I've been working with the folks at the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association for the past couple of months developing recipes for their winter marketing campaign.
But, honestly, I was a big fan of Chilean fruit long before I ever began working with them.
Back in my Southern Living days (from 1999 to 2010), I recommended Chilean fresh peaches and nectarines every winter—the perfectly ripe fruit filled the gap for our favorite Southern summer fruits.
This easy, yet elegant, recipe is a riff on something you'll likely see on restaurant menus all over the South (in the summer)—but my version is simple enough to whip up for a quick weeknight supper. I use a mix of peaches and nectarines, but all peaches or all nectarines will work just fine. No worries.
It's definitely cookie time in the Jones house. Between neighborhood Christmas parties and teacher/bus driver/piano instructor/tennis coach/mail woman/orthodontist gifts (and I'm sure I missed a few), it seems like our oven is on the entire month of December.
But that's cool with me.
Who doesn't like a constant stream of fresh-baked cookies. The house smells like one of those fancy retail stores during the holidays (think Pottery Barn Kids or Williams-Sonoma)—it's amazing. Of course, I have to sample a cookie or two from each batch (I tell the kids that, as a chef, I need to ensure quality control). They respond with eye rolls, head shakes, and deep sighs. And by the way, don't even THINK about bringing up the dangers of eating raw cookie dough—the girls may just throw themselves to the ground in exasperation.
Down to the nitty-gritty. I'm a sugar cookie man myself. And I'm especially fond of raspberry jam-filled linzer cookies. Now, at the risk of sounding un-American, I am not a fan of chocolate cookies. Not sure why. Just not my style.
So when the Food Network decided to get the food community together to celebrate a Virtual Cookie Swap, I immediately knew what my recipe would be: Triple Chocolate Cookies.
I know, I know. I just said I'm not a fan of chocolate cookies. Kooky cookie talk, right? Maybe, but I LOVE these cookies...with their crackly-tops and sorta meringue-like texture. They're out of this world.
And here's the best part: when I'm in a total Christmas shame spiral, I take two cookies, slather Nutella on the bottom side of one, then place the bottom side of other cookie against it to make this uh-mazing QUADRUPLE CHOCOLATE COOKIE SANDWICH!
Better still, this is the PERFECT cookie for hosting a your very own Cookies For Kids' Cancer bake sale—a wonderful way to spread a little holiday cheer with your kids, help raise money for a terrfic organization, and join the mission to find a cure for pediatric cancer.
Kitchen Tip: Allow the cookies to COMPLETELY cool on baking sheet before removing. The cookies are very soft and pliable right out of the oven, and they'll break if you remove them too early.
Prep: 25 min.
Cook: 15 min. per batch
Yield: 24 cookies
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
1/4 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate chips Parchment paper Nutella
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment. In a bowl over just simmering water, melt chocolate chips, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool 10 minutes. Sift together flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light, about 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each. Beat in vanilla. Stir in melted chocolate. Fold in dry ingredients and white chocolate chips. Using a small ice cream scoop or 2 spoons, portion dough by tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake for about 15 minutes, until tops are cracked, switching baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through. Allow cookies to cool completely on baking sheets on wire racks. Repeat with remaining dough.
Check out these delish recipes from the other folks in the Cookie Exchange:
During my 11 Thanksgiving seasons at Southern Living, few things perplexed readers more than what to serve alongside their big holiday bird. They were cool with the turkey (unless, of course, it was still frozen solid and guests were just around the corner). And I reckon they had dessert down too.
But the subject of side dishes was an altogether different matter.
Birmingham is blessed with a large Hispanic community, so Mexican fried ice cream is one of the many treats we enjoy when visiting our favorite mamá-and-papá Mexican restaurants.
A few weeks back I decided to take the notion of this classic, South-of-the-border dessert, and turn it into something a little more managable without giving up any of the yummy flavor or texture. Plus, my wife and I needed an easy, go-to treat for those afternoons when it feels like every child in the neighborhood is standing in our kitchen looking for something sweet. (You know what I mean?)
The truffles are super-easy to make and fun for the kids. In fact, we now keep a big bowlful of the nut-cornflakes mixture on hand (which is also terrific using pecans or walnuts). In addition to using it for this recipe, my wife and kids love the mixture sprinkled over yogurt and fresh fruit. I've even caught them stirring it into milkshakes. I typically eat it by the tablespoonful for a quick, crunchy pick-me-up. Feel free to switch up the ice cream flavor too — I typically use vanilla, but it works with just about any flavor in the ice cream case.
Melt butter, sugar, and cinnamon in microwave on HIGH for 30 to 45 seconds or until butter is melted. Stir to combine.
Place almonds in a small bowl; pour over butter mixture, tossing to coat. Spread almonds in a single layer on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet.
Bake at 350˚ for 10 minutes, stirring half way through. Cool in pan on a wire rack 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and place in freezer.
