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Swedish Chokladbollar

Published by Kathy Hunt

Six years ago, while visiting a friend in Stockholm, Sweden I tried my first chokladbollar. Rich, chocolatey and with the pleasing chewiness of oats and coconut, this unusual sweet lingered on my mind for months. The next time that I went to Sweden, I tracked down not only the confection but also — and more importantly — a recipe for it.

Just what is chokladbollar? Translated, it means “chocolate balls.” Think of them as very hearty truffles or no-bake cookies. Taking mere minutes to make, they feature cocoa, sugar, oats, butter and a smidgen of coffee. Mix the ingredients together, roll a tablespoon or so into balls, blanket them with coconut and refrigerate until you’re ready to nosh. Served alongside coffee or tea, they’re a delicious afternoon pick-me-up or after-dinner treat.

Two weeks ago I turned up in Southern Sweden where one of the first things that I looked for, besides a hotel room, was a coconut-dusted chocolate ball. Turns out that I was in the right place, at least when it came to chokladbollar. Cafes, coffee shops and even bakeries carry this Scandinavian specialty.

Size varies from location to location. In some places they can be devoured in two bites. In others you need both plate and fork. Because they’re so filling, I stick with the smaller sweet. After all, you can always go back for another chokladbollar.

SWEDISH CHOCOLATE BALLS/CHOKLADBOLLAR
Makes 12 to 16 balls

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 to 2 tablespoons strong, brewed coffee, at room temperature
Shredded coconut, for dusting

In a large bowl mix together the oatmeal, sugar, cocoa powder, butter and 1 tablespoon coffee; if the mixture seems too dry, add the remaining tablespoon of coffee.

Measure out 1 to 2 tablespoons of batter and, using your hands, roll it into a small ball. Once the ball has been formed, roll it in the shredded coconut so that it’s completely covered with white flakes. Place the ball on a large plate and repeat with the remaining batter.

When finished, cover the balls with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until ready to consume.

Semifreddo, the Semi-Frozen Wonder

Published by Kathy Hunt

Ask me to name only three fantastic things about summer and I’d have to pick long days, fun getaways and cold foods. Right now I’m hooked on a chilled sweet that I first tried on a sunny, summer holiday in Italy almost a decade ago. Nope, it’s not icy granita, although, on a sultry afternoon, those sugary shards of ice are quite a treat. Instead, semifreddos are what have captured my heart and my spoon.

Italian for “half cold,” semifreddo refers to any chilled or partially frozen dessert. This includes gelato as well as cakes, tarts and custards. More often than not, I see semifreddo in the form of semi-soft ice cream. As someone who prefers her ice cream a tad mushy and melting, who leaves half-gallons of Breyers and Ben & Jerry’s on the kitchen counter until the contents turn soupy, I am smitten with these semifreddos.

If Spanish cuisine is more to your likening, take heart. In Spain this same sweet dish is known as “semifrio.” No matter what you call it, you’re in for one heck of a cool treat.

WHITE CHOCOLATE-DOUBLE ALMOND SEMIFREDDO
You can dress this semifreddo with an assortment of summer berries or just serve it as is.
Serves 8 to 10

2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
7 ounces white chocolate, chopped and melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
11/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk

Line a 9″x5″ loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving about 2″ hanging on either side of the pan. Sprinkle the toasted almonds over the bottom of the pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Fill a saucepan with 1 to 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Place the eggs and sugar in a metal mixing bowl and put the bowl on top of the saucepan. (You can also use a double boiler for this.) Using an instant-read thermometer to monitor the temperature, whisk the ingredients together until they thicken, become a pale yellow in color and register 140 degrees Fahrenheit on the instant-read thermometer. Once the desired temperature has been reached, continue whisking for another 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the melted chocolate, vanilla, almond extract and salt, stirring briskly until well combined. Set the bowl aside.

