egg whites

Posted by jgreghenry
coconut almond macaroons

So I get up today and I open the Los Angeles Times and let forth a sigh.

I always sigh when I read the LA Times because it makes me so sad to see what a pathetic rag it has become. Once among the nations great reads this newspaper has degenerated so far and so fast (much further and much faster than other papers suffering through the same fate) that the front page of today’s paper had an ad for Cadillac ($0 due at signing, 0% GMAC financing).

Anyway, I digress.

Despite the state of the LA Times I still enjoy the Food Section. Russ Parsons, Amy Scattergood, Noelle Carter, and Ms. S. Irene (among others) are running hard enough and fast enough in place to keep that section readable.

Take today. There was a nice article written by Dorie Greenspan (a respected author and high class foodie) about that ubiquitous cookie trend of the moment Macarons. According to Dorie these colorful little treats are “all the rage in Paris”. Well, I don’t know about Paris, but Macarons have exploded across the blogosphere in the past few months to the point that if I never see a Macaron again it will be too soon!

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Posted by jgreghenry
macaroons

Although many think of macaroons as a combination of ground almonds (or paste) and egg whites, others like their macaroons to contain sweetened coconut. This version combines both flavors to great effect. Bite into one of these sweet tasting gems, still warm from the oven, and you will enjoy the contrast of a crispy exterior to a soft and chewy, coconut flavored interior.

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Posted by jgreghenry
Whole Chicken Baked in a Thyme Infused Salt Crust

Baked in a Salt Crust. That's quite a phrase to me. It appeals to the eater in me, who also happens to be the cook at my house. I like it because it's such  a simple cooking method. But the results will amaze you. The flavor of whatever you cook in a salt crust gets amplified. The crust keeps things moist, but surprisingly not at all "salty" or at least not too salty because everything is so well seasoned. I cannot say exactly why this is, because salt often draws all the moisture out– at least in the short run. So I am going to guess our old friend osmosis is at work here. Maybe the juices are drawn out by the salt during cooking and then sucked back in (nicely seasoned) by Mr. Osmosis in the resting phase... maybe.

Anyway, salt crusts work. You have seen it done with fish, I do it regularly with fingerling potatoes, but the Italians have a classic version with a whole chicken baked in a salt crust. I have come across many recipes for chicken cooked this way. They all seem to have lots of the the traditional flavor accompaniments you might expect: Herbs, Spices, Citrus. But my version is very pared down. In fact I have removed all the herbs and other seasoning except thyme, a little pepper and of course the salt.

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Posted by jgreghenry
Harris Ranch Pecan Drop Cookies

This cookie tastes great, sure. But it is the texture I find so addicting. They are crackly on the edges. There are lots of bits of crunchy pecans to provide a counterpoint to my favorite thing about this cookie, the sticky chewy interior.

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