I was on fire Wednesday. Well, not literally on fire but it certainly felt that way. The weather had turned somewhat mild for mid-November and it was humid, the combination made for a warmer than usual day. To add to this, I, who am normally cold even in summer, have been a walking furnace since becoming pregnant. I am always hot now, which I'm hoping will be a blessing during the dark cold days of December and January. If I can avoid buying another winter coat just to get through the last few weeks of my pregnancy then I will be happy. To add to my already uncomfortable situation the heat in my apartment building was going at FULL BLAST on Wednesday. I found myself in the living room stuck (literally) to the leather couch, wearing shorts and a t-shirt, windows thrown wide open, tongue lolling out the side of my mouth sprit-zing myself with a spray bottle. What's a girl to do in a situation like that? Why, the answer is simple, what any other normal person would do right? BAKE COOKIES!
So, if you can believe it, I peeled myself off the couch and sloshed my way into the kitchen to bake an experimental batch of cookies for "the locusts" (co-workers). I found the recipe on the Epicurious website and just had to try it out. (Hmm, I've been spending a lot of time there lately, no?) Lemon, black pepper, cornmeal, this was something I had not seen in a cookie before and since it's nearing that time of year when I drive Tom insane and myself to tears baking hundreds of cookies for friends and relatives, why not try and see if this might be a new one to add to my repertoire.
The recipe gets an A as far as I'm concerned. It was easy to follow, and did not take all that long to make. I did chill the dough in the freezer to expedite things; otherwise the recipe says to chill for 3 hours or until firm. Chilling in the freezer took 30 minutes and I was still able to slice the logs with a knife. What I like about this recipe is that it seems flexible. You can add the pepper, or not, or even add more if you like (I did). If you don't like the idea of pepper, I think it would go well with poppy seeds, ginger, anise, or even just plain. I not only used the 1/4 cup of lemon zest but I also added a capful of pure lemon extract AND the juice of half a lemon to really get an intense lemon flavor. I made up for the extra liquid by adding small handfuls of flour to get the dough back to the crumbly stage. Speaking of the crumbly stage, I never really achieved it, I was expecting the dough to resemble "pebbles" but it was more like a soft tacky dough. I paid no mind and made the cookies anyway and they turned out fine.
The cookies were goooood. I tasted one (ok, three) and was immediately greeted by intense lemon flavor. The cookie was crisp but not brittle and because there was cornmeal in it, there was a sandy mouth feel that wasn't so unlike eating shortbread or a pecan sandy. Then, just as you swallow the last bit of cookie there is an aftertaste/afterglow of pepper that is not unpleasant or overpowering. Very interesting and tasty little cookie these were. I'd even go so far as to call them sophisticated. They were a big hit with "the locusts." It's nice to know there's a group of people out there willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of my cooking whims, but I'm starting to wonder if just about anything would be a big hit with them! Before I left for work I arranged some on a plate for Tom to find when he came home from work. When I returned home much later that evening he told me he had tried the cookies and...he liked cookie but not the pepper. Oh well. No more cookies for HIM!
from Epicurious
"The black pepper is not necessary, but it does add interest and a pleasant warmth in the mouth. If you'd rather, add 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger with the dry ingredients, instead of the pepper. These are perfect with ice cream and fruit. This recipe uses approximately 4 lemons."
1. Whisk the flour, cornmeal, black pepper, if using, and salt together in a medium bowl.
2. Beat the butter, sugar, and zest in a medium bowl with an electric mixer, beginning on low speed and increasing to medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and beat to combine well. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture, and beat on low speed just until blended; the dough will be crumbly.
3. Press the dough together with your hands and divide it in half. Place each half on a sheet of wax paper and form each piece into a 10-by-1 1/4-inch log. Smooth each log with dampened fingers. Chill the logs, wrapped in wax paper, for at least 3 hours, or until firm.
4. At least 25 minutes before baking, position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter 2 large nonstick baking sheets.
5. Cut each log into 1/4-inch-thick rounds and arrange the rounds 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, for 10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool.
Makes 6 dozen cookies.
source: Luscious Lemon Desserts Lori Longbotham Chronicle Books
Written by Deb on November 13, 2003 12:05 AMA MurrayHill 5 Creation ©2002-06 The contents of this website and all images are © D. Byer unless indicated otherwise. All rights reserved. Please do not use images and/or content without permission and credit to this site. For more information contact: mh5deb(at)gmail(dot)com