Dawn BonkerWe’re back with our second summertime TGIF Book, Look and Cook feature, in which we showcase the good reads, secret recipes and lesser-known sights around Chapman.
Book
This week Justin Koppelman, program coordinator for Student Civic Engagement answers our question, “What are you reading this summer?”
“Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer, is a departure from the novelist’s previous endeavors in fiction. I found it both an inspiring and often challenging exploration of our relationship with animals, specifically with those we choose to eat. It examines the ethics and real dangers of conventional animal agriculture and factory farming and questions the author’s own justifications for eating some meat products and not others. Unlike other books I’ve read on similar topics,
Eating Animals
isn’t preachy. … Thanks to the Leatherby Libraries for stocking this book!
Look
Look, look, it’s … it’s a hit! The mystery photo challenge is hugely popular, judging by how many responses we had last week. Here’s another shot. First person to email pr@chapman.edu with the correct answer wins a diamond-studded Chapman pennant. Just kidding. Regular pennant. But still fun.
Cook
The crew of University Advancement celebrated summer’s arrival with a lunchtime cardamom throw down. Rachael Gottlieb, senior administrative assistant for special events, won handily with these aromatic cookies she found at a blog titled — and we’re not making this up —
Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska.
Cardamom Cookies
1/2 cup shelled, unsalted pistachio nuts
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 – 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. freshly ground cardamom (1 tsp. if using pre-ground cardamom)
Coarse sugar crystals for topping the cookies
Extra pistachio nuts for topping the cookies
Preheat the oven to 325°F (or 300°F convection).
Add the pistachios and sugar to a food processor or blender, and process just until the pistachios are finely ground.
Using the mixer’s whisk attachment, cream the butter and half the pistachio sugar mixture until they are light and creamy. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl, as needed. Mix in the remaining pistachio sugar.
Sift together 1/2 cup flour, cornstarch, salt and ground cardamom. Using the mixer’s paddle attachment, slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add the remaining flour, as needed; the dough should be pliable, but not at all sticky.
Roll out the dough on a floured cloth until it is 3/16-inch thick (gather up the trimmings and reroll them). Cut out the dough with a cookie cutter (I like 1-1/2-inch circles for mini ice cream sandwiches), and place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Sprinkle each cookie with coarse sugar crystals. Push one pistachio nut into the center of half the cookies.
Bake for 7 – 8 minutes, or until the cookies have firmed up, but are still underdone. Remove from the oven and place the cookie sheets on wire racks to cool (don’t remove the cookies from the cookie sheets until they are completely cool).
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