Recipes

Thanksgiving is just around the corner — a tried and true tradition of the holiday is pumpkin pie. We met Jennifer Appel, a clinical psychologist turned baker who opened Magnolia Bakery with a business partner in 1996 (you may have seen it on "Sex and the City"), she struck out on her own, founding Buttercup Bakeshop in 1999.

Appel's old fashioned American desserts have made her a New York City staple. She showed us how to make a classic pumpkin pie that is sure to impress. Take a look.

Video Editor: Christina Raia

Ingredients:
2 cups pumpkin puree
3 large eggs (at room temperature)
¼ cup sugar
¾ light brown sugar (firmly packed)
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ cup milk
¾ cup evaporated milk

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400°
• On the low speed of an electric mixer, beat the pumpkin puree and eggs until smooth.
• Add the sugars, salt, and spices and blend well
• Add the milk and the evaporated milk gradually, beating until smooth
• Pour into 9” pie shell and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until tester in the center of the pie comes out clean.
• Cool for 30 minutes; serve warm and enjoy!

Wintertime is creeping up on us quickly. We headed over to Espresso 77 in New York City, where Adam showed us how to make some delicious drinks that will be perfect for the upcoming holiday season. Take a look.

Video Editor: Christina Raia

Halloween is almost upon us, which means tons of candy! To combat the sweets, we caught up with Chef Nikki Cascone, who was a contestant on "Top Chef" Season 4. She showed us how to make a healthy quinoa salad with shallots, sugar snap peas and orange segments. You can even add toasted pumpkin seeds to her recipe for an extra fall touch. Take a look.

Video Editor: Christina Raia

If you’re looking for an easy dish that’s sure to impress anyone you make it for, look no further than Natasha Singh. This chef has a home catering business, and her unique spin is that she features food of all different cultures on her menu — Indian, Thai, Chinese and Italian — you name it, she has it!

She shows you how to make Vegetable Manchurian, an Indian/Chinese fusion dish. Find her at eatdrinklovebynatasha.blogspot.com. We wouldn’t be surprised if she has her own restaurant sometime soon. 

 

Video Editor: Christina Raia

Vegetable Manchurian

You’ll Need

Dumplings
1/2 medium head cabbage
1 large, peeled carrot
½ medium sized bell pepper, any color
2 scallions
Salt and black pepper to taste
6 tbsp all-purpose flour (or as needed to make a firm dough)
2 Tbsp corn starch
Oil for deep frying

Sauce
1 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp, ginger, minced
6 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
1  1/2 tsp sugar
1 ½  Tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp vinegar
3 cups vegetable broth (chicken broth or water can also be used)

Optional
Dried red pepper flakes can be added to the sauce for a spicy dish
Spring Onions – sliced diagonally for garnish
Chopped cilantro for garnish

Method

Dumplings

• Heat the oil to about 350 degrees for deep-frying on medium heat.
• Prep all the vegetables: chop in food processor, or, if you don't have one, finely grate.
• In a large bowl, mix the vegetables and season lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside for 15-20 minutes until the natural juices are drawn out.
• Add corn starch and flour to form a firm dough. (The vegetables may need more or less flour and starch depending on how much moisture is in the mixture. Adjust the two as needed. You should be able to form a ball.)
• Wet palms lightly so dough doesn’t stick. Form balls and drop into hot oil. Fry until golden brown on all sides.
• Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Sauce

• Heat 1 Tbsp of oil on medium heat in a deep skillet or saucepan
• Add ginger, garlic & chopped red onion and sauté for about a minute until softened and fragrant
  
• Mix the broth, corn starch, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce in a separate bowl. (If you’re using red pepper flakes, add them to this mixture.)
• Add to the pan and bring to a simmer until the sauce thickens.
• Once it is thick enough, turn off the flame.
• Place dumplings in a serving dish over rice and pour the hot sauce on top.
  
• Garnish with scallions and cilantro.

It's peach season, and what a better way to enjoy the tasty fruit than in dessert? Watch this video where Chef Toni Lynn Dickinson shows you how to make delicious peach shortcakes topped with whipped cream, with a side of sorbet. They're easy and are sure to impress!

 

 

Video Editor: Marie Hankinson

Recipe courtesy of the International Culinary Center

Shortcakes

 

Ingredients

• 370 grams + 2 tbsp All Purpose Flour
• 7 tbsp. Sugar
• 4 ½ tsp. Baking Powder
• ½ tsp. Baking Soda
• ½ tsp. Salt
• 240 grams Cold Butter
• 1 cup Buttermilk or ½ cup Cream & ½ cup Yogurt

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix dry ingredients together in a mixer.

Add cold butter and mix.

Add buttermilk and mix just to combine.

Gently roll out dough to ½ inch thickness.

Use a round cookie cutter or round drinking glass to cut the shortbread, or cut into squares with a knife.

Brush the tops with more buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Bake until lightly golden brown on top. When ready to serve, cut in half, place macerated fruits on shortcake and top with whipped sweetened cream or mascarpone and whipped cream combined.

