Sunday Night Cookie Blogging: Multigrain Anzac Biscuits

I've been intrigued by Anzac biscuits for some time, because of their somewhat romantic history and their position as the pseudo-national cookie of Australia and New Zealand, and also because the combination of oats and coconut is always appealing to me. Despite the fascination in principle, I'd never actually tried one, so I decided to give it a go for this week's Sunday cookie blogging. It was only after tracking down what seemed to be the most-cited recipe on the web that I realized I did not have any plain rolled oats left, after using them up on last week's rhubarb bars. I did have a multigrain rolled cereal instead - comprising oats, wheat, rye, and barley - which His Lordship likes to have for breakfast on occasion. What the hell, I thought, and decided to give them a try. I also opted to add some ginger.

The recipe was very quick to prepare and left a minimal mess in my kitchen, since you don't use the mixer, making it a good candidate for Sunday-night baking. The cookies turned out rather darker brown than I'd expected, but are very crisp and pleasant-tasting. I'm not sure if you really notice the fact that it's multigrain, but in this context, I think that's probably a good thing. You might be able to sneak some whole grains into your kid's diet this way.

Next time, just to see if I can tell the difference, I think I'll try it with plain oats, use light brown sugar instead of dark, leave out the ginger, and add macadamia nuts, based on one of the other variations I found on my Google trek.

Multigrain Anzac Biscuits
Makes 3 1/2 dozen

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup mixed-grain rolled cereal (or rolled oats)
1 cup dried unsweetened coconut
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 tbsp Lyle's Golden Syrup
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp boiling water
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, cereal, coconut, sugar and ginger in a medium-sized bowl.

In a Pyrex liquid measuring cup, melt the butter and Golden Syrup together in the microwave. Mix the baking soda with the water and add to the butter mixture, then pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto the baking sheet, leaving two inches between cookies. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown and firm.

Cool completely on a wire rack, and store in an airtight container.

 

Sunday Night Cookie Blogging: Strawberry-Rhubarb Bars

As I mentioned previously, one of my finds at the farmer's market this weekend was rhubarb, another later-in-life love. I don't think I ever had it until well into adulthood, but as with cranberries, I fell hard and completely, and when it's in season, I snatch up all I can and freeze some for the rest of the year. For the inaugural rhubarb recipe of 2006, I decided a bar cookie might be nice, with a sweet-tart layer of rhubarb sandwiched between two buttery layers of cookie dough.

In order to develop this recipe, I combined and modified components from two separate recipes. On the one hand, I had a recipe for a strawberry-rhubarb bar in The All-American Cookie Book, but the oat-and-nut-fortified dough from a raspberry bar recipe in my latest cookbook acquisition, The New Best Recipe by the America's Test Kitchen chefs, sounded much better than the plain short pastry dough in the original cookie. I decided to combine the two and hope that the combination of the superior elements would result in a superior bar cookie.

The end product of this tinkering was not perfect, because the filling was a bit too loose and the cookies don't have quite enough structural integrity to cut as cleanly as I'd like. The flavor is great, though, and I like the firm but tender texture and the toasty nuttiness of the dough. Next time, I may fiddle with the amount of thickener, or possibly try a different kind of, or slightly less, jam. With a bit more work, this could go from a very nice but homey cookie to a refined and suitable addition to a springtime tea tray.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Bars
Makes 24 1x2-inch cookies

Filling
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 lb rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 10-oz jar (1 1/4 cups) strawberry jam
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Grated zest of one orange

Crust and Streusel Topping
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, slightly softened, cut into 12 pieces

In a heavy, nonreactive saucepan, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon until evenly distributed. Stir in the rhubarb, jam and orange zest and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rhubarb begins to soften, approx. 6-8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Place the oven rack in the lower two-thirds position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with two strips of parchment paper or nonstick aluminum foil, letting the strips overhang the edges of the pan to serve as a sling for removing the cookies later.

In a mixer, mix the flour, oats, granulated and brown sugar, baking soda, salt and walnuts at low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter, continuing to mix on low speed until the mixture is well
blended and resembles wet sand.

Press two-thirds of the dough into the bottom of the pan and bake until it starts to brown, about 20-25 minutes. Spread the strawberry-rhubarb filling over the crust and sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture evenly over the filling. Bake until the filling bubbles around the edges and the top is golden brown, approximately 35 minutes, rotating once during baking.

Cool on a wire rack until room temperature, approximately 1 1/2 hours. Remove the cookies from the pan by lifting the edges of the foil or parchment, and cut into squares.

Another Legitimate Thirty-Minute Meal: Roasted Asparagus Salad

In my ongoing valiant quest to present legitimately quick, easy, delicious and nutritious meals, here is what His Lordship and I had for dinner last night, courtesy of our Saturday trip to the farmer's market, where the signs of spring are truly undeniable, as evidenced by the asparagus, radishes, baby greens, scallions, rhubarb, early tomatoes and fresh herbs we picked up. I also stopped by my favorite cheesemonger and picked up some of the lovely and sharp Canadian cheddar he recommended a while ago during a side-by-side tasting with several imports from the UK, during which the Canadian stuff beautifully held its own while costing half the price.

By the time we'd gotten the goods home, we'd already decided to roast the asparagus, and I decided to combine it with the salad we'd also planned to have instead of serving it on the side. Because radishes can be peppery and a little bitter, His Lordship suggested a sweeter dressing, so I threw together a basic honey-mustard vinaigrette, which worked very well with all the components. The cheese shavings on top were not only decorative but gave a nice sharp-but-smooth contrast to the sweetness of the asparagus and the dressing and the crispness of the radishes, to say nothing of adding some extra protein.

This is a really delicious, satisfying, and pretty salad which would make a very nice first course as well as a light main course.

Roasted Asparagus, Radish and Canadian Cheddar Salad
Serves 4 as first course, or 2 as main course

2 bunches asparagus
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons dijon or other smooth European-style mustard
2 tablespoons clover or other light-flavored honey
Salt and pepper
1/3-1/2 cup fruity extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons-1/4 cup sherry vinegar
2 large scallions, white parts only, or 1 shallot, minced

4-6 cups mixed baby greens, washed and thoroughly dried
1 small bunch radishes, finely sliced
The reserved green tops of the scallions, sliced
2 oz Canadian or other sharp, aged dry cheddar, finely shaved

Preheat oven to 425 F. Clean asparagus and use a vegetable peeler to peel away the tough and woody outer layer on the end of each stalk, or bend each stalk gently until the tough lower portion snaps off, saving those parts for soup. Toss the spears with the olive oil, salt and pepper, and lay in a single layer in oven-proof dish. Roast the asparagus uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or until easily pierced with a sharp knife, but not so long that it loses its bright green color and becomes mushy. Once the asparagus is cooked, remove from the oven and cut each stalk into two or three smaller segments.

While the asparagus is roasting, combine the mustard, honey, salt and pepper in a bowl, stirring with a small whisk or a fork until thoroughly combined. Slowly add the olive oil in a thin stream, stirring briskly to emulsify. Once the oil has been incorporated, add the minced scallion and drizzle in the vinegar.

In a large bowl, toss the greens, radishes, scallion tops and asparagus with salt and pepper, then add half the vinaigrette and toss, tasting to see if it's sufficiently dressed. If not, add the remaining vinaigrette to taste and toss again. Divide the salad between plates, and sprinkle over the cheddar shavings before serving.

Notes: Parmesan, gruyere, or another sharp and dry cheese should work equally well here. If you're not a vegetarian, poached or roasted chicken or duck, or perhaps even pork, would be a good addition to round out the salad into a complete meal.