Cook along with Jesse Szewczyk to make these crunchy, perfectly spiced, and understated shortbread cookies that are as delicious dunked into hot coffee as they are eaten all on their own.

Recipe
Makes 24 bars
 

Shortbread Base

• 1 2/3 cups (214g) all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks/170g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Salted Speculoos Caramel

• 3/4 cup (175 grams) packed light brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick/57g) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup (59 ml) light corn syrup
• 1 14-ounce can (414 ml) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup (90 grams) speculoos cookie butter (see Note)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Topping

• 1/2 cup (about 3 ounces/85 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup (about 3 ounces/85 grams) white chocolate chips
• 4 tablespoons (59 ml) whole milk, divided
• 2 tablespoons (36 grams) speculoos cookie butter, divided
• Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

1. Make the shortbread base: Heat the oven 325°F. Grease an 8- by 8-inch baking pan with nonstick pan spray and line with parchment paper, leaving overhang on all four sides. In a large bowl combine the flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Add the melted butter, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and stir together until a soft dough forms. Transfer the dough into the lined baking pan and press into an even layer. Prick the top several times with a fork and bake until the shortbread is slightly puffed and golden brown in the center, 33 to 38 minutes. Remove from the oven and use the bottom of a measuring cup or a metal spatula to press down on the shortbread to compact it slightly. (This will prevent the bars from crumbling when sliced.) Let the shortbread cool for 30 minutes.
2. While the shortbread is cooling, make the caramel: In a medium saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer, combine the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk, speculoos cookie butter, vanilla, and salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often to prevent burning, until the mixture is smooth, glossy, and registers 240°F on the candy thermometer, about 8 to 11 mins. Pour over the shortbread base, spread into an even layer, and transfer into the fridge. Let cool for 1 hour.
3. As the caramel is cooling, make the topping: Place both the white and semisweet chocolate chips in two separate medium, microwave-safe bowls. Add 2 tablespoons whole milk and 1 tablespoon cookie butter to each bowl. Microwave each bowl on high power in 10 second increments, stirring between each, until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds total. Transfer the white chocolate ganache into a piping bag or zip-top baggie.
4. Working quickly, pour the dark chocolate ganache over top of the caramel and spread into an even layer. Pipe thin, straight lines of the white chocolate ganache all going the same way. (You might not need all of the ganache.) Use a toothpick to drag it through the lines, alternating the direction you go each time to create a rough chevron pattern. Transfer the bars into the fridge and let set for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Sprinkle the top of the bars with flaky sea salt and cut into a 3 by 8 grid to make 24 bars. (For cleaner edges, feel free to trim off the border of the pan before slicing.) Serve chilled or at room temperature.

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Lobby Time Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

On Play Me a Recipe, your favorite cooks will walk you through their most treasured recipes, offering all the insider tips, stories, and tricks you won't get from a written recipe—and you'll be right alongside them, every step of the way. 

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Ingredients

• 3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
• 3/4 ounce gin
• 3/4 ounce green Chartreuse
• 3/4 ounce Luxardo maraschino liqueur
• Maraschino cherry, for garnish (optional)
• Lime peel, for garnish (optional)

Instructions 

1. Chill glassware (such as a coupe or a Nick & Nora glass).
2. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the lime juice. Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until tin frosts over.
3. Fine strain into the chilled glassware. Garnish as desired.

On Play Me a Recipe, your favorite cooks will walk you through their most treasured recipes, offering all the insider tips, stories, and tricks you won't get from a written recipe—and you'll be right alongside them, every step of the way. 

If you're cooking along, here's the recipe we're making today. Go ahead and grab the ingredients below before starting the episode.

Recipe
Serves 2
 

Peanut chutney

• 1 cup unsalted, unroasted peanuts
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon red chile powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Indian peanutty noodles

• 6 ounces udon or soba noodles
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup broccoli florets, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup red bell pepper, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup thinly sliced scallions, divided
• 2 tablespoons peanut chutney, prepared above
• 1 to 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, to taste

Peanut chutney

1. Roast the peanuts in a 350°F oven (or toaster oven, like I do) for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the nuts have turned dark brown, a shade darker than golden brown. Keep an eye on them! (After 3 minutes, turn the pan in such a way that the peanuts in the back come to the front.) Turn the oven off, take the peanuts out, and let cool.
2. In a food processor or blender, blitz all of the chutney ingredients (cumin powder, red chile powder, and salt) along with the peanuts into a coarse powder. Keep in a zip-top bag or tightly sealed jar.

