Cayenne Shortbread: a kickstarter appetizer

Cayenne & Chili Shortbread

The challenge for a Thanksgiving appetizer is to bring a big flavor but not to be an appetite-killer. Cayenne Shortbread fills the bill.

Truth in recipe writing: this shortbread has two kinds of chili, cayenne and red (Ancho preferred) and might also be called Double-Chili Shortbread.

Shortbread has an undeserved reputation for being fussy, requiring cutting and rolling, and obsessive pursuit of symmetry. Not so. It can be treated like a refrigerator cookie, giving it many of the characteristics of the Easy Peasy Food Group:

SOME EASY-PEASY FOOD GROUP CHARACTERISTICS

1. easy to mix from pantry ingredients (sugar, salt, vanilla, flour, spices);
2. simple to roll into logs for the freezer;
3. can be baked frozen if your knife can cut the fully-frozen log; and
4. can look "rustic," as perfection (perfectly round, obsessively even in height, exactly the same color) is not required.

Cayenne Shortbread 

3/4 pound unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp red chili powder (Ancho, not the stuff you put into a pot of chili)

1/2 tsp salt

3-1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted

1. Cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, cayenne, chili, and salt for five minutes in a stand mixer.
2. With the mixer on low, add the flour half a cup at a time. When all of the flour has been added, turn up the speed for about 10 seconds to incorporate as much flour as possible. 
3. Dump the mixture onto a board or a silicone mat. If you have some dry ingredients that weren't completely mixed in, knead the dough for a minute or two and then roll into logs that are between 1-1/2 and 2 inches in diameter. Six-inch logs are easy to handle, but don't fret about the log's length. They will be cut into cookies.
4. Wrap the logs in plastic and freeze for at least an hour.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 350.
6. When the logs are soft enough for your knife, cut the logs into cookies that are (more or less) 1/4 inch wide. 
7. Place on parchment or on a silicone mat on a cookie sheet or rimmed baking sheet turned upside down. Bake for  between 20 and 25 minutes. Check them at 20 minutes.

NOTES: 

• Dry into wet? Usually dry ingredients like spices and salt are sifted with flour. "Why," I asked, "couldn't I add them to the creamed butter and sugar to give them a head start at mixing?" As the Boss of My Kitchen, I did it, and it worked out fine.
• Uniform sizing? True, the more even they are sized, the more uniform they will look when fully baked. No fretting required, however, because these are forgiving and are delicious anywhere from pale yellow to light brown. Anyone who complains that they are not uniformly round, should be immediately assigned to wash all of the dishes.

Spinach Balls - party food from your freezer

I've had Spinach Balls in my freezer for about 35 years. Why? Because they're easy to make in double and triple batches and because people love them. By the time the drinks are made, and guests have relaxed, Spinach Balls are out of the oven. If you're in a tearing hurry, they're out of the microwave in two or three minutes. Pour out some honey mustard for dipping, and you're on!

I believe that I clipped the original recipe from Bon Appetit. This one is adapted from a handwritten copy that my sister Elaine made from a version that I read to her over the phone that was in a small paperbound recipe journal that I'd collected over 20 years that I tossed out with recycling in 1998. Arrghhh! I replaced it with a full-sized, leather-bound journal that's too heavy to be mistaken for newsprint.

This is a snap with a food processor.

SPINACH BALLS - Makes about 40

2 boxes, frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained,squeezed dry and separated into threads
5 oz grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 stick of butter, melted
1 7-oz bag of bread crumbs or seasoned croutons
3-4 scallions, cut in 2-inch lengths
2 eggs
Optional: garlic, hot peppers (flakes or whole dried), other herbs and spices of your choice

1. Grate the cheese and pulverize the croutons in the food processor. Remove to a large bowl.
2. Add the melted butter to the cheese and crouton mixture.
3. Process the eggs and scallions (and optional garlic and/or hot peppers) until the scallions are barely identifiable. Add to the cheese and crouton mixture and mix well.
4. Separate the spinach into threads so that they will mix easily into the cheese and crouton mixture. If you add all the spinach at once, you will spend 20 extra minutes mixing it into the cheese and croutons.
5. Use a tablespoon measure, then roll the balls, compressing them slightly. Yes, it would be faster to use an ice cream or cookie scoop, but you'd have to go back and roll them together by hand, anyway.
6. Freeze on a sheet of parchment or a silicone mat. Store in a plastic freezer bag.
7. Bake at 350: 15-20 minutes unfrozen; 20-25 minutes from frozen.