The Essential James Beard Cookbook (72 page)

Beat all of the ingredients for the topping together in a bowl with an electric mixer and spread the mixture evenly over the prepared crumb crust. Return it to the oven and bake until lightly browned, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool. Cut into fingers.

CINNAMON STARS

MAKES ABOUT 5 DOZEN SMALL COOKIES

5 large egg whites

Dash of plain salt

2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar, plus more for sprinkling

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Grated zest of ½ lemon

1 pound sliced unblanched almonds, finely ground in a food processor

Beat the egg whites with salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer until they hold soft peaks, then gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar and continue beating until the mixture holds stiff peaks when you lift up the beater. Stir in the cinnamon and lemon zest. Take about one-third of the egg white mixture and place it in a separate bowl to use later on as a glaze. Fold the ground almonds into the remaining two-thirds of the egg white mixture and mix in thoroughly. Let the dough stand for 30 minutes.

Lightly sprinkle the work surface or a wooden cutting board with confectioners’ sugar. Take half the mixture at a time and pat it to a thickness of
³
⁄
₈
inch on the work surface. If mixture seems sticky, dust the palms of your hands frequently with confectioners’ sugar. Cut with a 2½-inch star cookie cutter and place on a greased cookie sheet. Brush the tops of each cookie with a generous coating of the reserved egg white mixture and bake in a preheated 300°F oven for 20 minutes, or until the edges begin to get firm. Baking does not change the color, you will notice. Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Take the other half of the batter and repeat the operation, gathering up and cutting out the scraps, as well.

GINO’S MACAROONS

MAKES 20 MACAROONS

Editor: Gino Cofacci was Beard’s partner for over a decade. A trained architect, for a time, Gino delivered his homemade baked goods to New York restaurants. Here is his recipe for Italian-style almond cookies.

8 ounces almond paste

¹
⁄
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cup plus 2 tablespoons superfine sugar

¼ cup confectioners’ sugar

¹
⁄
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cup (about 2 large) egg whites

Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon or orange

Granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Break the almond paste into pieces and process in a food processor until finely ground. Add the superfine and confectioners’ sugars and mix until thoroughly blended, about 1 minute. Transfer to the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Gradually beat in the egg whites to make a soft paste that is thick enough to pipe. Mix in the lemon zest. Beat at high speed for 3 minutes.

Put the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch plain pastry tube. Pipe 1½-inch rounds on the parchment paper, about 1½ inches apart. Or use a teaspoon and drop the mixture onto the parchment, spreading it out 1½ inches in diameter. Brush the tops with a pastry brush dampened with cold water, then sprinkle them lightly with granulated sugar. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. These can be stored in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

MERINGUE KISSES

MAKES 5 DOZEN COOKIES

These are dropped cookies made with a meringue mixture and are therefore very sticky. Preferably they should be baked on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. If you don’t have parchment paper, the cookie sheets should be both buttered and floured.

3 egg whites

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

1 cup superfine sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

These meringues are most easily made with an electric mixer. Prepare 3 cookie sheets, either by lining them with parchment paper or by buttering them well, then dusting them lightly with flour.

Beat the egg whites in a bowl until foamy, add the cream of tartar, and beat until white, fluffy, and just beginning to hold their shape when the beater is lifted. Gradually beat in the sugar, 3 or 4 tablespoons at a time, adding the vanilla when half the sugar has been added. Beat until the sugar is dissolved and the whites are smooth, glossy, and stand in stiff, upright peaks—the meringue stage.

Take up a teaspoon of the meringue mixture and push from the tip of the teaspoon with the back of another teaspoon into the prepared cookie sheet. Space the meringues at least 1 inch apart to allow for expansion. Bake in a preheated 275°F oven, one sheet at a time, on the center shelf, for about 20 minutes, or until the meringues are set and very lightly colored. Remove from the oven and cool slightly, then remove them from the sheets to a wire rack to cool, sliding a flexible metal spatula under them. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container between sheets of waxed paper or aluminum foil.

OATMEAL CARROT COOKIES

MAKES 24 COOKIES

Editor: A cross between two favorite desserts, a carrot cake and an oatmeal cookie.

