(Dolen Perkins-Valdez, hardback). From the title you might think this is a book about the s-x word. It’s not. By a long shot. But the story, set in about 1852, is about a black slave woman, and her somewhat misguided “love” for her master. About the children she bore him, under the eagle eye of the master’s wife. But it’s all tied together with a yearly journey made to a place called Tawawa House, a rural inn of sorts in southern Ohio (a free State), that for some years allowed white slave owners to stay at the resort in rustic cottages with their black slaves, as couples. This place existed, according to the author’s afterword, and finally closed because some of the regulars (white couples who stayed in the main house) didn’t fancy this concubine business going on out in the woods. It’s about Lizzie’s relationships with the other slave women, about their desire to run to safety through the local underground, about them secretly meeting some free blacks, finding out more about abolition, and about the hardships all these black mistresses endured, and how little their lives were valued. A real stunning book. (I was sent this book as a perk from Harper Collins – because I had mentioned The Help. No strings attached – I could choose to mention this book, or not, here on my blog. I’m glad to because it’s a very good read.)
(Jamie Ford, on my Kindle). A poignant story about a Chinese-American, growing up in Seattle at the beginning of World War II. Henry falls in love with a young Japanese girl before her family is interned in a relocation camp. It a very secretive relationship because his parents would highly disapprove. The story goes back to the 40’s and forward to the 1980’s when Henry is in his 50’s and his wife (not the Japanese woman) has just died of cancer. The story pulls you in from the first page, especially when some artifacts are found in the basement of an old hotel which contain personal belongings from several Japanese families who were suddenly taken away back in 1942. You can see where it’s going, can’t you? I heard criticism of this book that it was just a little bit contrived. Halfway through I’m enjoying it very much.
(Kathryn Stockett on my Kindle, an excellent read); 
by Jetta Carleton (Kindle edition, eh); 
by Susan Richards (Kindle edition, good book); 
by Sally Gunning (Kindle edition, very good read)
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(Mario Batali & Gweneth Paltrow); 
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If you’re a chocoholic, these little numbers will satisfy your craving. In actuality, they’re not as chocolate laden as some chocolate cookies could be, but these are just so tender and delicious. I’d had the recipe in my file for over a year, having read about it on somebody’s blog last Fall. Then in recent weeks a couple of other bloggers wrote about it, so I dug into my file and pulled out my copy. It’s from Dorie Greenspan’s book, Paris Sweets (not a cookbook I own). These cookies are EASY! They’re a slice and bake type. They start out at 1/2 inch thickness when you slice them, and they spread out some. They make the slight indentation naturally. Makes them look like I created it, but I didn’t. Your house will have the most lovely chocolate aroma. You can also freeze the rolled logs and slice some off when you need cookies. How easy is that? Here are the steps:
The dough (not mixed all that hard because the dough is fragile) looks and feels dry at this point, but it actually comes together well. I just poured the mixture out onto my cutting board to begin shaping them. The 5 ounces of chocolate you mix in need to be in small bits or shavings in order to make slicing easier. You divide this in half to make two rolls, each making about 12-14 slices.
There are the rolls wrapped in foil. Ready for the refrigerator (or freezer). You want to chill the dough at least an hour, or overnight.
There they are sliced and placed on the Silpat mat ready to bake. When you slice them, using a very thin, sharp knife, they may get a bit out of round, but the dough is relatively easy to push back into shape. I wasn’t super meticulous about this and the cookies came out just fine.
And here you can see them just out of the oven. They’re very fragile at this point, so you let them cool on the pan before removing them. Once cooled I put them in a Ziploc plastic bag and stuck them in the freezer. But then I’m happy to eat frozen cookies. But, did I tell you how heavenly the house smelled?
Korova Cookies (Sablés Korova)
Recipe By: From the Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets
Serving Size: 36
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour — (175g)
1/3 cup dutch-process cocoa powder — (30g)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
11 tablespoons unsalted butter — (5.5oz/ 150g/ 1stick plus 3 tbsp) softened at room temp
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar — (120g)
1/4 cup granulated sugar — (50g)
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel — or 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate — (150g) chopped into tiny bits
1. Make the dough: Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda. Set aside dry ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, salt and vanilla and mix for 1 minute. You don’t want to beat too much air into this batter. On low speed, add in the dry ingredients and mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. (Drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and your kitchen from the “dust”). Beat the dough as little as possible (it’s okay if it’s a bit crumbly). Add the chocolate bits and mix just to incorporate. (I like to mix in the chocolate by hand to avoid over working the dough.) Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it into one mass and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1.5 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
2. Baking: Preheat the oven to 325F. Line your sheet pan with parchment paper or silicone mats. Remove the chilled logs of dough from refrigerator. Using a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are about 1/2 inch thick. Place slices on your prepared sheet pan, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 12 minutes. The cookies won’t look done, nor will they be firm, but that’s just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack. Cool completely, then remove.
Per Serving: 91 Calories; 6g Fat (54.3% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 9mg Cholesterol; 50mg Sodium.
printer-friendly PDF recipe
A year ago: Apricot-Thyme Cookies (a slice and bake type also, not as sweet as some; different)
Two years ago: Cheese Fondue (my forever go-to recipe, one which was a regular on my Christmas Eve menu for years and years when our children were growing up . . . we’d sit in front of the fireplace, around the coffee table . . . I hope our children have fond memories of that)
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