Kitchen Wench

This is a great salad for fall or winter, though you can substitute ingredients to make it perfect for any season. I’ve adapted from this 2002 recipe in Bon Appetit. I served this at my holiday dinner party and brought it to Christmas potluck last month. This is also great with dried fruit or fresh berries.

Mixed greens with apple, pomegranate, and candied walnuts

• 2 bags of store-bought, pre-washed mixed greens
• seeds from 1 pomegranate
• 1 cup Candied Walnuts (recipe follows)
• 2 Granny Smith or other tart apples, thinly sliced
• Maple Lime Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Layer greens and apple slices in a bowl or on a plate. Drizzle with dressing and top with nuts and pomegranate seeds.

Serves 12.

How to seed pomegranates
I think this is the easiest and cleanest way to seed your pomegranate. Fill a bowl half way full with cool water. Slice your pomegranate in half and submerge it in the water. Press your thumb into the skin-side of the fruit until it breaks in half and inverts. Flick the seeds off the skin. The seeds will sink to the bottom and all the skin and white pith will float to the top. Discard the skin and drain the clean seeds in a fine mesh strainer. The strainer will catch any tiny bits of leftover skin. By seeding underwater, you also avoid getting the dark red juice on your clothes and hands. You can store the seeds in the refrigerator for several days.

Candied Walnuts

• 1 egg white
• 1/2 tbsp water
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp all spice
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp dark honey
• 1 cup of raw nuts

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
2. Whisk together whites and water until slightly frothy. Whisk in sugar, honey, and spices until sugar is dissolved and mixture is syrupy. Stir in nuts.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread nut mixture onto pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes (sugar can burn easily, so time depends on your oven), stirring halfway through cooking. Mixture should be golden brown, tacky, and a little foamy when finished.
4. Allow nuts to cook for half an hour on the baking sheet, then break apart. Nuts will keep in an airtight tupperware for at least a week, though everyone around here eats them up in a few days.

Maple Lime Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup of mayo
• 1/2 cup real maple syrup (B or C grade)
• juice of 2 limes
• 6 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 4 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 cup vegetable oil (you could substitute walnut or another nut oil)

Whisk together mayo, syrup, juice, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Slowly pour oil in while whisking to emulsify dressing. Alternatively, you can make the dressing in a jar. Add all ingredients to jar, seal tightly, and shake until oil is incorporated. Dressing will keep refrigerated for 1 week.

Makes 1 3/4 cup of dressing.

Oh my God. I just made the best soup ever.

Or, at least, this is the best soup I’ve ever made. I’m serious, it’s really good. It’s a bit time consuming, but the result is really rich flavor and a utterly velvety texture. Creamy enough to be served with a drizzle of truffle oil, it kind of reminds me of the parsnip soup I had at Corduroy during Restaurant Week. I get a little weak every time I pass a spoonful over my tongue. But, since I don’t have any truffle oil sitting around, I served it with a dollop of minted yogurt, though plain yogurt or sour cream would also be good.

The intensity of flavor will depend on the quality of your ingredients. I use a good quality stock (not broth) and spices from Penzy’s Spices. Old spices or some grocery store brands may be less flavorful and you should adjust the proportions as necessary.

• 1 medium-sized head of cauliflower
• 4 large cloves of garlic, peeled
• 4 cups of chicken stock (If you don’t make your own, try the Kitchen Basics brand)
• 2 small onions, chopped
• olive oil
• 1 tb butter, melted
• 1 tsp sweet curry powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• pinch of ground saffron (optional)
• 1 bay leaf
• salt, pepper, and sugar, to taste
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Remove stem and roughly chop cauliflower into 1.5″-2″ chunks. Toss cauliflower and garlic cloves in a mixture of the melted butter, spices, salt, pepper, and enough olive oil to lightly coat all pieces. Pour into a baking dish and roast for 20-30 minutes, until cauliflower is tender when pierced with a fork and is golden and carmelized. The carmelization will create a rich flavor in the soup, but be careful not to burn the vegetables or it will taste bitter.
3. Make the minted yogurt: Mix chopped mint leaves into the plain yogurt. Set aside and allow the flavors to meld while you prepare the rest of the soup.
4. Meanwhile, saute onions with olive oil in the bottom of a large soup pot. Cook onions on medium-low heat until soft. Add roasted cauliflower, stock, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer on low for 20 minutes. Season with salt, sugar, and pepper. Continue to simmer until 20-25 minutes, or until all vegetables are very soft and the flavors have concentrated.
5. Remove bay leaf. Puree soup on low using either an immersion or regular upright blender. If using a regular blender (like me), be careful to take the plastic cap off the top so that the steam can escape. You can cover the hole with a dishtowel if there is splattering.
6. Push the yogurt through a strainer to remove the mint leaves. Place a dollop on each serving of soup.