12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter

¾ cup sugar

1 cup grated raw carrot

1 large egg

Freshly grated zest of ½ lemon

1¼ cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon plain salt

1 cup old-fashioned (rolled) oats

Beat the butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer. Beat in the sugar and mix until combined. Add the carrot, egg, and zest and mix well. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together, and stir into the carrot mixture. Stir in the rolled oats. Place about 1 teaspoonful of dough on a greased teaspoon and push off with the back of another onto a well-oiled or buttered baking pan or sheet. Continue with all the cookie dough. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are a delicate brown around the edges. Loosen from the pan while still warm, cool on a rack, and store in airtight containers. These freeze well, as does the unbaked dough.

SAND TARTS

MAKES ABOUT 2½ DOZEN COOKIES

One of the most popular kinds of rolled cookie is sand tarts. Make sure the dough is thoroughly chilled before rolling.

For the Cookies

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

¼ teaspoon plain salt

2 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Topping

2 large egg whites

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

To make the cookies: Beat the butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until creamy and fluffy, then beat in the sugar, egg, and salt and continue to beat until very light, fluffy, and pale. Beat in the sifted flour and vanilla until thoroughly combined. When the dough is well blended, form it into a ball, wrap in waxed paper, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

Roll out the dough between sheets of waxed paper until very thin, less than ¼ inch, and cut into 3- or 3½-inch rounds with a plain or fluted cookie cutter.

Butter 3 cookie sheets. Arrange the cookies on the sheets, lifting them from the paper with a flexible, thin-bladed metal spatula. Beat the egg whites lightly with a fork and, using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the cookies with the beaten egg white. Sprinkle the tops with the sugar and cinnamon, to taste. Do not overdo either sugar or cinnamon.

Bake the cookies in a preheated 375°F oven until they turn a deep yellow around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly, then remove from the pans with a metal spatula and put on wire racks to cool. These cookies are better used within a week, but they will stay crisp 3 or 4 weeks if stored in an airtight tin in a cool place.

“MONSTER” PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

MAKES TWELVE 6-INCH COOKIES

I’ve always had great fun baking outsize cookies as big as a small plate. This recipe makes about a dozen 6-inch cookies, but you can increase the number by doubling or tripling the ingredients. You may use any favorite recipe for oatmeal, chocolate chip, or sugar cookies. Just follow the rule of using
¹
⁄
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cup dough for each cookie.

Editor: For the best results, use a large rimmed baking sheet (a half sheet pan, measuring 18 by 13 inches), and allow two cookies per pan. Do a test run to see how much the cookies spread on your baking sheet.

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter

2½ cups all-purpose flour

Beat together the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, then add the peanut butter and the flour. When well mixed, scoop up
¹
⁄
₃
cup measures of the mixture and place on a well-buttered cookie sheet, being sure to leave lots of room between the mounds. Dip the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate in sugar and press the mounds firmly, flattening them to 6-inch circles. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 15 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven but leave them on the cookie sheets for at least 5 minutes before lifting them with a spatula. This is essential, as they are thin. Repeat with the remaining dough on cool baking sheets.

SUGAR COOKIES

MAKES ABOUT 48 COOKIES

Editor: Looking for a rolled sugar cookie appropriate for icing? These work well for that purpose, but they are just as good in an unadorned state.

8 tablespoon (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1¼ teaspoons vanilla extract

2½ cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon plain salt

Sanding or granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy, then beat in the eggs and vanilla. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together, and stir into the butter mixture. Chill the dough for easier handling; if you are in a hurry, spread it out on aluminum foil in 2 portions, wrap, and place in the freezer for 10 to 30 minutes.

Use only half the dough at a time for rolling and cutting. Roll between sheets of waxed paper to ¼ to
¹
⁄
₃
inch thick. Peel off the waxed paper: Peel it off the top of the rolled dough, flop the dough over onto a slightly sugared board, and peel off the other sheet.

Cut the cookies with a sugared 3-inch round cookie cutter. Lift with a spatula onto a lightly buttered baking sheet. Allow about 1 inch between them for expansion. Sprinkle the cookies with sugar, preferably the sanding sugar. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges. Loosen from the pan while still quite warm. When they have cooled on a rack to room temperature, store in airtight containers.

TUILES

MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN COOKIES

A classic French almond cookie that takes its name from its shape, similar to curved terra-cotta roof tiles. It is delicate and crisp, a lovely partner for sherbet. You’ll sometimes find it made in a very large size. Be sure to shape the cookies while they are hot and pliable.