The Sacramento Bee from Sacramento, California • 47

Wednesday July 30 2008 I The Sacramento Bee D5 COOKING gone but her cookies live on The south Sacramento resident grew up in Austria and brought a sweet delight along with her GWEN SCHOEN CUP SAVE a fit ti 4 1 linzer cookies Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Makes 18 cookies According to husband (and mine) these cookies should be eaten immediately If you pass this recipe on please write across the top INGREDIENTS '2 pound plus 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened 23 cup sugar 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour l34 cups finely ground blanched almonds teaspoon cinnamon 5 tablespoons raspberry jam Confectioners' sugar INSTRUCTIONS Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer set at medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy Beat in the flour 2 cup at a time the almonds and cinnamon and continue beating until the mixture becomes a stiff dough Shape the dough into two balls Wrap each ball in wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour Preheat the oven to 325 degrees On a lightly floured surface rol1 one ball of dough into a sheet 8 inch thick With a 2 2-inch cookie cutter cut as many circles from the sheet as you can Knead the leftover scraps of dough into a ball Roll it out again and cut out more circles You should now have about 18 circles Arrange them on an ungreased 14-by-17-inch baking sheet leaving about an inch of space between them Repeat the rolling and cutting process with the other half of the dough but before placing the second batch on a baking sheet cut out the center of each circle with a V2-inch cookie cutter Bake both batches in the center of the oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until light brown With a metal spatula gently ease the cookies off the baking sheets onto a cake rack Let them cool for about 20 minutes Spread the tops of the solid circles with a thin coating of jam place a cut-out cookie on top of each pressing the two together so that they make a sandwich Spoon a dab of jam into the opening of each tart and sprinkle the tops with sugar before serving gschoensacbeecom A few days ago I learned of the passing of Berta Alves a sweet lady who lived in the south end of Sacramento I met Berta about 10 years ago when employees at the Mack Road store kept raving about the cookies one of their customers would bring them for special occasions Berta a professional cook but she was probably the best baker I have ever met The key she said was always to use the best ingredients you can find including butter never margarine One day she taught me to make her specialty Austrian linzer cookies filled with raspberryjam As she worked she talked about growing up in Salzburg Austria and her bakery Her parents lost the bakery during World War II About that same time she met her future husband Richard an American soldier fell in love got married and moved to Sacramento When I left house that day I carried a big tray of linzer cookies and her handwritten recipe Those cookies have been my favorite ever since and I often make them for special occasions I have passed the recipe along many times always with written across the top During a long career you meet many people Some you never forget and Berta is certainly one of those sure she would love it if I shared her recipe one more time iN ti t2 ti tit ti lit tji I I POTLUCK Editor's note: If you enjoy cooking classes and contests foraging for ingredients at festivals or you're just one of those vicarious food- TV types -check out our new "Potluck" column EVENTS On Saturday East Bay Restaurant Supply 522 12th St Sacramento holds its annual Summer Culinary Expo The free event includes cooking classes with local chefs Dani Luzatti catering chef starts things off at 9:30 am when she demonstrates how to make a roasted tomato basil and goat cheese tart Other participating chefs include Ginger Elizabeth Patrick Mulvaney Ramiro Alarcon and Andy Nguyen For more information: (916) 440-0623 or wwweastbayrestaurant supplycom SIDE TRIPS Tapas mean a lot of things to a lot of people But for this event TAPAS translates as Tempranillo Advocates Producers and Amigos Society Staying true to its mission TAPAS is hosting a event at 1 pm Aug 9 at Copia in Napa The cost is $25 and includes an educational program and guided tastings