Makes 4 servings.

• 10 eggs
• 4 slices of bacon, cut into 1″ pieces
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 small Yukon gold potatos, chopped into 1″ cubes
• 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup finely grated aged cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon Penzey’s Country French or other French herb seasoning
• 1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
• Salt, pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Cook bacon over medium heat in either a 10″ cast iron or non-stick skillet. When bacon is crisp, remove from pan and allow to drain on paper towels.
3. Pour off all but 2 tbsp of bacon fat from pan. Add onions, garlic, and potatoes and cook until onions are translucent and potatoes have softened. (Add more bacon fat if needed.)
4. Break eggs into a large bowl. Add milk, salt, pepper, and herbs. Whisk until yolks and whites are well combined. Stir in grated cheese.
5. If your pan is oven safe: After potatoes and onions have softened, stir bacon bits back in. Pour egg mixture into the pan and cook until the sides of frittata have started to set, 8-10 minutes. Once sides have set, place pan in the oven to continue cooking.
6. If your pan is NOT oven safe: After potatoes and onions have softened, pour them into a 10″ greased baking dish. Add bacon bits and pour egg mixture on top. Place dish in the center of your oven. You will need to increase the baking time 5-10 minutes.
7. Bake frittata until top is set but the middle is still runny - approximately 10-12 minutes. Open oven and sprinkle breadcrumb mixture on top of frittata. Continue baking until puffed and browned on top, another 10-12 minutes.
8. Slide a butter knife around the edges to loosen. Cut and serve. I paired this frittata with a salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and cornichons in a red wine vinegarette. (Add some of the pickle vinegar for an extra kick.)

A note on cookware: Cast iron skillets are great for this sort of thing, but are verboten for folks (like me) that have a glass top range. They will scratch the surface. Non-stick cookware is a good alternative and makes removing the frittata very easy. However, not all non-stick cookware is oven safe. Check the manufacturer’s information first. I use a Calphalon non-stick pan and it is oven safe to 450 F.

The February issue of Gourmet has a recipe for risotto which claims to only take 15 minutes to cook the rice. I was rather stunned when I first read the recipe. Risotto is not what comes to mind when I think of quick or easy dishes. Usually it involves careful stirring and monitoring and, if you’re not paying attention, it’s easy to burn the bottom layer of rice onto the pan. And, while I’ve never considered risotto a dish that is out of reach for the amateur cook, Gourmet’s recipe for Red Beet Risotto with Mustard Greens and Goat Cheese is pretty much impossible to mess up. It’s really pretty brilliant.

First of all, I made this dinner in a blistering 28 minutes. Eat that Rachel Ray. Secondly, I subsituted, failed to measure, and/or included ingredients in the wrong proportions. I didn’t have mustard greens, so I used kale instead, which was not a big deal. I just put it in the pot earlier to give it some more time to cook. I also only had half the amount of required goat cheese, but I think I made up for the flavor loss by using chicken stock instead of broth. Finally, I broke a cardinal rule of risotto. This is a little embarrassing, but I’ll admit it: I substituted jasmine rice for arborio.

I know, I know, how can you make risotto without risotto rice?! It’s always made with arborio or sometimes carnaroli rice. Well, Gourmet said I could do it. So, I did. Technically, the dish is probably not risotto anymore, but, you know what? It turned out just fine. Actually, more than fine. It was tasty, incorporated some of my favorite flavors (namely, beet and goat), and I’d definately make it again.

