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.
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!