Neiman Marcus cookies.

There's nothing like Thanksgiving to put an end to blog hibernation. Last week I pulled my November issues of Saveur and Gourmet from their stacks and started flipping through looking for inspiration. Along the way I came across an article about Neiman Marcus cookies and their fabled high price tag. You remember getting those email chains, don't you? About the department store's cookie recipe that cost one unwitting customer $250? Of course it's not true, and in fact is just one example in recent memory of a certain brand of recipe lore that's been going around since the 1940s. I do love little sidebars like this. I also happen to love chocolate chip cookies and these sounded like a good spin on the Toll House variety. I made a few changes of my own but nothing revolutionary--I've noted these below in case you want to play by the book.

What surprised me the most about these cookies how light they are. When I picked one up I thought it must be nearly as light as a meringue. There's so much grain in them (equal parts flour and oatmeal) that I thought they'd be a lot heavier. That said, I had two small cookies and felt rather full (there's that oatmeal!), so be careful: you're eyes will be bigger than your stomach. They're crispy on the outside but they have a nice chewy bite. Just the way I like 'em!



Neiman Marcus Cookies (makes 4 1/2 dozen)

1 c unsalted butter, softened
1 c sugar (I used 2/3 c)
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 c all purpose flour
2 c Quaker oats, ground fine in the food processor
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon (my addition)
1/2 tsp espresso powder (my addition)
2 c semisweet chocolate chips
4 oz Hershey chocolate, grated (I used 4 oz bittersweet chocolate ground fine in the food processor)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (I ground mine instead, since I was already doing so much grinding)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. Cream butter with sugars until smooth, about 3-4 minutes in the mixer
2. Add vanilla and 1/2 tsp of salt.
3. Add eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated. Then scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat batter until the eggs are well mixed and the mixture begins to look fluffy.
4. Blend flour, oatmeal, soda, powder, remaining salt, and seasonings with a fork in a separate bowl, then add to the batter gradually, mixing on the lowest speed until incorporated.
5. Stir in chocolate chips, grated chocolate, and walnuts by hand.

Chill dough while your oven preheats to 375 degrees.

When the oven's ready, pull out your dough and using a teaspoon to measure, form dough into small balls, about an inch or so big. Make them as big as you want, just make them all roughly the same size, and if you decide to make them bigger, you'll just need to leave them in a bit longer.

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes until nicely domed and slightly golden brown.

Remove to a rack, cool, and enjoy with a glass of cold milk or a mug of tea. Mmm!

Black cod, two ways.

Woah! Two posts in one night? (Note that this one had its genesis almost a month ago.)

Tonight we talk about black cod. It's a pretty damn good fish. It's richer in texture than the Atlantic cod & haddock I know and love. It has more flavor, and yes you could say that flavor is fishy, but in a good way. Now, I love a strong-flavored fish but a lot of people prefer milder ones, so when I say "in a good way" I mean it's lovely and luscious and not overpowering at all. Better yet, it will complement most side dishes very nicely and pick up a lot of flavor from any additional seasonings you decide to use.

In both dishes, I pan-seared the cod. I wanted to get the skin nice and crispy. The skin isn't thick like salmon, it crisps up pretty quickly and provides a welcome crunchy bite to the fish but is still pretty light and melt-in-your-mouth. Pan-searing is an easy method. Put your pan on medium high, add a knob of butter and a bit of olive oil, heat until the foam from the butter subsides, then add your fish (seasoned well with salt & pepper) skin side down. Bring the heat down a touch and then let it cook. You can use a big spoon to baste the skinless side of the fish with the liquid in the pan, this will help it cook faster. Turn the fish after about five minutes. If you've left it long enough, it won't stick and the skin will have a nice edge to it. Cook for another five minutes or so, depending on the size of the fillet. The ones I cooked were between 6-8 oz. You'll know when it's done, the fish will be white and opaque and tender but not falling apart.

In the first dish, I prepared the cod with a mix of black lentils and kale and topped it with a lemon vinaigrette. (Juice and zest from half a lemon, salt, pepper, a little olive oil.)

(Silly date stamp. Fortunately I have since found out how to get rid of this.)

Next dish was black cod with a squash & vegetable curry, inspired by cooky's Autumn Hellfire Pumpkin Curry. Mine was more Purgatory than Hellfire. Earlier posts notwithstanding, I don't really love the spicy pepper. Here is cooky's recipe lineup, adapted for those who like me are also in Spicyland Limbo. She made hers with chicken, which would work just fine in this version too, as would pork, tofu, or any other vegetable you might want to add. You could put fish in here, too, but I would probably opt for prawns or a lighter white fish like haddock or cod. Seared black cod is a really nice way to top this dish.

This is not the most artful picture, but it's also not the most blurry!

2 T thai red curry paste
1 can light coconut milk
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
1 medium onion, julienned
1 clove of garlic, smashed
1 medium or two small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced into uniformly sized chunks
1 small head each of cauliflower and broccoli (use 1/2 head if they're big)
5 stalks of thai purple basil, including buds
1/2 cup diced tomatoes or one fresh tomato seeded and diced
Fish sauce (nam pla)
Lime wedges for serving

1. In large saucepan, saute onions with salt and pepper in a little vegetable oil until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add red curry paste and stir, then add coconut milk and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and stir until the curry paste is dissolved.
3. Add squash, cauliflower, garlic, and a few sprigs of thai basil. Stir and bring back to a simmer, check seasoning, and cover for about 15-20 minutes until squash is almost tender. *If you are making this with chicken/pork/tofu, you would add that at this point.*
4. Add broccoli and tomato and continue cooking until squash is cooked through and broccoli is steamed/simmered to your taste (I like to try and keep it sort of crunchy.) *If you want to make this with shrimp or haddock, you would add it at this point. Cooks quick!*
5. Finish with fish sauce to taste ("for salty")
6. Slice some basil into ribbons, serve curry in a bowl with a sprinkle of basil and a lime wedge (and that black cod if you're making it).