I have a lot of recipes to post, and at least one snarky remark on my aunt’s attempt to have a gluten and dairy free Christmas dinner, but for now, I give you this easy, healthy Japanese noodle soup. Tis the season to drop those holiday pounds.

Shitake mushrooms would be the more authentic choice in this dish, but my local grocery store didn’t have them. The portobello works in a pinch. It has a robust flavor that you wouldn’t get from a button mushroom but won’t clash with the soup’s delicate flavors. Instant miso soup mix is available in many regular grocery and health food stores, as well as in Asian markets.  Be careful what brand you purchase–I’ve had some terrible ones, especially from organic co-ops. Trader Joe’s makes a decent version, though it’s a little bland. The best I’ve had so far is Kikkoman brand, which is stocked in many major grocery stores. Either red (aka) or white (shiro) miso will work. (The lighter the miso, the more delicate the flavor.)

• 6 cups water
• 1 bundle dry soba noodles (approx. 2.5 oz or 1/3 of an 8 oz package)
• 5 medium leaves of napa cabbage, roughly chopped into 2″-3″ pieces
• 6 servings instant miso soup mix packets (1 packet usually = 1 cup prepared)
• 1 medium portabello mushroom cap, thinly sliced
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 1/2 lb silken or soft tofu, cut into 1″ cubes
• 1 tbsp soy sauce

1. Prepare soba noodles according to package. Do not fully cook noodles–leave them slightly underdone in the middle. They will finish cooking in the broth. Place in a bowl and cover with water to keep from sticking.
2. Bring 6 cups of water to a simmer. Add napa cabbage and mushrooms. Reduce heat to medium and allow vegetables to cook, about 2-3 minutes.
3. Stir in miso soup mix until dissolved.
4. Add tofu and drained noodles.
5. Simmer until all ingredients are warmed through, 1-2 minutes. Add soy sauce, if desired, or salt to taste. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 meal-size servings.

One of the first things I ever baked myself was a deep-dish peach pie. I was probably 12 or so, and I think I got some help from my grandma. I was pretty disappointed with the outcome, not because it tasted bad, but because I hadn’t realized deep-dish meant no bottom crust. I know some people eat pie for the fruit, but I’m willing to wager that most of us put up with mushy and/or artificially gooey filling as a vehicle for flaky, buttery pastry crust. However, I blame my real fascination with pie crust on Martha Stewart.

For the past ten years, I have been holding on to a copy of Martha Stewart Living because it contained one of my favorite recipes for a pate brisee or all butter pie crust. In her Pie Crust 101 feature, Martha (or her team of magical food styling elves) crafted some of the most amazing crusts I had ever seen - purple mincemeat peeking through a hundred tiny little holes, apples steaming under a bed of carefully sculpted autumn leaves, and cherries topped with perfectly symmetrical lattice work. It was at that moment that I decided I wanted to be Martha. And, like Martha, I started making pate brisee pie crusts, by hand. Read the rest of this entry �

As I near the end of week three at my new job, life is finally starting to feel routine. So routine that I’m starting to grow tired of doing all my cooking with 1 measly Calphalon pan while awaiting the moving truck from Minnesota. That said, I’ve been able to do quite a bit with a handful of utensils and a kitchen that’s only 8 feet long.
Personally, I blame Trader Joe’s. Six bucks for a big filet of wild salmon, four dollars for a bottle of wine, imported cheese that isn’t $20/lb, and this fabulous hydroponic Boston lettuce… At the rate I’m going, they should hire me to write The Trader Joe’s Cookbook.

