Monthly Archives: January 2012

Wedding registries can feel a tad impersonal. Yes, it’s nice to get the newlyweds that cordless Dirt Devil Suck-O-Matic X-treme they asked for (aw, they’ll think of you whenever they spot a dust bunny!), but you can also go above and beyond with a personal touch. If you’re looking for a small gift that goes a long way a) Get yourself to Shake the Tree, and b) Grab a brand new copy of The Newlywed Cookbook by Sarah Copeland at Shake the Tree.

All photos by Sara Remington

Author Sarah Copeland is a writer, urban gardener, cook, blogger, and newlywed herself. She’s also a Food Network contributor, and the co-founder and former spokesperson for their charitable intiative Good Food Gardens, with Share Our Strength. The Newlywed Cookbook is her first book, and while it’s not just for the just-married, it’s pretty ideal for exploring the kitchen with a loved one.

Perfect for beginners, Copeland’s recipes don’t overwhelm with abstract ingredients and measurements that require at least an advanced knowledge of chemistry. Her dishes are straight-forward yet creative, with delightful twists on old favorites. Take the Thousand-Layer Chocolate Chip Cookies for one:

Imagine the countertop of your favorite bakery piled high with generous stacks of crunchy cookies marbled with sheets of chocolate. Now imagine that in your very own kitchen. These beauties are worth the extra effort you put into them. The layered chocolate provides unparalleled texture, flavor, and a bakery-style finish that will make you very proud to call these your chocolate chip cookie.

Makes 20 cookies/biscuits:

1 cup/ 225 g unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup/150 g packed dark brown sugar

3/4 cup/150 g granulated sugar

4 egg yolks, at room temperature, plus 1 large egg, lightly beaten, for brushing

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups/ 280 g all-purpose/plain flour, plus more for dusting

3/4 tsp baking soda/bicarbonate of soda

3/4 tsp fine sea salt or table salt

9 oz/255 g high-quality bittersweet chocolate

1/4 tsp fleur de sel {optional}

Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C/gas 5. Line two baking sheet/trays with parchment/baking paper.

Cream butter and both sugars together with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, two at a time, followed by vanilla. 

Whisk together the flour, baking soda/bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Stir dry ingredients into butter mixture on low speed until just mixed. Stop and scrape down the bowl to make sure all the butter is evenly incorporated and give the dough a final mix.

Divide the dough into 3 portions. Put each dough portion on large piece of plastic wrap/cling film, and pat into a 4-by-6-in/10-by-15-cm rectangle. Wrap and refrigerate on a flat shelf in the fridge until well chilled, about 30 minutes. {This helps to set the butter and make the dough easier to work with. Chilling cookie dough also helps cookies/biscuits keep their shape when they bake, the secret of most fine bakeries!}

Meanwhile, coarsely chop the chocolate into thin shards using a serrated knife. Set aside.

When the dough is chilled, lay one portion on a lightly floured countertop. Sprinkle with half of the chocolate and top with another piece of dough. Repeat with remaining chocolate and dough until you have a slab of dough with two layers of chocolate. Dust lightly and evenly with flour and roll gently with a rolling pin into a large 9-by 6-in/23-by-15-cm rectangle that’s about 1 1/2 in/ 4 cm thick.

Using a 2-in/5-cm round cookie or biscuit cutter or a thin rimmed glass, cut out ten rounds of dough. Gather the scraps together, pat lightly, and cut out remaining cookies.

Divide half of the cookies/biscuits between the 2 prepared baking sheet/trays, leaving about 3 in/7.5 cm between cookies/biscuits since they will spread. Brush the tops of each cookie with the beaten egg, and with a light hand, sprinkle with a few grains of sea salt, or leave plain.

Bake until the cookies are set, 12 to 15 minutes, switching the sheets halfway through top to bottom if you’re baking two sheets at a time. Let cookies/biscuits cool slightly, about 3 minutes, then transfer the cookies with a thin spatula to a wire rack to cool completely {or, just slide the parchment/baking paper directly onto the cooling rack}. Let the baking sheets/trays cool completely before using to bake the remaining dough (lining with more parchment/baking paper if needed). Bake as directed, switching sheets top to bottom half way through baking, and cool.

Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Boom!

Copeland talks pancakes, New England winter, and future endeavors:

Spreedia: What are the key ingredients (both literally or figuratively) to a successful cooking session with your significant other?

Sarah Copeland: The best ingredients are those that feed your body and your spirit. That can be anything from an amazingly healthful plate of Roasted Beets with Ricotta and Pistachios for Tuesday night dinner, to a stack of Thousand-Layer Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Food should inspired joy in your life, and give you the energy you need for loving and supporting each other. Foods like fruits and vegetables, healthy proteins and whole grains, little bits of healthy fats and occasional homemade, really-worth-it sweets. I believe your meals and the table you share should be a platform for springing out into the world a little stronger to tackle your dreams.

S: Anything that is best to avoid when cooking with your significant other?

SC: Hmm, nothing is off limits for me. My husband’s a vegetarian, so respecting his food philosophies is important for me, and by the same token, he respects my desire to occasionally eat from a wider spectrum of foods. Seafood and sweets are our common denominators. I bet every couple has one! My best advice is don’t impose your food beliefs on your beloved (unless they need a serious junk-food intervention!) and do your best to make meals that are built for feeling good.

S: First recipe you and your husband ever cooked together? And did it make it into the book?

SC: Breakfast is totally our thing, and pancakes were the first thing I ever got András to cook for me (it took a while, he was spoiled by the fact I love to cook for him!). His horribly, awful (I love him but it’s true) stone-dry buckwheat pancakes he made me when we were dating did not make it into the book, but the luscious Oatmeal Yogurt Pancakes with Blackberry Crush we made together one weekend after blackberry picking did! And now he makes those for me and our daughter, perfectly, every weekend.

S: How did the recipes you chose to include pass “The Newlywed Cookbook” test? Was it difficult to narrow them down?

SC: This book truly poured out of my heart and our home. When I was working on the proposal, and later the book, I would cook spontaneously from the things we grew in our garden or bought at  the farmer’s market. The best of those meals made it in the book. These are truly the foods we ate every day in our first year of marriage, and still do. As for the recipes I had to cut (and yes, it was hard to choose), I am very lucky that I get to include some of those in my second book, which I’m writing now!

S: Best recipes in the book for New Englanders to make during the cold months?

SC: Oh, I adore winter. It’s wonderful for cooking and entertaining at home. And there are so many recipes ones to choose from: French Onion Soup (p134), Two-for-Two Cheese Souffle (p.157), Big-Flavor Braised Short Ribs with Herb Gremolata (p. 178), Fresh Pappardelle with Pork Ragu (p. 168), Baked Risotto with Roasted Vegetables (p. 115), and pancakes! There are four pancakes in my book and I love them all. And, I’m never one to forget dessert. In the winter it’s very hard to beat Homemade Chocolate Pudding (p. 234), or for a crowd, Chocolate Bread & Butter Pudding (p. 235).

S: I see you have a baby girl—any plans to come out with a “Newly-parent” cookbook?

SC: I would absolutely love to do that. There’s nothing more important than making family meals a priority, from day one, and making it fun! I cook with Greta almost every day, but I’ve learned it’s not easy to juggle it all; I’d love to create a Newly-parent cookbook (great title!) with easy recipes and ideas for keeping young families well-fed. My next book is a vegetarian cookbook, which I’m working on now, but I hope there are more books, and more babies, in my future, so we shall see.