Indian peanutty noodles

1. Cook the noodles according to the instructions on their packet and set aside. Keep half a cup of water in which you boiled the noodles.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet. Add half of the scallions and let cook for a minute. Add broccoli and sauté for 5 minutes. Feel free to add broccoli stems too. Follow with red bell pepper for about 3 to 4 minutes. (We want both these vegetables to lose their raw flavor, yet still have a bite.) Feel free to substitute with vegetables of your choice as long as the vegetables retain some bite, shape and do not become mushy. Carrots, red onions, snap peas, zucchini, water chestnuts, baby corn, mushrooms, French beans are great substitutes. 
3. Add peanut chutney and mix well, followed by the soy sauce, and sauté till the sauce coats all of the vegetables.
4. Add boiled noodles and mix till the noodles are coated evenly with the soy sauce/peanut chutney mixture. Pour some of the starchy noodle water if you like your noodles wetter.
5. Garnish with rest of the scallions and serve hot with fresh red pepper chile garlic sauce on the side.

Is there a recipe you'd like to hear us make? Tell us all about it at [email protected]!

Lobby Time Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

On Play Me a Recipe, your favorite cooks will walk you through their most treasured recipes, offering all the insider tips, stories, and tricks you won't get from a written recipe—and you'll be right alongside them, every step of the way. Feel free to pause, jump back, or navigate the steps via the podcast chapters (if you're in Apple Podcasts, swipe up on the episode player page—the podcast chapters will be at the bottom).  

If you're cooking along, here's the recipe we're making today. Go ahead and grab the ingredients below (Elisa starts listing them at 2:02) before starting the episode.

Maman's Cookie Tiramisù
Serves 6

• 2 cups (480 milliliters) heavy cream
• 2 cups (480 grams) mascarpone
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (240 milliliters) strong brewed espresso, warm (about 6 shots; see Tip)
• 8 Maman's Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies, or store-bought chocolate chip cookies (about 30 ounces / 840 grams total)
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder

1. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream on high until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl.
2. In the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the mascarpone, sugar, and vanilla and whip on high, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the whipped cream and gently fold with a rubber spatula to combine without deflating the mixture.
3. Pour the espresso into a wide, shallow bowl. Set aside half of 1 cookie for garnish. Break 4 of the cookies into large chunks, add them to the espresso, and let soak, flipping once, until saturated but not falling apart, 45 to 60 seconds per side. Reserve the espresso. Arrange the soaked cookies on the bottom of an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking pan, pressing down to create an even layer. Spread half of the mascarpone whipped cream evenly on top of the cookies. Using a small fine-mesh sieve, dust 1 tablespoon of the cocoa powder over the mascarpone whipped cream.
4. Soak the remaining cookies in the reserved espresso. Use the soaked cookies, the remaining mascarpone whipped cream, and the remaining cocoa powder to create a second layer. Crumble the reserved half cookie and sprinkle on top of the tiramisù. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 5 days. Serve chilled.
5. TIP: If you don’t have an espresso machine at home, brew a dark-roast coffee or use instant espresso powder. What’s important is that you don’t forgo the espresso or coffee—its flavor is essential to tiramisù. If you prefer a bolder coffee flavor, sprinkle a little instant espresso powder between the layers.

Is there a recipe you'd like to hear us make? Tell us all about it at [email protected]!

Lobby Time Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

On Play Me a Recipe, your favorite cooks will walk you through their most treasured recipes, offering all the insider tips, stories, and tricks you won't get from a written recipe—and you'll be right alongside them, every step of the way. Feel free to pause, jump back, or navigate the steps via the podcast chapters (if you're in Apple Podcasts, swipe up on the episode player page—the podcast chapters will be at the bottom).  

If you're cooking along, here's the recipe we're making today. Go ahead and grab the ingredients below before starting the episode.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 (6-inch) pita breads, halved across the middle
• ¼ cups Boar’s Head Greek Yogurt Tzatziki, plus more to top
• ¼ cups Boar’s Head Traditional Hummus
• ½ romaine lettuce heart, roughly chopped
• 1 pound Boar’s Head FireSmith™ Flame Grilled Chicken Breast, thinly sliced
• ¼ cups Boar’s Head Crumbled Feta
• 1 beefsteak tomato, halved and thinly sliced
• 3 ounces artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
• ¼ cups pitted Niçoise olives, roughly chopped

Directions

1. Cut the pitas in half lengthwise. Open each pocket.
2. Using a spoon, evenly distribute the tzatziki (about 1 ½ teaspoon each) between the pitas, swooshing the sauce on one side of the pocket. Repeat on the other side with the hummus (about 1 ½ teaspoon each). Place a handful of lettuce along one side of each pita.
3. Fold the slices of chicken in half, and place 3 slices on top of the lettuce. Add 1 to 2 slices of tomato. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of artichokes, 1 tablespoon of feta, and 1 tablespoon of olives in each pita. Top with more tzatziki, if desired.