Cooking lately has been strangely liberating. At school, I would have to carefully plan a meal for my housemates; I don’t know about you, but most of us can’t just throw together food for ten with things lying around the house. But with only two people, I can just go to the store and impusively buy whatever looks delicious. The challenge then is to come home after work and figure out what I can do given my base ingredients. All my cookbooks are in transit, so I’ve been doing practically everything off the cuff.
Cookbooks are really inspiring and also are really important for learning technique. But it’s also been good to be recipe free for a while. When you first start cooking, it can be difficult to even follow a basic recipe. It was hard for me to imagine the day when I wouldn’t need measuring cups and spoons. But, that day has come. And with it, comes the measurement-less recipe. Cooking in often instinctual, and good ingredients can often make or break the meal. So, here’s my version of a caprese salad. Get some fresh ingredients, make it to taste, and it will be delicious.

Alicia’s “Caprese” Salad

I’ve seen a number of caprese salads in my day; some I’ve liked better than others. All of them feature tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella in some combination, but I think the balsamic vinegar is really where it’s at. There aren’t exact measurements because this recipe is pretty much idiot-proof. You can adjust as you like.

• 4 small-medium heirloom or other good quality flavorful tomatoes
• 2-3 oz fresh mozzarella “pearls” or perlini or dice a ball of fresh mozzarella into 1/4″ cubes
• fistful of fresh basil, chopped
• extra virgin olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• salt, pepper, sugar to taste

1. Chop tomatoes and place in a large glass bowl. Sprinkle with salt and sugar to bring out flavor.
2. Add basil and mozzarella.
3. Toss with equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Be sure to use good quality oil and vinegar, since the flavor will make all the difference. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. If you have time, place salad in refridgerator to marinate for 20-30 minutes before serving.

It seems like the internet has suddenly gotten really boring. Or at least, everyone else’s blogs have gotten really boring. Sadly, I don’t think I’m any exception to this rule; I’m just treading water until I have to move and start my new job. I thought about making up some lie for a blog entry, like the harrowing tale of my first foray into competitive eating during which I stuffed down 20 burritos in less than 5 minutes… er, well, you get the idea. Needless to say, the reality is much more mundane, but I did make some decent oatmeal cookies and I’ll share the recipe here.

Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Cookies

Adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook

• 1 3/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup desicated coconut (dried, unsweeted coconut)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped dried Fuji apple pieces (You can use regular dried apple, but Fuji apples are much sweeter and flavorful. They sell them in my local Costco store.)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit. Grease or line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Stir together oats, flour, coconut, cinnamon, soda, and salt in a bowl.
3. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined. Add oat mixture and beat until combined. Stir in dried apples.
4. Drop rounded tablespoons of batter onto cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart. Make sure to flatten the cookies, as they will not spread much during baking and look pretty lumpy otherwise. Bake until golden, about 10-12 minutes.

Some of these are straight up from a magazine; others I have modified heavily over the years. Aside from links to the recipes, I have included comments and suggestions.

Cherry Almond Chocolate Biscotti

I modified this from the original recipe, for chocolate dipped Cherry Hazelnut biscotti. The first time I made these I found the cookie to be overpowered by the flavor of the orange zest. Instead I have replaced hazelnuts with almonds and used 2 teaspoons of almond extract for flavoring. Rather than dink around with dipping the biscotti, I stirred in a cup of chocolate chips.

Chocolate Hazelnut Ginger Biscotti

This dough is a sticky mess when it comes to to shape the biscotti into logs! I’m still experimenting with ways to remedy this. So far, my suggestion is to add a 1/2 stick of butter (cream with the sugar), use 3 instead of 4 eggs, and increase the flour by 1 cup. This leaves you with a dough that is kneadable, but decrease the cooking time by about 10-12 minutes. I also double the crystalized ginger, add a teaspoon ground ginger and cut back on the chocolate chips for a stronger ginger flavor.

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

I pretty much follow this recipe to the letter except I like them just fine without the white chocolate.

Some Tips for Biscotti
Biscotti means “twice baked” in Italian (or so I’ve read) because you first bake a log of dough then slice it and bake the pieces again so they become crisp. I consider biscotti to be my signature holiday cookie–it’s the staple I make every year and the one I’ve had the most time to refine. They are great for the holidays because they are a) really hard to screw up, b) keep up to 2 weeks in tupperware, so you can make them ahead, c) sturdy enough to withstand shipping, and d) the flavor combinations are endless. I don’t make them in a particularly traditional manner, prefering instead to see what kind of fruit, nut, and chocolate combinations I can stuff into a little cookie.

