Storied Snacks to Warm The Moth's Office

My friends at The Moth moved into a new office in 2017. I was all to happy to help warm it up with lots of bite-sized snacks. We were expecting over 200 people and wanted to reduce the use of utensils or messy foods. The team and I had an excellent time dancing to Rihanna, “Work work work work work,” as she says.

The Moth's office warming menu
CRUDITES miso hummus, labneh CHEESE PLATTER Sliced baguette, crackers, jam	MEAT PLATTER Prosciutto, bresaola, speck, chorizo PULLED PORK sliders HAND PIES Beef stew Herbed chicken Vegetable

Need to warm your home or office? I’m planning events in Oakland and Brooklyn.

A Vegetarian Table: Caramelized Onion and Stilton Galette

My trick for caramelized onions is to cut them up and throw them into a slow cooker overnight with a stick of butter. You get a bunch of broth out of it, too! Once drained, I was able to make the filling for this galette with dots of blue cheese.

Using a store-bought pie crust, I rolled it out onto a large, floured cutting board. Then I spread the cooled onion across the whole thing.  Fold 2" sections of the edges toward the center. I brushed the crust with a beaten egg before popping it into a 450 degree F oven for 10 to 12 minutes..

I’m still not very good with pastry, so the folds cracked and it was pretty hard to transfer between baking sheet and plate but it tasted great with a dollop of pickled mustard seeds. If only I had some creme fraiche!

Do you have pastry secrets that will help me avoid disaster next time? Let me know by tweeting to @Randwiches.

This dish is from my "A Vegetarian Table" menu.

St. Patrick's Day Brunch: Green Gradient Cookies

I love me a dang rainbow cookie. But who says you have to use all of the colors? My favorite color happens to be a light, muted shade of green, so it was perfect that my friend Sam wanted to come over and bake! We used this Bon Appetit recipe for ombre rainbow cookies as a jump off point.

Firstly, Sam made the batter with almond paste. Then she divided into two. One bowl got more green food coloring than the other and then they were transfer to lined baking sheets.

Our cakes were baked and turned out onto a cutting board. Sam slathered the light green layer with apricot jam and then carefully placed the dark green layer on top. We let it cool before slicing up into small cubes.

Aren't they cute? Let them sit out at room temperature for a couple hours if you don't like them so cakey and more like a cookie. Fun fact: you can toast them until they are crunchy to make biscotti!

I'm terrible at baking! If you want to trade meats for baked good, I'm happy to shoot photos of your delicious treats in my kitchen.

Incredibly Easy No-Slice #PiDay Hamb Pies

I already drag my feet about baking, so what's the absolute laziest thing I can do for Pi Day? Pre-made, pre-portioned hand pies! Store bought pie crust plus a punchy ground beef and cheese filling make for an easy snack to store in the freezer for an after school / work snack.

Help yourself to these hamburger pockets!

Things you'll need:
2 14" circular pie crusts 1 pound ground beef 1/2 cup shredded cheese 1 shallot 1 tsp paprika	1 tsp fish sauce 1 tbl mustard 1 egg Sesame seeds Ketchup for dipping

Defrost the pie crusts completely before unrolling them onto a cutting board.

Grate the shallot and combine with the beef.

Sautè the beef in a dry pan until completely browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Break it up into as small granules as you can with a spoon. Drain off the beef fat (save for a broth or gravy!).

Continue to cook the beef and add the paprika, fish sauce and mustard. Once mixed, remove from heat and let it cool.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Cut the pie crusts into quarters, you should have eight triangles.

Add two to three tablespoons of beef on half of every pie and a sprinkle of cheese on top of it. Fold it over and crimp the two open edges with a fork.

Whisk the egg in a small bowl with a splash of water and a pinch of salt. Brush all the pies with the egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the pies are golden brown.

***

Love it? Try it with different savory fillings!

I want to see your hamb pies. Tag @Randwiches on Instagram or Twitter to show yours off.