A comfy soup for supper and a whopper-size batch of cookies for dessert?
That’s our plan, and we have the here’s-how to implement it, too, from start to finish.
Camano Island cook Ulale Gipson introduces us to the cookies (20 dozen of them!), noting the specifics are taken from “Let’s Have an Oven Orgy’’ in the October 1976 issue of Woman’s Day magazine.
“This article tells you how to cook a lot of food — baked beans, pea soup, etc., in one oven session with the oven set at 300 degrees,’’ she says.
The pea soup sounds enticing, doesn’t it But we don’t have the how-to for that. What we have instead today is a hopefully yummy-in-the-tummy concoction of baked potatoes, bacon, onion and cheese in, of course, a milk base.
The soup finishes with sprinkle of green onions and more cheese, always a good thing. It appears in a new cookbook, “In a Cheesemaker’s Kitchen,’’ and it sounds like it could well be heaven in a bowl. It also calls for creme fraiche, but I don’t see why regular sour cream wouldn’t work equally well in this particular recipe.
So, first the cookies, then the soup:
Big-batch oatmeal cookies
2cups shortening (butter, margarine or vegetable shortening, or half each of any two)
2cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4eggs
2teaspoons vanilla
3 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1teaspoon baking soda
1teaspoon baking powder
6 1/2 cups rolled oats
1-2 cups chopped nuts, chocolate chips, raisins or coconut or any two of these (if using coconut, use almond extract instead of vanilla)
In large bowl of mixer, beat shortening and sugars until creamy; add eggs and vanilla and beat until thoroughly mixed. Stir flour with the salt, baking soda and baking powder and, at low speed, beat into creamed mixture. If necessary, transfer mixture to a 4-quart Dutch oven or bowl. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the oats and nuts. If preferred, cover and refrigerate overnight.
Drop dough by teaspoonfuls on lightly greased cookie sheets about 1-inch apart (or use sheets of parchment paper. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, OR bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. After baking, cool completely.
Makes about 20 dozen.
Lemon-spice cookies: Prepare as above but substitute 2 teaspoons lemon extract for vanilla. Add 1 teaspoon each cinnamon and nutmeg to the flour mixture.
Creme fraiche baked potato soup
5potatoes
4slices bacon, chopped
1small onion, diced
1/3cup flour
6cups 1 percent milk
1cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, plus extra for garnish, if desired
8ounces creme fraiche
1teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup chopped scallions, divided
Bake potatoes in a 400- degree oven for 1 hour, then peel and mash coarsely; set aside.
In a large stovetop-safe casserole, cook the bacon and onions over medium heat until onions are translucent. Sprinkle the flour over the bacon-onion mixture and stir until it starts to bubble. Lower the heat and gradually whisk in the milk until blended. Turn heat back to medium and allow the milk mixture to thicken and come to a slow boil, stirring constantly.
Add the mashed potatoes and cheese, stirring until the cheese is melted. Lower the heat and add the creme fraiche, the pepper and half of the scallions. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until hot. Do not allow to boil.
Ladle the soup into eight bowls and garnish with remaining scallions and more grated cheese, if you’d like.
The next Forum will appear Friday.
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