Sunday, February 2, 2025

An Authentic Vermont Cookie

  


And when it comes to these kinds of cookies, you best bet on the butter quotient, simply because in this case, butter does make it better! Gesine Bullock-Prado, who is the author of the new cookbook, My Vermont Table, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about how these self-described "cozy" cookies, and the butteriest you'll ever make. Gesine told Tonia that these are Maple Tuiles, a French cookie by heritage, kicked with the seasonal flavor of maple, arguably one of Vermont's most famous exports. Gesine told Tonia that even though these cookies are fancy French, you only have to bake them for three minutes. Your reward, a crispy, buttery cookie you'll adore!

4 tablespoons (1⁄2 stick; 57 g) unsalted European butter (I use Vermont Creamery cultured butter), at room temperature.

1⁄2 cup (96 g) maple sugar (I use Choice Maple out of Hartford, VT)

1 large egg white, at room temperature

1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste


1⁄2 cup (60 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur)

1⁄4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine the butter and maple sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix until smooth. Scrape the bowl and add the egg white

and vanilla bean paste. Mix until combined. Scrape the bowl again, add the flour and salt, and mix until combined. Alternatively, you can mix this by hand in a bowl with a flat, wooden spoon. In that case, make sure your butter is slightly softer than room temperature.

Place about a teaspoon of the batter on a silicone baking mat and spread into a very thin 2-by-4-inch rectangle. Bake for 1 to 2 minutes, until the batter is golden brown. While the cookie is still warm and pliable, roll the cookie around a chopstick into a tight cylinder. Once you get a hang of the process, you can graduate to making two cookies at a time.

Excerpted from MY VERMONT TABLERecipes for all (Six) Seasons by Gesine Bullock-Prado Copyright © 2023. Used with permission of the publisher, Countryman Press. All rights reserved.

Raymond Prado photo credit


An Easy Beef Wellington

  


It's not easy to make Beef Wellington, in fact it's one of the trickier mains to master, simply because you need to get the beef tenderloin to a certain temperature while it's wrapped. Not a simple task when you're trying to create a visually stunning masterpiece. But Gesine Bullock-Prado, who wrote the new cookbook My Vermont Table told Tonia's Kitchen that there's a way to warm the Wellington, while not giving up its visual appeal. Gesine told Tonia she sub heats the cut of tenderloin before searing it. That way, the job is about 9/10ths of the way done while cooking. This takes place in the oven, and allows the tenderloin to be tender, flavorful and juicy!

An Essential French Onion Soup

 

After a hard day at work, the last thing you probably want to do is whip up a complex, gourmet soup. But the good news is that delicious soups, like French Onion, need not be so complex. Kat Ashmore, who worked with Martha Stewart on her TV show, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her delicious French Onion Soup, sans oven-safe crocks. Kat told Tonia she takes a delicious baguette or some sourdough, places the cheese on the bread, and then cooks the bread and cheese together before placing it in the soup. Very easy, just as tasty as traditional French Onion and it takes less time too. What are you waiting for? Bon Appetite! Listen to the whole interview on Tonia's Kitchen, wherever you get your podcasts!

Friday, January 24, 2025

Superfood Pancakes

 

Especially when you follow this recipe says Kat Ashmore. She worked as an assistant to Martha Stewart and now she's striking out on her own with a new cookbook called Bit Bites. Kat came by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her recipe for Superfood Pancakes that are actually based on Cauliflower, which really takes on just about everything you send its way. Kat told Tonia she mixes all the ingredients in a blender and only has to fry them for a few minutes. They're way healthier than standard buttermilk pancakes, and just as tasty!


Thursday, January 23, 2025

A Sweet, Sticky Snack

  

But this one borders on gourmet. Kat Ashmore, who wrote the new cookbook Big Bites, came by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her recipe for Sticky Apricot Wings. Chicken Wings that are both sweet and savory and are sure to be a touchdown for your big game party. These are essentially roasted wings with a sauce combination of Apricot Preserves and Worchester Sauce. Kat told Tonia she tosses the wings in both salt and corn starch before roasting them. This mix allows the skin of the wings to dehydrate, so they become crispy. Kat says a lot of her techniques are classic cooking, but she tries to put a more modern spin on the recipes themselves. Listen to the whole interview on the Tonia's Kitchen podcast, wherever you get your podcasts!