Chocolate Chip Cookies - Mast Brothers Chocolate Cookbook

Chocolate Chip Cookies - 
Mast Brothers Chocolate Cookbook

A timeless cookie for all ages and all seasons.

Ingredients

1. Unsalted Butter               1 cup (2 sticks) room temperature
2. Brown Sugar                   3/4 cup
3. Granulated Sugar            2/3 cup
4. Eggs                                 2
5. All-purpose Flour            2  1/4 cup
6. Baking Soda                     1 teaspoon
7. Sea Salt                            1 teaspoon
8. Dark Chocolate               15 oz, chopped

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream softened butter with both sugars until fluffy.
3. Blend in eggs, one at a time.
4. Blend in flour, baking soda, salt, and chocolate and combine.
5. Spoon cookie dough 2 inches apart onto a baking sheet using heaping tablespoons.
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

From the Mast Brothers Chocolate, A Family Cookbook

http://www.amazon.com/Mast-Brothers-Chocolate-Family-Cookbook/dp/0316234842

Cracked Crab with Butter and Citrus

Chef Jordan Davis of Herringbone Restaurants in Southern California grew up in San Francisco, devouring piles of Dungeness crab every Christmas Eve. He still loves his crab, and like most devotees, he prefers to cook the crustaceans live; the cooking process isn't difficult (see our how-to video onsunset.com/crabvideo), and the resulting flavor, texture, and freshness cannot be surpassed. "It's so good, I usually just eat it straight, with a little drawn butter and lemon," says Davis. Then he uses the shells, poaching liquid, and any leftover meat to make his superlative Crab Bisque (recipe on sunset.com).

Ingredients

4 live medium Dungeness crabs (about 2 lbs. each) wrapped in paper by a fish shop so they're easier to handle

1/2 cup unsalted butter 

1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Assorted regular lemons, Meyer lemons, and limes, plus flat-leaf parsley sprigs

Preparation

1. Bring a canning pot filled with water to a boil, about 30 minutes. Using tongs, grasp rear of crab (claws away from you). Lower crab into pot; cover. Repeat with 1 more crab; cover. Bring water back to boiling, then cook 8 minutes for 1 1/2- to 2-lb. crabs, 10 minutes if larger. Or, in a large stockpot, boil 1 crab at a time (5 minutes for the smaller size, 8 for the larger).

2. In a small saucepan, melt butter with Old Bay over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and skim foam until only clear liquid is left. Stir in lemon juice and salt.

3. Using tongs, transfer crabs to a colander to drain and cool; meanwhile, cook remaining crabs. Set cooled crabs belly up on a rimmed baking sheet, then clean and crack.

4. Serve on a platter with citrus, parsley, and the seasoned clarified butter.

Ultimate Crabcakes

Ultimate Crabcakes

We swear this is the last crabcake recipe you’ll ever need. We especially love the way the crab is bound with a creamy scallop purée rather than bread crumbs.

Time: 40 minutes. 

Frederick Basgal of Menlo Park, California, a stellar home cook, shares with us his extravagant recipe for crabcakes loaded with seafood, plus bright chives and a tiny dice of bell peppers. His inspiration? A crabcake recipe in Hubert Keller's The Cuisine of Hubert Keller (Ten Speed Press, 1996) for binding the crab with a creamy scallop purée rather than bread crumbs.

• Yield: Serves 6, as a first course

Ingredients

• 4 ounces sea scallops
• 2 tablespoons lightly beaten egg
• 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 1 pound (3 cups) shelled cooked crab
• 2 tablespoons diced (1/4 in.) red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons diced (1/4 in.) yellow bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped chives, divided
• 2 teaspoons green hot sauce, such as Tabasco
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Devil Sauce
• 
  

Preparation

1. In a food processor, pulse scallops and egg just until scallops are chopped. With motor running, pour in cream and whirl until smooth.

2. Scrape scallop mixture into a bowl. Stir in crab, bell peppers, cilantro, 2 tbsp. chives, the hot sauce, salt, and cayenne, breaking up most large chunks of crab.

3. Lay an 18-in. sheet of parchment paper on a work surface. Scoop 6 equal mounds of crab mixture onto parchment. Shape each into an even cake about 1 1/4 in. thick, using your fingers or, for neater sides, a 2 1/2-in.-diameter ring mold.

