pistachio chocolate krembos

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happy halloween! (more like challahween, amiright??) we had a pretty on-brand halloween weekend: cold, kind of damp, had to wear coats over our costumes. luckily! i had a mustard golden coat that went along with my costume. i was sheila. of sheila and dave. as in the town bagpipe player/edith wharton scholar/english professor and her husband dave, bagel maker/sugar beet truck driver/english professor. eggboy was the truck driver version of dave and wore a lumbersexual getup of plaid flannel with a vest over it and i was the edith wharton scholar version of sheila after a failed attempt to rig up a pillow and some drum sticks into a thing that resembled a bagpipe. i had this whole plan to have bagpipe music cued up on my phone so i could play it as we walked into sheila and dave's party, but in the end a homemade kraft paper book jacket for the house of mirth was about as crafty as my clumsy hands could get. it was a great party! cow farmers emily and evan arrived dressed as corn farmers, i ate a deviled egg, and someone brought a bag of potato chips in which every single chip in the bag was a wish chip. that's gotta be worth a million dollars, right? oh well i ate em all.

other highlights of this weekend included: voting (!!), making shaved brussels sprout pizza, running a really fast mile because i learned that if i not only listen to sia while i run but also watch her music videos on my phone it gives me even *more* energy, and shooting a squash hotdish with chantell and brett for an upcoming thanksgiving post that i'm really excited about. 

tomorrow my molly on the range tour resumes with a trip over to the west coast! i'm trying to figure out what to make of the weather... san francisco looks like it's going to be a comfortable sweater and clog situation, while los angeles is going to be in the 80s. i can't even remember what that feels like! i should probably bring my swimmy suit.....?? anywho, if you are in san francisco or san diego or los angeles i would love to see you and tattoo you. come eat pizza, hang with phyllis, chill on a farm with me and my gefilte manifesto friends, and get a book signed by the beach. it'll be fun! 

being home this week meant that i got to dig into some of the bunches of new cookbooks that i got this season. every night i sat with my book stack and plotted for brownie parties and squash suppers, birthday cakes and non-birthday cakes. it made me wish i had five stomachs. one of my favorite new things that i made this week was these pistachio chocolate krembos from amy kritzer's new book, sweet noshings. this book is so colorful and whimsical and features fun new twists on classic jewish desserts, like chocolate peanut butter babka and strawberry rosewater hamantaschen. there's also a whole passover chapter that is filled with manischewitz and sprinkles. yas, amy!!!

i have had krembos on my mind since chani posted a recipe for halva krembos last year. before that i had never heard of them, but they are basically israel's version of a mallomar and they're popular during the winter months as kind of a substitute for ice cream. (that would explain why i've never had them, since i somehow only end up in israel when it's a million trillion degrees.) krembos consist of a cookie topped with a blob of fluffy marshmallow and dunked in chocolate and they are the shape of 💩. amy's version incorporates pistachios, and you know i am all about pistachios.  

pistachio chocolate krembos

makes 18-20 cookies

from amy kritzer's sweet noshings

ingredients

for pistachio cookie base

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1/2 c powdered sugar

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 sticks or 3/4 c chilled unsalted butter, cut into chunks

1/2 c unsalted, shelled pistachios, plus more chopped for garnish

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

for marshmallow filling

6 egg whites

1 1/2 c granulated sugar

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

for chocolate shell

1 package semisweet chocolate chips

3 tb coconut oil, butter, or canola oil

sprinkles for decorating, optional

clues

to make cookies, palce flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse until combined. then add butter, pistachios, egg, and vanilla. Pulse until pistachios are very fine and dough comes together. Form a log about 2 inches in diameter on wax paper, using the wax paper to help you mold it. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. If you are in a rush, freeze for 30 minutes.

preheat oven to 350ºf. Cut log into 1/4-inch slices, and bake on parchment paper-lined baking sheet, 1 inch apart, until lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Cool.

while cookies are baking, make your filling. make sure the bowl and whisk are very clean and dry. make a double boiler with a pot or heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water (not touching the water) and place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the top pot over simmering water over medium heat. whisk for 5 minutes, or until sugar has dissolved. do not let it boil. mixture should be frothy, warm, and not gritty. if you have a candy thermometer, it should be about 140ºf. remove from heat, transfer to a large heat-resistant bowl (or use the bowl it's already in) and beat with a stand or hand mixer with whisk attachment until thick, shiny, and stiff peaks form, 10 minutes or more. then beat in vanilla.

to make krembos, put filling in a pastry bag with a wide top or plastic bag with a wide tip. pipe onto cookies in a swirl, about 2 inches high, and freeze for at least 1 hour.

meanwhile, to make chocolate coating, melt chocolate and oil over medium heat in a double boiler until chocolate is melted and shiny.

dip chilled krembos in the chocolate (or just get messy and pour it on top) and top with extra pistachios (or sprinkles!). the chocolate should harden right away; refrigerate if not eating right away.

