At Food52 the holidays are by far the sweetest time of the year. Bags of goodies dot our desks; our shoots are especially full of carbs. So call on your inner confectioner to cook up handheld unforgettables -- those cookies and candies you share with family and friends every year. Then show them off here!
These are not your usual contests. We have a slightly nutty system but it works. Together, the Food52 community has created two cookbooks this way -- there’s no stopping us now. Read about it
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Simple elegance: pine nuts, sugar, rosemary, butter, salt.
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For your eyes only: it's caramel, people. Into a copper saucepan goes the sugar, a bit like an avalanche. Or waterfall? We couldn't decide.
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Snow it is -- see the tracks?
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Bring the sugar to a rolling boil ... you're a veritable Willy Wonka!
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En route to caramel. Now that's science for you. Where's Harold Magee when you need him?
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Finally, stage three, is clear and auburn caramel. Should you choose to abandon this project, stop here and dunk an apple.
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It took a forest of pine trees to produce the nuts we needed. Makes pesto look like the peewees, no?
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Why, hello lover. Is there anything about that pot that doesn't make you want to jump for joy?
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And, as a reminder of the pine nuts' woodsy roots, here come the herbs: chopped rosemary. Trust us -- it's key.
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Ms. T uses gray sea salt -- and so did we -- but just add the best version you have on hand.
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This brave brittle's a thing of beauty even before it sets!
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Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Do not forget the parchment paper.
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Using a wooden spatula, we spread the nutty caramel around a parchment lined sheet pan. Doesn't have to be perfect, but it's nice to have an even layer.
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All the little pine nuts are waiting to be showered with salt. Go, Amanda, go!
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And, how about a bit more rosemary, just for kicks?
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Too pretty to break.
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Shards of sweet and savory glory.
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But not for long ...
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Are we making fruitcake? No! We're making brownies: pecans, walnuts, dates, nutmeg, baking powder, dried cherries, bittersweet chocolate, hazelnuts, candied orange bits, butter, flour, vanilla, cinnamon!
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A happy holiday sight.
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First step: mix a bunch of chocolate into a bunch of melted butter.
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And stir.
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Until it's smooth as pudding.
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Dry ingredients ahoy! We like grating nutmeg on this little rasp but a fine Microplane-style grater works too.
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If you don't have a proper sifter (or don't want to dig it out of the cabinet) just use a fine strainer to sift the dry ingredients and tap, tap, tap the side.
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We went rogue and mixed the dried fruit bits with the flour mixture -- they were sticky, and this helped keep them from clinging together.
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Nuts, are you ready? Are you toasted?
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Yes!
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Onward to wet ingredients -- starting with 5 eggs!
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And a pile of lightly packed brown sugar.
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James Ransom, the wonder photographer, captures the secret dance moves of vanilla.
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Once the eggs and sugar are thick and pale (a good 4-5 minutes on high speed in the mixer), the cooled chocolate-butter elixir gets folded in.
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A deft fold keeps the mix light and airy.
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Keep on folding for the dry ingredients and nuts (except the pecans, which get to star on top of the brownies).
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A paper towel, wax paper, the butter wrapper itself, or your fingers (if you want to get messy) -- all make good dish butterers.
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Bring the batter!
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And pecans to dot the top.
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Doesn't look much like fruitcake, does it? Sneaky.
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All the good surprises of fruitcake lurk inside, with none of the bad ones. Brilliant.
