[video] conan o'brien learns about wine

Caught this video and couldn't help but crack up:

Check out Gary's Homepage and learn a lot of interesting things about drinking wine at tv.winelibrary.com.

[recipe redone] triple-coconut granola

In the past year, several of my go-to food blogs have shared their favorite recipes for granola. The ingredient lists and techniques have all been similar, but a small tweak here and there seems to make a big difference in the texture and flavor of the end product. I've tried a bunch of them and they're all delicious, but I kind of have a thing for coconut. With that in mind, I decided to tweak some of their recipes and come up with a coconut-intense version of granola to call my own. Yes, several years ago people were scared to death of coconut (mainly because coconut oil is full of saturated fat). But new studies have shown that coconut oil is actually a heart-healthy oil. Regardless, it's delicious in this recipe.

1/2 cup, packed (100g) brown sugar
4 Tablespoons coconut oil* (virgin has the most flavor)
1/4 cup (60ml) water
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 lb. (125 g) quick oats
1/2 lb. (125 g) coconut flour* (Bob's Red Mill is a brand carried by Whole Foods)
1 cup (100g) shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups dried fruit, chopped (apricots or golden raisins are excellent)

Preheat oven to 300 F.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, coconut oil, water, and salt. Microwave on high for about 3 minutes; the mixture should be bubbling vigorously. Stir in the extracts and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, mix the remaining ingredients (except for the dried fruit) together until well-combined. Pour the brown sugar syrup over the dry ingredients and fold until fully incorporated.

Spread the mixture over a half sheet pan (17 x 13) and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and toss the granola, breaking up any huge chunks. Return the pan to the oven and bake another 15 minutes. Repeat this again (if necessary) until the granola is uniformly browned and very crispy-crunchy. At that point, remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool. Toss in the dried fruit and serve with milk or yogurt - or just munch it by the handful!

* If you don't have coconut oil, you can substitute an equal amount of butter. You could also substitute oat flour, ground flax meal, or almond meal for the coconut flour. At that point, you might as well take a look at this recipe from the Traveler's Lunchbox, which is what I based mine off of.

[quick hit] newpaper food sections

I just added links to some of my favorite newspaper food sections to the sidebar. They are usually updated weekly -- the day of the week depends on the paper. I find these to be helpful when I'm traveling to these cities or even when I just need a different regional perspective on food and cooking.

browned butter "spoon" cookies

The same evening that the December 2005 issue of Gourmet Magazine arrived in my mailbox, I made these cookies. The picture that accompanied the article (at right) initially drew my interest, but the accompanying story by Celia Barbour sealed the deal.

Anyway, I had forgotten these cookies until I had an opportunity to flip through some of my back issues of Gourmet. Not wanting to forget them again, I am sharing the recipe here with you. While the recipe calls for shaping the cookies with a teaspoon, I have found that a teaspoon "disher" (miniature ice cream scoop) does the trick for me.

spoon cookies
2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt, slightly rounded
1/3 cup fruit preserves (your choice)

Make dough:
Fill kitchen sink with about 2 inches of cold water. Melt butter in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until butter turns golden with a nutlike fragrance and flecks on bottom of pan turn a rich caramel brown, 10 to 12 minutes. (Butter will initially foam, then dissipate. A thicker foam will appear and cover the surface just before butter begins to brown; stir more frequently toward end of cooking.) Place pan in sink to stop cooking, then cool, stirring frequently, until butter starts to look opaque, about 4 minutes. Remove pan from sink and stir in sugar and vanilla.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and stir into butter mixture until a dough forms. Shape into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and let stand at cool room temperature 1 to 2 hours (to allow flavors to develop).

Form and bake cookies:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F.

Press a piece of dough into bowl of teaspoon, flattening top, then slide out and place, flat side down, on an ungreased baking sheet. (Dough will feel crumbly, but will become cohesive when pressed.) Continue forming cookies and arranging on sheet. Bake cookies until just pale golden, 8 to 15 minutes. Cool cookies on sheet on a rack 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to rack and cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Assemble cookies:
While cookies cool, heat preserves in a small saucepan over low heat until just runny, then pour through a sieve into a small bowl, pressing hard on solids, and cool completely.

Spread the flat side of a cookie with a thin layer of preserves. Sandwich with flat side of another cookie. Continue with remaining cookies and preserves, then let stand until set, about 45 minutes. Transfer cookies to an airtight container and wait 2 days before eating.

Cooks' notes:
• Dough can be made 12 hours before baking and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature to soften slightly before forming cookies, about 30 minutes.
• Cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature 2 weeks.