-yeh!

molly on the range bonfire outtakes + links!

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i am ketchuping. 

1. putting ketchup on everything because i:

          a) like ketchup a lot, and

          b) am mourning the loss of my summer tomatoes

2. catching up on various exciting things like mail (fall cookbook season, fuck ya!) and friends (you're dating who?? you've birthed a what?! when are you moving to l.a. again??) and sleep, and unexciting things like laundry and showers because i am home for a week! 

i had such a wonderful time in minneapolis this past weekend and now i have a few days before i leave again so i am savoring this bit of time at home, cooking dinner for eggboy and spending my evenings watching silicon valley on the couch. on tuesday, i am off to the west coast! is it still warm there? do i need to shave my armpits? i just found out that akhnaten is going to be in l.a. when i'm there and i am so wildly excited for this, i've got to remember to pack my opera glasses...

right now on the farm, we are in the calm that comes between the end of beet harvest and the beginning of winter. eggboy and eggpop are cleaning up the tractors so that they can go into hibernation, and macaroni have begun to slow their egg production. finally we can keep up with their eggs!

today i'm sharing some outtakes from one of my favorite sections in molly on the range, the bonfire party! almost exactly a year ago, i had my fargo friends and grand forks friends come over in their flanneliest selves and we roasted wienies and made s'mores. the whole thing was inspired by this phase that i went through in high school where every single day my friends would come over after school and we'd sit around a fire in broad daylight, roasting wieners and having senioritis. for the book, i updated the s'mores with homemade rosewater marshmallows and the wienies with jerusalem bagel dogs and harissa ketchup. adrianna made the jerusalem bagel dogs on her blog, so head that way for the oven method recipe! (the bonfire cooking method is in the book.) and below are some more recipes that my friends have made from the book. their posts, as well as all of the instagram and facebook posts that you guys have shared of adventures in molly on the range, have brought me so many happy tears it's like why do i even wear mascara anymore? i know i am bad at being mushy and lovey dovey but i am so gosh darn grateful for the support and excitement that molly on the range has received, i want to give you all one giant squeeze. 

michelle made italian rainbow cookie salad // sherrie made all of the alliums fried rice // jeanine made cauliflower shawarma tacos //sarah made the chocolate scone loaf and added orange! // billy made lindsay lohan cookies // nik made marzipan mandel bread // jessica made gruyere mac and cheese with caramelized onions // cindy made sprinkle cupcakes // betty made scallion pancake challah // brandon made walnut and brie mac and cheese // lyndsay made chocolate tahini cake // elizabeth made sprinkle cake // katherine made halva and added pumpkin spice (!) // tessa made sprinkle cake // jonathan made mini tater tot hot dishes // francesca made chocolate tahini cake // marie made chocolate tahini cupcakes // laura made baked oatmeal with maple cream and hawaij // brett made challah

...and if you've made something from molly on the range, remember to post it on instagram by the end of the month with #mollyontherange and #8daysofgiveaways to enter to win all of these fun things!

-yeh!

all photos by chantell quernemoen!

roasted pumpkin with dukkah, yogurt, and fried bread

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the last time i ate pumpkin i was at the zoo in australia, missing my chance to cuddle a koala because i'm a space cadet. all i wanted was to be in tip top shape when i met my new koala friend so rather than going straight to the cuddling station when i got to the zoo, i stopped for a little snack to have the energy to wait on line without getting cranky. and that snack was a pumpkin wrap. and that line closed while i was enjoying my pumpkin wrap. and it was my last day in australia. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

missed connection

me: sneakers, a backpack, parsley in my teeth, pumpkin in my belly. 

you: a cuddly plop of koala at the taronga zoo. you went to bed at 3pm. 

so i have this kind of sad feeling about pumpkin.

but i also have all of these happy feelings about pumpkin because before my koala incident, i had spent the weekend at sophie and luisa's workshop in the blue mountains outside of sydney where we ate some really delicious pumpkin in a way that i'd not ever had before. it was winter there (july), so rather than beginning my days with my typical summer breakfast of chopped tomatoes and cucumbers over yogurt, sophie suggested a big bowl of roasted pumpkin over yogurt and it was so perfect and good. i drizzled it with some of her homemade olive oil and dukkah, and scooped it all up with fresh sourdough. it made me look at pumpkin in a whole new savory delicious way than just as a pie filling and cake ingredient, and it made me even more excited for sara and aimee's virtual pumpkin party.

this is more of a non-recipe that's inspired by my australian breakfast bowls and it's fall's equivalent to summer's breakfast salads. it's the type of thing that you can sleepily spoon into a bowl using last night's leftover roasted pumpkin (or roasted sweet potatoes or squash, any orange starchy thing really) and yesterday's bread (since frying in a bit of olive oil will revive any old bread). you can get as complicated with the other stuff as you want: i love adding lemony sautéed kale for some greens and a handful of nuts and seeds for crunch. and if you don't have chiles, hot sauce will do the trick! 