4. Pour olive oil into a 12-in. nonstick frying pan and heat over medium-low heat. Using a thin, flexible spatula, carefully transfer cakes to pan. Cook, turning once, until nicely browned and no longer wet in center, about 10 minutes total. Divide crabcakes among 6 warm plates, scatter with remaining 1 tbsp. chives, and serve with Devil Sauce.

Crabcake Eggs Benedict

Crabcake Eggs Benedict




Dungeness is always on the menu at chef Joshua Delgado's Alderbrook, set right on Washington’s Hood Canal. These outstanding Benedicts skip the customary English muffin to showcase just crisp crabcake, egg, and hollandaise. 

Ingredients

CRABCAKES AND POACHED EGGS 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 

1/4 cup finely chopped celery 

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

Pinch of red chile flakes (optional) 

1/2 teaspoon flour 

1/4 cup whipping cream

1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 pound shelled cooked Dungeness crab 

3 tablespoons mayonnaise 

1 large egg yolk 

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/3 cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)*, plus 1 1/2 to 2 cups for coating

6 to 8 large eggs (to match the number of crabcakes)

3 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil, such as canola, grapeseed, or safflower

Hollandaise Sauce 

4 large egg yolks 

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard 

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco 

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 cup warm, melted unsalted butter

2 tablespoons chopped chives

Preparation

1. Make crabcakes: Melt butter in a large frying pan over low heat. Add garlic, celery, and onion and cook, stirring often, until translucent but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add chile flakes and flour and cook, stirring, until flour smells toasted, about 30 seconds. Stir in cream and parsley. Remove from heat and let mixture cool.

2. Meanwhile, gently squeeze water from crab over a colander. In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, egg yolk, mustard, salt, and black pepper. Stir in 1/3 cup panko, the crab, and cream mixture.

3. Put about 2 cups panko on a large plate. Form crab mixture into scant 1/2- or 1/3-cup patties (for 6 or 8 crabcakes, respectively). One at a time, set patties in panko, press lightly to help bread crumbs adhere, and turn with a thin metal spatula; press lightly on second side. Transfer to a large plate, cover, and chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

4. Meanwhile, poach eggs: Bring a large, deep frying pan of lightly salted water to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a low simmer. Crack 1 egg into a glass measuring cup, hold spout close to water's surface, and let egg slip gently into water. Repeat with rest of eggs. Cook until eggs are softly set, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer as done to a large bowl of ice and cold water.

5. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook crabcakes, turning only once, until dark golden brown on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes total. (If making 8 crabcakes, you may need to cook in batches; if so, wipe out pan and add a fresh 3 tbsp. oil for second batch.) Transfer to a plate and put in a 200° oven to keep warm.

6. Make hollandaise sauce: Set a bowl of lukewarm water to the side of stove. Add yolks to a slightly smaller bowl, then set bowl of yolks over (but not touching) a saucepan of barely simmering water (lift bowl periodically to check that water is not boiling). Whisk in lemon juice, mustard, hot sauce, salt, and white pepper. Whisking constantly, drizzle in melted butter--a few drops at first, then in a thin, slow stream, until incorporated. Keep whisking until thick enough for the whisk to leave faint trails. Set bowl in bowl of lukewarm water and cover; whisk occasionally until ready to serve. If sauce breaks (you'll see oily butter separating out), slowly whisk in 1 tbsp. cold water or cold whipping cream.

7. Reheat poached eggs: Immerse eggs in water that's just hot to touch (but not hot enough to cook them further) until they feel warm, about 5 minutes. Lift each out with a slotted spoon and rest, still in spoon, on paper towels for a moment to drain briefly.

8. Put crabcakes on plates and slip a poached egg on each. Spoon about 1 1/2 tbsp. hollandaise sauce on top of each, and sprinkle with chives.

*Find panko with regular bread crumbs at your grocery store.

Make ahead: Crabcakes, through step 2, up to 1 day, chilled. Poached eggs, up to 1 day, covered and chilled in water. Hollandaise sauce, up to 1 hour at room temperature, covered. To reheat sauce, set the bowl over a saucepan of warm (120°) water and gently rewarm for 5 minutes, whisking every now and then.