In a large mixing bowl and with an electric mixer beat together the cream and milk until stiff peaks begin to form. Add two spoonfuls of whipped cream to the chocolate mixture and beat until incorporated. Fold the chocolate into the whipped cream.

Spoon the mixture into the chilled loaf pan. Cover the top with the excess plastic wrap and place in the freezer until frozen solid; this could take up to 8 hours. To serve, lift the semifreddo out of the pan and place it, almond-side up, on a platter; you will use the plastic wrap as your carrier. Remove the plastic wrap, slice and serve.

Summer’s Bounty in One Bowl

Published by Kathy Hunt

Whether you belong to a community garden. shop at farm stands and farmers’ markets or tend your own vegetable patch, right now you’re undoubtedly enjoying some of the best of summer’s bounty. Ripe, luscious tomatoes. Crisp, juicy cucumbers. Cool mint and mildly peppery parsley.

Thanks to the generosity of gardening friends and my husband’s passion for all things tomato-based, I’m often thinking of different ways to prepare and eat these gorgeous herbs and veggies. When we tire of gazpachos, salsas and tabbouleh, I turn these gifts into simple salads and let their flavors and colors shine.

The following salad can be topped with feta, grilled and diced haloumi or crumbled Stilton or Gorganzola cheese. You can also use the salad as a filling for pitas and soft tortillas.

“TOC” (TOMATO-ONION-CUCUMBER) SALAD
Serves 4 to 6

4 large, ripe tomatoes, seeded and cut into chunks
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, quartered, and sliced
3 large scallions, whites only, chopped
1 small red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
Handful of fresh mint, chopped
Handful of fresh, flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

In a large bowl toss together the tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, garlic, mint and parsley. Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until chilled. Before serving sprinkle feta cheese over the salad.

Clamoring for Grilled Clams

Published by Kathy Hunt

Grilled clams with lemon basil butter

Summertime and the grillin’s easy. Fish are jumpin’ and the shellfish supply is high. (And, no doubt, the ghosts of Ira and George Gershwin are horrified.)

Although a lot of folks stick to cooking shrimp and the occasional lobster on their grills, I like to make my summer, shellfish meals a bit more intriguing with bivalves. Not sure if you’ve met this gang? You’ll surely recognize the members — clams, mussels, oysters and scallops.

Of the aforementioned four, clams, specifically hard-shell clams, are my current favorite. As their name indicates, hard-shell clams possess hard shells. The other variety, soft-shell, has a brittle, thin shell that, because of a long, protruding siphon, doesn’t close completely.

The clams that I grill are East Coast littlenecks. Possessing a grayish shell less than two inches in diameter, these are the smallest hard-shell clams.

Watching clams clean themselves

To clean my clams, I scrub them under running water with a stiff bristled brush. I then place them in a bowl of cold, salted water to soak. Here’s the cool thing about live clams. They will push the salted water, along with any dirt and debris, out of their shells. In other words, add salt and watch the clams do the cleaning for you. That’s exactly what we’re doing in the above photo. Note how silty the water has become in only 20 minutes.

Once the clams have been cleaned and dried, I either place them on foil on a preheated, outdoor grill or line them up on a preheated grill pan. I then close the grill or cover the pan and let the heat perform its magic. As soon as their shells pop open, the clams are done cooking. Any that don’t open within a reasonable time frame — 8 to 10 minutes — should be tossed out.

Clams grilled, I could splash a dash of hot sauce, squeeze of lemon juice or a dollop of barbecue or cocktail sauce on them. Easy!

A School of Lemon Sugar Cookies

Published by Kathy Hunt

plate of iced lemon sugar cookies

Two weeks ago, as I cut and baked seven dozen fish-shaped, lemon sugar cookies for the Fish Market launch party, I thought of my late father and all the rolled, sugar cookies that we’d made together when I was a kid. Every Christmas and spring he’d pull out a large, aquamarine, Pyrex mixing bowl, wooden rolling pin and an eclectic collection of tin cookie cutters and spread these tools over the kitchen counter. This display of kitchen equipment could only mean one thing — we were about to kick off our biannual baking spree.

