Interested in books...

I've moved my book blogging to threedayread@blogspot.com. Check it out in the next few days for more book thoughts and reviews. Recipes and gardening will remain at Citivolus Sus... 

Thin Oatmeal Pecan Cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1/4 cup water
1 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups oatmeal
2 cups toasted pecans, roughly chopped


Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment.
Cream together the butter and both sugars. Add eggs, vanilla and water. In a bowl, combine flour cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Fluff together with a fork. Stir dry ingredients into creamed mixture, then oatmeal and pecans.
Scoop out a rounded tablespoon of dough spacing them about 3 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes or until golden. Cool for a few minutes before carefully removing from parchment to a rack. Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.


Bench Notes: Sometimes I add sultans to the mix. I call them breakfast cookies, because I don't feel bad eathing them for breakfast - they have oatmeal in them after all. I also use walnuts more often than pecans. Come to think of it dried cranberries would be good in this too.

Time Change

Okay, I gave up cussing for Lent, but the time change is really pushing my limits. Dang it. Hate the time change. we'll not really because it will now be lighter in the evening, but I don't like to lose an hour. Especially since I have to travel a time zone east this week. The cosmos is ganging up on me. 

Cheddar Cayenne Coins

Cheddar Cayenne Coins
6 oz. all-purpose flour
3 oz. finely shredded sharp Cheddar
1 Tbs salt
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. cayenne
4 oz. unsalted butter, cut into cubes, chilled
1 large egg yolk
2 Tbs water
1.5 oz. finely chopped walnuts


Combine flour, cheese, salt, and cayenne in a food processor. Process until just blended. Add the butter pieces and pulse until the dough resembles coarse crumbs. Stir the yolk and water together with a fork and drizzle over the mixture. Pulse until the dough begins to form small moist crumbs. Add the chopped nuts and pulse briefly until the crumbs begin to come together.
Pile the moist crumbs on an un-floured surface. With the heel of your hand, push and smear the crumbs until they start to come together in a cohesive dough. Shape into a 14" long log that's 1.25 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours, or up to two days.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment. Using a thin, sharp knife, cut the log into scant 1/4 inch slices. Arrange about 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until medium to deep golden around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets as needed for even baking. Cool on a rack. When completely cook, store in an airtight container.


Bench Notes: I have no idea why I got this from, but, thanks to Google, I now know. Apparently from Fine Cooking. I've been making these since 2008 and really love the flavor and texture of these little crackers, You can also use a mix of half Parmesan and half Cheddar, but I prefer the straight up Cheddar. Mine are never coins, they end up squares, but they still taste good. They can be a bit salty, so I often cut back on the salt.
Round Two of the cracker challenge....  This is Round One of the cracker challenge here. 

Asparagus Soup with Parmesan Custards

Asparagus Soup with Parmesan Custards
Gourmet | April 2002
yield: Makes 6 servings


For custards
2 1/2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, coarsely grated (1 1/4 cups)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1 whole large egg
2 large egg yolks
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pinch of white pepper
Special equipment: 6 (2-oz) ramekins

For soup
1 large leek (white and pale green parts only), finely chopped (1 1/4 cups)
1/2 cup finely chopped shallot
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup heavy cream

Make custards: Bring cheese, cream, and milk just to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and steep, covered, 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 300°F. Pour steeped cream through a very fine sieve into a bowl, pressing lightly on cheese solids and discarding them. Whisk together whole egg, yolks, salt, and white pepper in another bowl, then add steeped cream in a stream, whisking until smooth. Divide among well-buttered ramekins.

Set ramekins in a baking pan and bake in a hot water bath in middle of oven until centers of custards are completely set, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer ramekins to a rack and cool 5 minutes (do not allow to cool longer, or custards will stick to ramekins).
Make soup while cream steeps and custards bake: Wash chopped leek in a bowl of cold water, then lift out and drain well. Cook leek, shallot, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in butter in a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until leek is softened, about 3 minutes. Add asparagus, broth, and water and simmer, covered, until asparagus is just tender, 10 to 12 minutes. After 2 to 4 minutes, remove 6 asparagus tips, halve lengthwise and reserve for garnish.
Purée soup in batches in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Transfer to a large bowl, then pour through a sieve into cleaned pot. Stir in cream, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste and heat over moderately low heat until hot.
Serve soup with custards:
Working with 1 custard at a time, run a thin knife around edge of each to loosen it, then invert a soup bowl over ramekin and invert custard into bowl. Repeat with remaining custards. Ladle soup around custards and garnish with reserved asparagus tips and  parmesan curls.

