Monthly Archives: December 2008

Cute-As-Can-Be Brown Butter Buttons

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Heavenly brown butter buttons

These cookie nubbins pack a wallop of brown butter flavor. Even after you finish chewing, the nutty, rich flavor lingers on and on, much like a fine wine.

Their texture is surprising, too — extremely sandy and crisp, almost like a smaller, thicker version of a Chinese almond cookie.

“Nancy’s Brown Butter Buttons” is an heirloom recipe from the Swedish aunt of baker extraordinaire Nancy Kux, who used to own Nancy’s Fancies in San Carlos. Kux always will hold a special place in my heart because it was she who made my unforgettable almond-and-buttercream wedding cake.

Yes, this is the proper way the dough should look.

The recipe is one of many gems in the new “Baking for All Occasions” cookbook (Chronicle Books) by Palo Alto baking expert Flo Braker.

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The Ultimate Holiday Cookie

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Just four ingredients combine to make these unforgettable cookies.

How good are they?

Ever since “Classic Home Desserts” (Houghton Mifflin Court) by the late-great Richard Sax was reissued in 2000, I have baked these super chewy, almond-intense macaroons for Christmas.

Yes, every Christmas. Friends, family, and co-workers clamor for them, and can’t wait for their appearance in cellophane-bagged stocking stuffers or on party dessert trays. Basically, they won’t let me make anything else.

But that’s OK, because I can’t get enough of them, either.

At the annual potluck at the San Jose Mercury News, my contribution was always a batch of these festive cookies. Colleagues would grab a cookie prior to lining up for the entrees, just to be sure they got one before they all disappeared. In fact, they talked me into baking TWO batches in subsequent years. And one year, a former copy editor who had moved to San Diego was visiting the area at this time, and showed up to the potluck only because she wanted to snag one of my macaroons.

If you’re not a fan of coconut, no worries. There is no coconut in these macaroons. Just egg whites, sugar, and almond paste. That’s it. The original recipe, Mary’s Pignoli, calls for rolling 1-inch balls of the mixture in pine nuts. But with their high oil content, the pine nuts made the cookies almost too rich, if you can believe that. The recipe states sliced or slivered almonds are other alternatives. I like using slivered almonds because they give these pale-golden cookies an almost snowflake-like look.

Make a batch and see for yourself just what perfect holiday cookies they are.

And for more cookie fun, be sure to tune in to “Dining Around with Gene Burns” (KGO Radio, AM810), 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday, Dec. 13, for the 13th annual Holiday Cookie Exchange at the InterContinental San Francisco.

Twenty-five finalists will present their best cookies for judging by yours truly, the Food Gal; Dominique Crenn, executive chef of Luce in the InterContinental San Francisco; Cindy Mushet, author of Sur La Table’s “The Art & Soul of Baking” cookbook; and Emily Lucchetti, cookbook author and pastry chef of Farallon, WaterBar, and Epic Roadhouse, all in San Francisco.

Top winners will receive get-away weekends to San Francisco, Monterey, and Yosemite, as well as restaurant gift certificates.

Italian Macaroons

(makes about 5 dozen)

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Much Ado About Madeleines

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A holiday box of buttery, chic madeleines.

If you’re too swamped to bake this holiday season, the next best thing to homemade might just be Donsuemor Madeleines.

Namesakes Don and Sue Morris have been making traditional madeleines in the East Bay since 1976. Their elegant, scalloped-edged, cakey, buttery cookies are crispy along the edges, and soft and tender in the centers.

They are available in five flavors: traditional, dipped, lemon zest, chocolate, and dipped chocolate. Being the chocoholic that I am, my fave is definitely the chocolate-dipped chocolate madeleine. It’s like having your own tiny chocolate frosted cake in the palm of your hand — a sinful little treat to hoard all to yourself.

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Viva La Gourmet Foods

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Foodies who used to line up for hours when the fab Made in France/Village Imports would occasionally open its gourmet warehouse to the public, will rejoice at the news:

The former owners have opened a retail store, the Gourmet Corner, 873 N. San Mateo Drive in San Mateo (three blocks south of the Burlingame train station), which is open daily, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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Introducing the Food Gal Hat for Fashionistas with Stupendous Taste

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Is this too cute or what?

Just in time for your holiday gift-giving comes the new rockin’ Food Gal military cap with signature embroidered logo. It’s the perfect accessory for all your food-loving pals, as well as for yourself. Natch!

Choose mocha, olive or black.

Don’t forget, there’s also a wide range of other Food Gal items, including aprons, tote bags, and girly T’s.

Guys aren’t left out, either. Find manly Meat Boy aprons and T’s, named for my carnivore husband.

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