Like many people, we're taking an end of summer trip. This time of year
makes us appreciate those things that fill us with joy. Spending time
with friends and family, having leisurely meals, taking long walks on
the beach, and, special to this summer, watching the Olympics and
following the political campaigns.
More than usual, the fall will bring big changes to our household because
our son, Michael, is preparing to leave for his freshman year at
college. So it was important to find time to take a trip to New Jersey
to visit with Michelle's parents.
With few exceptions,
Michelle's extended family has stayed on the East Coast. A few years
ago they had a family reunion at a nearby resort and 75 aunts, uncles,
and cousins came for the weekend. Sunday at Helen and Warren's means
brunch for 20, setting up a table in the living room, bringing out the
folding chairs, and sharing platters of bagels, lox, coffee cake, cold
cuts, cheese, egg salad, tuna salad, fresh fruit, and lots of Helen's
special iced coffee.
This trip Helen and Warren taught Michael
how to play bridge because bridge is one of the intramural activities
at UC Davis and Michelle's parents are bridge mavens. We ate lobsters,
a rare treat, because StopRite, the local mega-supermarket had them on sale for $5.99/pound. And Helen made us mandolettes and mandelbrot from a family recipe.
During
the year we're the happy recipients of Helen's cookies, but this time
we enjoyed being in the kitchen while she made them for us. Luckily
there were enough left over so we could take some with us, although not
many survived the plane trip home. They are so delicious.
Mandolettes
Yield: about 2 dozen
Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup flour
Grated rind of 1/2 lemon
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots or dates
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Method:
Preheat
the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour a cookie sheet. Mix
the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until thick. Using a spoon
mix in the flour, lemon rind, and cinnamon, then add in the dried
fruit, nuts, and chocolate chips. Mix well.
Put the batter on the cookie sheet, making 2 strips 2" wide.
Bake
16-18 minutes or until lightly browned. Slice into 1/2" cookies while
still warm. Transfer to a rack and let cool. Store the cookies in an
air-tight container and refrigerate. They can be frozen.
Mandelbrot
Yield: about 2 dozen
Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup canola oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 pound walnuts (roughly chopped)
3 cups flour
Method:
Preheat
the oven to 350 degrees. Beat together the eggs, sugar, oil, salt, and
vanilla until the mixture is smooth and custard colored. Add the baking
powder and flour and mix well, then fold in the chopped walnuts. Form
the dough into three logs about 2" wide and a foot long. Place them on
an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 18-20 minutes or until lightly
browned. While still warm, slice into 1/2" wide cookies. Place the
individual cookies back on the cookie sheet and return to the oven for
another 5 minutes and brown on both sides. Remove and let cool on a
wire rack.
Keep the mandelbrot in an air-tight container. They can be frozen.
David Latt is an Emmy-award winning television producer who turns to cooking to alleviate stress. He shares his experiences with food and his favorite recipes on his blog Men Who Like To Cook.