fromage fort

I think we should all go to a party. And we should all eat this. I know, it doesnt look like much. I am sure youve seen cheese spread on a slice of baguette before. It probably looked prettier than this too; less blue, more smooth. But please, lean in anyway, because I have to tell you: this is brilliant. And I cant believe Ive gone most of my life without knowing about it. Dont let it happen to you.

You know that thing that happens when you have friends over? No, I dont mean the Santa Baby sing-along or red-wine-on-the-white-sofa thing or the ow-my-head-hurts thing the next day, though all of those are grand too. What I mean is, what we usually do is stop by a cheese store or counter and pick up a bunch of wedges of this and that and put them out with wine and bread and at the end of the night, theres always one sorry little glass left of wine left and a few nubs of cheese. Maybe they end up in the trash. They shouldnt. And they wont anymore because let me introduce you to (drumroll, Oprah voice, please) fromage fort!

Translated as strong cheese, its a delightfully economical blend of whatever odds and ends of cheese you have around, some wine, garlic, salt, pepper and herbs, if youre feeling it. Softer cheeses make it creamier. Harder cheeses can benefit from a pat of butter. You can use it right away or age it a little more, up to a week is safest. For a treat, you can run your slice of bread spread with the fromage fort under the broiler. If its on the softer side, dip things like grissini or other seedy breadsticks in it. But beyond that, there are no rules. There are few recipes, just outlines. But the main thing, the salient bit, is that you just wing it.

Fromage fort is forgiving. It accepts all kinds your tired old gruyere scraps, your poor white wine choices, your huddled masses of brie, yearning to breathe free (Im so sorry, America.), and blends them together into something infinitely greater than its parts. Plus, theres always a little snowflake specialness to it, as no two batches will ever be exactly alike. In a year of carefully arranged, slightly obsessive, many component-ed, over-the-top and personal Mount Everests of recipes, this is the most fitting way to usher the year out.

One year ago: Parsnip Latkes with Horseradish and Dill, Cinnamon Brown Butter Breakfast Puffs and Scallion Meatballs with Soy-Ginger Glaze
Two years ago: Crescent Jam and Cheese Cookies and Milk Punch (or, my nomination for the ideal cocktail embodiment of the dreaded wintry mix)
Three years ago: Creamed Mushrooms on Butter-Chive Toast, Ridiculously Easy Butterscotch Sauce, Mushroom Marsala Pasta with Artichokes, How to Host Brunch (and Still Sleep In), Spinach and Cheese Strata, Pear Bread and Parmesan Cheese Crackers
Four years ago: Mushroom and Barley Pie, The Great Unshrinkable Sweet Tart Shell, Cranberry Pecan Frangipane Tart, Mustard Roasted Potatoes, Walnut Tartlets, Cauliflower Gratin, All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough, Pumpkin Cupcakes, Cabbage Apple and Walnut Salad and Dark Chocolate Tart with Gingersnap Crust
Five years ago: Espresso Chocolate Shortbread Cookies, My Favorite Peanut Butter Cookies, Austrian Raspberry Shortbread, A Slice-and-Bake Cookie Pallette and Robert Linxes Chocolate Truffles
Six years ago: Wild Mushroom Pirogis, Blondies, Infinitely Adaptable, Fettucine with Porcini, German Pancakes, Winter Panzanella, Chicken Skewers with Dukkah Crust and Pecan Squares

Fromage Fort

As I mention above, there are no rules as to how you put this together. Maybe you want more wine, or less. Maybe you want a heavy hand with salt and pepper, or you want the natural flavors of the cheese to shine through. If youre using a lot of hard cheeses, a pat or two of butter will help smooth things out. Personally, I go easy on the garlic (one tiny clove) because it really blooms as the cheese sits, and I dont want it to take over, but maybe you would like that. The only thing I think it important to keep in mind is that even a small amount of blue cheese tends to dominate. I used 25% of the weight in blue, and the result was essentially a blue cheese spread. Fortunately, we love them. But if thats not your thing, limit it to just a small spoonful or a few crumbles.

If youre curious, my formula this time was one part each of blue, brie, goat cheese and gruyere, a handful of chives and a full cup of wine.