Crab Bisque

If you have shells from a cracked-crab feast, make this delicious bisque the following day. “Slow and low is the only trick to cooking it,” Jordan Davis of Herringbone Restaurants says. Top with leftover shelled cooked crab, if you have some—it’s not absolutely necessary.

Yield:

Serves 6 (makes 5 cups)

Total time: 1 Hour, 30 Minutes

Ingredients

12 ounces cooked cleaned Dungeness crab shells, reserved from Cracked Crab with Butter and Citrus or purchased from a fish shop*

2 bay leaves

1 qt. crab-poaching liquid, reserved from making Cracked Crab with Butter and Citrus, or a mix of 1 1/4 cups each bottled clam juice and water

3 tablespoons olive oil 

1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion (1 medium) 

1 cup finely chopped celery (5 or 6 stalks)

1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper 

1 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc 

2 tablespoons tomato paste 

2 cups whipping cream, plus 2 tbsp. for topping

2 tablespoons unsalted butter 

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 

3 to 4 oz. shelled cooked Dungeness crab (1/2 to 2/3 cup), saved from Cracked Crab with Butter and Citrus or purchased from a fish shop (optional)

1/4 cup fresh herbs, such as chives, tarragon, or parsley; or a mix

Preparation

1. Put crab shells, bay leaves, and crab-poaching liquid in a medium pot. Bring to a simmer, covered, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until broth has a gentle but distinctive crab flavor, about 1 hour. Strain broth through a fine-mesh strainer. If using crab-poaching liquid, return to pot and boil, uncovered, until reduced to 2 cups, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside.

2. In another medium pot, heat oil over low heat. Add onion, celery, and bell pepper and cook, covered, stirring often, until very soft and translucent but not browned, about 15 minutes.

3. Add wine and tomato paste to vegetables and cook over medium heat, uncovered, until wine has reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add 2 cups cream and the crab broth and simmer over low heat 15 minutes, uncovered, to meld flavors and thicken a bit.

4. Put six small, shallow soup bowls in a 200° oven to warm. Whip remaining 2 tbsp. cream into soft peaks.

5. Strain soup through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl and stir in butter and salt. Ladle about 2/3 cup into each soup bowl. Top with a mound of crab, if using, a small spoonful of whipped cream, and a sprinkle of herbs.

*Call your fish shop a few days ahead for crab shells, as they're not always available.

Cracked Crab with Lemongrass, Black Pepper, and Basil

Cracked Crab with Lemongrass, Black Pepper, and Basil

Yield:

 

Serves 4

Total time: 1 Hour, 15 Minutes

Ingredients

2 stalks fresh lemongrass, ends trimmed and coarse leaves discarded

2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1/4 cup honey 

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce 

1/2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper 

3 fully cooked Dungeness crabs (about 2 lbs. each), cleaned, legs cracked, and bodies quartered

3 tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil 

1 cup loosely packed cilantro sprigs

1 cup loosely packed Thai basil leaves or small regular basil leaves

Preparation

1. Chop lemongrass. Put in a food processor with ginger and garlic; whirl until minced. Scrape into a large bowl and stir in honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Add crabs and stir to coat well. Cover, then chill at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.

2. Pour oil into a 14-in. wok or a wide 8- to 10-qt. pot over medium-high heat. With a slotted spoon, add crabs (reserve marinade). Cover and cook, stirring often, 5 minutes (omit this cooking time if using fully cooked crabs).

3. Uncover pan, add marinade, and cook, stirring often, until crabs are steaming and meat is opaque, about 5 minutes.

4. Stir in cilantro and basil, then transfer crabs and juices to a serving bowl.

Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.

Recipe - Hazelnut, Pecan, and Bourbon Pie

Hazelnut, Pecan, and Bourbon Pie



For depth of flavor, Kir Jensen roasts the pecans and hazelnuts before adding them to the filling. She likes to roll her cornmeal pastry extra thick, so it's more substantial.

