When I was still allergic to walnuts -- thankfully, I no longer am -- I made muhammara with hazelnuts instead, and it was even more delicious than the traditional with walnuts.
What if I dab a bit of Mhammara on the end of a celery stick filled with cream cheese? Is this sacrilege? It would be gorgeous on a tapas platter. We living on those cheese bix. It is the divine recipe...must make the cookies today. xo
Lovely. You’ve been at the chilli’s again, haven’t you, Nancy? My own cheese biccies go-to (think it’s Dutch) is same weight flour, grated cheese, grated butter. Looks like same proportions as yours. No egg or water.
I too make the viennese crescents every year - they are consistently excellent and everyone loves them. But what I like most about this newsletter is the requirement of "a cheese of good character." Yes.
Merry Christmas, Nancy! Thank you so much for these excellent recipes. I share your devotion to "the greatest cookie recipe ever devised", and Turkish red pepper paste, a new ingredient for me, sounds like it will add another dimension to my muhammara recipe. I'm especially grateful for the cheese biscuit recipe which does bring back memories of Camden evenings. My Camden relatives followed the MFK Fisher formula or martinis, quite lethal so served only on rare occasions. I recently tracked down the original Martini & Gibson recipes MFK published in the Jan. 1949 issue of The Atlantic, which perhaps you might enjoy. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1949/01/to-the-gibson-and-beyond/643911/?gift=HA7_dDAHy8mbiW8ET9CHuVFbpgB1CvVsBJgnfQ0dHRQ&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
Thank you for that. I am going to tackle that martini formula next time I dare. Now if I could just find Paul Child's authentic cocktail that he served Julia every night (and occasionally to me and other guests), I would be a happy barista.
These are 3 of my go to recipes altos after 60 years of cooking I know them by heart. One change I made over the years is I use a portion of Parmesan cheese in the cheese biscuits and add sesame seeds and voila they are benne seed wafers. Instead of walnuts I sub pecans at Christmas and you have another great cookie!
Craig Claiborne is getting a lot of attention these days (see Michael Ruhlman's recent post on Craig's recipe for smothered chicken)! I still have my blue (and the green) Craig Claiborne but I've never made those cookies. I will this year! My college roommates and I in our first apartment cooked from this cookbook all the time. It was our gateway cookbook!
Sharon, sorry about that. I have to make these again this week and I'll be sure to weigh the cheese. You are so right? (And it's not firmly pressed--just sorta gently pressed.)
When I was still allergic to walnuts -- thankfully, I no longer am -- I made muhammara with hazelnuts instead, and it was even more delicious than the traditional with walnuts.
What if I dab a bit of Mhammara on the end of a celery stick filled with cream cheese? Is this sacrilege? It would be gorgeous on a tapas platter. We living on those cheese bix. It is the divine recipe...must make the cookies today. xo
TaDAH! I think that's a great idea.
Lovely. You’ve been at the chilli’s again, haven’t you, Nancy? My own cheese biccies go-to (think it’s Dutch) is same weight flour, grated cheese, grated butter. Looks like same proportions as yours. No egg or water.
Mhammara sounds like a must around here... much more interesting than hummus (and I even have some Aleppo pepper on hand)!
Bravo, Gary, go for it!
Loved the cheese biscuits, and so did everyone else. Thanks for passing it on.
Might try them with gluten-free flour this year and see what happens. Louise French
We’ve made those cookies with pecans and with almonds. Both deliciously addictive. Louise French
Great idea, Louise--I can just imagine how delicious that would be! Thanks for the suggestion.
I too make the viennese crescents every year - they are consistently excellent and everyone loves them. But what I like most about this newsletter is the requirement of "a cheese of good character." Yes.
Nice to see our wreath above the fold!
Merry Christmas, Nancy! Thank you so much for these excellent recipes. I share your devotion to "the greatest cookie recipe ever devised", and Turkish red pepper paste, a new ingredient for me, sounds like it will add another dimension to my muhammara recipe. I'm especially grateful for the cheese biscuit recipe which does bring back memories of Camden evenings. My Camden relatives followed the MFK Fisher formula or martinis, quite lethal so served only on rare occasions. I recently tracked down the original Martini & Gibson recipes MFK published in the Jan. 1949 issue of The Atlantic, which perhaps you might enjoy. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1949/01/to-the-gibson-and-beyond/643911/?gift=HA7_dDAHy8mbiW8ET9CHuVFbpgB1CvVsBJgnfQ0dHRQ&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
Thank you for that. I am going to tackle that martini formula next time I dare. Now if I could just find Paul Child's authentic cocktail that he served Julia every night (and occasionally to me and other guests), I would be a happy barista.
These are 3 of my go to recipes altos after 60 years of cooking I know them by heart. One change I made over the years is I use a portion of Parmesan cheese in the cheese biscuits and add sesame seeds and voila they are benne seed wafers. Instead of walnuts I sub pecans at Christmas and you have another great cookie!
Great ideas! Thank you for sharing.
I do love mhammara- lush, bright flavors...love to even brush it on fish to go into the oven though not traditional
Lovely idea, Ellen. I also like a big spoonful stirred into a bean soup--that was my supper last night!
great idea!
Craig Claiborne is getting a lot of attention these days (see Michael Ruhlman's recent post on Craig's recipe for smothered chicken)! I still have my blue (and the green) Craig Claiborne but I've never made those cookies. I will this year! My college roommates and I in our first apartment cooked from this cookbook all the time. It was our gateway cookbook!
Do you have a weight for the cheese in the cheese crackers? Seems like I could go mighty wrong there if it’s shredded and then firmly pressed…
Sharon, sorry about that. I have to make these again this week and I'll be sure to weigh the cheese. You are so right? (And it's not firmly pressed--just sorta gently pressed.)