DONNA'S DAILY DISH
  • Blog
  • Recipes 2025
  • Recipes 2016-2024
  • Contact

refresh

9/13/2021

0 Comments

 
Over the past several years, my husband and I have reduced the amount of red meat that we eat and have substituted eating a lot of chicken and turkey. With ground turkey, I’ve made turkey meatballs and wide variety turkey meatloaves.
 
As the weather is still quite warm and humid, I opted for a recipe that I found on the Food Network website for Turkey Burger Patty Melts, a recipe by Guy Fieri. Back when I was growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, diners were plentiful in New Jersey.  In Little Falls, New Jersey on Route 46E there was West’s Diner, which later became the Primrose Diner. I recall my late mother ordering a patty melt. It was a beef patty that was served on toasted rye bread smothered with cheese and onions.  ​
​For the recipe, besides ground turkey, you’ll need panko bread crumbs, milk, an egg, sage, fresh thyme, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, creaming mushrooms, olive oil, unsalted butter, vegetable or canola oil, red onion, yellow onion, rye bread and Gruyere cheese. Obviously when I was a kid, I don’t think diners were using Gruyere cheese or cremini mushrooms. The burgers were quite easy to make, shaping them similar to a slice of rye bread took patience. As I was preparing the burgers, I had already started sautéing the onions so would caramelize. Once they were done, it was on to sautéing the mushrooms.
 
The burgers are cooked first then set aside. The rye bread is buttered and placed in the same pan. Cheese is placed on the bread, followed by the burger, next the onion and mushroom mixture and finally the other slice of rye. Both sides are browned before serving. The burgers were delightful. The flavors made for a tasty burger and the mushrooms added an additional meaty flavor. My husband and I enjoyed this changeup.
 
For the past few years, I have been trying to bake a chocolate chip cookie that is consistently crisp. I’ve used light brown sugar, dark brown sugar, baked the cookies longer than the recipe called for and still there would be times when the cookies would be soft or just crisp around the edges. As I have tried different recipes, my son-in-law has reminded me that the normal Tollhouse Cookie recipe I use was fine, “why ruin a good thing.” My husband, on the other hand, find the Tollhouse a bit too sweet. I’ve reduced the quantity of chocolate chips to help that issue, but they were still a bit too sweet. Back in February of this year, I tried a recipe by America’s Test Kitchen for Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies. This recipe uses cake flour, egg yolks and melted butter, which allows the dough to spread quickly and bake without burning and my husband prefers these cookies.
 
I came across a recipe by David Leibovitz for Thin, Crisp Chocolate Chip Cookies. Mr. Leibovitz, is also a lover of crispy chocolate chip cookies. Mr. Leibovitz found a cook book by a pastry chef named  Joanne Chang who wrote the book, “Pastry Love: A Baker’s Journal of Favorite Recipes.” In her book Ms. Chang had a recipe for thin, crisp chocolate chip cookies. However, in following her recipe, Mr. Leibovitz found they baked a bit thicker than he liked. By reducing some of the flour from the original recipe, he achieved a thin, crisp cookie that was looking. I have tried his recipe and they are rich and delicious! Ms. Chang’s original recipe calls for 2 cups of flour. Mr. Leibovitz reduced the flour to 1-1/2 cups (Tollhouse recipe uses 2-1/4 cups) and got the result he was looking for. His recipe makes for a rich, thin cookie that is nicely caramelized.
 
After eating and enjoying each of recipes, I find that my palate has evolved so that I too prefer a less sweet cookie, but also has to be thin and crisp. Somewhere between these recipes I’ll be able to find the crisp chocolate chip cookie of my dreams! My husband agrees, and as he was walking through the kitchen when I was writing this, his comment was they were Way (with a capital W) too sweet!

