It's a new year. Happy New Year. I've
never been one to make resolutions. I don't like to have hard and fast rules
for myself. And yet I seem to constantly make hard and fast
rules for myself. But never with food or wine; the ones that usually end
up on a lot of people's resolution list. I did do that cleanse
once...
But this year is a little different.
Between the move, the pregnancy, the having of the baby, and the life
of one who has a baby, I have not exercised much at all. I bought a
bike a few days before I found out I was pregnant and I think I can
count on one hand the number of times I've ridden it in over a year. And now it's
Winter again. And though I eat well – fresh, local, organic - I
haven't practiced a lot of control with portions and cravings. I've
craved a lot of red meat. I've craved a lot of cake.
So in this new year I am resolved to
reclaim control of my body as much as I can while still nursing and caring pretty
much full time for a six-month old *teething* baby. My dad set Fred,
Emerson and I up with a family membership at a gym (with salt water
pools and daycare!), and Fred and I are changing our diet for a
couple of weeks, maybe longer. We're doing a type of a cleanse, but
it doesn't really have any hard and fast rules. My cup of coffee,
fine. A glass or two of wine, that's okay. And we eat three squares a
day, with an afternoon snack. It's just all very healthy and
balanced. With portion
control.
BUT.
Over the holiday I went a little cookie-making crazy (just take a
look at my Instagram feed). I kept trying to make the perfect
shortbread Christmas cookies. I never quite
got them right. And I don't like not getting something right. I'm
very competitive with myself. So I had to get them right. Even with
all my resolutions. Those damn hard and fast rules I keep making
for myself.
On day
two of the cleanse, of course, I saw the recipe that seemed perfect. It was very
simple, had what looked like just the right amount of butter (considerably more than two parts to the one part sugar) and
added a great little twist of dipping the cookies halfway into
tempered chocolate. So yesterday, after our breakfast of Steel-Cut Oats with Cacao Nibs and Figs, while Fred (who has a flu-like
situation going on) and Emerson (again, teething) grabbed a mid-morning nap, I put on
my apron and some Ahmad Jamal and got to it. It felt good. To be
alone, in relative quiet, no one needing
anything from me at all. With the house beginning to smell buttery
and snuggly I had a horrible realization: I CAN'T EAT THE COOKIES. Well, I
really shouldn't eat
the cookies. I mean, I needed to save my appetite for my exciting
lunch of Watercress Salad with Snapper and Kimchi and the possibility
of some apple and almond butter later.
I ate
exactly two.
And they were indeed perfect.
As
luck would have it, Paz had a Downton Abbey party to attend this
evening and nothing to take (let's not try to think too hard about
that sentence). The recipe made about fifty of the little domino-sized cookies. Shortbread is super British and great with tea.
That just seems so, so, very Downton Abbey, right?
And
like a whisper in the wind, all of my beautiful, delicious, perfect
shortbread cookies disappeared into the night. Never to ruin my
resolutions, and probably killing it at Paz's dumb party. And best of
all, I simultaneously broke and kept a hard and fast rule.
Now, I
must run off to enjoy my dinner of Brussels Sprouts and Tofu Stir Fry
over Aromatic Red Rice and call back Parker, my trainer, to set up my
first session.
Chocolate-Dipped
Shortbread
(Recipe from Epicurious, December 2005
Developed
by Tracey Seaman)
With
its cloak of pure chocolate, this buttery cookie is sublime. For the
best flavor, use a high-quality pure vanilla extract and the best
chocolate you can find — preferably Valrhona. Melting the chocolate
in two stages helps keep it at an even temperature — insuring that
it will set evenly.
Makes
about 3 dozen cookies
INGREDIENTS
2
sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3
cup sugar
2
teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2
teaspoon salt
2
1/4 cups all-purpose flour
8
ounces high-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
DIRECTIONS
Arrange
racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 325°F. Line 2
large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In
electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt at medium speed
just until smooth. Add flour and mix at low speed until combined.
Divide dough in half and shape into 2 disks.
On
lightly floured work surface, roll out 1 piece dough to
1/4-inch-thick rectangle. Using fluted pastry wheel or large knife,
cut into 2- by 1-inch rectangles. Transfer cookies to baking sheets,
spacing 1 1/2 inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough.
Prick
each cookie several times with tines of fork, then chill 10 minutes.
Bake until edges are golden, about 15 minutes. Cool on pans 5
minutes, then transfer to racks and cool completely.
To
decorate: Line baking sheet with clean parchment or wax paper. In
medium heatproof bowl set over saucepan of simmering water, melt half
chocolate. Add remaining chocolate, remove bowl from heat, and stir
occasionally until smooth. Pour into small bowl.
Dip
each cookie halfway into chocolate, let excess drip off, and place on
baking sheet. Let stand until chocolate is set, about 1 hour. Store
in airtight container at room temperature. (Do not refrigerate.)
One year ago: Butter Croissants
Three years ago: Cheebo
Four years ago: Vinegar-Braised Chicken with Garlic & Clery Leaves
Five years ago: Carrot Soup with Ginger & Cumin
Seven years ago: Mozza & Dominick's
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