Do the Hanks-y Panksy

Good morning, foodaholics!

Annie here. So I went to Hank's Oyster Bar on Friday night. REDONK DELISH! I started with a glass of a Syrah - Grenache blend from France. It was wonderful -- not too fruity but not too tannic. Their list of wines by the glass was pretty good. I also tried a Torrentes (white), which was crisp and light, after I polished off my glass of red.

Sitting down to dinner, I had a sampling of oysters from NJ, VA, and WA. The Washington State oysters weren't too briney and had a hint of sweetness -- they were definitely my fav. I also enjoyed the NJ oysters but found the VA ones a bit too fishy tasting and smelling for me. Not that they weren't fresh, I guess they were a little too potent for me.

I then tried an octopus appetizer with farro. Very tasty! For my entree I had the crabcakes, which came with fries and some coleslaw. They were delicious. Tons of fresh crab and not too much else obstructing the delicate crab flavor. The fries weren't bad either.

I can't wait to go back to Hank's and try all of the other tasty items on the menu, which I think changes frequently. I don't think they take rezzies, so get there early or be prepared to have a few drinks at the small, usually crowded, bar.

The Cadillac of Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I know, I know... it's been WAY too long since we've posted. Hopefully, that will change as I, Annie here, resolve to get better about describing my exploits in the kitchen.

That being said, I love to experiment with classic recipes -- trying to add some secret ingredients here and there to add extra levels of flavor and/or complexity. With this recipe for Cadillac Chocolate Chunk cookies, I wanted to see how much I could enhance them by adding some of my favorite go-to (albeit, expensive) baking items -- Tahitian Vanilla bean, a touch of almond extract, brown butter and orange blossom honey. These cookies aren't quite perfect, a little too thin for my taste, but they came out absolutely DELISH!

Feel free to try these at home if you can get your hands on some good quality vanilla beans. If not, just ping me and it will be a nice excuse for me to do some more baking!

Ingredients:

2 c. + 2T AP Flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 egg
1 yolk
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t almond extract
1 Tahitian vanilla bean -- split, seeds removed (save the pod for making vanilla sugar)
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. orange blossom honey (clover honey is fine too)
6 oz -- divided (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter (salt brings out the sweetness in these cookies, but unsalted is fine if you don't have any)
10 oz semi or bittersweet (or both) chocolate baking chunks (chips are fine too)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prep your cookie sheet(s).
   
2. Sift and combine first 3 ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Make the brown butter: Take 4 oz/1 stick and place in a saucepan over med-low heat. Heat the butter until it begins to smell nutty and turn a golden brown. There will be brown bits in suspension. Keep an eye on the butter while doing this - it can burn if you aren't careful. Be sure to swirl or stir often. Remove from heat and place in the refrigerator to cool.
4. Cut up remaining 1/2 stick of butter and place in stand mixer. Add brown sugar and cream until fluffy. Add sugar and honey and continue beating. Add the cooled brown butter and beat on high until nice and fluffy.
5. Adjust speed to low and slowly add the egg, yolk, extracts and vanilla bean. Be sure to scrape down the sides as you mix and add. Gradually increase speed and beat until light and fluffy (again). I like a lot of volume in my batter.
6. Slowly add the dry ingredients, scraping down in between additions. Do not over mix. Add the chocolate chunks and mix on low until just combined.
7. Feel free to chill the dough for a while or overnight. That will let the flavors develop -- especially the vanilla bean. When you're ready, use a cookie scoop to divide the dough on your sheet (I love the half-size sheet pans with silpats). Be sure to leave plenty of room between dough balls, as these will spread a good amount.
8. Bake for about 10mins. Watch them carefully -- take them out just underbaked, as they will continue to cook when you take them out.

Let me know what you think. I'll be happy to bring in a few samples :-).