PEANUT BUTTER MUNCHIES

My friend found this recipe in Better Homes and Gardens a few years ago and they really satisfy that "Reese's Peanut Butter cup craving" that I get from time to time.  I have tweaked them a bit, increasing the quantities used for the peanut butter filling to get a better ratio, and rolling the balls of dough in sugar to give them a crispier outside.  They're fun to make and disappear quickly around here.

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup double dutch cocoa powder (or any good cocoa powder)

½ teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoons salt

½ cup butter, softened

½ cup sugar

½ cup light brown sugar

¼ cup smooth peanut butter

1 egg

1 Tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sifted powder sugar

¾ cup peanut butter

Granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together into a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat together butter, the ½ cup of granulated sugar, brown sugar, and the ¼ cup of peanut butter until well combined.

Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well.  

Beat in as much of the dry ingredients as you can with the mixer.

Stir in remaining dry ingredients by hand with a wooden spoon.  Form chocolate dough into 26 balls about 1 ¼ inch in diameter (I used a #40 cookie scoop).

For peanut butter filling, in a medium bowl sift powdered sugar onto the ¾ cup peanut butter and stir until smooth

Shape mixture into 26 ¾-inch balls (I used a #100 cookie scoop).

Slightly flatten a chocolate dough ball and top with a peanut butter ball.

Shape the chocolate dough over the peanut butter filling, completely covering the filling.  Roll the dough into a ball.  Repeat with the remaining chocolate dough and peanut butter balls.

Roll the dough into a ball and roll in sugar.  Repeat with the remaining chocolate dough and peanut butter balls.  Place balls 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.  Lightly flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar to keep it from sticking to the cookies.

Bake in preheated oven for 9 or 10 minutes or until they’re set and surface is slightly cracked.  Let cookies stand for 1 minute.  Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

Makes 26 cookies.

ENCHILADAS SUISSAS

Meat from 1 rotisserie chicken

1 4oz can chopped mild chiles

4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

8 flour tortillas

2 cups heavy cream

Canola oil for cooking

Preheat oven to 375ºF. 

Pull the chicken meat into bite-sized shreds and place them in a mixing bowl.

Mix in the chopped chiles 

and a hand-full of the cheese.  This is your filling.

Heat about ¼ cup of canola oil in a frying pan big enough to fit the tortillas.  Pour about 1 cup of cream into a pie plate.  The cream is important here, because when you bake the enchiladas it combines with the shredded Jack cheese to make a really delicious sauce.

When the oil is hot, place a tortilla in the oil, about 15 seconds per side or until they soften and puff up,

and then immediately dip both sides in the cream.

Place the softened and dipped tortillas into a large casserole or individual casseroles, depending on how you plan to serve them.  (Note:  I usually put as many of them as I plan to serve immediately into a casserole, then the remaining ones in individual casseroles so I can either freeze or refrigerate them for later.)  Divide the filling among the tortillas (they should be fairly full),  then sprinkle a little more cheese on top of the filling before folding them.

Roll them into the traditional enchilada shape,

then pour the remaining cream in the pie pan as well as the reserved cream over the enchiladas, taking care to moisten all of the tortillas that are showing.

Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.

Bake for 25 minutes, and serve warm with tomatillo salsa.

Makes 8 servings.

GIANT PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

 

If you love peanut butter and peanuts, these are your cookie.  The original recipe also had a chocolate ganache filling, but that was really just too much.  They're super easy to make, and like most cookies, freeze well.  

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp smooth peanut butter (best with organic peanut butter)

8 oz unsalted butter, softened

1 ½ cups minus 1 Tbsp sugar

2 eggs

1tsp vanilla

2 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda’3/4 tsp salt

6 oz dry-roasted unsalted nuts

Sugar for sprinkling (either table sugar or sanding sugar)

Preheat oven to 375ºF. 

Using an electric mixer, cream together the peanut butter and butter. Add the sugar and cream for 1 minute on medium speed.  Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition.  Beat in the vanilla.  