from some 40 growers and producers Visit wwwcopiaorgtapas-wine-walk-around make that? Boeger in Placer-ville and Carvalho in Clarksburg at the Old Sugar Mill are among area wineries that have gone down the tempranillo trail GIVE THEM A TASTE St Regis San Francisco is sponsoring a winemaking experience at Round Pond Estates in Rutherford in the Napa Valley Sept 30 and Oct land 2 Guests will participate in grape harvesting assisting the winemaker In crafting wine olive oil tasting and learning about olive oil red wine vinegar and citrus syrup production The Round Pond Estate St Regis Aficionado package is $975 per couple with accommodations for one night at fhe St Regis San Francisco To participate without lodging the cost is $375 per person For reservations call Jeff Marcilliat (415) 284-4112 or e-mail jeffmarcilliatstregiscom TUBULAR FOOD The Food Network is serving up a new series: Starting Saturday Aida Mollenkamp hosts "Ask an interactive cooking show Viewers ask Aida cooking questions which she answers during the broadcast The theme of the first show is outdoor grilling Other segments will be on steak pie and eggs Also "Iron Chef returns Sunday The Kitchen Stadium is the stage where challengers are pitted against Iron Chef Masaharu Mori-moto as they create dishes using the secret ingredient IN SEASON the key ingredient at Sunrise market Z2 Editor's note: Fresh produce and protein choices show up routinely in Northern California Our Season column will alert to what's There are about 50 growers and 70 stands at this year-round market That leads to a vM- I LE1LANI HU Sacramento Bee file March 1998 baker but you might find her the finest you've ever tasted GADGETS We found this simple-to-use Professional Multi-Chopper which takes the Veg-a-Matic idea into the 21st century It has three pushers and four interchangeable stainless-steel blades that can be used for coring slicing and more To use it push the spring-loaded lid Pieces drop into the container at the bottom The chopper cuts a whole fruit or vegetable Adjust the top to accommodate large or small pieces The blades lock down for storage and this item is dishwasher-friendly We found it at Williams-Sonoma for $50 You can also order it at wwwwlliamssonomacom -Gwen Schoen INSTRUCTIONS Scrub potatoes do not peel Cut each potato in half Cut each half in half Cut each quarter in half so you have 8 wedges per potato Place potato wedges in a pot and cover with water Cover pot bring to a boil and cook potatoes for 10 minutes While potatoes are cooking combine oil and seasonings in a large bowl Add drained potatoes to the bowl and mix them well to make sure they are completely coated Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray Arrange potatoes in a single layer and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes until golden brown Adapt this recipe to a grill by cooking the potatoes in an aluminum packet or grill basket Another alternative is to dredge the potatoes in flout after you tocs them with the seasoning then fry them in extra-virgin olive oil Per serving: 238 cal 4 pro 47 carb 4 fat (3 sat 1 monounsat 0 polyunsat 10 mg chol 132 mg sod 4 fiber 3 sugar 15 percent calories from fat 1 ji 4 1 a Berta Alves wasn't a professional raspberry jam-filled linzer cookies Among the sellers at the Sunrise Mall 1 Farmers Market in Citrus Heights is Beatriz Jimenez of Jimenez Farm in Stockton MICHAEL ALLEN JONES mjones sacbee com For a list of produce best buys and recipes using in season check our farmers market graphic at wwwsacbeecomtaste Call Bee food writer Gwen Schoen (916) 321-1146 CLIP SAVE Crispy spiced potatoes Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 35 minutes Serves 6 Don Lutz of Carmichael was looking for recipes for oven-fried potatoes (or wedgies) that could also be made on the grill if possible Last week we featured three oven potato recipes This week we have a recipe from Sue Bear of Citrus Heights that can be made in the oven or on the grill INGREDIENTS l'2 pounds white potatoes (or red boiling potatoes) 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon onion powder Vz teaspoon garlic powder 12 teaspoon salt V2 teaspoon black pepper Pinch of cayenne pepper Nonstick vegetable spray To submit items for Potluck send an e-mail to tastesacbeecom you new at grocery and seafood stores farmers markets and butcher shops Sunrise Mall Farmers Market 