Black and White Cookies

Black and White cookies are decadent and festive, and a New York specialty. They are super soft and cakey with the perfect slight crisp of icing on the top. Making bite-size versions of black and white cookies are perfect for parties- and for those who have trouble deciding between chocolate and vanilla. These cookies have both!

cookies:
1¼ cups flour
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
6 tbsp butter, room temperature
½ cup sugar
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup low fat buttermilk

icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp light corn syrup
2½ tsp fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp vanilla
1 tbsp water, plus more if needed
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with aluminum foil and whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.
Beat butter in a large bowl until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until it is pale colored and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the egg and vanilla until thoroughly combined and fluffy. Mix in the flour in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk.
Roll tablespoons of dough into balls and place on the lined sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies, rotating halfway through for about 10 minutes. Let cool completely before icing.
Whisk powdered sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, and the water in a small bowl until smooth. Add more water if needed to achieve a consistency slightly thicker than honey. Put half of the icing in a separate bowl and add the cocoa powder to one of the halves. Add more water if needed. Spread white icing on one half of the cooled cookies and chocolate icing on the other half and let stand until the icing has set.

Recipe from: Cookies by Martha Stewart

Bamboo Rice

I was wandering around the grocery store yesterday when I found myself in the bulk food section. I was looking over the various fruit and nut mixes when something caught my eye- something jade colored and translucent, like little green pearls. I approached these gems and looked at the label, which read: Bamboo Rice. Out of sheer curiosity, I grabbed a bag and filled it to the top.
I had actually never heard of bamboo rice before yesterday. It looks a lot like sushi rice in that it has a very short, round shape. In the picture, the color of the rice is somewhat washed out- so you can't really see how beautifully green it is. It is slightly sticky and chewy, again like sushi rice.
I read in an article I found about bamboo rice that some sushi chefs do use bamboo rice in the place of regular sushi rice to play off the colors of the fish. Imagine a sushi roll with a dark seaweed border, vibrant green rice, and bright pink tuna in the middle. Beautiful.
Bamboo rice is cooked by boiling 1.5 cups of water per 8 oz bamboo rice. Add a pinch or two of salt depending on your taste. Once the water is boiling, add the bamboo rice and return to a boil. Stir the rice to keep it from lumping together and bring it down to a simmer. Cook, covered or with the lid cracked, for 10-12 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Tiramisu

Most people would agree with me that there's nothing better than a 3 or 4 day weekend. It hardly ever happens, but thats what makes it so special. To me, three day weekends mean sleeping in and cooking (what else?). This time I decided that I wanted to cook something not just difficult and time consuming, but something that was a trophy in and of itself. This recipe for tiramisu by Wolfgang Puck was exactly what I was looking for. There is no store-bought sponge cake or pre-made mascarpone cream. Every part of this recipe is homemade, which makes it feel and taste that much more comforting.

Ladyfingers:
6 eggs, separated
½ cup sugar, separated into ¼ cups
1 cup sifted cake flour
melted butter, for brushing
flour, for dusting pan

Mascarpone Cream:
6 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
¼ cup Marsala Wine
¼ cup brandy
2 pounds mascarpone cheese

Espresso Syrup:
1 cup espresso, hot
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup grated bittersweet chocolate

Directions:
Ladyfingers:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 12 by 16 inch baking tray and sprinkle with flour.
In a mixing bowl, whip the egg yolks with ¼ cup sugar until ribbony and light in color. Reserve. In another mixing bowl, whip the egg whites to soft peaks- when you lift the beaters out of the whipped whites, they stand and droop. Slowly add the remaining ¼ cup sugar and whip until they develop medium peaks- the whites stand and droop a little, but are not sharp. Sift the flour again and, with a rubber spatula, fold half of the flour into the yolk mixture. Fold in ½ of the of white mixture then fold in the remaining ½ four mixture. Lastly, fold in the remaining ½ egg white mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tray and, with an offset spatula, carefully spread the batter to evenly fill the tray. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the ladyfingers are golden brown and start to pull away from the edges of the pan. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
Mascarpone Cream:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar, then add the Marsala and brandy. Place over a double boiler and cook until the mixture reaches 160 degrees, stirring often. Continue to cook mixture for about 5-10 minutes, or until the mixture becomes a thick paste, called a sabayon. Remove from the double boiler and cool mixture over an ice bath, until room temperature. Whip the mascarpone cheese to soft peaks. Fold in the cooled sabayon until well incorporated. Keep cooled.
Espresso syrup:
Brew fresh espresso. To 1 cup of hot espresso, add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Stir until dissolved.
To assemble the tiramisu:
Divide the sheet of ladyfingers into 2 (8 by 10-inch) sheets. Divide espresso syrup into 2 portions. Divide the mascarpone cream into 3 portions. Spread the first portion of the mascarpone cream at the bottom of a deep (preferably glass) mold topped with the first sheet of ladyfingers. Pour 1 portion of espresso syrup on to the layer of ladyfingers until soaked. Repeat process. Lastly, top with the remaining mascarpone cream and cover with grated chocolate. Cover mold and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
*You can assemble and portion out the tiramisu according to however big or small your mold is*