roasted pumpkin with dukkah, yogurt, and fried bread

ingredients

Pie pumpkin, seeded and peeled and chopped into 3/4” cubes 

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

ground cumin

Crusty sourdough

Plain full-fat greek yogurt

Red chiles, seeded and sliced

Dukkah (I like using a blend of pine nuts, pepitas, sesame seeds, and coriander)

Optional: kale sauteed with olive oil, salt, lemon

clues

preheat oven to 425ºf and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Toss pumpkin with a drizzle of olive oil, a few pinches of salt and pepper, and a dusting of ground cumin. spread pumpkin on baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes, until browned and caramelized. (you can do this step the night before. to reheat, toss the pumpkin in a hot skillet for a few moments.) 

meanwhile, slice bread and heat a thin layer of olive oil in a skillet. brown bread slices on both sides in the oil, sprinkle with salt, and set aside.

when pumpkin has finished roasting, remove from oven and let cool slightly. dollop yogurt in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Top with pumpkin, chiles, a sprinkle of dukkah, and kale, if using. Serve with bread.

...and be sure to check out all of the other recipes in today's virtual pumpkin party! happy pumpkin season, everybody in the northern hemisphere! 

-yeh!

apple, onion, and aged cheddar mini pies

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hi from minneapolis where i have just arrived with the smallest suitcase i've used all year. it is a carry-on and in it i have squeezed three pairs of shoes, my buttercream sweater, and a small stack of sugar beet tattoos which i have to conserve because they are almost gone!

i am packing light for this two-day trip and considering it a test for my theory that packing light is wildly overrated. i decided this back in may when i went to ireland and hemmed and hawed so hard about bringing both my green clogs (since everyone told me i'd be miserable in them due to the rain in the forecast) and my rain wellies (since that would have required a second checked suitcase). in the 11th hour i brought a second suitcase of shoes to ireland and ended up being extremely happy with my footwear options because in the end it barely rained at all and when it did i was covered. as i rolled down the irish hills in my favorite clogs in the world on my sunny birthday, and then sloshed through the rain the next day with a bowl of carrots and labneh, i decided that it's much more important to be over prepared than it is to prove whatever you're trying to prove when you pack light. (WHY ARE PEOPLE SO PROUD OF THEMSELVES WHEN THEY PACK LIGHT???) i had to explain this all to the customs lady when she questioned my decision to bring two suitcases for a five-day trip. 

but now i'm testing my theory for no real reason other than i was running late this morning and wouldn't have made it to the airport by the time cutoff to check a bag. 

oh, maybe that's a reason to pack light. 

more importantly, i am so freaking excited for my minneapolis events! i'm spending the day tomorrow at cooks of crocus hill (12pm signing that is free and open to the public!) and then having brunch with my minneapolis homeslices and of a kind, in celebration of the new line artisanal kitchen supply from bed bath & beyond! in between i'm going to go to spoon and stable, marvel bar, and the bachelor farmer. yay!

and speaking of ireland, i have a recipe for you today that uses some irish cheese!!! if you have been to ireland you are aware that it is the land of cheese and butter. and if you have not been to ireland, you can experience this all by coming over and opening up what has essentially turned into my cheese refrigerator. i got to meet some kerrygold cows when i was in ireland, and they are so beautiful and happy in their green rolling fields, it was pretty clear how they're able to make such tasty stuff. kerrygold's aged cheddar is one of my favorites, it's a rich cheese, the kind you want with an apple pie. so here is my version of an apple pie (it's savory!), which combines apples and onions in a grownup mac and cheese-type sauce. it's perfect for a fall picnic or road trip! 

apple, onion, and aged cheddar mini pies

makes 9

ingredients

2 tb butter

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 large apple, thinly sliced

1/4 tsp salt, plus more to taste

pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

1/8 tsp cayenne

2 tb flour

1/2 c veggie broth 

1/4 c dry white wine

2 oz kerrygold aged cheddar, shredded

 

14-15 oz pie dough

1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tb water

clues

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Coat a 12 cavity muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, apples, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until very soft, about 20 minutes. Add a few turns of pepper, the paprika, and cayenne and cook 1 more minute, until fragrant, and then stir in the flour. Add the broth and white wine and cook until thickened and then add the cheese, stirring until melted. Taste and add salt as needed. Remove from heat and let cool while you shape the dough.

Roll out the dough to 1/4” thickness. Cut out nine 4” circles and nine 2 1/2” circles, re-rolling scraps when needed. Press the 4” circles into the muffin tins. Spoon the onion mixture into the tins and top with the 2 1/2” circles. Fold the edges over and pinch to seal them. Use a fork to poke holes in the tops. Brush with a thin even layer of egg wash and bake until golden brown. Begin checking for doneness at 25 minutes. Let cool in the pans on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove to the rack and serve.

-yeh!

thank you for kerrygold for sponsoring this post!