Ingredients

Cornmeal Pastry

3 large eggs 

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar 

1/2 cup dark corn syrup 

3 tablespoons bourbon

3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

1 teaspoon fine sea salt 

1 1/2 cups roasted Oregon hazelnuts*, loose skins rubbed off

1 cup pecan halves, roasted*

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. flaked sea salt, such as Jacobsen or Maldon

Preparation

1. Make pastry as directed in a regular 9-in. pie pan. Let cool.

2. Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk eggs in a large bowl to blend. Add sugars, corn syrup, bourbon, butter, vanilla, and fine salt and whisk until smooth. Roughly chop half the hazelnuts, then stir all of them and the pecans into egg mixture. Pour into pie shell.

3. Bake until filling is well browned but still a little jiggly when shaken, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool on a rack at least 3 hours. Sprinkle with flaked salt.

*Oregon hazelnuts are generally far superior to imports. If your market doesn't carry them, order from freddyguys.com. To roast raw hazelnuts and pecans, bake in separate shallow pans at 350° until golden beneath skins, 8 to 15 minutes.

Make ahead: Up to 1 day at room temperature.

Kir Jensen, 

The Sugar Cube bakery, Portland / Sunset magazine

Recipe - Spiced Short Rib Tagine

Spiced Short Rib Tagine

Lior Lev Sercarz, chef and owner of the spice company La Boite in New York City, uses North African flavorings to make a delicious sauce for luscious short ribs.

Another reason I want to be at one of Martin’s parties: She’s an avid Champagne fan. She’s particularly enamored of Ruinart, the world’s oldest Champagne house (founded in 1729). “They make a Brut Champagne, very low in sugar. I think that’s why I prefer it,” she said. Martin also appreciates how well Champagne pairs with food: “It’s incredible; it matches everything.” To prove that point, she tapped chef Lior Lev Sercarz to cook for her party. Sercarz owns the amazing New York spice-blend company La Boîte. He’s created custom blends for Le Bernardin chef Eric Ripert, and even for famed bartenders like Jim Meehan, for whom he crafted a series of Bloody Mary spice mixes. Sercarz is from the Middle East, and his menu highlighted the region’s flavors, including his short rib tagine braised with pomegranate juice.

Food & Wine

• TOTAL TIME: 4 HR
 
• SERVINGS: 6

INGREDIENTS

SHORT RIBS

• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 pounds English-cut bone-in short ribs (3-inch pieces)
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 preserved lemon (see Note), pulp discarded and peel minced
• 1 orange, quartered
• 1 unpeeled head of garlic, halved crosswise
• 3 thyme sprigs
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup diced California dried apricots
• 1/4 cup diced dried figs
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon ras el hanout (see Note)
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened pomegranate juice
• 2 quarts chicken stock

ACCOMPANIMENTS

• 1 1/2 cups instant couscous
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• 1 teaspoon ras el hanout
• 6 small radishes, halved
• 6 baby turnips, quartered
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon honey

INSTRUCTIONS

1. MAKE THE SHORT RIBS Preheat the oven to 350°. Toast the 
nuts in a pie plate until golden, 10 minutes. Leave the oven on.
2. In an enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the oil. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Working in 2 batches, brown the meat over moderately high heat, turning, about 5 minutes 
per batch. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add the carrots, onion, preserved lemon, orange, garlic, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, apricots and figs to the casserole and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour, tomato paste, ginger, ras el hanout and paprika and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the ribs, pomegranate juice and stock and bring to a boil. Cover and braise in the oven until the ribs are very tender, about 2 hours.
4. Using a slotted spoon, 
transfer the ribs to a plate; discard the bones. Strain the sauce, discarding the solids. Wipe out the casserole and pour in the sauce. Return the ribs to the casserole and 
simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Skim 
off any fat and keep warm.
5. MAKE THE ACCOMPANIMENTS In a heatproof bowl, stir the couscous with 1 tablespoon of 
the oil and 1 teaspoon of salt. 
In a small saucepan, bring 
1 3/4 cups of water to a boil with the ras el hanout. Stir the water into the couscous, cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 
5 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork and keep warm.
6. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the radishes and turnips and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until golden and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon 
juice and honey and season with salt and pepper.
7. Spoon the couscous onto plates. Top with the short ribs and garnish with the almonds. Spoon the radishes and 
turnips alongside the meat and serve the sauce on the side.
8. 
   

NOTES

Preserved lemons and the North African spice mix ras el hanout are available at specialty food stores and from kalustyans.com.

SERVE WITH

Puree of butternut squash.