1 pound mix leftover cheese, harder cheeses grated, softer ones cut into chunks
A couple pats of butter, if using mostly firm cheese varieties
1 small clove garlic, minced, or more to taste
1/2 to 1 cup leftover white wine
1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme, rosemary or chives
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Blend cheese, butter (if using) and garlic in food processer until combined. Drizzle in wine with the motor running until you get your desired consistency some like it completely smooth, others prefer chunks. Add herbs, pulsing the machine until just combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Fromage fort can be used right away, or kept in the fridge until needed. In the fridge, it will thicken and age a little; the flavors will mingle and deepen.

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cashew butter balls

The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook Book Tour ended its 2012 run on Monday evening at the New York Public Library in Midtown, as fine of a place to call a finish line as any, and with great company to boot. I know I should say something here that sums up this sprawling, incredible last couple months in one neat paragraph. Theres so much we havent had time to talk about! But, it feels too soon to get my head around all of it and Id rather talk about this here site because as overwhelmingly grand the last few weeks have been, once I got reunited with my kid/husband/bed, its this place Ive missed the most fiddling in the kitchen, sharing things were excited about and chatting in the comments. So thank you for being part of it. I cant wait to catch up.

Id like to tell you that my first foray back into the kitchen was a raging success, alas, this is no time to start teetering on the edge of facts. The second was not much better, and only cemented my hunch that cookbook book tours and cooking are, quite ridiculously, mutually exclusive activities. The third, however, must be shared, despite the fact that the technical errors I encountered were largely avoidable had I, 800-plus site recipes and a cookbook later, yet learned to go with my gut. Why be hasty, right?

You see, a frequently asked question on the tour has been how I go about creating recipes and while the answer is long and boring winding, I can say in the realm of cookies, its a bit more straightforward as most come back to basic formulas that need only a little adjustment for nuance to make them work for a specific flavor profile. Todays case in point is one of my favorite holiday cookies, the Russian Tea Cake/Mexican Wedding Cakes/Nut Crescents/and sometimes Povlorones. 99 percent of the recipes out there follow a formula that works gorgeously each time tender, buttery barely-sweet mounds of cookies hot from the oven roll in the powdery sugared deep before cooling into the only cookie I make consistently from year to year. But when I spied one with slightly more nuts and slightly less flour, I was sent into a neurotic typical tailspin over whether I should a) try something new that might be better or b) not fix what is not broken. In the end, I went for the new and potentially different and while these were probably the most fragile and elegant version of the cookie yet, I am only recommending them below as an alternative recipe, as a cookie that cannot handle tumbling through a freshly-sifted mound of featherlight powdered sugar without breaking in half is probably not a headache anyone needs this weekend.

Really, baking should not cause furrowed brows. It should unwind and make the hallway swoon with the scent of creamed butter, sugar and vanilla toasting against flour. In the background, the Muppets and John Denver should be yukking it up and any adjacent preschoolers should be lightly dusted in powdered sugar as well. Somewhere, someone should be either be mixing you a Perfect Manhattan or plotting your getaway to one.

I typically make this kind of cookie with pecans or walnuts. Ive sometimes used in macadamias or almonds. I even once tweaked them for chestnuts roasted on an open fire in a dinky oven. But Ive never made them or absolutely anything else with cashews because I dont much care for cashews. If you asked me why, Id go on about them tasting rather one-dimensional and flatly sweet, almost buttery but in need of more texture, more salt and maybe a little vanilla. You would probably have the common sense to suggest this means that theyre actually calling out to be included in a cookie (buttery? check. crisp? check. vanilla? check.) I, however, took nearly a decade to come to this conclusion and still another year to finally make them.

You were right, by the way, they make an excellent cookie. Everything I find dull about cashews alone is perfect toasted and embedded in these cookies and although this isnt half as exciting as the other dozen cookies Id dreamed of sharing this month (next December, friends, I may not leave my apartment at all for balance and stuff and you will have all the cookies I owe you) theyre hardly unwelcome an unwelcome addition to any party.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday, friends. I hope somebody bakes you lots of cookies.

