Flatbreads like focaccia are very forgiving—you don’t need to be an expert baker to create this crispy-on-the-outside, spongy-on-the-inside Italian classic. In fact, it’s the perfect beginner recipe to take the mystery out of dough-making. Plus, you can customize the toppings to your taste—slivered onions are at the top of the list for many. Leftover squares can be sliced horizontally and turned into panini.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 cups warm water, between 105°F and 115°F
1 tablespoon honey
8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided use, plus more for dipping
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
5 cups all-purpose, bread, or 00 flour, plus more for kneading
Provençal Rosemary
Very coarse sea salt
Directions
Step 1
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the yeast, water, and honey for a few seconds. Allow the yeast to bloom (get foamy), about 5 to 8 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the fine salt, and flour, and mix until a sticky dough forms. Switch to the dough hook and knead until smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes. The dough will still be somewhat sticky but should pull away from the sides of the bowl as you lift it. If it’s too sticky to handle, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Note: If you don’t have a stand mixer with a dough hook, bloom the yeast, water, and honey in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and salt and then the flour, mixing with a large spatula and then with your hands. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured countertop, flour your hands, and knead until smooth, about 7 minutes.
Step 2
Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a clean, large bowl. With lightly floured hands, form the dough into a ball and roll it in the olive oil. Place the bowl in a warm spot in your kitchen and cover with a clean dish towel. Let rise until doubled in volume, about an hour. (If you poke it with a fingertip, it should spring back right away.)
Step 3
Pour 3 tablespoons of olive oil into a 13×9 metal cake pan and rotate the pan to coat it well. Punch down the dough and turn it into the pan. Use your fingertips to press it out to the edges and into the corners of the pan. Use your fingertips or knuckles to make a pattern of indentations in the dough. Cover the pan with your kitchen towel and let it rest for 20 minutes while you preheat your oven to 450°F.
Step 4
Just before baking, go over the indentations if needed. Drizzle the final 2 tablespoons of oil over the top of the dough and sprinkle on the rosemary needles and coarse salt as desired. Bake for 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the focaccia is golden and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Let cool for 5 minutes, then cut and serve with olive oil for dipping.
My take on the French classic is the perfect showcase for my vine-ripened black peppercorns, which flavor the steaks and the sauce. Even though the traditional heavy cream is replaced with heart-friendlier half-and-half, the sauce is luscious and rich.
Ingredients
Two 6-ounce filet mignon steaks, about 1 1/2 inches thick
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons Vine-Ripened Black Peppercorns
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more if needed
1 garlic clove, smashed
2 fresh thyme sprigs
1 tablespoon minced shallot
2 tablespoons cognac
1/2 cup homemade or store-bought low-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon Purple Shallot Powder
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Directions
Step 1
Season the steaks on all sides with the coarse salt and place them on a wire rack set over a dish to catch any juices. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to air-dry.
Step 2
Use a mini chopper or bean grinder to coarsely crush the peppercorns—do not let them turn into a powder. Once the steaks are ready, place them on a clean plate and coat heavily on all sides with the crushed peppercorns.
Step 3
Heat a cast-iron or other skillet large enough to hold both steaks over medium-high heat. When hot, add the olive oil and the steaks, searing them for 4 minutes. Flip and add the garlic and thyme to the pan. Cook for 4 more minutes to sear the other side of the steaks. Test the steaks with an instant-read thermometer; it should register about 130°F for medium-rare. Use tongs to transfer the steaks to two dinner plates and let them rest while you finish the sauce.
Step 4
Remove the garlic and thyme from the pan. If the pan looks dry, add another tablespoon olive oil along with the shallots. Cook the shallots until soft, about 2 minutes. Lower the heat and add the cognac, using a heat-resistant spatula to scrape any fond off the bottom of the pan.
Step 5
Add the broth and shallot powder, then raise the heat to a low boil and reduce for 2 minutes. Stir in the half-and-half and reduce until thickened. Stir in the mustard. Top each steak with a large spoonful of sauce before serving.
Essential Mashed Potatoes and Chai Spice Cookies Recipes, Spotlight on Purple Shallot Powder and Chai Spice Blend
When I’m planning my Thanksgiving menu, I like a mix of the traditional—the foods everyone clamors for, like mashed potatoes—and the new, like the unexpected taste of chai spice cookies, oversized and indulgent. These two dishes are made even more flavorful with spices in the new collection from the T. J. Robinson Curated Culinary Selections. I’m also sharing tasty news about bone health: a free recipe guide from The Bone Coach.
Tiny new potatoes are made even creamier by adding olive oil, butter, and great spices. Note: All bolded spices are included in the new spice collection from the T. J. Robinson Curated Culinary Selections.
Ingredients
2 pounds creamer or mini red potatoes
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sea salt, divided use, plus more to taste
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup half-and-half or milk
1 teaspoon freshly-ground Vine-Ripened Black Peppercorns,plusmore to taste
2 teaspoons Purple Shallot Powder
Savory Black Garlic
Directions
Cut the potatoes in half and place them in a pot of boiling water with the tablespoon of salt. Boil until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Add the teaspoon of salt, the olive oil, butter, half-and-half (or milk), black pepper, and shallot powder and mash the potatoes, thoroughly blending in the other ingredients. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the black garlic.
This recipe creates dramatically large, melt-in-your-mouth, 4-inch cookies. For smaller ones, use a 1-inch scoop and place them 2 inches apart.