Check out this video of Chef Toni Lynn Dickinson's step-by-step instructions on making Financiers, a type of little cake. These are adorable, easy to make, and absolutely delicious (we should know, we had a few ourselves). She also gives you a quick and easy sorbet recipe as well! Enjoy!

Video Editor: Marie Hankinson

Here's the recipe courtesy of the International Culinary Center

Financier

  

Ingredients

• 125 grams or 4 ½ oz. All Purpose flour
• 125 grams or 4 ½ oz. Nut flour or Dessicated (dry unsweetened) coconut
• 280 grams or 10 oz. Confectioners sugar
• 300 grams or 10 ½ oz. Beurre Noisette (nutty butter, instructions below)
• 10 egg whites
• Canned Pineapple Rings   

  Method

Top with fruit, berries, or nuts.

 Note: Cake can also be baked in a shallow sheet pan and cut to size.

 

  

Quick Easy Sorbet

  

Ingredients

 

Sorbet base:

•  2 ½ cup water
•  1 cup sugar                    

Sorbet flavor:

• Your choice of herb OR 1/2 cup fruit purée

Method

At this point you can add herbs for a sweet savory sorbet.

                                         OR

Once frozen use a spoon or ice cream scoop to portion the sorbet.

I have interviewed Rosanna Scotto on several occasions (for those not in the New York area she is a Fox News Anchor). She would tell me about her holiday celebrations and how her mother was a fabulous cook. I just had to meet her mother Marion, so we did. We caught up with her and her daughter Elaina at their restaurant, Fresco by Scotto, where they shared a quick recipe for Penne Gratin with us. If you are so inclined, you can whip it up in case you need a dish for your Mother's Day celebration.

Video Editor: Grace Zinnel

What is special for Valentine's Day that will make your taste buds tingle? See our interview with Peggy and Debbie--best friends and owners of  Sugar Sweet Sunshine, a favorite New York City bakery. Happy Valentine's Day from Womenworking.com!

-Heath Robbins, Video Editor

-Grace Zinnel, Cinematographer

 

Ina Garten--perhaps better known as the Barefoot Contessa--is immensely popular thanks to her many cookbooks and appearances on the Food Network. The fans were out in droves Saturday night when she and food writer Alex Witchel held a prime spot during the New York Times Arts & Leisure Weekend.

The conversation--appropriately scheduled before the dinner hour--introduced her new cookbook How Easy is That. Not only does Ina possess great cooking and home entertaining skills, it’s her longtime marriage to Jeffrey (who was in the audience) and passion for life that make her so inspirational.

Discussion often returned to simple recipes like roast chicken, which appears in her new book. “I think that is my success. I know what people want to eat,” she said to a hungry audience. When asked about her favorite restaurants, she admitted: “I hate tasting menus. I just want one thing for dinner. If it has to be explained to me, then I don’t want to eat it.”

In addition to her passion for creating new cookbooks, the Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics television show remains a great success. “Nothing is scripted at all, we’re just having a good time,” she said. Ina's friends and, of course, Jeffrey often make cameo appearances on the show. Jeffrey in particular has an affinity for his wife's brownies and tends to magically appear when they are fresh out of the oven. Brownies hold historic signifigance to the couple's 42-year marriage--Ina began sending brownies to Jeffrey's dorm at Dartmouth soon after they first met.

But brownies and other sweets were not instilled in Ina's upbringing. Her mother, a nutritionist, saw food as medicine that should not be enjoyed, and therefore, never took pleasure in cooking or eating.  

For Ina it would be years before cooking would became a profession. In her twenties, she worked at the White House as a policy analyst where Jeffrey was also employed. "I always wanted to be just like my dad and Jeffrey," she confessed. Years later, though, Ina realized her calling when a local food shop became available for sale. It was the first time she felt truly independent.

The Emmy-award winner displayed her laid-back sense of humor with cooking mishaps: “The easier the recipe is, the more likely I am to screw it up. I think I know what I’m doing so I’ll likely skip a step.”

The question came up--do you ever see yourself writing a book based on a specific region? Ina loves Paris and spent a lot of time there when she and Jeffrey were younger; in fact, they spent four months camping in Europe on a budget of just $5 a day. She said moving to Paris is a possibility and they are open to the idea. Ina then told the audience to get out there. If you stop experiencing life, then you stop growing. How true!

To see a Balsamic Roast Beef recipe from Ina’s new book, click here! 

What's more Christmas-y than the color combination of red & green? Here is a dessert that is sure to impress your in-laws... they'll think you slaved away in the kitchen when, in actuality, this elegant concoction took only three steps!

Pistachio and Pomegranate Semifreddo
Makes 2 litres
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
80ml sugar (1/3 cup)
4 eggs, separated
10ml vanilla essence (2 teaspoons)
500ml cream (2 cups)
100g pistachio nuts, chopped (3/4 cup)
1 pomegranate, pips removed

1) Beat the sugar, egg yolks and vanilla essence until the mixture is thick and light in colour.
2) Beat the cream until stiff peaks form. Carefully wash the beater attachments and beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Use a large metal spoon to fold egg whites into the cream, then fold the cream mixture into the sugar mixture.
3) Fold in the pistachio nuts and the pomegranate pips. Pour the mixture into a plastic container and place it in the freezer until the semifreddo is frozen and ready to serve.

