The Kourabiedes

Since we all managed to survive the Mayan apocalypse and we're still alive, let's enjoy our holidays now, okay?

For me, the holidays officially begin on the day I make the first Christmas cookies. These are of course the traditional Greek kourabiedes and melomakarona.

The moment they go in the oven and my apartment begins to fill with their sweet buttery and spicy aromas, my festive mood kicks in.

I can't believe that after three Christmases writing this blog, I haven't yet posted a traditional Greek Christmas sweet recipe. (Oops, I have!). The time has come though. The time for kourabiedes.

Kourabiedes/κουραμπιέδες (singular: kourabies/κουραμπιές) are shortbread-type cookies that are made with chopped toasted almonds and are covered with lots and lots of icing sugar. This time of year, they're made in every single household around Greece and are greedily eaten by everyone.

As is the case with all traditional Greek recipes, almost every family has their own version of kourabiedes, and in my family they're always made with sheep's milk butter or a combination of goat's and sheep's milk butter. Unfortunately, I can't find it in Holland so I swapped it for cow's milk butter, I made some adjustments to my original recipe since the two butters have different consistencies and my kourabiedes were delicious and buttery and everything a good kourabies should be.

Kourabiedes are generally shaped into crescents or balls, either large or bite-sized ones, and are dusted with copious amounts of icing sugar, which makes them look like little snowy mountains. There's nothing like these Greek cookies to make you feel like Christmas is here. Go on, make them!

Kourabiedes - Greek Christmas Shortbread Cookies with Toasted Almonds and Icing Sugar

The secret to good kourabiedes is in the beating of the butter with the icing sugar until it becomes as fluffy as whipped cream. The result is the most light and airy cookies you'll ever have.

It's best if you use an ice cream scoop to shape the cookies because they will all bake uniformly.

Do not substitute the cow's butter for sheep's/goat's butter in this recipe because they have different consistencies (sheep/goat butter is more liquid) and you won't have the desired result.
You can double the recipe to make more kourabiedes but don't double the vanilla extract but just add 2 tsp.

Yield: 17-18 kourabiedes

Ingredients
250 g cow's milk butter, at room temperature
70 g icing sugar
1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
65 g almonds, either with or without skins (I use almonds without skins)
265 g all-purpose flour

200 g icing sugar for coating

Special equipment: stand mixer (preferably) or hand-held mixer, small food processor, plastic wrap, spring-release ice cream scoop like the one pictured here (optional), large baking sheet, baking paper


Preparation
In the bowl of your stand mixer (or in a large bowl), add the butter and icing sugar and beat, using the paddle attachment (or with your hand-held mixer), on medium-high speed for 18-20 minutes or until you have a very creamy and light mixture, resembling whipped cream. Add the vanilla and beat to incorporate.

Note: If you have a powerful stand mixer then the butter will be ready after 12-13 minutes rather than 18-20.

In the meantime, prepare your baking sheet by lining it with baking paper, preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit and toast the almonds.
In a small frying pan, add the almonds and set the pan over medium-low heat. Toast them, stirring often, until they start releasing their aromas. Be careful not to burn them though. Remove them from the pan and place in a bowl to cool down. Then place them in a food processor and chop them coarsely.

Add the chopped almonds to the beaten butter and mix for a few seconds on medium-high speed until incorporated.
Add the flour and beat on medium speed until just incorporated and you have a soft and fluffy dough that will be ever-so-slightly sticky. The dough mustn't be firm.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 25-30 minutes in order for the dough to firm up a bit.

Using a (preferably spring-release) ice cream scoop (5.5 cm in diameter) scoop balls of dough and shape into balls. If you don't have an ice cream scoop, use your hands. Place each ball on the baking paper-lined baking sheet, spacing 3cm apart because the cookies will spread a little while baking. Press the top of each ball lightly to flatten it a bit and place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the preheated oven.

Bake the kourabiedes for 17-20 minutes until they take on a light golden color and cracks appear at the top. Be careful not to burn them, they catch easily. Also, if they're a little soft in the middle, it's okay. They'll firm up while they cool.
When the kourabiedes are ready, take them out of the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a large bowl, add the icing sugar and once the kourabiedes have cooled, add 3-4 at a time and coat them well all over with icing sugar.
Place each cookie on a large platter and dust with more icing sugar to cover completely.

