Nutella Pocket Cookies

What better way to celebrate summer than with cookies? I wanted a recipe involving chocolate. It just happened that when everybody was clearing out their kitchens for the semester, my roommate and I ended up with at least 3 open containers of Nutella. Luckily, this recipe helped use two of those.

Adapted from this recipe.

Nutella "Ravioli" Cookies

Dough:                                                                   

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 lb  unsalted butter, softened

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cream of tartar

1. Cream the powdered sugar and butter for at least 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and scrape down the bowl after each egg. Add vanilla and mix for 2 more minutes.

2. Mix in the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar while mixer is on slow speed. Mix till you have a smooth dough. Chill for at least 4 hours before rolling out.

3. Preheat oven to 350F

4. Roll out cookie dough to about a 1/4 inch thickness.

5. Using a cookie cutter or a glass dipped in flour, cut out rounds.

6. Put a small spoonful of Nutella into the center of each round.

7. Fold rounds over to create half moon shapes and gently seal edges.

8. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 9-10 minutes.

9. Remove to racks. When cookies are completely cooled, melt chocolate chips in microwave (about 1 minute, stirring at 20 second intervals).

10. Remove and using a fork, drizzle chocolate over cookies. If the chocolate isn't drizzling well, you can use a plastic bag with the end snipped off to pipe it on.

11. Repeat with white chocolate chips.

My notes:

If you visited the website this is adapted from, you might notice that I only made 1/3 of the recipe... I still ended up with at least 30 cookies. I also didn't chill the dough for 4 hours since I was dealing with less dough - I actually just put it in the freezer until it was easy to handle. The cookies were a huge hit. They tasted and looked great.

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

I originally bookmarked this in the dead of winter, so now it's not quite as appealing... but I'm sure that as soon as I can get fresh tomatoes I'll be itching to try it again.

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

The picture looks so sterile.

Ingredients (Original recipe makes 6 servings)

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 red bell peppers
• 4 large tomatoes - peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon white sugar

• 6 cups chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
• 1 dash hot pepper sauce
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons sour cream

Directions

1. Roast peppers: rub oil on peppers and put them under the broiler until blackened, turn to get all sides. Put into paper bag and seal. Let rest for 15 minutes, then peel will come right off and core and seeds will fall out. Chop peppers. Reserve one chopped pepper; set aside.
2. Heat olive oil over moderate heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft but not brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato, bell peppers (except reserved), thyme, paprika, and sugar. Cook over medium-low heat until all the tomato juices have evaporated, about 25 minutes.
3. Stir in chicken stock, salt and pepper, cayenne pepper, and hot sauce (if using). Bring to boiling, lower heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
4. Strain soup, reserving broth. Place solids in food processor or blender, and process until fairly smooth. Add puree back into broth.
5. Melt butter and stir in the flour, cook for 1 minute. Stirring slowly, add the broth/vegetable mixture. Add reserved chopped pepper and bring to boiling. Lower heat and simmer 10 minutes.
6. Ladle into bowls and add 1 tablespoon of sour cream to each bowl. For a lighter soup, this is also delicious without the sour cream.

Lemon Asparagus Tart

More on the savory streak: Lemon Asparagus Tart.

I can't get over how delicious this sounds. Goat cheese? Lemon? Asparagus? Sign me up inmediatamente.

Lemon Asparagus Tart

Serves 6 

3/4 pound fresh asparagus, medium-thick spears
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
5 ounces herbed goat cheese
1/2 cup finely grated Gruyère or Emmentaler cheese
1 egg
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
Flaked sea salt, for finishing

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash and trim the asparagus spears to 9 inches in length, removing the rough stalk ends. Place the asparagus on a large plate or sheet pan and drizzle with the olive oil, salt and pepper, lemon zest and toss gently to coat all spears.

On a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, roll out the thawed puff pastry dough to an 11x14 inch rectangle. Using a small knife, score a 1-inch border around the edges of the tart. Place the pastry, still on the parchment paper, to a sheet pan. Using a fork, prick the bottom of the pastry shell every inch or so within the border to keep this part of the pastry flat during baking process.

Crumble the goat cheese evenly over the tart within the border, then sprinkle with the grated Gruyère/Emmentaler. Top with the asparagus spears placed crosswise, alternating ends and tops. Lightly beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush the border of the tart with the egg wash.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed, crispy and brown. Remove from the parchment paper to a platter, garnish with lemon zest and flaked sea salt. Serve warm. 

ORIGINAL RECIPE NOTES: I have made this tart many times and like the result of using medium-thick spears of asparaus. If you can only find the thinner fresh spears, you may need to reduce the cooking time slightly as not to overcook the asparaus. If you can only find the thicker spears, be sure to peel the stocks about halfway up to remove the tougher outer skin.

Arugula with Steak, Lemon, and Parmesan

I'm getting into savory mode in preparation for this summer, where I'll be cooking for myself instead of going to a dining hall.

This looks particularly delicious, combining a lot of things I love:

Arugula with Steak, Lemon, and Parmesan*

Ingredients: 

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• dash kosher salt
• dash freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 pound beef tri-tip (bottom sirloin)
• 1 bunch (about 5 1/2 cups) arugula
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shaved

Method: 

To make the dressing, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Grill the beef to medium rare, let cool 10 minutes. Slice thin.

Toss the arugula with the dressing and add beef and shaved Parmesan.

*I particularly like that it's called "Arugula with Steak, Lemon, and Parmesan" rather than "Steak with Arugula, Lemon, and Parmesan"

Kale Fried Rice

It just sounds so good. Adapted from iowagirleats.com.

Kale Fried Rice

Ingredients:
3/4 cup long grain brown rice, like jasmine or basmati (I used jasmine)
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
4 cups packed kale, removed from stems and chopped
4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
1/2 small onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
sesame seeds, for garnish

For the sauce:
2 Tablespoons mirin, or other sweet cooking wine
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon maple syrup

Directions:

1. Stir together sauce ingredients in a small bowl then set aside. Bring chicken broth to a boil in a small saucepan then add rice, place a lid on top, and turn heat down to medium-low. Cook rice until tender, about 30-40 minutes (or according to package directions.)
2. When rice has 15 minutes left to cook, boil water and salt in a large wok or skillet. Add kale then cook for 4-5 minutes, or until tender. Drain, then when kale is cool enough to handle, squeeze excess water out with hands. Set kale aside.
3. Return skillet to stove then turn heat down to medium-high. Add oil then onion and saute, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown and tender. Add garlic then saute, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add drained kale then saute for 2 minutes. Add cooked rice to the wok then toss to combine. Add sauce to the wok then toss to combine. Serve topped with sesame seeds.