While having all these flavors can lead to amazing taste senstations exploding in your mouth, it can make it very difficult to slice your log of hot cookie without a lot of broken cookies. Here are some suggestions for slicing:

• Do not overbake your biscotti log, or it will be like trying to saw through a real wood log.
• Use a very sharp knife. Different recipes produce different types of dough textures, so experiment with using both serrated and straight edge knives. Begin sawing carefully and once you have a good foothold, push straight down.
• Thinner is crispier, but slice too thin and your cookies will break apart. Try to slice as thin as you can without breaking.
• Broken cookies are often the result of your knife cutting through the dough, but not that piece of dried fruit, chocolate, or nut. Even if the recipe does not call for it, finely chop nuts and fruit. Even little dried cranberries can destroy a beautiful biscotti slice.
• In an airtight container, biscotti will keep 2 weeks, easily.

Snowballs

Following the advice of another reviewer, it works great to fill these coconut macaroons with a chocolate disk.

Fig Swirls

I have no idea how they get 48 cookies out of this recipe. I made “half” swirls and still got the same amount of cookies even though I was working with 4 logs of dough instead of 2.

Gingerbread

I like to make tiny gingerbread men–reallly thin, crispy, and small enough to be bite-sized. For a snappier cookie, I doubled the spices and tripled the amount of ginger. For a dough that is a little stiffer and easier to roll out, add a quarter cup flour.

Apricot Shortbread

This recipe is from an old Martha Stewart magazine. I must have missed something because she says you can roll and cut these cookies out, but my dough was so crumbly it was all I could do to press it into the bottom of a pan. Still, the flavor turned out just fine.

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

Combine all ingredients except apricots. Mix until just incorporated but not too creamy. Add apricots. Press dough into the bottom of a greased or parchment-lined 9×9 pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 60-70 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Amaretti

I am in love with those Italian amaretti cookies that you get in that big red tin. I could eat a giant box in a single sitting, they are so delicious. I keep trying to recreate the crip texture and deep flavor in my own kitchen, but it is to little avail. These almond macaroons are good, if a bit time intensive. Next year, I will probably just satisfy my craving by purchasing one of those Lazaroni tins.

This recipe is from The Italian Baker by Carol Field. It is for Lombardy-style amaretti, meaning the crispy kind. They make soft amaretti in Pietmont; that recipe is also in this cookbook.

• 1 cup + 2 tbsps blanched almonds
• 2 1/2 tbsps bitter apricot kernels or 3/4 tsp almond extract
• 3/4 cup + 3 tbsps powdered sugar
• 1 tsp all purpose flour
• 2 egg whites
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

Grind almonds and kernels to find powder in nut grinder or food processor. (If using food processor, process with 1/4 cup powdered sugar to avoid almonds from sticking.) Mix with flour and powdered sugar. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add granulated sugar until stiff and shiny. Fold in nuts and extract. Spoon into pastry bag and pipe 1.5″ mounds onto parchment-lined sheets, 1.5″ apart (they will spread and puff).

The original recipe says to bake for 40-45 minutes at 300 degrees, then turn off the heat and let the cookies dry for another 20-30 minutes in the oven. This turned out to be a bad idea–my cookies were burning after 30 minutes! Obviously cooking time varies, so watch your cookies carefully. I only baked them for 20-25 minutes and skipped the drying step for fear they would burn. Makes 30 cookies.

“Once a year, at Christmastime, I make the best cookies in the world. It very nearly kills me.”

So go the opening lines to Celia Barbour’s article in the December issue of Gourmet. As I read this, I think, “Now, here is something I can relate to!” Not that I necessarily would be so bold as to say I make the best cookies in the world (though I do think they’re pretty damn good), but masochistic tendencies surrounding holiday baking does resonate with me. Last year I mailed out ten packages of cookies… this is a lot of cookies. Barbour is right, by the third late night hunched over the kitchen table, liberally dusted with flour, you begin to question your sanity. After a while, it becomes clear: these people do not appreciate your magnificent confections, for they will never understand even an inkling of the blood, sweat, and tears you poured into these delicious, sugary morsels. But, Barbour puts it perfectly when she writes: “You can’t very well accompany a gift of homemade cookies with the message, ‘I slaved for three nights over these. I cried while baking them. Please—just like them.’”