You can keep the kourabiedes covered, at room temperature, for 2 weeks. They taste even better as the days pass.

Fat duck

I don't think poultry is properly represented on this blog of mine even though we eat our fair share of it.

We have chicken very often, once, sometimes twice a week, and when I want to be more adventurous and a little bit naughty, I cook duck, goose or quail, particularly for special occasions.

Duck is not a simple little bird, it's not like chicken. It is gamey and delicious and pretty fatty, with its beautiful thick layer of skin that renders and becomes the stuff culinary dreams are made of. Roast potatoes and fried eggs are completely transformed when cooked in duck fat. Try it.

During the holidays, I love to prepare duck confit which is a French dish of duck legs that are first salted and refrigerated for up to thirty-six hours and then slow-cooked, poached really, in their own fat. The result is superb but I don't always have time for such complicated dishes.

The simplest and quickest way for me to enjoy duck is by pan-frying the breast. I usually pair it with roasted vegetables or baked potatoes (in duck fat of course) but recently I discovered a wonderful accompaniment for duck breast. A warm salad of Beluga lentils with cranberries and spinach. Quite festive too.

The pairing is marvelous. The duck breast is crispy crackly on the outside and tender and moist on the inside but it needs something to cut through all that richness and that's where the salad comes in. The earthiness of the lentils and the tangy acidity of the cranberries complement perfectly the sweetness and fattiness of the duck, while the spinach freshens up the whole dish.

It is a complete and utter delight, ideal for a festive dinner or even for an alternative Christmas lunch. Unconventional is the way to go sometimes.

Pan-Fried Duck Breast with a Warm Salad of Beluga Lentils, Spinach and Cranberries
Adapted from Food & Travel

Beluga lentils are small black lentils. They're called beluga because when raw and wet, they glisten and strongly resemble caviar. They are very similar in texture to the French green Puy lentils as they keep their shape when cooked. If you can't find them, substitute with Puy lentils.

Pair the dish with a red Côtes du Rhône.

Yield: 4 main-course servings

Ingredients

for the salad
200 g fresh cranberries
1 Tbsp caster sugar
100 g baby spinach leaves
150 g Beluga lentils
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 shallots, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, mashed
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

for the duck
4 duck breast fillets with skin (about 200g each)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Sprouts and garden cress for garnishing

Special equipment: colander, large skillet or sauté pan


Preparation

for the salad
Rinse the cranberries under cold running water and place them in a small bowl. Sprinkle them with the sugar and mix well with a spoon.
Rinse the spinach under cold running water and drain well.

Rinse the lentils well under cold running water.
In a medium-sized saucepan, add the olive oil and heat over medium heat. When it starts to shimmer, add the shallots and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until they soften but don't brown. Add the lentils to the pan and sauté them lightly for 1 minute stirring continuously. Then add enough warm water to just cover them. Don't add a lot of water otherwise the salad will be watery. Bring the lentils to the boil and then turn heat down to low and simmer for 13-15 minutes, with the lid half-on, until almost cooked.
Note: if you find that there's too much water, remove the extra liquid with a spoon from the pan.

Add the cranberries to the lentils and cook, stirring often, over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until the cranberries start to burst. Be careful though because you don't want the berries to turn mushy.
Then add the spinach leaves, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix well with a spoon. The spinach will wilt from the heat of the lentils and cranberries.
Keep the salad warm and prepare the duck.


for the duck
Take the duck breasts out of the refrigerator at least half an hour before you cook them so they come to room temperature. Rinse them under cold running water and pat them dry with paper towels.
Using a sharp knife, score the skin all over in a criss-cross pattern, being careful not to cut through the meat but just the skin. The scoring will help to render the fat and make the skin crispy. If there is any skin hanging over the edge of the breast, remove it with your knife.
Season the breast on both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper and make sure to rub the seasoning well onto the skin.

Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet (I use a cast-iron skillet) or sauté pan over medium heat. There's no need to add any oil because the duck will render a lot of fat. Add the duck breasts, skin-side down and immediately turn heat down to medium-low. Cook for about 7 minutes, until the fat is rendered and the skin is crispy and brown. Empty the pan from the rendered fat and pour it into a bowl. Once it cools, you can keep it in the fridge, covered tightly and use it to cook potatoes or eggs.
Turn the duck breasts over and cook for 4-7 minutes, depending on how you prefer to eat your duck. If you like it medium-rare then cook it for 4 minutes; if you like it well-done cook for 7 minutes.
If your duck breasts are smaller or bigger than the ones indicated here then you'll need to adjust the cooking times. Also, the layer of fat of your duck breasts might be thinner or fatter so adjust the time of rendering accordingly, otherwise your duck will be too fatty.