No matter the season I’d insist on using every cutter, which meant that we ate bunny- and shamrock-shaped cookies at Christmas and reindeer and Santa Claus cookies at Easter. Then again, by the time that I’d finished slathering the cookies with royal icing, colored sugars, chocolate morsels and candy sprinkles, no one could tell exactly what he was consuming. Unquestionably, my dad was a good sport when it came to cookie making and decorating.

Cutting out fish and crab-shaped lemon sugar cookies

Then and now, the secret to cutting our cookies was to chill the dough before using. A cold dough is a less sticky dough and one that won’t adhere to the kitchen counter or cookie cutters. To this day I use the chilled dough trick.

Another handy, dough-related tip involves waxed paper. So that I don’t have to scrape dough from or liberally flour my rolling pin, I roll out the dough between two sheets of waxed paper. Leaving it between the sheets of paper, I refrigerate the rolled dough until cold, about 30 minutes, and then start cutting.

Fish cookies waiting to be iced

In light of Father’s Day, fish-shaped, lemon sugar cookies seem especially fitting for me to share this week. Unfortunately, the recipe that my father and I had used for our cookies was lost long ago. What follows has been adapted from The Joy of Cooking (Rombauer et al, 1997)’s sugar cookie recipe.

LEMON SUGAR COOKIES
Feel free to use any 2- to 3-inch cookie cutter for your cookies.
Makes 3 1/2 dozen

for the dough:
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon skim milk
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon lemon oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Grated zest of 1 lemon

for the icing:
2 2/3 cups confectioner’s sugar plus more as needed, sifted
Juice of two lemons, strained
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two cookie sheets and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add the egg, milk, vanilla, lemon oil and zest. Beat until well-combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again. Add the flour mixture, mix on low until incorporated and then beat until smooth.

Dough rolled out between sheets of wax paper

Divide the dough in half. Place each half on a large sheet of waxed paper and cover with another sheet of waxed paper. Roll out the dough until 1/4-inch thick. Lay each piece of dough on a tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until cold and slightly firm.

Take one sheet of dough from the refrigerator, remove the top layer of waxed paper and, using cookie cutters, cut out the cookies. Using a spatula, move the cookies from the waxed paper to the greased baking sheets. Collect any leftover dough scraps, form them into a ball, cover the ball with clean waxed paper and then roll out and refrigerate it. Remove the other layer of dough from the refrigerator and repeat the above steps until all the dough has been used.

Bake the cookies until golden in color, 6 to 9 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through the baking time; this will ensure even browning. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes. Remove the cookies from the sheets and cool completely before icing.

To make the icing, stir together the confectioner’s sugar, lemon juice, corn syrup and vanilla until all the lumps are gone. If the icing appears too loose, add more confectioner’s sugar until the desired consistency is reached. Using a frosting or butter knife, spread the icing over the tops of the cookies. Return them to the wire racks and let the icing harden; this will take several hours. You can store the cookies in layers separated by wax paper and in airtight containers for two weeks or freeze for two months.

Launching Fish Market

Published by Kathy Hunt

Fish Market cookbook and two seafood recipes from it

Fish Market and a few dishes from it

If you follow Kitchen Kat, you know that my first cookbook, Fish Market, has hit bookstore shelves. Published by Running Press, it covers 48 fish and shellfish and has handy, final chapter on seafood-friendly side dishes. As a longtime food writer, recipe tester and pescetarian (person who eats seafood but doesn’t consume meat or poultry), I am thrilled by its publication. Finally, I get to share all of my fish tales and recipes with you.

Although you know about the book, you may not realize that I’m throwing a big party in honor of it and you all are invited! On Friday, May 31st, at 7 PM I’ll host the official Fish Market launch party at the Towne Book Center in Collegeville, Pa. A spacious, well-stocked, independent bookstore, the Towne is conveniently located near our work-in-progress farmhouse. If you’re going to restore an old house in the country, let it be near a good bookstore.

