Stir Crazy: Closest cooking school event is across the river
Are you a diehard fan of the Taste of Home Cooking School? Then you might not mind traveling to St. Charles, Mo., for the April 2 event.
It’s taking place at Lindenwood University’s J. Sheidegger Center for the Arts, 2300 W. Clay St. in St. Charles. Doors open at 9 a.m. and the show starts at 1 p.m. General admission is $20.
Ticket holders will receive gift bags filled with the Taste of Home Cooking School magazine, coupons and other goodies from national and local sponsors, plus a subscription to a digital edition of Taste of Home magazine. Go to http://www.emmaushomes.org to order tickets.
About that recipe ...
Last week, a recipe ran for Country Cook’s Tunnel of Fudge Cake. The first ingredient was missing from the top of the list: 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped.
Soup and cookies
I’m seeing green, a lot. Girl Scouts seem to be everywhere and St. Patrick’s Day is Thursday.
In that vein, I’m offering two recipes, one a Reuben sandwich-turned-soup and the other a way to make Girl Scout Samoas cookies at home.
Contact me at sboyle@bnd.com, 618-239-2664 and follow me on Twitter @BoyleSuzanne. Write to 120 S. Illinois St., P.O. Box 427, Belleville, IL 62222-0427.
DIY Samoas
You can see the step-by-step process at tablespoon.com.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter, soft
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups shredded coconut, toasted
1 pound caramels
1/4 cup milk
1 pinch salt
12 ounces dark chocolate, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in dry ingredient mixture in three batches.
Once combined, add cream and vanilla extract and mix until the dough is just combined. Try not to over-mix.
At this point you can chill the dough until needed or immediately roll it out on a lightly floured surface. (The dough will be easier to work with if it's chilled.) Roll out the dough until it’s 1/8 of an inch thick and cut 3-inch rounds out of the dough. Use a doughnut hole puncher to punch out the center of each cookie.
Transfer cookies to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You should get about three dozen cookies. Bake cookies 10-12 minutes until they are just starting to crack and lightly browned around the edges. Remove and let cool.
Scoop coconut into a baking dish and bake until it's lightly browned, about 12 to 15 minutes, stirring every five minutes. Watch it closely, as it can quickly burn.
Add caramels to a metal bowl and place the bowl over a small pot of boiling water. Add the milk and a pinch of salt to the bowl and let the caramels melt, stirring occasionally.
Once the caramel mixture is completely smooth and melted, brush each cookie with the caramel. This will help the topping stick.
Once cookies are brushed, mix toasted coconut into the rest of the caramel mixture and pack the mixture onto the top of each cookie in a small mound.
Melt chocolate over the same boiling water bath. Once melted, dip each cookie into the chocolate so it coats the bottom of the cookie. Then drizzle the tops of the cookies with the remaining chocolate.
Chill cookies for an hour or more to harden caramel and chocolate, and serve. Makes 36.
Tablespoon.com
Reuben Soup
CROUTONS:
3 cups cubed (1-inch) pumpernickel or rye bread
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon caraway seed
SOUP:
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 medium stalk celery, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 carton (32 ounces) beef-flavored broth (4 cups)
5 small red potatoes, unpeeled, quartered (about 3 cups)
1/2 pound cooked corned beef, cut into 2-inch strips (2 cups)
1 cup refrigerated sauerkraut, drained
1/2 teaspoon salt
Shredded Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing, if desired
Heat oven to 375 degrees. In medium bowl, mix crouton ingredients until bread is well-coated. Spread in ungreased 15-by-10-by-1-inch pan. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crispy. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in 5-quart Dutch oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and garlic. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until vegetables are softened.
Stir in beef broth and potatoes. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover; simmer about 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with fork.
Stir in corned beef, sauerkraut and salt. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Serve soup topped with croutons and Swiss cheese. Drizzle with Thousand Island dressing. Makes 8 servings.
Bettycrocker.com
This story was originally published March 14, 2016 at 6:24 AM with the headline "Stir Crazy: Closest cooking school event is across the river."