Is there a recipe you'd like to hear us make? Tell us all about it at [email protected]!

On Play Me a Recipe, your favorite cooks will walk you through their most treasured recipes, offering all the insider tips, stories, and tricks you won't get from a written recipe—and you'll be right alongside them, every step of the way. Feel free to pause, jump back, or navigate the steps via the podcast chapters (if you're in Apple Podcasts, swipe up on the episode player page—the podcast chapters will be at the bottom).  

Bindaetteok
Serves 8 to 10

• 2 cups dried peeled split mung beans
• 1 cup mung bean sprouts
• 1 cup Baechu Kimchi plus 2 tablespoons kimchi liquid
• 8 to 10 scallions, cut into 2- to 3- inch lengths
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 5 to 6 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons egg replacer (preferably JUST Egg), plant milk, or aquafaba (canned chickpea liquid)
• 2 tablespoons extra- virgin olive oil
• Spicy Soy Sauce Dressing,  for serving

1. Soak the dried mung bean in cold water until softened, about 4 hours. Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling water, blanch the mung bean sprouts for 1 to 2 minutes, then run them under cold water to stop the cooking process. Transfer the mung beans to a large bowl, add the kimchi (without the liquid), scallions, garlic, mushrooms, soy sauce, and sesame oil and marinate for at least 30 minutes (but no more than 4 hours).
3. In a blender, combine the soaked mung beans, the salt, black pepper, egg replacer, kimchi liquid, and up to 1 cup water. Blend until a slightly orange batter forms (it should be like oatmeal). If your blender is not large enough to accommodate all the mung beans at once, work in batches.
4. Pour the batter into a large bowl and mix half of the marinated vegetables into the batter.
5. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Spread a piece of the marinated kimchi, 4 to 5 pieces of scallion, and a couple slivers of garlic and mushrooms in the pan. Then spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of the batter over the vegetables in the pan. Cook until the  bottom is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancake and cook until both sides are evenly cooked, an additional 2 minutes. Continue to make more pancakes, adding extra oil as necessary.
6. Serve with the spicy soy dressing.

Is there a recipe you'd like to hear us make? Tell us all about it at [email protected]!

Lobby Time Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

On Play Me a Recipe, your favorite cooks will walk you through their most treasured recipes, offering all the insider tips, stories, and tricks you won't get from a written recipe—and you'll be right alongside them, every step of the way. 

Is there a recipe you'd like to hear us make? Tell us all about it at [email protected]!

On Play Me a Recipe, your favorite cooks will walk you through their most treasured recipes, offering all the insider tips, stories, and tricks you won't get from a written recipe—and you'll be right alongside them, every step of the way. Feel free to pause, jump back, or navigate the steps via the podcast chapters (if you're in Apple Podcasts, swipe up on the episode player page—the podcast chapters will be at the bottom).  

If you're cooking along, here's the recipe we're making today. Go ahead and grab the ingredients below (Julia starts listing them at :47) before starting the episode.

Gluten-Free Buckwheat Groat Pancakes
Serves 5 to 7

• 1 1/2 cups (270 grams) hulled buckwheat groats
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• Dried or dehydrated blueberries (optional)
• 2 dates, pitted
• 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) plain full-fat yogurt
• 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) milk, buttermilk, or almond milk
• 4 whole large eggs
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• Ghee or coconut oil, for cooking

1. Do ahead
   Add the buckwheat groats to a bowl with the apple cider vinegar and cover with 3 inches (7.5cm) of water. Let stand for 8 hours of overnight. In the morning, drain and rinse until the water runs clear.
2. Make the pancakes
   If using dried blueberries, soak them in warm water in a small dish to rehydrate for 10 minutes. Remove them from the water and squeeze them dry just before cooking.
3. Preheat the oven to 200°F (90°C) and place a baking sheet inside to keep your pancakes warm.
4. If your dates are leathery and tough, add them to a small dish and cover with hot water. Set aside for 5 minutes to soften and then discard the water (or add it to your iced tea as a natural sweetener). In a high-speed blender, combine the soaked and rinsed buckwheat, the yogurt, milk, eggs, egg whites, bananas, drained dates, salt, and almond extract and blend until smooth. Add the baking powder and the baking soda and pulse just to combine.
5. Place a 10-inch (25 cm) cast-iron skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the ghee or coconut oil and swirl to coat the pan. Pour a ladle full of batter into the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles form on the surface of the pancake and the batter begins to dry out (if using blueberries, add them to the pancake now). Flip the pancake and cook on the second side until golden brown. Adjust the heat as necessary and use additional ghee as needed to keep your pancakes cooking evenly. Transfer the pancakes to the oven as you go to keep them warm.
6. Serve with Greek yogurt, whipped ricotta, Macerated Meyer Lemon (page 207), Cacao Buckwheat Granola (page 276), or the labneh whipped cream filling from the banana cream pie (see page 80).