For the moral of this story, which Barbour puts far more eloquently than I, you’ll have to read this month’s Gourmet. What I’m actually interested in are these magnificent spoon cookies that Barbour makes: “You really have to wait,” says Barbour. “After a couple of days, the cookies’ texture becomes lovely and melting. Earlier, they are good, but later, they’re transcendent. Honest.” I have never read a cookie recipe that suggested I wait two days before consuming, but this seemed a small price to pay for transcendence. As for the recipe, it is startlingly easy. With no special ingredients required, I decided to give these a try; if they are even half as magnificent and easy as they sound, maybe my dear friends and family will get to experience a small bite of heaven this year.

I followed the recipe diligently, carefully browning my butter and even waiting the requisite two days (of course I cheated and ate a couple before that). I spent far too much time mushing crumbly, buttery batter into a small antique spoon and using a tiny plastic spatula to spread cran-raspberry jam onto delicate brown ovals. Two days later, I have to admit… I am not that impressed. They are, indeed, quite melting, not unlike the texture of a Russian tea cookie. But, I have never been particularly impressed by fragile cookie dough, since they do not survive a trip across the country via US post, and most of my friends live in far flung places.

Of course, these are not my cookies; I do not and cannot make them as well as someone who has perfected the recipe. Perhaps I didn’t brown my butter long enough. Maybe they do taste best with half strawberry and half cherry preserves, as the recipe suggests. Personally, I found them a bit too sweet, even with the tartness of the cranberry filling. Also, I remembered why I never make sandwich cookies. They always leave me feeling cheated: After putting in the effort to make countless cookies, my final product is always half of what a started with.

However, I did discover that these spoon cookies are quite delicious when filled with a layer of dark chocolate ganache. They’re like tiny Milano cookies, but with a softer texture. That’s when I realized, I should have had this cookie’s number the first time I read the recipe. How can anything be truly transcendent without chocolate?

Spoon Cookies

From Gourmet, December 2005

• 2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt, slightly rounded
• 1/3 cup fruit preserves (your choice) OR 1/3 cup chocolate ganache (Alicia’s choice)

Make dough:
Fill kitchen sink with about 2 inches of cold water. Melt butter in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until butter turns golden with a nutlike fragrance and flecks on bottom of pan turn a rich caramel brown, 10 to 12 minutes. (Butter will initially foam, then dissipate. A thicker foam will appear and cover the surface just before butter begins to brown; stir more frequently toward end of cooking.) Place pan in sink to stop cooking, then cool, stirring frequently, until butter starts to look opaque, about 4 minutes. Remove pan from sink and stir in sugar and vanilla.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and stir into butter mixture until a dough forms. Shape into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and let stand at cool room temperature 1 to 2 hours (to allow flavors to develop).

Form and bake cookies:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F.

Press a piece of dough into bowl of teaspoon, flattening top, then slide out and place, flat side down, on an ungreased baking sheet. (Dough will feel crumbly, but will become cohesive when pressed.) Continue forming cookies and arranging on sheet. Bake cookies until just pale golden, 8 to 15 minutes. Cool cookies on sheet on a rack 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to rack and cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Assemble cookies:
While cookies cool, heat preserves in a small saucepan over low heat until just runny, then pour through a sieve into a small bowl, pressing hard on solids, and cool completely.

Spread the flat side of a cookie with a thin layer of preserves. Sandwich with flat side of another cookie. Continue with remaining cookies and preserves, then let stand until set, about 45 minutes. Transfer cookies to an airtight container and wait 2 days before eating.

Cooks’ notes:
• Dough can be made 12 hours before baking and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature to soften slightly before forming cookies, about 30 minutes.
• Cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature 2 weeks.

Makes about 30 sandwich cookies.