Ithaca Farmers Market one Saturday in October and gladly enjoyed a tasting (at 10 a.m., no less). We especially enjoyed the 2013 Northern Spy, a clean, dry, sparkling cider made with one of our favorite pie apples.  The young man doing the pouring recommended serving this cider with spicy Thai or Vietnamese food. It also would work well on the Thanksgiving table. 

Bellwether: Bellwether is one of the leaders of the hard cider revival. They've been making hard cider near Trumansburg (Cayuga Lake West) since 1999 using many varieties of New York State apples. Ciders range from dry to semi-sweet, and include sparkling and still varieties. I regret we came home with only one bottle of the original, which is crisp and refreshing and said to pair well with grilled meats, chicken, fish and spicy foods. So we'll have to get back there this winter. The tasting room is open year-round. 

Steampunk: Can a cider be called a joy? Or killer? We enjoyed our first taste of Steampunk cider, made by Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in Medina, on a visit to the Niagara Wine Trail. It's bold and tangy and golden -- and my favorite hard cider, to date.

When we spotted Steampunk on the shelves at Ryan's Wine and Spirits in Canandaigua recently, we had to bring some more home.

Elfs Farm/Adirondack Cidery: We discovered this cidery on a trip to Plattsburgh. The Two Heros hard cider is crisp, dry and strong (9.4 percent ABV). It's made from Champlain Valley apples and aged in bourbon barrels, which gives it depth of flavor.

 

   

 

Grilled cheese for grown-ups

Grilled cheese with American and Swiss cheeses, on Wegmans rosemary-olive oil bread

Grilled cheese is a sandwich we know and love from childhood. Back then, we ate countless classic-style grilled cheese sandwiches, with white bread, American cheese and sometimes -- gasp! -- bright orange Velveeta.

We might knock it now, but the grilled cheese of childhood was oozy good, delicious, crisp and comforting. That's probably why we eat grilled cheese at least once a week this time of year, when it gets dark at 5 and we want to come home and crawl in our sweats. We always have bread, we always have cheese -- usually we have drawer filled with a ridiculous amount of cheese. On top of that, we often have homemade soup in the fridge. Grilled cheese makes supper in minutes.

 

It's easy to make the building blocks of your grilled cheese local.

 

Bailiwick Cheddar and Jordan Jack from Wake Robin Farm, Jordan, available at the Central New York Regional Market, are excellent additions to grilled cheese. The Dill Havarti and Italian Herb Harvarti from Three Village Cheese, in Herkimer County, are buttery and melty -- perfect for grilled cheese. Look for them at local farmers markets (like the Cazenovia, Westmoreland and Oneida County indoor farmers markets this winter). The Syracuse Real Food Co-Op and Side Hill Farmers Meats and Market in Manlius both have a nice selection of local and regional cheeses. Ask the staff which ones will best produce the desired result -- melting well.

 

As for the bread, there are so many local options: Stretch bread and focaccia from Pasta's Daily Bread. Semolina bread from Nino's Italian Bakery on Lodi Street in Syracuse. Rye bread and deep, dark pumpernickel from Harrison Bakery. Rustic boules and ciabatta from Rise, an artisan bakery in Cazenovia. Crusty sourdough breads from Alambria Springs Farm, Earlville. Hearty peasant and farm-style breads from Heidelberg Baking Co., at the CNY Regional Market -- the list goes on. Change things up and make a raisin bread grilled cheese with an Italian-style raisin bread from DiLauro's Bakery or Raisin Walnut Bread from Rise, or ...

 

Eight to try:

 

Grilled cheese with a little heat: Schmear some Cheeky Monkey Tomato Dipping Oil (we like the "Politely Spicy''), Pasta's Spicy Hot Tomato Oil or a chili-infused olive oil inside your bread. This will help to hold your sandwich together when you put it in the pan and impart warm, spicy flavor.

 

Grilled cheese with jam: Sounds weird, but it's really tasty. Try a mild cheese like Swiss or Jarlsberg with a smear of plum vanilla jam or raspberry habanero jam for a little kick.

 

Grilled cheese and fruit: Cheddar and thinly sliced apple. Brie (rind removed) and pear. Fontina and dried cranberries or fresh/dried figs. The possibilities are endless.

 

Grilled cheese with roasted tomatoes:  Try it with pepper Jack and oven-roasted and olive-oil marinated grape tomatoes.

 

Grilled cheese with turkey and avocado: A delicious discovery after Thanksgiving last year. Try it as a panini, with your choice of sturdy bread and a mild cheese, like Jarlsberg, Gruyere or even plain old American. You could also use guacamole, if you happen to have any on hand.

 

Caprese grilled cheese: Mozzarella, tomato, pesto or basil leaves, a drizzle of olive oil inside the bread (classic Italian or ciabatta comes to mind).

Antipasto grilled cheese: Mozz, Parm, a few slices of thinly sliced salami, a little roasted red pepper, a little pickled pepper -- am I forgetting something? A little olive tapenade? Use your imagination!

 

Grilled cheese with caramelized onions: You love caramelized onions on pizza. Try them in your grilled cheese, with Cheddar, Swiss or a combination, and a sprinkle of Parm, too.

 

Do you have a favorite grilled cheese sandwich -- classic or contemporary, either made by you or on the menu at a local restaurant? I'd love to hear from you -- leave a comment, below.