Either sift together the flour, baking soda and salt or aerate them with a whisk.  Then add the flour mixture all at once to the butter-peanut butter mixture.  Mix until the flour is incorporated.  Stir in the peanuts.

Scoop the dough, about ¼ cups for each, onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets, allowing plenty of room (I usually get 6 per sheet).  The recipe calls for you to press down lightly with a large fork in two directions to get a cross, flattening the dough slightly.  However, I find that my potato masher works even better.  

Be sure to keep dipping the fork or masher in sugar so they don't stick to the cookie dough. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 12 minutes, turning the pan half-way.  Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheets.  The cookies will be very soft, but as they cool they will firm up somewhat, though they will still be soft.

Makes about 18 cookies.

CHINESE CHAR SIU GRILLED LAMB CHOPS

If you want to impress your guests and make you life really easy at the same time, this is a good way to do it.  You prepare the lamb chops and marinade the night before, and just bring them out right before you want to eat.  We served them here with grilled Shangai bok choy and a fruit and cashew tossed salad my friend Leta made.

CHINESE CHAR SIU GRILLED LAMB CHOPS

Prep time:  15 minutes + overnight                        Cooking time:  5 min

3 Tablespoons hoisin sauce

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoon Shaoxing wine (Chine rice wine) or dry sherry

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

½ teaspoon salt

18 rib lamb chops (about 3 pounds), well trimmed

2 Tablespoons honey

1 Tablespoon water

Whisk first 6 ingredients in small bowl.  Transfer to large resealable plastic bag.  Add lamb; seal bag and turn to coat.  Marinate in refrigerator at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat).  Drain lamb, leaving some marinade clinging. Let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Grill lamb until slightly charred and cooked to desired doneness, about 2 ½ minutes per side for medium-rare.  Transfer to platter and let rest 5 minutes.

Stir honey and water in small skillet over medium heat until warm.  Brush over lamb chops.

Serves 6.

PULLED PORK

This recipe originated with Martha Stewart, and has evolved over the past few years.  It is Sam's favorite meat, partly because who doesn't love the flavors of bacon and slow-cooked pork, but also because the meat is so tender you barely have to chew it.  And unlike some of the pulled pork you get in restaurants, this is moist and succulent. The quality of the bun is important, too.  We've just started getting brioche rolls at Wegman's and that is definitely the one to go for if you can get it.  The bun has to be strong enough to stand up to some moisture, and not overly bread-y.  You can pull some of the bread out if your buns are too thick, which just gives you more room for the wonderful meat.

PULLED PORK

Prep time:  2 hrs+30 min                              Cooking time:  6 hrs+20min

1 bone-in pork shoulder (8 to 10 pounds)

6 ounces thick bacon, cut into 1” pieces

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

¼ cup + 1 Tablespoon packed light-brown sugar

 ¼ cup + 1 Tablespoon unsulfured molasses

¼ cup ketchup

3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

About 4 cups water

Brioche buns

Sliced dill pickles

Allow pork to come to room temperature, about 2 hours. 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Cook bacon in a Dutch oven or other large ovenproof heavy pot over medium-low heat until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp, about 10 minutes.  .  Transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate.  Season pork generously with salt and pepper and sear, fat side down, in pot until golden, about 5 minutes.  Flip, and repeat.

Return bacon to pot.  Stir sugar, molasses, ketchup, and vinegar together, and add to pot.  

Add water to reach three-quarters up sides of pork.  Cover pot, and bring to a simmer.

Transfer to oven, and braise pork, basting every hour, until liquid is thick and syrupy and meat is falling off the bone, about 6 hours.

Transfer pork to a rimmed baking sheet; let rest 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, skim fat from braising liquid, and discard.  Remove fat from pork, and discard.  Shred meat, which is kind of fun because it literally falls apart.  

Return to pot with braising liquid.

    

Simmer until sauce is nice and thick.

Serve on buns with pickles.

The great thing about pulled pork is that it can be reheated, giving you several meals or you can share with someone you care about.

Serves 16.