Friday’s events include a sampling of dishes from my book, drinks, a brief talk about seafood, Q&A and a book signing. Thanks to our buddy Tom Ransom, you’ll also have a boatload of cool, seafood-related tunes to groove to. The party is open to the public. If you find yourself in suburban Philadelphia on Friday May 31st, stop by the Towne Book Center and get hooked on Fish Market!

If you don’t reside in the Philly area but want to attend a talk, book signing or cooking class, please check out the events page at FishMarketBook.com. You’ll find details about upcoming appearances there. Keep checking back for I’ll add more events. You never know. I could turn up at a bookstore, cooking school or event space near you.

Fish Market author Kathy Hunt and friends

Kathy Hunt and her Fish Market-teers!

The Apple Jane-Key Lime Pie Conflict

Published by Kathy Hunt

I’m not a fan of conflict. Ditto for controversy. Yet, in spite of this I’ve become embroiled in a battle to end all battles. No doubt, like most skirmishes, this one began harmlessly enough. Two weeks ago a friend, “Apple Jane,” made a key lime pie, brought it over to our place and served it for dessert. It was a nice, generous gesture but one that kicked off a hot dispute.

At issue was the pie’s crust. Jane’s husband, “Apple Frankie,” had definite opinions and questions about it. Should Jane have baked it so that it became firm and toffee-like? Should she have doubled the recipe, adding an extra bit of crunch to every bite? Frank, the crust curmudgeon, thought so. Jane, however, did not.

In an attempt to settle the debate last week I made two key lime pies. The first was Apple Frankie-style, with a baked and chewy double crust. As much as I love sweets, I found this concoction cloying and hard to cut. The second was my compromise pie — the original crust recipe increased by half and left unbaked. Although still very sweet, this pie could easily be sliced. Overall, the compromise pie hit the spot. Was it good enough to end the troubles? Probably not.

For now we’re at an impasse in the key lime pie conflict. I guess that I’ll have to keep tinkering with Apple Jane’s recipe until a resolution can be met. I know. It’s a tremendous sacrifice but, I can’t help but think, ‘if only all wars could be this sweet . . ..’

APPLE JANE’S KEY LIME PIE (the compromise version)
Serves 8

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
7 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup key lime juice
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Grated zest of 1 lime

In a medium bowl mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. With a spoon or your fingers evenly distribute the crust across the interior of a 9-inch pie pan. Press down so that the crust sets and also comes up to the lip of the pan.

Using an electric mixer and in a large bowl, beat together the key lime juice, cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Beat until smooth and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Spoon the filling into the crust. Cover and place the pie on a flat surface in the freezer for 45 minutes or until just set. Before serving, sprinkle the lime zest evenly over the pie. Serve chilled.

In Honor of Mother’s Day, My Mom’s Strawberry-Yogurt Pie

Published by Kathy Hunt

Although it’s been a whirlwind of a week, I couldn’t let Mother’s Day pass by without sharing a recipe in honor of my late mother and all the other hardworking moms around the globe.

Among the many things that my mother was, she was a huge fan of sweets. At dinnertime she was more apt to enjoy a slice of seasonal pie or quick bread than eat the meal over which she’d labored. At breakfast, while I choked down grainy, bland and much dreaded Cream of Wheat, she nibbled on iced, fruit-filled pastries or glazed May’s donuts. Craving a cookie? We always had a box, bag or tin filled with chocolate chip, date-filled oatmeal or sugar cookies on hand, just in case the need arose.

When my mother spoke of her own late mother, she talked of weekends spent making fudge, divinity candy, meringues and cakes. Needless to say, I come from a long line of sweets lovers. If a sweet tooth is hereditary, there’s no question from which side of my family mine came.

A few years ago I shared my mother’s recipe for Strawberry Yogurt Pie. As it was one of her specialties, I’m passing this simple but lovely dessert along again.