Pulse almond mixture and cornflakes in food processor, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour almond mixture into a shallow dish.
Let ice cream stand at room temperature 15 minutes to soften.
Scoop ice cream into small balls using a 1 1/4-inch ice-cream scoop, and roll in almond mixture, gently pressing onto balls. Arrange on prepared baking sheet in freezer. Freeze truffles at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
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I cherish the moments I'm able to spend with my girls in the kitchen. They may not always cook (or eat what I cook!), but our time together usually produces some seriously good fun. Plus, the kitchen is my home turf—it's here that I have all the right moves and can do no wrong (at least in the eyes of my daughters), even when I make a royal mess.
If you follow my blog, then you already know of my kitchen adventures with my youngest daughter, Augusta (aka the Ravenous Pixie). But I don't often talk about Tallulah, my oldest, who's most comfortable behind the camera shooting video and taking pictures. (And the child has a true gift for all things digital, which comes in handy for an old-timer like me.) So when we had the opportunity to shoot a cooking segment together a few weeks back, we, ahem, I couldn't wait to get going.
Here's the setup: I was scheduled to film a spot for "Daytime Alabama" on Birmingham's Champions for Health initiative. Tallulah was enjoying her first day of summer, so I enlisted her to take a few behind-the-scene shots of me and "Daytime Alabama" host (and seriously cool dude/dad)David Lamb in action. When David caught sight of Tallulah, he immediately suggested that she not only join us, but that she also make the pizza. To say that Tallulah was caught off guard is like saying that Alabama can get hot in the summer. YEAH!
She rallied like a trooper, however, and powered through the recipe with grace. (Even though to hear her tell it, she was totally unprepared from a wardrobe standpoint. I beg to differ. I think she looked adorable.) Actually, let me back up—she did more than power through the recipe with grace. As you'll see in the clip, Tallulah held her emotions in (as well as a mouthful of pizza) when others would have screamed out. That's right, I gave her a piping hot slice of pizza on camera, molten cheese and all.
Tallulah and I are still friends, and she's assured me that we can work together again on camera...so long as I stick to cold desserts!
Below is the recipe prepared on "Daytime Alabama"—it's super-easy for kids to prepare (with an adult working the oven, of course).
Give it a try and let me know what you think!
Tortilla Pizza
Prep: 10 min., Bake: 10 min.
Makes 5 servings I've made this recipe with the Deer Valley Elementary School students for years. The idea with this recipe is to have fun—switch it up as you and your kids see fit. NOTE: For best results, don't add too much sauce—too much and the crust will be soggy. Start with a couple of tablespoons, then add more, if needed. Also, I prefer to put the pizzas directly onto the middle oven rack—you may want to add heavy-duty aluminum foil or baking sheet to the rack below to catch any dripping cheese or sauce.
I love fried chicken. And I love braised chicken too. Here's an easy-to-make Father's Day special that combines both: Daddy's Slightly Fried Chicken.
There's so many cool things going on in this recipe. You can braise the chicken the day before, then bread and fry just before serving (which only takes a few minutes). You can also bread the braised chicken up to 4 hours ahead, for that matter.
Switch up the herbs if you like. I use what's in my garden. This time around I call for chopped fresh thyme, but you could just as easily use parsley, chives, or rosemary--whatever floats your boat. You can't go wrong.
I can just sit and eat these bad boys out of hand with a few lemon wedges, but they're also great between those yummy French hamburger rolls (here in Birmingham, I find the rolls in the deli section at Publix). I mix up a little mayo-Sriracha sauce, then slather it over the rolls to create one tasty sandwich. (I've done it when the chicken's right out of the fryer, but I've also made the sandwiches with leftovers right out of the fridge.)
Heat olive oil in a skillet big enough to hold the chicken in one layer; add salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary, wine, and chicken broth.
Put a lid on the skillet, and simmer for 45 minutes or until thighs are cooked through (check at 30 minutes-add more broth if needed to cover the chicken). Allow chicken to cool at least 15 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking, process bread in a food processor with 1/2 cup of cheese to make fine bread crumbs (may need to do this in 2 batches).
In three shallow bowls: add flour into one, and season it with salt and pepper; put the beaten eggs in second; combine bread crumb mixture, remaining 1/2 cup of cheese, and thyme in third bowl.
When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pat dry and toss in flour, dusting off any excess flour. Place chicken into the beaten eggs, making sure to coat well. Place chicken into breadcrumb mixture; roll and pat mix onto chicken pieces. Put them on a tray and refrigerate until ready to fry (can prepare up to 4 hours ahead – allow chicken to stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before frying).
Heat vegetable oil to 350˚ in a Dutch oven or deep fat fryer (Dutch oven or fryer should be no more than 3/4 full). Add the chicken a piece or two at a time, frying 45 seconds to 1 minute or until golden brown and crisp. Take out and drain well on paper towels.
Sprinkle with sea salt; squeeze a wedge of fresh lemon over chicken.