6041 Sunrise Blvd (behind Sears) Citrus Heights Open 8 am-noon Saturday all year By Gwen Schoen gschoensacbeecom Fresh regional blueberries? now or never Squash blossoms amaranth (an herb) eggplant peaches pluots nectarines fresh com black-eyed peas heirloom tomatoes yellow watermelons and kharbozah melons these were among the offerings Saturday at the Sunrise Mall Farmers Market business has really picked said Renae Best the manager of this farmers market could be because so much wonderful produce is in season right now It could also be that people have more confidence in the quality and safety of locally grown foods CLIP SAVE 1 Honey walnut shrimp Prep time: 40 minutes Cook time: 25 minutes Serves 3 to 4 Thaya Craig of Loomis was hoping someone had honey walnut prawns recipe She says delicious Reetha Lee of Shingle Springs shares this recipe which is credited to Mat See vers of Asian Bistro Dim Sum Bar Lee makes this dish often and says it tastes just like the version Note: This recipe calls for rock sugar You can use rock candy which can be purchased at several candy stores in Old Sacramento: Candy Heaven (1201 Front St) Candyland (122 1 St) (122 St) or Turtles (1017 Second St) lot of variety including produce potted plants cut flowers locally produced olive oil organic fresh eggs and flavored nuts Among the unique items we discovered were chestnuts from Amber Oaks in Auburn True chestnuts are out of season so these were last leftovers Amber Oaks was also selling blueberries but count on finding them in another week Blueberry season has just about come to an end We also found squash blossoms amaranth eggplant and lots of peaches pluots and nectarines And of course fresh corn Beatriz Jimenez of Jimenez Farm in Stockton was selling black-eyed peas yellow watermelons and kharbozah melons which are large and very sweet She expects to have red com any time so watch for that in the coming weeks Heidi Watanabe an organic farmer in West Sacramento was selling her terrific variety of heirloom tomatoes INGREDIENTS Sauce: 1 cup mayonnaise cup sugar li teaspoon vanilla extract l'2 teaspoons lemon juice 312 ounces sweetened condensed milk Walnuts: Vi pound raw shelled walnuts 2 cups water 1 cup honey 8 ounces rock sugar (see note above) Vegetable oil for deep frying Shrimp: 8 ounces tiger shrimp peeled and deveined Cornstarch Vegetable oil for deep frying 1 cup shredded carrots Toasted sesame seeds garnish Cilantro stems garnish INSTRUCTIONS Make sauce by whisking the sauce ingredients together until smooth For the walnuts combine the walnuts water honey and rock We picked up a big sack of them and loved every bite One of the highlights this time of year is watermelon We found personal soccer-ball-size classic red seedless red and yellow watermelons at the market sugar (see note above) in a saucepan and simmer until the walnuts are soft Remove from heat and drain walnuts in a colander Pat walnuts dry with a towel Deep-fry the walnuts at 350 degrees until crispy and golden brown Cool to room temperature before use Cook the shrimp until it is opaque no longer translucent Dredge the shrimp in cornstarch and deep-fry in 350-degree oil until lightly golden brown In a mixing bowl combine the cooked shrimp and the sauce until thoroughly coated Arrange a bed of shredded carrots on each plate and place shrimp on top Top with walnuts sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and garnish with cilantro stems Per serving based on 4 servings: 1146 cal 28 pro 69 carb 86 fat (13 sat 10 monoun-sat 26 polyunsat 37 other) 135 mg chol 426 mg sod 3 fiber 57 sugar 67 percent calories from fat THE MAILBOX Teri Watson Bistro appetizer looking for the baked sun-dried tomato chdvre recipe they serve at Bistro 33 It is absolutely the best-tasting appetizer I have ever had Thanks Kathleen Van Steyn Sacramento Bread with rosemary I would love to have the recipe for II Fornaio bread with rosemary that they serve with their meals They also sell this bread at the restaurant which is in Gold River Cyndy Nolan Davis HOW TO CONTACT THE MAILBOX If you have recipes in reply to Mailbox reader requests or questions or comments write to: Mailbox co Taste The Sacramento Bee P0 Box 15779 Sacramento CA 95852 You also can e-mail twatsonsacbeecom or fax (916-556-5625) Please Include your full name your city i and phone number -'t IJH- -T-eiWili r- i ft-1 I fi- A Vt.