Transfer the duck breasts to a clean cutting board and cover lightly with a piece of aluminum foil so that they don't get cold. Let the duck breasts rest for 7-9 minutes. Resting the meat is very important because it relaxes and the juices spread equally throughout it. If you cut the meat right after you've taken it off the heat, all the juices will run out instead of staying in and keeping the meat moist.

With a sharp knife, cut the breasts at an angle into thick-ish slices and place on individual plates.
Add the lentil salad next to each duck breast and garnish with the sprouts, the garden cress and some fresh small baby spinach leaves and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Sometimes, savory is better than sweet

Consider yourselves warned. This is a savory baked custard that's sinful, delicious and utterly bad for your health.

Whoever says custards should only be sweet, they are sorely mistaken. Because, sometimes, savory is better than sweet.

Yes, chocolate is my vice, but so is cheese. I have many a time waxed poetic about the beauty of a three cheese soufflé, the glory of feta whipped to a pillowy spread, the marvel that is the traditional Greek cheese saganaki.

My love for cheese runs deep and for parmesan even deeper. I've added it to numerous pasta dishes, to tart bases and on top of savory French toasts but I have never gone as far as adding it to custard. Not until about a year ago when I first tried this recipe.

Salty goodness to the brim, balanced by the creaminess of the milk and eggs and the whisper of fiery cayenne and white pepper. A velvety smooth custard filled with the umami flavor of parmesan cheese, paired with crunchy anchovy toasts for proper dipping action. A savory surprise that's truly inspiring.

Parmesan Custards with Anchovy Toasts
Adapted from Rowley Leigh

These custards make an ideal first course or appetizer for a special or festive dinner.
They pair perfectly with a crisp Chardonnay such as a Chablis.

Yield: 4 custards

Ingredients

for the parmesan custards
150 ml fresh, whole milk
150 ml cream, full fat (35%)
50 g parmesan cheese, finely grated
2 egg yolks from medium-sized eggs
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of white pepper
Pinch of salt

for the anchovy toasts
6 anchovy fillets in oil (from a can)
30 g unsalted butter, softened
4 very thin slices of sourdough bread or rustic bread (or 8 baguette slices)

Special equipment: hand whisk, 4 small ramekins (100 ml capacity), small baking dish that fits all four ramekins together, sandwich/panini maker


Preparation

for the parmesan custards
In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the milk, the cream and the finely grated parmesan and set over a low heat. Stir continuously with a rubber spatula until the parmesan has melted and the mixture is steaming but is not boiling. It will take 5-7 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and empty the mixture into a medium-sized bowl. Allow the mixture to cool.

Preheat your oven to 150 degrees Celsius / 300 Fahrenheit.

Add the eggs, cayenne and white pepper and a pinch of salt to the cooled mixture and whisk well to incorporate.
Divide the custard mixture equally among the four ramekins and place them inside a deep baking dish. Fill the baking dish with enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins, place it carefully on the middle rack of the oven and cover it loosely with a piece of baking paper.

Bake the custards for 25-30 minutes or until just set. Check them 5 minutes earlier to make sure you're on the right track, and since not all ovens are the same, to make sure that the custards have not overcooked. Check doneness by gently touching with your finger the center of the custard. It needs to be wobbly but set, not liquid. It mustn't be hard in the middle.
Do not overcook the custards because that will ruin their creamy texture.

for the anchovy toasts
In the meantime, prepare the anchovy toasts.
Drain the anchovies well from the oil and add them to a small bowl along with the softened butter. Mash them with a fork to a smooth paste. Spread it over 2 of the slices of bread, cover with the 2 remaining slices and toast them in a sandwich/panini maker until golden brown and crunchy.


Remove the baking pan from the oven and remove the ramekins from the pan. Allow them to cool slightly before serving them, sprinkled with a little white pepper.
Serve the parmesan custards with the anchovy toasts, cut into little fingers.