Out & About #659 | Week #23 Quarantine Update Feat. Cookies Galore

8/23/2020

"I can't say I've seen too much of that, to be honest." I utter absentmindedly while en route to badminton.
"But how many times have you even left the house?"
"...not many." I admitted after a brief pause.

And, quite frankly, I haven't suffered any significant repercussions from the lack of outdoor engagement.

Periods of tranquility throughout the work week have evolved into erratic grocery runs and weekly cooking mayhem, ̶p̶e̶r̶h̶a̶p̶s̶ ̶ oftentimes supplemented by a mid-week meat dish undertaking. In spite of the drastically reduced counts of social engagement, my working (-from-home) situation oddly doesn't feel all that distant.

I shall allow creations of the week to take the lead on this post. Beyond the truly essential behaviours of the average human - don't worry, I obtain my fair share of fresh air from daily garbage disposal. - I've found myself comprehensively compliant with the COVID protocols set forth by our three tiers of government.

1) Chocolate Chip Cookies - the Epicurious edition

Maldon Sea Salt - its name has been strewn about the blogosphere as the fundamental emblem of flaky salt. And having finally bitten the bullet for a half-sized packet of its smoked variation, I proceeded with the precise formula that summoned it: Level 3 Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Simultaneously converting the U.S. measurements into more universal metric measurements, I began to compile an academia-approved array of cookies. With the sole substitution of plain ol' melted butter for its slow-smoked cousin, the remainder of the ingredient roster remained consistent.
There were some minor discrepancies between the ten-minute comparison video and written recipe: 275 F instead of 300 F, 11 ounces of flour instead of the doubled amount of 22 ounces, omission of the chocolate-chopping, and the list goes on. For the frequent baker, the details weren't too troubling to determine by intuition. Having said that, my first batch at the low temperature of 275 F proved pasty and pale, devoid of the coveted golden hue associated with cookies. Moreover, it was as if the Maillard reaction hadn't occured at all.

To avoid the emergence of dull, flat discs, I opted to test three of my frozen dough balls in a madeleine-esque baking format, hitting with high heat to induce rising, then gradually reducing to ensure doneness. The result garnered the instant appeal of sweet, caramel-like aromas and a thick, crunchy cookie. Further tweaking is in process at the time of writing, for the ideal cookie consistency is still at large.

2) Roast Whole Chicken

Assembling a mental montage of don'ts from my previous foray of poulty defrosting, buttering, and temperature-checking, I plucked a headless creature of lighter weight and exempted it from the default freezer-chucking. Weighing in at just over three pounds, it was closer to SK's so-callled "city-sized" chicken, albiet sported a significantly thinner (and consequently less crispy) skin.

In place of schmaltzy cabbage were soft onions and chunks of starchy yellow potato instead, both roasted beautifully while half-basting in delicious, chicken-y juices.

The chicken was seasoned adequately and cooked till just tender, almost rotisserie-style if I do declare myself.

3) Fresh Tomato Sauce
Constructed in parallel was a bountiful batch of tomato sauce, intended for use in some pasta dish in the near future, yet readily adapted as a condiment for lean segments of chicken breast.

4) Mung Bean Jelly / 綠豆糕
Resulted from a belated pantry discovery dating back to the last decade, the jelly was a suitable compromise for ancient beans undeserving of the Red Bean Soup treatment. (片糖/peen tong to the rescue!)

5) Walnut Soup / 核桃糊

This edition adopted the traditional method of ground glutinous rice, furthering its velvety consistency and nutty essence.

6) Eggless Matcha Cookies

Not a soul hasn't heard of my endless unwavering attempts to recreate my short-lived Put A Cone On It favourite.

From sesame-filled snowballs (sans icing sugar) to soft half & half cookies, from ahgase cut-outs to printed sugar cookies, I've tried them all.
Receipt of a tip for a Matcha Latte Cookie stirred suspicions over the high flour-to-butter ratio, obscene quantity of granulated sugar, and alarming absence of egg. For, as far as I am aware, eggs contribute protein in the whites and fat in the yolks, respectively assisting in gluten formation and fudginess intensification.

The dubious decision to pursue the formula (after another series of painstaking conversions) was met with deeply green, visually appealing cookies whose appearance was sadly mismatched to its profile. Flat, stiff, and abhorrently slick, the array would have undoubtedly faired better with a few adjustments. A 1:2 ratio of brown to white sugar had proved appalling, instilling the individual specimens with a one-dimensioned sweetness.

7) Homemade Butter Cookies

I won't shy away from the fact that I've been binging on Delish lately: June is my favourite, and her culinary expertise, effortless humour, and phenomenal innovation never cease to amaze me. A twelve time-tested "upgrade" of the classic Danish butter cookies had caught my attention one fateful weeknight evening, and I had bookmarked the formula for a time of thoughtful experimentation.

The all-too-timely yielding of my pastry bag yielded a far-from-fabulous presentation. Yet, in spite of the mishap, the turnout was positively wonderful - addicting, and maybe even a bit "commercial", as the June had noted herself. Before long, I was sweeping the chicken nugget-sized morsels into my mouth, along with the other occupants of the household.
Without question, the dough shall be revisited once the current quantity is depleted; ground star anise shall also be retained as the fennel seed equivalent.

I proceeded to spend my week largely indoors, with the company of Grape Jelly Greek Yogurt Pops and succulent short ribs tinged with the zing of lemon and tartness of Diana Sauce.