For your baking extravaganza: There are 57 cookie recipes in the archives. Where to start? Well, Grasshopper Brownies, of course. Then Spicy Gingerbread Cookies (perfect for houses, squat or tall), Rugelach Pinwheels, Crescent Jam and Cheese Cookies, Seven Layer Cookies, ridiculously decadent Chocolate-Toffee Cookies, Toasted Coconut Shortbread, Austrian Raspberry Shortbread, then how about some Pink Lemonade Bars? From the book, I implore you to not skip the Gooey Cinnamon Squares, a mash-up of Snickerdoodles and St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake I became so obsessed with last year, I begged my editor to let me add them, long past the point I was allowed. Need a great cake to top off your meal? You will never be unwelcome with Gramercy Taverns Gingerbread (I make it every year), a Chocolate Stout Cake or even this flourless Ho-Ho of a Heavenly Chocolate Cake Roll.

One year ago: Nutmeg-Maple Butter Cookies, Caesar-Salad Deviled Eggs and Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce
Two years ago: Roasted Chestnut Cookies, Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms, Iced Oatmeal Cookies, Broiled Mussels and Spicy Gingerbread Cookies
Three years ago: Creamed Spinach, Gingerbread Apple Upside-Down Cake, Cappuccino Fudge Cheesecake, Balsamic-Braised Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta, Cream Biscuits, Coffee Toffee, Vanilla Roasted Pears and a little guide to Building Your Own Smitten Kitchen
Four years ago: Cauliflower Salad with Green Olives and Capers, Onion Tart with Mustard and Fennel, Apple Pancakes, Fennel, Proscuitto and Pomegranate Salad, Meyer Lemon and Fresh Cranberry Scones and Winter Fruit Salad
Five years ago: Pumpkin Waffles, Creamy White Polenta With Mushrooms, Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cookies, Nutmeg-Maple Cream Pie, Tiramisu Cake, Fennel Ice Cream and Chicken and Dumplings
Six years ago: Sundried Tomato Stuffed Mushrooms, Orangettes, Honey-Hoisin Pork Riblets and Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Cashew Butter Balls
Inspired by the Tasting Table Test Kitchens

It was one of my favorite food newsletters that put the idea of a cashew spin on one of my favorite cookies into my head last winter, however, in the end, I preferred my go-to formula (with slightly less nuts and slightly more flour) to theirs as mine crumbles less. I also nixed the nutmeg, added some vanilla and replaced the granulated sugar with powdered sugar, but kept the name because I love it too much to part with it. I also give a flaky salt option, because I think a faint crunch of salt contrasts wonderfully with sweet cashews.

Oh, and (big and!), I adapted the recipe for a one-bowl assembly in a food processor, yay. If you dont have one, grind your nuts in whatever you have around (mini-grinder, coffee grinder, etc.) to a powder (I find grinding them with a bit of the flour makes them less prone to turn to a nut butter), then whip the butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the vanilla. Whisk together the ground nuts, flour and salt separately and mix them into the butter mixture until just combined. Chill and scoop as directed below.

If youd like to make the recipe as TT suggests, use 1/4 cup more cashews and 1/4 cup less flour and only move them from tray to sugar to cooling rack with the gentleness of feathers. Once they cool, theyll firm up enough that theyre less fragile, although I still wouldnt recommend them for shipping. Nope, youll have to keep them for yourself.

1 cup (145 grams) raw cashews
2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon table salt, or a heaped 1/4 teaspoon sea salt flakes
1 cup (2 sticks or 230 grams) unsalted butter, softened slightly, cut into chunks
2 cups (240 grams) powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350F and toast cashews in a single layer until a shade darker, about 10 to 12 minutes. About halfway through the toasting time, toss the nuts around to redistribute them for even coloring. Let cool completely. You can hasten this along by transferring them to the freezer for a few minutes.

Place cooled cashews, flour and salt in the workbowl of a food processor. Clear the kitchen of toddlers and others sensitive to loud noises, then grind the mixture to a fine powder. Pour mixture into a bowl and set aside briefly.