PAT HUNT’S STRAWBERRY YOGURT PIE
Serves 8

2 1/2 (6-ounce) containers of strawberry yogurt
1 (8-ounce) container of Lite Cool Whip
1 store-bought graham cracker pie crust
1 handful of fresh strawberries, washed, trimmed and halved

In a medium-sized bowl mix together the strawberry yogurt and Cool Whip until well-combined. Pour the filling into the graham cracker pie crust, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until lightly set. Remove the pie and place the halved strawberries around the edge of the crust. Cover again and return to the freezer where the pie should remain until frozen. Remove 30 minutes before serving so that the pie thaws slightly and is easier to cut and consume.

The Surprisingly Alluring Sardine

Published by Kathy Hunt

Over the past few weeks I’ve been inviting friends over for a series of “Pretend You’re at Williams-Sonoma Sampling Food” nights. On these evenings I ply them with recipes from my cookbook Fish Market in an attempt to see which dishes appeal to even the most apathetic seafood eaters. Unequivocally, they have gone for sardine spread. Considering how many had initially voiced their distaste for this small, iridescent fish, I’m both surprised and pleased by the discovery.

What makes people dislike sardines? Beats me. I do know why I enjoy them. For such small fish they possess a ton of rich, meaty flavor. Add a few to a salad, sandwich, pizza or pie and you end up with one fabulously savory and complex tasting dish. Then there are the health aspects. These guys are packed with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids and protein. Plus, they pair well with an array of ingredients. Eggplant, tomato, onion, orange, lemon, cheese, olives, fennel, rosemary and parsley all marry beautifully with sardines.

What makes our friends, many of whom had never eaten a sardine before these “Pretend You’re at …” nights, like sardine spread? I think that it’s the pleasant earthiness and slight tang that the fish impart. Then again, it could be that the spread goes with everything from crackers, pita, pretzels and bread to cucumbers, carrots, spring onions and bell peppers. Pretty much whatever food you have on hand can be dipped into it.

If you come out this summer or fall to see me do a Fish Market event, you might just get a chance to sample the following spread. Then again, you might just be tempted to try it long before then.

SARDINE SPREAD
From Fish Market (Running Press, 2013)
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (3.75-ounce) can boneless, skinless sardines, drained
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
Freshly ground white pepper, to taste
Sea salt, to taste

Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or in a medium mixing bowl and process or mash together until the mixture is smooth and well combined. Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary, then cover and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes. Serve chilled.

Dreamy Triple Chocolate Coconut Bars

Published by Kathy Hunt

triple chocolate coconut bars

I’m married to a guy who adores coconut. Me? Not so much. Hand me a Mounds or Bounty bar and I’ll nibble off the smooth, rich chocolate, leaving behind a sticky blob of sinewy coconut for my husband to eat. Gross but true.

Because of my apathy toward coconut, I rarely bake desserts featuring it. However, when I do, I make Dreamy Triple Chocolate Coconut Bars. Inspired by Amy’s Bread’s coconut dream bars, these luxurious treats feature plenty of coconut for my husband and an ample amount of chocolate for me. They’re the perfect compromise for two only children who love radically different sweets.

Dreamy Triple Chocolate Coconut Bars will keep for several days. If you aren’t going to serve them right away, cover them with plastic wrap and store in a cool place.

DREAMY TRIPLE CHOCOLATE COCONUT BARS
Makes 20 bars

3 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 1/4 cups sweetened coconut flakes
1 3/4 cups sweetened condensed milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and then line a 9″ x 13″ pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl mix together the cookie crumbs and butter. Pat evenly into the prepared pan.

In another bowl mix together the chocolate chips and coconut. Spread the mixture evenly over the crust. Drizzle the condensed milk evenly over the chocolate-coconut mixture.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating the pan once halfway during the cooking time. When finished, the top will be lightly browned. Place the pan on a wire rack and cool completely. Cut into 20 bars, 4 across by 5 down, and enjoy!