1. Cut the dark green parts from the leeks and reserve for another use. Cut the remaining white and pale green part of the leek in half lengthwise and remove any of the root section that holds it together. Separate the pieces and place in a large bowl of cold water to allow the grit and dirt to loosen. Clean the pieces with your fingers, scrubbing off any dirt. Remove the leeks from the bowl and repeat the process of cleaning once more.
2. Heat a large soup kettle over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and the pancetta and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes.
3. Peel the onions, slice in half lengthwise and remove the root core. Thinly slice the onions lengthwise. Place in the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes over medium heat.
4. Slice the leeks into thin long strips, add to the pot with the onions and continue cooking and stirring for 10 more minutes.
5. Pour in the red wine and reduce the mixture for 5 minutes.
6. Add the beef stock and simmer for 30 minutes.
7. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and season with salt and black pepper. 
8. Just before service, grill the bread slices until they are very crunchy. Rub each slice with some of the raw garlic cloves; the coarse texture of the toast will actually grate the garlic.
9. Preheat the broiler. Place the toasts on a baking sheet and divide the cheese equally over the top of the toasts. Place the pan under the broiler and melt the cheese until lightly browned.
10. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and top with the cheese toasts and a sprinkling of parsley. Serve immediately.

Butter Cookies

Makes 24 cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 egg yolks

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

jelly,  jam or preserves of your choice

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cream together the butter and sugar. Mix in the egg yolks and vanilla, followed by the flour, mixing well until a ball forms.

3. Roll into small balls (we use a #40 ice cream scoop to portion cookies) and press thumb into center. Place about 1 inch apart on a baking sheet lined with a nonstick baking mat or on a lightly greased baking sheet.

4. Fill center with any flavor jelly, jam or preserves.

5. Bake for 15–18 minutes or until lightly browned around the bottom. Transfer the cookies to cooling racks to cool.

Recipe copyright © 2009, Michael Salmon – Camden, Maine

Butterscotch Chip-Oatmeal Cookies  
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt                           
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup pecan pieces
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips

1.   In a bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add the sugars and beat until mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, vanilla extract a nd 2 Tablespoons of water. 

2.   In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture gradually, and beat until it is just combined. 

3.   Gently stir in the coconut, pecan pieces, oats and butterscotch chips.

4.   Make balls with a #40 ice cream scoop and place 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with a nonstick baking mat or on lightly greased baking sheets. 

5.   Bake for 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to cooling racks to cool.  Makes 45 cookies.    

Recipe copyright © 2009, Michael Salmon

Looking for more Hartstone Inn cookie recipes?  Click here for our chocolate-chip walnut cookie.

On a side note, have you heard of a Silpat?  We bake all of our cookies on Silpat mats and they are wonderful!  Your cookies will never stick to the pan!  View more information on Silpats here.

1. Line pan or container with aluminum foil.  Cover the bottom entirely. 

2. Put silver utensils into pan.

3. Pour boiling water in pan until the silver utensils are completely covered. 

4.  Add one tablespoon of salt and one tablespoon of baking powder for every inch of water in the pan.

5.  Let sit for five minutes.

6.  Drain water and wash silver utensils as you normally would i.e. dishwasher, by hand etc…

It will be shiny and beautiful – just like new!

6 Lemons
1/2 Cup Kosher Salt
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Cinnamon Stick
3 Bay Leaves
1/2 Tablespoon Whole Black Peppercorns 

Blanch 3 of the Lemons in Boiling Water for five minutes. Cool. 

Juice other 3 lemons. 

Cut blanched lemons in ¼ thick slices and remove seeds. 

Toss lemons with Kosher Salt then tightly pack into a glass jar with Salt, Herbs and Lemon Juice. 

Tightly seal and place jar in a dark place, like inside a kitchen cupboard. 

After 7 days, add Olive Oil to lemons and lightly mix. 

Seal jar again and refrigerate. 

The lemons are ready to use immediately, but get better over time (six months to a year is ideal).

Black Pepper Almonds

1 Tablespoon table-grind black pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup, plus 1 tsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
4 teaspoons water
2 1/2 cups whole almonds

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly butter the foil with the 1 tsp of butter.

2. Mix the black pepper an salt together in a small bowl. Melt the remaining 1/4 c butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the sugar and 4 tsp water; stir until sugar disolves. ad the almonds; toss to coat. Cook over medium heat until syrup thickens and the almonds are well coated, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

3. Sprinkle half of the pepper mixture over the almonds. Transfer the almonds to the lined baking sheet, using a metal spatula to quickly separate the almonds. Sprinkle the remaining pepper mixture over the nuts. Bake until deep golden brown, about 10 minutes.

4. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

This recipe comes from our first cookbook Hartstone Inn Cookbook. These chocolate chip cookies can be made without the walnuts if desired, or another type of chopped nut can easily be substituted. If you really like chocolate, add 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder and 2 Tablespoons chocolate syrup to the recipe, and replace the chocolate chips with an equivalent amount of 1/2-inch dark chocolate chunks.

Chocolate Chip and Walnut Cookies

Makes 40 cookies.

1 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup walnut pieces

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cream together the shortening, sugars, eggs and vanilla until fluffy.

3. Mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir into creamed mixture. Mix in the chocolate chips and walnut pieces by hand.

4. Make balls with a #40 ice cream scoop and place about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with a nonstick baking mat or on a lightly greased baking sheet.

5. Bake for 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to cooling racks to cool.

Everyone who’s been to the Hartstone Inn knows that we love cocktails.  At any given time we feature up to ten “specialty” cocktails that we offer to our guests both during cocktail hour and at dinner.  The latest drink that we are crazy about is the “Moscow Mule”.

History

The Moscow Mule was ”born” in the 1940′s and was a popular cocktail of the 50′s and 60′s.  The story goes that John G. Martin of G.F. Heublein Brothers, Inc., who bought the rights to Smirnoff in 1939 was on a mission to market his “white whiskey” as an alternative to gin.  Gin was widely popular at the time in the U.S. and vodka was not.  He met John “Jack” A. Morgan, owner of a ginger beer franchise at a bar in Los Angeles in 1941 and came up with the idea for the Moscow Mule, a mutually beneficial cocktail!  They ordered engraved copper mugs and bought one of the first Polaroid cameras.  They then began to market their new drink to bars across the country.  The two would ask bartenders to pose for a picture with their copper mug and a bottle of Smirnoff vodka.  They would then take the photo to neighboring bars to show them what the competition had to offer in hopes to get them to sell the new drink too. 

Smirnoff vodka sales tripled between 1947 and 1950 with much credit going to the trendy new drink.  The name they say is for two reasons.  “Moscow” because Smirnoff began at a distillery in Moscow and vodka was considered to be mainly a Russian spirit at the time. “Mule” was because of the “kick” from the ginger beer.  The Russian connection proved to have consequences in 1950 as Americans began to connect Smirnoff with the Communist Party.   Smirnoff denied any connection as it was now an American company and the uproar eventually passed.  Vodka now out sells all other spirits in the U.S. 3 to 1 and Smirnoff is today owned by a British company.   

The Moscow Mule is refreshing enough to be a summer drink but gingery enough to be “warm” in the winter!  Here is the recipe so you can make them at home or, come visit us and we’ll make one for you!

Moscow Mule

• 1 ounce vodka
• 1 tsp. sugar syrup
• Fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup ginger beer
• 1 sprig fresh mint
• 1 slice of lime

Directions:

In a highball glasss or a copper mug (if you have one) pour vodka over ice. Add  sugar syrup and lime juice. Top with ginger beer and stir. Garnish with a slice of lime and a sprig of mint.

Read the full magazine article here.

To see the online version click here.

My in-laws insist on a trip to Darby’s on every visit from Michigan for this dessert. My version of the recipe (I call Sticky Toffee Pudding) is on page 160 of my first cookbook and is very comparable. Serve it with lots of vanilla ice cream and sauce. Here’s the recipe:

Sticky Toffee Pudding

serves 9

2 cups dates, pitted and chopped (11 ounces)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 cups boiling water
2 Tablespoons rum
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, soft
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 batch Caramel-rum sauce (recipe below)
vanilla ice cream
whipped cream

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8-inch by 8-inch baking pan.

2. Combine the chopped dates and baking soda together in a small mixing bowl. Cover with boiling water, rum and vanilla and let set for 5 minutes.

3. In another bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Add the eggs and mix well. Add flour and date mixture and stir until well incorporated.

4. Pour into the prepared baking pan and place in the center of the preheated oven. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes.

5. To serve, cut the pudding into 9 pieces (3 inches by 3 inches) and serve drenched in Caramel-rum sauce with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream on top.

Caramel-Rum Sauce

2 cups brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark rum
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Bring all the ingredients, except the vanilla, to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes over low heat. Stir in vanilla and keep warm until serving.