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Sunday, March 11, 2012

White Chocolate Macadamia Cranberry Dreams



makes 18 cookies
recipe adapted from allrecipes.com
prep time: 20 min / cook time: 10-12 min

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4c + 2 tbsp sugar
1/2 c light brown sugar, packed
1/2 c butter, softened
1 egg, room temperature and slightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c vanilla baking chips
* I chopped up white chocolate
1/2 c macadamia nuts, chopped
1/2 c dried cranberries

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the sugars and butter.
• Beat in the slightly beaten egg and vanilla extract.
• Add flour mixture until just mixed.
• With a spatula, stir in the vanilla chips, macadamia nuts and dried cranberries.
• Scoop our batter with a small cookie scooper and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and let cool.
* Cookies will sink slightly.

ADDIECAKES' DIFFICULTY RATING

ADDIECAKES' TASTE RATING

Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Maverick



There are a few evocatively-named foods that can get your mouth watering by just hearing its name. Krispy Kremes and salted caramel always does that for me. And Maverick’s Butter Burger can get you there in that same kind of way. It just sounds rich, smooth, indulgent. You totally know what you’re in for.

For awhile, Maverick only served these burgers on Tuesdays (and only 17 per day), but recently added them to their Saturday brunch menu. Here’s how it breaks down: 70% ground beef, 20% butter, and 10% bacon make up the patty that is cooked sous vide in more butter, and then pan-seared to a juicy perfection.

Add to that bacon-pepper marmalade, jalapeno aioli, gruyere, a purposefully runny egg (for an extra $1.50), and an onion ring all on a yummy Acme bun. At $18 it’s not exactly cheap, but according to MFM, it's totally worth it.

But knowing that I could steal a bite or two from MFM (it was delicious!), I opted to try the duck confit hash, which our server claimed was his favorite thing on the menu.

Just as an aside, I have to say I have a thing for duck, and feel inclined to order it whenever I see it on a menu, (except for the time I dined at Incanto and discovered duck “fries” weren’t really fries).

And while most of the duck brunch offerings I've had bombed, I actually liked Maverick's rendition, which included nettles, harissa, figs and over-easy eggs was a nice combination of sweet, savory & spicy flavors.

Other friends gave a thumbs up for the crab benedict (which offered generous portions of crab meat) and the baked eggs served with butter beans and chorizo. I was also impressed by their soft & blissful housemade doughnuts and their "bloody Maverick" - which was made with sake, housemade bloody mary mix, and if that weren't enough, was topped with sprinkle of black sea salt and a curl of candied bacon.

Ah, candied bacon. That's another one of those words that gets me going too.

SAMIWICH'S TASTE RATING
 
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