28/07/2011

The Perfect Cookie?


Yes, you have noticed the question mark. What defines perfection in the first place? Is there such a thing anyway? And if so, who decides what is? Maybe what is perfection to one, wouldn't be for an other, what is one day, won't be the next.

The perfect picture, the perfect song, the perfect diner, the perfect love... What if we ever have it? Would everything after look tamed, do we loose our ambitions and ideals? If things have been perfect and are not anymore, does it leave us unsatisfied forever?

If i sound less optimistical than usual, it's because i am these days. The good thing about that, is that it leads me to my kitchen, and to a book that inspired all that (2 cents) philosophical talk: "How to cook the perfect..." from Marcus Wareing.

Nothing coming out of my kitchen is perfect, i'm not a chef, i'm not trained for it. If i ever get to eat in a 3 michelin stars restaurant, i guess i'd expect perfection from that.
But here it's all about improving, learning from your mistakes and trying to do better next time. A life lesson that can be both applied inside and outside the kitchen.

And if those cookies are maybe not perfect, they worked perfectly alongside a glass of (soy) milk, watching the last episod of "sex and the city" to say goodbye to those gals, i know i'll see them around again sometime.

So i'll keep looking for perfection, hoping never to get there, but just close enough in order to make me want for more, keep me hungry for life, and food. And in the meantime, remember people, chocolate is still the answer.

Chocolate Chips Cookies (from "Cozinhar na Perfeição..." by Marcus Wareing)



For about 24 cookies

180gr of Flour
1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder
A Pinch of Salt
115gr of Butter, at room temperature
75gr of Sugar
75gr of Muscovado Sugar
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
170gr of Chocolate Chips

Mix the flour, the salt and baking powder in a bowl.

Using a stand mixer, mix both sugar with the butter until it's light and well combined. Add the egg and the vanilla extract than stop the mixer.

With a plastic spatula add half the flour mixture and combine gently, than put in the second half and add the chocolate chips in the end.

Spread a bit of flour on your working surface, form a cylinder with the cookie dough of about 25 to 30 cm and put it into cling film for at least 2 hours in the fridge.



Preheat your oven to 170°C and lay 2 trays with baking paper.

Cut the cookies about half a centimeter thick, spread them on the trays with at least 5cm space. Put it in the oven for about 15 minutes, they should have a golden color around the edges.

Let them cool on a rack and keep them in an airtight jar.

Aucun commentaire:

Enregistrer un commentaire