​Turkey Burger Patty Melts
Recipe courtesy of Guy Fieri
Show: Guy’s Big Bite, Episode: Salute to the Troops
On the Food Network
 
Prep: 25 minutes
Inactive time: 30 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 25 minutes
 
Yield: 4 servings
 
Ingredients
 
1 pound ground turkey
1 cups Panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon sage
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper, freshly cracked
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup butter, unsalted
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 red onion, sliced
1 yellow onion, sliced
8 pieces rye bread
8 pieces Gruyere
 
Directions
  1. In a large bowl, add the panko, milk, egg, sage, thyme and salt and pepper. Combine and let sit for a few minutes. Add in the turkey and combine well. Form into oblong patties (same size as the rye bread) Place on a parchment paper lined sheet pan and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.
  2. While burgers are resting, in a large sauté pan, heat 1/4 cup of the butter and 1 Tablespoon canola oil. Add onions and sauté 15 to 20 minutes or until nicely caramelized. Set aside, but keep warm.
  3. In the same pan as the onions sauteed, add 3 tablespoons canola oil and the mushrooms and sauté 6-8 minutes over medium high heat until softened. Set aside, but keep warm.
  4. Heat a griddle or cast-iron skillet to medium high heat, add 1 Tablespoon canola oil and spread evenly. Add in the turkey burgers and cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove from heat, cover and keep warm.
  5. Butter the rye bread and add to the pan, place the gruyere on bread, then place the turkey burgers on the cheese, pile with onions and the other piece of rye, repeat for all four burgers. After 2 to 3 minutes, turn sandwich over carefully and brown on other side. Remove to cutting board and cut on the diagonal. Serve with mustard and hot cherry peppers.
 
turkey_burger_patty_melts.pdf
File Size: 44 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


Thin, Crisp Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from “Pastry Love: A Baker's Journal of Favorite Recipes,”
by Joanne Chang
About 25 cookies
 
“I found the original recipe yielded a nice cookie but they were a little thicker than I was expecting and while delicious, the cookies weren't entirely crisp. If you want to stick to the original recipe, use 2 cups (280g) of flour. You do want to make sure you bake these cookies on the upper rack of the oven, so they don't get too dark on the bottoms before the tops are browned. And be sure to watch them like a hawk during the last few minutes of baking; the baking times are guidelines so check the cookies a few minutes before the listed baking times and remove the cookies from the oven at the moment when they're gently browned all the way across the top.
You can either buy superfine sugar (which is sometimes called Baker's sugar) or in French, it's sucre en poudre, or make it yourself by pulsing granulated sugar in a blender or food processor until the crystals are very fine, about half the size they originally were.
 
For best results, use good-quality chocolate chips. In the U.S., the extra-dark Guittard chips work well. In France (and in Europe), Cacao-Barry makes chocolate chips, although they're smaller than the larger American chips. (They're available at G. Detou in Paris.) Supermarket-style chocolate chips are formulated not to melt when baked, so they may be of interest to you if you like those slightly toothsome chunks of chips in your cookies, but you can use hand-chopped chocolate chunks, in place of them.” David Leibovitz
 

 
8 ounces (225g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) superfine sugar (see headnote)
1/2 cup (100g) firmly-packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
3 tablespoons (45g) water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups (245g) flour
1 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt or kosher salt (if using Morton's kosher salt, use 3/4 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups (280g, 10 ounces) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
 
1. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula in a bowl, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and creamy, about 5 minutes. 
2. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula, reaching down to the bottom of the mixer bowl. Beat in the egg, WATER, and vanilla. 
 
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add the chocolate chips, and toss in the flour mixture. With the mixer on low speed, stir in the flour and chocolate chip mixture until thoroughly combined. Cover the bowl (or transfer to a smaller container, and cover) and refrigerate the dough at least 3 to 4 hours, or overnight.
4. To bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the dough, formed in 1 1/4-inch (1/4 cup, 45g) balls on the baking sheet, spaced at least 3-inches (8cm) apart. (They will spread, so expect to get 5 or 6 on a standard baking sheet.) Press the cookies down slightly with your hand and bake until the cookies have spread and just until there are no light patches across the center, rotating the baking sheet(s) midway during baking so they bake evenly. They'll take about 13-14 minutes, but best to check the cookies a few minutes before and use the visual clues, rather than adhere to strict baking time, to get them just right.
 
5. Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.
 
Storage: The dough can be refrigerated up to four days, or frozen for up to three months. The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to three days but are best the day they are baked.
thin_crisp_chocolate_chip_cookies_by_david_lebovitz.pdf
File Size: 54 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Index
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.


    ​meet donna

    A former teacher, shop-a-holic, empty-nester redefining quick, family approved dinners.

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Blog
  • Recipes 2025
  • Recipes 2016-2024
  • Contact