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white or golden whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons Chai Spice Blend, divided use
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 egg at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
1/3 cup sanding sugar
Directions
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside (you’ll bake the cookies in 3 batches; if you have that many cookie sheets, prep them all).
Step 2
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In another medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons chai spice, and the cinnamon.
Step 3
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the olive oil and sugar-spice mixture and beat on low until well blended. Add the egg and vanilla, mixing until fully incorporated. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, stopping to scrape up any of the butter that may be on the bottom of the bowl.
Step 4
In a small bowl, whisk the sanding sugar with the last tablespoon of chai spice. Use a 2-inch ice cream scoop to make a dough ball and drop it into the sugar-chai mix. Roll it around to coat, then place it on the cookie sheet. Repeat until you have 6 balls, spaced 4 inches apart—they will spread considerably as they bake. Bake one cookie sheet at a time in the center of your oven for 14 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through; the cookies will puff, then flatten as they cool. Repeat with the next batch. As that batch bakes, use a large spatula to transfer the first batch of cookies to racks to cool. Repeat with the final batch.
Yields 18 Cookies
Healthy Ingredient Spotlight
Purple Shallot Powder and Chai Spice Blend
The Red River Delta, located in northern Vietnam, has been the cradle of Vietnamese civilization for thousands of years. Known for its lush landscapes and rich cultural heritage, the region also plays a crucial role in the country’s agricultural production. One of the area’s most delicious crops is shallots, like those used to make my Purple Shallot Powder.
Shallots are as old as recorded time. It’s believed that shallots—now enjoyed around the world—were first grown in the Middle East and likely reached Vietnam through trade routes dating back at least 2,000 years. Along with ginger, shallots are a mainstay in Vietnamese dishes like pho. Shallots were introduced to Europe by the Crusaders and are became especially popular in French cooking.
Shallots are known for their delicate allium taste, much milder than onions. My Purple Shallot Powder is so sweet, toasty, and rich that just one teaspoon imparts the flavor of an entire shallot. It adds just the right balance of sweetness and pungency to compound butter, vinaigrette and other dressings, BBQ and other tomato-based sauces, creamy soups and sauces, and vegetables like essential mashed potatoes and glazed beets. Note: When using it in place of whole shallots in sautés and stir-fries, after heating your pan, add your fresh-pressed olive oil and the shallot powder, allowing the powder to bloom in the oil for a few seconds before adding the next ingredients.
Chai, which literally means tea in Hindi, has become shorthand for the exquisite blend of spices that were originally imbibed in a drink without actual tea leaves. Its origin story is a little fuzzy—some legends say it debuted 9,000 years ago, others 5,000. Some claim its roots are Indian, others say Thai. The common belief is that it was created by a royal who wanted a restorative beverage. Its popularity soared in the 1900s, when drinking tea was promoted in India. Since tea leaves were expensive, spices, milk, and sugar were added to make the drink more affordable. The mixture became known as chai masala, masala being the word for spice. Drinking chai became part of the way of life in India, and demand for it soon spread across the globe.
Spices were brought to Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania, more than a thousand years ago by Persian traders, who quickly recognized that the area’s tropical climate and rich soil were perfect for growing spices like cloves and cinnamon. Fast-forward to today, and the Spice Islands, as the Zanzibar archipelago was aptly nicknamed, are an amazing source of the spices that define chai.
My Chai Spice Blend features a heady and highly aromatic mix of cardamom, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, thyme, lemongrass, and orange peel, all from small farmers in local cooperatives. A bold blend that’s harmonious and balanced, it’s reminiscent of the spices used in gingerbread cookies, with a Southeast Asian spin thanks to the lemongrass and, of course, the cardamom, chai’s signature spice.
Adding it to tea or coffee is just one way to appreciate its depth of flavor. It’s delicious in many sweets and drinks, like spice cookies, slow-roasted pears, apple pie, blondies, banana bread, and horchata, as well as in savory dishes like chai spice cashews. It will enhance dry rubs, salad dressings, and rice dishes, not to mention your morning oatmeal.
Given its rich array of spices, chai provides a pleasant way to derive the health benefits of many antioxidants. Some of its spices have additional benefits. For example, cardamom may benefit digestion, and the piperine in the black pepper is said to have analgesic, or pain-relieving, properties.
Quick Kitchen Nugget
Enjoying Your Spices
Spices aren’t just for cooking—they’re great for boosting flavor at the table, too. Enliven takeout foods like pizza or rotisserie chicken with a sprinkle of your favorite ones. Create new habits: When you set the table, bring out your purple shallot powder instead of salt for added flavor.
Tiny new potatoes are made even creamier by adding olive oil, butter, and great spices. Note: All bolded spices are included in the new spice collection from the T. J. Robinson Curated Culinary Selections.
Ingredients
2 pounds creamer or mini red potatoes
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sea salt, divided use, plus more to taste
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup half-and-half or milk
1 teaspoon freshly-ground Vine-Ripened Black Peppercorns,plusmore to taste
2 teaspoons Purple Shallot Powder
Savory Black Garlic
Directions
Cut the potatoes in half and place them in a pot of boiling water with the tablespoon of salt. Boil until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Add the teaspoon of salt, the olive oil, butter, half-and-half (or milk), black pepper, and shallot powder and mash the potatoes, thoroughly blending in the other ingredients. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the black garlic.