Add butter and *only* 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar to the empty food processor and run the machine until the mixture is creamy and combined. Add the vanilla and mix. Add the nut-flour mixture and pulse the machine until it is just combined. Scrape the soft cookie dough back into the bowl that held the nut-flour mixture, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it until firm, about an hour.

[Do ahead: You can chill it in the fridge for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for longer.]

Heat your oven back to 300&176F. Place remaining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar in a wide bowl. Using your hands, scoop tablespoon-sized (about 1-inch round) balls of the chilled cookie dough into your palms and quickly roll them into little balls. Place them evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet an inch apart. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until they feel dry on the outside, but still quite soft. (Dont fret!)

Let cool on sheets for a few minutes, then gently roll the hot cookies in the powdered sugar before transferring them to racks to cool completely.

Cookies keep in an airtight container for at least a week, probably two, though never at my place. They can be frozen for as long as you trust your freezer. They occasionally benefit from a fresh coating of powdered sugar before serving.

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Chocolate Coconut Cashew Butter - Averie Cooks I love peanut butter and sunflower seed butter, but this week its been all about another kind of nut butter. Chocolate Coconut Cashew Butter anyone? Everything in ... Homemade Cashew Butter Recipe : Emeril Lagasse : Recipes : Food ... Use raw cashews and no need to add anything else. To get smooth a good food processor is necessary, otherwise you will not get it smooth. ... Tasty flavor; however ... chockohlawtay: Peanut Butter Protein Balls These are definitely one of my favorite snacks--they are so easy to make, modify, and eat! The recipe hasn't failed me yet (I don't think anything with ... Banana-Cashew Balls recipe from FatFree Vegan Kitchen If you like banana Larabars or sun-dried bananas, youll love these banana-cashew balls. Easy to make, they contain no refined sugar, flour, or oil. Chocolate Cashew Butter PaleOMG - Paleo Recipe PaleOMG Paleo Recipe for Yep. Face is stillllllllll peeling. It's really great. I just love it. Why wouldn't I want to spend 3+ hours in the mirror a day picking at ... Homemade Cashew Butter Recipe - Food.com - 471406 This is a simple recipe for cashew butter that I threw together one afternoon before Thanksgiving, when it seemed that every store in our little town was completely ... Cashew Sauce Recipe : Alton Brown : Recipes : Food Network Beautiful recipe for cashew butter. I have yet to try the sauce but this is a great tasting alternative to store bought peanut butter. I made this after inadvertently ... Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls vegan peanut butter balls ... Happy Monday, chocolate sprinkles! Happy Monday? Meh, who likes Mondays? Not me. How to Use Cashew Butter eHow.com Cashew butter, although not as popular or well known as peanut butter, is just as delicious and nutritious. It is made from the nut of the cashew, crushed or blended ... Cashew Butter - Compare Prices, Reviews and Buy at Nextag Cashew Butter - 91 results like Tree of Life Btr Cashew Crmy Ns, 16 OZ, Superior Nut Fresh Cashew Butter (1 Pound Tub), Maranatha Nut Butters Creamy and Roasted ...

cauliflower-feta fritters with pomegranate

I know what youre thinking; you dont even need to say it: Its time for a fritter intervention. A frittervention? Here, Ill go first: My name is Deb Perelman and I have a fritter problem. And I really do. I pretty much want to fritter all the things, all the time broccoli, zucchini, apples, parsnips, an Indian medley, leeks (here), and potatoes, potatoes, potatoes, I actually have to hold myself back, and try to evenly space my fritter episodes throughout the year, so not to pique your concern about my fritter consumption. Its not easy because no matter how many times I talk it out in a circle of understanding peers, I fear I will still think that fritters are the answer to most food dilemmas, most of the time.

Theyre the ideal toddler vegetable delivery method. Aside a bowl of lightly dressed mixed greens for the lunch Im supposed to be having (not, cough, leftover pizza), a couple fritters make it all worthwhile. Alone on a plate, dolloped with a creamy yogurt sauce, theyre a happy afternoon snack. And formed intentionally tiny, they belong at a cocktail party. As do you.