Is there a recipe you'd like to hear us make? Tell us all about it at [email protected]!

Lobby Time Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

On Play Me a Recipe, your favorite cooks will walk you through their most treasured recipes, offering all the insider tips, stories, and tricks you won't get from a written recipe—and you'll be right alongside them, every step of the way. Feel free to pause, jump back, or navigate the steps via the podcast chapters (if you're in Apple Podcasts, swipe up on the episode player page—the podcast chapters will be at the bottom).  

If you're cooking along, here's the recipe we're making today. Go ahead and grab the ingredients below (Jesse starts listing them at :51) before starting the episode.

Red Wine Brownie Cookies

Makes 18 large cookies

• 2 sticks (16 tablespoons/226 grams) unsalted butter
• 2 cups (473 ml) dry red wine, any variety
• ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons (99 grams) granulated sugar, divided
• 3¼ cups spooned and leveled all-purpose flour (416 grams)
• ½ cup (45 grams) natural, unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1½ cups (300 grams) packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 8 ounces (227 grams) semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped (about 1⅓ cups)

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue cooking, stirring often to prevent the milk solids from burning, until the butter foams and then darkens in color slightly and is very fragrant, 4 to 6 minutes. Immediately pour the butter into a large heatproof bowl. Do not wash the pan.
2. To the saucepan used to melt the butter, add the red wine and 2 tablespoons (32 grams) of the granulated sugar and bring to a simmer over high heat. (Be careful; the wine will sizzle when you pour it in the pan.) Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced to ⅓ cup (79 ml), 16 to 18 minutes. (The easiest way to test if the reduction is ready is to pour it into a heatproof measuring glass to see if it’s at the ⅓-cup mark.) Pour the reduced wine into the bowl with the butter and let the mixture cool for 15 minutes.
3. As the butter/wine mixture cools, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Preheat the oven to 350°F and set 2 racks at the upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Line 3 baking sheets (or as many as you have) with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
4. Whisk both the brown sugar and the remaining ⅓ cup (67 grams) granulated sugar into the butter/wine mixture, then whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract until smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until a soft dough forms, then stir in the chopped chocolate.
5. Using a large 2⅓-inch (#16) cookie scoop or ¼-cup measure, portion out the dough and roll into large balls. Place the dough balls at least 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets (6 per sheet).
6. Bake 2 sheets at the same time, swapping the top sheet to the bottom rack and bottom sheet to the top midway through baking, until the tops lose their shine but their cracks still appear slightly wet (don’t be tempted to overbake), 11 to 14 minutes, then bake the remaining baking sheet of cookies on either rack. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets.

On Play Me a Recipe, your favorite cooks will walk you through their most treasured recipes, offering all the insider tips, stories, and tricks you won't get from a written recipe—and you'll be right alongside them, every step of the way. Feel free to pause, jump back, or navigate the steps via the podcast chapters (if you're in Apple Podcasts, swipe up on the episode player page—the podcast chapters will be at the bottom).  

If you're cooking along, here's the recipe we're making today. Go ahead and grab the ingredients below (Dawn starts listing them at 1:25) before starting the episode.

Weeknight Cassoulet

Serves 4

• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 sweet Italian sausages (about 1 pound total)
• 1 onion (any color), chopped
• 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Two (15.5-ounce) cans cannellini or white northern beans (undrained)
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 1 cup panko, coarse fresh bread crumbs, or cracker crumbs
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 bay leaf

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Prick sausages all over with the tip of a knife. Add the sausages to the skillet and cook, turning occasionally, until brown all over, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board.
2. Add onion, celery, and garlic to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add beans and their liquid, the water, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Slice sausages and return to the skillet. Stir in the vinegar and remove from heat.
3. Preheat broiler with rack in the top position. In a small bowl, stir panko, parsley, and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season the bread crumbs with a little salt and pepper and scatter over beans and sausage. Transfer the skillet to the oven and broil (watch carefully! Broilers vary like crazy) until the top is golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.