the kitchen

[grumpy cat]

Do you have a favorite wintertime dish or drink? Do share it here to sustain us on our journeys!

[crowsb4bros]

Salted Honey Pistachio Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped pistachios
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• optional – flaked sea salt for garnish

Instructions:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat melt the butter and bring to a boil. Stir or swirl pan consistently as the butter boils and begins to brown (about 5 minutes). It will turn a deep amber color. Remove from the heat and allow the butter to cool for 20-30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
3. When the butter is cooled add it to the bowl of your stand mixer, along with the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Add in the honey, egg, vanilla, sea salt, and baking soda. Mix for an additional minute, until combined.
4. Turn mixer to low and add in flour, mixing until just incorporated. Stir in the pistachios and white chocolate chips until evenly combined.
5. Using a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons) drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet about 2- inches apart. Bake for 8 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Don’t over-bake.
6. Allow the cookies to cool for 3-4 minutes on the baking sheet, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Sprinkle with flaked sea salt if desired.

 

Heirloom Vegetables and Mushroom Pie

Ingredients: 

• 2 sheets of pastry dough
• chopped onion 
• 2 carrots/parsnips
• 2-3 cups of chopped mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon of brown gravy powder
• 1/4 cup of red wine 
• garlic cloves
• Parmesan 

Instructions:

1. Sauté onions in a large skillet.
2. Add garlic, carrots, chopped mushroom to brown.
3. Once browned, add in the gravy powder, red wine, parmesan, and tomato paste.
4. Cool for 10-15 minutes on low heat until little liquid remains.
5. Assemble pie dough on the bottom of a pie plate.  
6. Add the mushroom pie filling on top of the dough and top with the remaining pie crust.
7. Vent the top of the crust and bake at 350 until golden brown. 

[grumpy cat]

my favourite drinks during the winter are mulled gin and mulled wine

i don't really have recipes of my own but here are two links: +mulled gin | +mulled wine

and i feel like my favourite type of winter-time cookies are +nuremberg lebkuchen - this is the recipe i've used (shocker, yes, i know, but when i write 'i used' i actually mean i read the recipe out loud for others to make the thingies ) and it was delicious and everyone i know who tried them wanted moar

[Oregonian]

It's not exactly a winter recipe because November 30, the Feast Day of St. Andrew, is still in autumn, but it's only one day away from December, which sounds pretty wintry.  St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, and his emblem -- a white X-shaped cross against a blue background -- is the national flag of Scotland also.  One can make sugar cookies cut simply into rectangular shapes (no special cookie cutters needed) and iced with blue-tinted royal icing (the kind of icing that hardens as it dries) with an X drawn on, corner to corner, in white icing.  This design replicates what King Oengus II saw in the morning sky as his small army of Scots faced the larger army of Angles in battle.  He had prayed to St. Andrew the night before, for victory in the battle, and as he looked up into the blue sky of morning, he saw white clouds forming the X-cross of St. Andrew and he knew that his prayers would be answered.