Recipe courtesy of Tuis & Home's Food from the Garden, by Sonja Jordt and published by Tafelberg.

To see an easy recipe for Candied Nuts, click here!

This simple recipe will WOW your friends and family! Candied nuts are great for entertaining at home, or wrap them in festive packages for a tasty gift.

•    1/4 c of unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
•    1/2 c brown sugar
•    1 tbsp honey
•    1 tsp of cinnamon
•    1/2 c of dried cranberries
•    3 c of almonds, cashews and/or walnuts

1.    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2.    Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl. Stir in the brown sugar, honey and cinnamon. Mix well.
3.    Add the nuts and cranberries and toss to coat the nuts evenly.
4.    Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the mixture evenly over it. If you don't have parchment paper, grease the baking sheet with butter.
5.    Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly toasted.
6.    Let the nuts cool before transferring them to a serving dish.

Recipe courtesy of Luisana Suegart: www.thefitcook.net

To watch a demonstration for Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, click here!

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Can you imagine owning a business with your sibling? Well, Ted and Honey, a cozy café in Brooklyn, is just that. This sister/brother duo used childhood nicknames (their real names are Michelle and Chris) to namesake their dream café two years ago. But this family tie isn’t the only thing that makes Ted and Honey special: ingredients for their pastries and other goodies are locally-sourced and everything is made in house—even the vanilla syrup that goes in your coffee.

Since Thanksgiving is a time for family, we asked Ted and Honey to create a fun and easy holiday treat. Watch Ted and Honey talk business and show us how to make Pumpkin Whoopie Pies (recipe below)!

-Lilly LeClair, Editor
-Deborah Asseraf, Video Editor

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies!

Cookie recipe:

2    cups        AP flour
1 ¼    tsp.        Baking powder
1    tsp.        Baking soda
1    tsp.        Cinnamon, ground
½    tsp.        Ginger, ground
¼    tsp.        Allspice, ground
½    tsp.        Salt

•    Sift all dry ingredients together and whisk to combine, put aside until later.

2    large        Whole eggs, room temperature
1 ¼    cups       Light brown sugar
½    cup        Canola or any vegetable oil
1    tsp.        Pure vanilla extract
1    cup        Pumpkin puree

•    In the bowl of an electric mixer or hand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the eggs and brown sugar until doubled in volume, about 2 minutes on medium high speed.
•    Add oil, vanilla and mix an additional 1 minute.
•    Fold in pumpkin puree.
•    Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and fold until just incorporated; do not over mix at this point.
•    Either use an ice cream scoop (1oz.) or a piping bag (you can use a Ziploc bag as a piping bag if you don’t have one) and scoop or pipe out 1 oz. (2 inch rounds) onto a parchment lined sheet tray.
•    Bake in a preheated 350* degree oven until edges are lightly browned and springy to the touch, about 10-12 minutes depending on oven (convection works best if you have that option on your oven).
•    Let cool until ready to use.

These can either be used as regular pumpkin cookies and you can add some of the cream cheese frosting/filling to the top for a garnish, or fold in some toasted nuts or chocolate chips and candied ginger for a fuller cookie.

Cream Cheese Filling:

16    oz.        Cream cheese, room temperature
1    cup        Confectioners sugar
½    tsp.        Pure vanilla extract

•    Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in mixer or with hand mixer with a paddle attachment until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes on medium high speed.
•    Either put in a piping bag or use a large spoon to scoop out about 2 tablespoons of mixture onto the flat sides of half the cookies.
•    Then sandwich the other half on top to form your whoopie pie!
•    In an airtight container under refrigeration, cookies should last up to 4 days.

Sure, you're expecting to see a lot of pre-packaged candy this Halloween, but what about delicious homebaked goodies? Watch Melodie Asseraf, Pastry Chef extraordinaire, give step-by-step directions for her peanut butter treats in the shape of...ghoulish eyeballs! The best part is, they only take 45 minutes and there are no preservatives!

Happy Halloween from the staff of Womenworking.com!

-Video Editor, Deborah Asseraf

To watch a pastry chef at the French Culinary Institute decorate a cake, click here!

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Tai Chopping (that’s really her name!) is an English-born chef, who’s known in the culinary industry for helping NYC’s Del Posto restaurant achieve coveted status. She now teaches at the French Culinary Institute where she passes on wisdom obtained from 21 years in the field - including stints with famed chefs Mario Batali, Lidia Bastianich and Charlie Palmer.

Watch Chef Tai decorate a cake, and discuss what it’s like to be a woman chef!

-Deborah Asseraf, Video Editor

-Heath Robbins, Tech Support

To read about Gender in the Kitchen, click here!