In my defense, I hadnt frittered in nearly six months before I slipped. The last time, it was broccoli and it was angled specifically towards the toddler set. There was parmesan and only a tiny, non-threatening amount of garlic. The goal was not to ruffle any overtaxed young mealtime feathers. So, of course, you know what happened: my sample population, my toddler, refused to eat them. In response, these fritters dont care. (Sorry, kid.) Theres more garlic, lemon zest, salty, crumbly feta cheese and theyre flecked with kicky Aleppo pepper. Thats a smoky cumin yogurt on top. Theyre dotted with tart pomegranate seeds. Once again, you probably already know what happened: More please!

Nevertheless, they want to go to a party with you and I think you should let them. In a December that is to the gills with buttery cookies, decadent cheese plates, stiff drinks and rich roasts, they might even bee a little island of moderation, as decked out with tiny red bulbs as the nearest windowsill.

One year ago: Dijon-Braised Brussels Sprouts
Two years ago: Sweet Potatoes with Pecans and Goat Cheese, Creamed Onions with Bacon and Chives and Sweet Corn Spoonbread
Three years ago: Raisin-Studded Apple Bread Pudding, Swiss Chard and Sweet Potato Gratin and Sweet Potato Buttermilk Pie
Four years ago: Pepita Brittle, Cottage Cheese Pancakes, How to Max Out Your Tiny Kitchen and Leites Connsummate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Five years ago: Black Bean Pumpkin Soup, Apricot and Walnut Vareniki, Chicken with Chanterelles and Pearl Onions and Our Approach To Food Photos
Six years ago: Dreamy Cream Scones and Shrimp Cocktail, Artichoke-Potato Gratin

Cauliflower-Feta Fritters with Smoky Yogurt, Pomegranate

Makes 18 2-inch fritters

I prefer fritters with a lot of vegetable and just the faintest amount of batter, loosely tethering the vegetable chunks to each other. It will seem weird as you put the piles of batter in the pan these are going to fall apart! but gently nudge any loose pieces back on the pile and I promise, once theyre cooked, they will stay together and their flavor will be crisp and clear, uncluttered by an eggy, soft batter.

1 small head cauliflower (1 pound florets, i.e. stems and leaves removed), cut into generous 1 to 2 inch chunks
1 large egg
1 garlic clove, minced
Few gratings of fresh lemon zest
3 ounces crumbled feta (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes; less if using regular red pepper flakes, which are hotter
3/4 teaspoon table salt or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Olive oil for frying

To serve
3/4 cup yogurt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
Handful pomegranate arils

Cook cauliflower in simmering salted water, uncovered, until tender, about 5 to 6 minutes, until firm but tender. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain well. Spread on towels to dry as much as possible.

In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together egg, garlic and lemon zest. Add cauliflower florets and mash with a potato masher until theyre crushed into an average of pea-sized pieces (i.e. some will be bigger, some smaller, but most will be little nubs). Sprinkle in feta and stir to combine egg mixture, cauliflower and feta. In a small dish, whisk flour, salt, pepper and baking powder until evenly combined. Sprinkle over cauliflower batter and stir just until combined.

Heat oven to 200 degrees and place a tray inside. On the stove, heat a large, heavy skillet over moderate heat. Once hot, add a good slick of oil, about 2 to 3 tablespoons. Once the oil is hot (you can test it by flicking a droplet of water into it; it should hiss and sputter), scoop a two tablespoon-size mound of the batter and drop it into the pan, then flatten it slightly with your spoon or spatula. Repeat with additional batter, leaving a couple inches between each. Once brown underneath, about 2 to 3 minutes, flip each fritter and cook on the other side until equally golden, about another 1 to 2 minutes.

Transfer briefly to paper towels to drain, then the tray in the oven to keep them warm until needed. Once all fritters are cooked, mix yogurt with cumin, salt and pepper. Spread fritters on serving platter. Dollop each with cumin yogurt and sprinkle with pomegranate arils.

Do ahead: Fritters both freeze and reheat well. To warm and recrisp them, lay them on a tray and toast them at 400 degrees in the oven until crisp again.

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Our menu is designed around the Middle Eastern eating style of ... Syrian spiced olives 8 Crunchy Turkish chilli spiked & spiced chickpeas 6 Little bundles of jou jous pita breads 1ea