Bench Notes: Once again, I did not do the whole garnish thing. Perhaps if this were for company, but since it's just for us... The taste of the custard is pure Parmesan and the texture is silky. I haven't made custard or pudding in ages, so I was a little concerned, but ... easy as can be. This isn't the asparagus soup you'll make lots, but it's worth the effort when something elegant is called for. Just sublime. 

I obviously have a problem ...

with salt... 
4 in one weekend - sigh. 

Rosemary Salt

Rosemary from my garden

Okay, okay, this is the last one ... well, we'll see.
I wish blogs had smell-o-blog, because fresh rosemary from the garden is so amazing. My little rosemary plant started out life in its cute four inch pot. It's been in the west bed for going on nine years now and been cut back severely twice and is still about three feet tall and two feet deep and four feet long - if that makes any sense - suffice it to say - it's rather large.


1/3 cup rosemary leaves, coarsely chopped
1 Tbs lemon zest
1/3 cup Kosher salt

Mix rosemary with half of the salt and cut both until the rosemary was finely minced. Add the lemon zest and the rest of the salt. Mix well. Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 225 degrees for half an hour.
It's pretty easy going and smells incredible. I plan to use this on lots of things, but might start by making it the base for herbed nuts. You could probably mix some chopped garlic in this or not use the lemon - I used it because I had it.

Citrus Salts

lemon salt 

Okay, obviously I have a salt problem. Or maybe it's just a time of year and the availability of fresh citrus every where I look. But I'm making more flavored salts, which I need like a hole in the head. Maybe I should blame 101 Cookbooks - they drove me to it... but then again I did have the Maldon.....


Lemon Salt
65 grams Maldon
2 Tbs lemon zest
Stirred together in a small bowl and make sure it's distributed well. Lay on baking sheet and bake at 225 degrees for thirty minutes. 

orange salt

Orange Salt
30 grams Maldon
1 Tbs orange zest
Stirred together in a small bowl and make sure it's distributed well. Lay on baking sheet and bake at 225 degrees for thirty minutes.

Creamy Farfalle with Cremini, Asparagus, and Walnuts

Creamy Farfalle with Cremini, Asparagus, and Walnuts
1 pound farfalle pasta
3 Tbs butter
1 pound cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 pound thin asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup mascarpone cheese
pinch, grated nutmeg
3/4 cup walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the farfalle and cook until al dente, stirring occassionally, about 12 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.
Melt the butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until tender and mosst of the juices have evaporated, about 6 minutes. Add the asparagus and saute utnil the asparagus is crisp-tender about 5 minutes. Add the farfalle. Stir in the mascarpone and nutmeg and toss until the cheese coats the pasta, adding the reserved cooking liquid, 1/4 cup at a time to moisten. Stir in 1/2 cup of walnuts. Season the pasta to taste with salt and pepper. Mound the pasta in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and remaining 1/4 cup of walnuts.


Bench Notes: I've never used walnuts. Ooops. And I don't miss them. This is, without a doubt, one of my favorite pasta dishes, 

Blue Cheese Shortbread

Blue Cheese Shortbread


3 1/2 oz crumbled blue cheese (about 1/2 cup)
3T unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp coarse salt
1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped


Blend blue cheese and butter in food processor until creamy. Add flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add walnuts and process just until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball. Flatten into disk. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm, at least an hour.

Preheat over to 325 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment. Roll out dough between two sheets of plastic wrap to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness. Remove top sheet, cut using cookie cutter shapes or just cut into squares. Transfer to baking sheet, bake until golden brown about 20 minutes. Cool. Store in airtight container.

Bench Notes: These are easy easy crackers to make. I do let the dough chill more than an hour - usually over night. Made this the first time in August of 2003. How old am I?