Monday, February 06, 2006

Salty and sweet...

I picked up some dried tart cherries at Trader Joe's this weekend and only need a few of them for a dish later in the week. Since I knew I would have a bunch leftover, I thought I would use up a good portion of them in a cookie.

Cherry Peanut Butter Oat Cookies have a slightly crisp outside, are quite chewy and have a toothsome texture from the rolled oats. When I was going for the first bite, I was surprised by the intense peanut butter aroma. The first taste was a rush of peanut butter followed by chewy tart cherries. The three flavors meld well into a hearty cookie.

The first part of dinner tonight was an interesting savory custard, Individual Corn Custards with Bacon-Potato Crust. These creamy individual cups pack a bit of heat from diced jalapeños. Some of the corn and milk are pureed together to bring thickness to a mixture of milk, eggs, and flour. The rest of the corn is sauteed until lightly brown to give a roasted taste and some chunky texture. The custard is baked in a water bath until just set in the center. A mixture of crispy bacon and baked chips is sprinkled on top and broiled until a golden brown.

Broccoli Chowder accompanied the above custards to finish out the meal. We both agreed that this soup was an exciting addition to our recipe file. This comforting dish was creamy, rich and quite satisfying. Onion, carrots and celery are cooked with potatoes and garlic to create the flavorful base. The broccoli is added in two stages - first the stems are thrown in so they have a longer time to soften, and then the florets to cook until tender. Finished with sharp white cheddar and sour cream, the soup ranks right up there among our favorites we have tried so far.


11 comments:

  1. miam...I will sure give a try to the Individual Corn Custards with Bacon-Potato Crust....and let you know...

    have a nice day.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love your blog! Cooking is my therapy from the world... and it seems I have a new therapist! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow, those cookies sound really good. Not a combo I would ever have thought I'd like to try, but you've swayed me :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. The menu looks quite delicious! I find it difficult to get away from TJ's without some new dried something to try. Great work!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I like that brocolli chowder, I have made it in the past too! Yummy!
    I made a recipe with quinoa that I liked a lot and I thought of you, as I know you and Jeff also like the grain!
    Love your blog!
    Ana

    ReplyDelete
  6. that broc soup looks delish... you've read my mind, i've been craving oatmeal cookies all week. excellent...

    ReplyDelete
  7. okay, that is too weird. I made the EW broccoli chowder recipe on Monday, too! I haven't checked in here since Saturday. What is that all about????
    Why did your chowder look so much creamier than mine? I love that recipe, but mine is chunky, do you mash all of the soup? I probably should have read your recipe to see what you did differently.

    sad to say I was the only one in my house that loves this recipe. More for MEEEE!

    ReplyDelete
  8. sabine - Hope it turns out well for you!

    Lori - Thanks!

    teresa - I wasent sure how well they would work, but they sure are tasty!

    Fran - Hehe, I know what you mean!

    Ana - Oh! I'll have to check that out!

    Stacey - The leftovers reheated so well too!

    Christina - I ended up mashing most of it, I just prefer it like that! It was a little too chunky at first.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Can't wait to whip up these cookies - what a fabulous spin on oatmeal cookies!!

    Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  10. Joe I not only tried the cookies which were delicious, I divided the batter and did half with peanut butter and the other half with nutella and chopped hazelnuts. It's worth a try.

    Thanks for the recipe

    ReplyDelete
  11. Ruth - Oh man, nutella would add such a great dimension to these! Thank you for letting me know you tried them! I am definitely writing your changes down!

    ReplyDelete