Before words like “localvore,” “sustainability,” and “organic”
hit the American mainstream, there was Alice Waters. She opened her restaurant,
Chez Panisse, in
Berkeley, California
in 1971, and from the beginning used ingredients that were local, seasonal, and
organic. And a food movement began…Which I'm sure explains why she is number 2 on the
Gourmet Live 50 Women Game-Changers list.
I’ve admired Waters for a number of years, but not only for her
dedication to supporting local farmers and using seasonal ingredients. My
admiration also comes from her help in creating the
Edible Schoolyard at
Martin
Luther King Jr. Middle
School in
Berkeley,
California. This living classroom, and the
kitchen built to go along with it, provided the teaching staff the opportunity
to not only show children where their food comes from and how lovely something
freshly grown can taste, but also ties subjects like math, history, social
studies, and science to the kitchen and garden. (This photo of Alice Waters came from the Chez Panisse
website.)
Remember helping Mom or Grandma in the kitchen? Or picking
vegetables from the backyard garden? I do, and those are some of my most
cherished memories. But in today’s busy, zooming culture, I’m afraid those
memories for this generation of children may be missing.
It is so important that our children understand where the
food they eat comes from, who grows it, and what’s in it. My mom and
grandmothers showed me. In my first marriage, I tried to show my stepkids by
having make-your-own pizza nights and baking cookies. Looking back, I could
have done so much more, but I let our busy lives get in the way—a mistake I
wish I could correct.
The first thing I remember making with my mom was chocolate
chip cookies. That is why I chose this yummy cookie recipe to honor Alice Waters instead
of one featuring fresh produce. In her book, The Art of Simple Food, she wrote,
“For children, simple home baking provides a wonderful introduction to the
kitchen: It teaches basic lessons in organization, measurements, mixing, oven
use, and clean up. For many cooks, baking cookies was the spark that ignited a
lifelong passion for cooking.”
That’s the way it was for me, and hopefully that same passion
will be passed along to the generations to come.
So grab the nearest kid and bake come cookies!
Chocolate Crackle Cookies
Adapted from
The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters
1 cup blanched almonds
2 tablespoons and 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons brandy (or coffee, if you prefer)
2 eggs, at room temperature
Granulated sugar, for rolling
Sifted powdered sugar, for rolling
In a food processor, place the almonds and 2 tablespoons of
sugar. Process until the almonds are chopped very fine. Pour into a bowl and
sift the flour and baking powder over the top. Mix to combine and set aside.
In a heat-proof bowl over simmering water, melt the
chocolate and butter. Stir in the brandy (or coffee) until smooth and set aside off the
heat.
In the bowl of a mixer, whip together the eggs and 1/4 cup
sugar until the mixture is light and creates a ribbon, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Stir in the chocolate mixture and the almond-flour mixture.
Place the dough into the refrigerator and chill to firm,
about 1 to 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Cover two baking sheets
with parchment paper. Fill one small bowl with granulated sugar and another
with the sifted powdered sugar.
Roll the cookie dough into 1-inch balls. Place them into the
granulated sugar and roll until coated, and then repeat the process in the
powdered sugar. Place the coated balls onto the baking sheets 1 inch apart.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through the baking
process, until the cookies have cracked on top, are firm around the edges, but
still soft in the middle. Be careful not to overbake.
