Christmas Sweets

Cook 1

Cook 2 tackles some classic childhood recipes but for my post I thought I'd offer my experiences with finding some brand new Christmas cookie recipes to add to my repetoire.
As many Christmas seasons back as I can remember, my mom, a Jewish woman who married a Catholic, has baked a dizzying variety of totally delicious Christmas cookies. After a long day at work, she would rush home with bags of nuts, sugar and coconut, and set to work. On certain Saturday mornings in December, I would wake to the sound of frustrated muttering and the dull thud of metal on the countertop, and I would instantly know that my mom was making spritz cookies - and I would hide upstairs for awhile (sorry mom). This year I made my own spritz cookies and shared in her yearly annoyance with the hard-to-handle dough and the fickle spritz gun. I won't share the recipe here because I have not yet perfected a reliable technique for these delicious but finicky cookies.

This year I wanted to make my own cookies but did not know where to start. Generally speaking, I am a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas cookies, with a wish for spice, powdered sugar, and pretty design. The recipes that I will share with you below satisfied my desire for easy technique, delicious taste and authentic Christmas feeling - and I can call them my own and leave the fussy spritz cookies to my mother. Thanks Mom.

Dorie Greenspan's Chocolate Sparkler Cookies




These tender little cookies crumble almost to the touch, with a sandy texture, subtle chocolate flavor, and restrained amount of sugar. They are perfect gobbled up after lunch, dinner or as a snack. In my opinion, these are best with a cup of coffee at breakfast while imagining oneself as a visitor to an Ottoman court, tasting the exotic flavors of cinnamon and cocoa for the first time. Store separately from other cookies to keep the nuanced flavor and tender texture intact.

Adapted by SeriousEats from Desserts by Pierre Hermé by Pierre Hermé and Dorie Greenspan
- makes about 30 cookies

Ingredients
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of salt
2 1/2 sticks (10 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
Sugar, for coating

Procedure:

1. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon and salt together. Place the butter in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed to soften. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until the mixture is smooth and creamy, but not airy. Reduce the mixer speed to STIR and add the flour mixture, mixing only until the ingredients are just mixed. Absolutely do not overmix. As soon as the last of the flour is no longer visible, divide the dough in half, shape each half into a ball, wrap the balls in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

2. Working on a smooth surface, form each piece of dough into a log that's about 1 1/2 inches thick and 7 1/2 inches long. To get a solid log, one without the commonly found hole in the center, use the heel of your hand to gently flatten the dough, then flatten the dough lightly each time you fold it over on itself to make the log. Assured that the log is solid, you can roll it gently under your palms to smooth it out. Wrap the logs in plastic and chill for 1 to 2 hours. (The dough can be made to this point, wrapped airtight, and stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.)

3. Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk until it is smooth and liquid enough to use as a glaze. Spread some of the sugar out on a piece of wax paper.

4. Remove the logs of dough from the refrigerator, unwrap them and brush them very lightly with a small amount of the egg yolk. Roll the logs in the sugar, pressing the sugar gently to get it to stick, if necessary, then, using a sharp slender knife, slice each log into cookies 1/2-inch thick. I threw out the very ends for fear of burning them because my logs were uneven and the ends were much smaller than the rest of the log. Arrange the cookies on the baking sheets, leaving about an inch of space between each cookie, and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the pans front to back and top to bottom at the midway mark, until the cookies are just firm to the touch. Transfer the cookies to racks to cool to room temperature.

Keeping: The unbaked logs of dough can be frozen for up to 2 months, but once they're rolled in the sugar, they're unsuitable for freezing because the sugar will melt. Once the cookies are baked, they can be kept in an airtight tin at room temperature for 3 to 5 days.

Vanilla Kipferl

First of all, sorry for the crappy photography, the cookies are not tinted yellow - it's just my poor camera skillz. Similar to Russian Tea Cakes or Mexican Wedding Cookies, these vanilla kipferl have a dough composed of ground nuts, sugar and lots of butter. No egg (which means you can eat the dough raw without any guilt other than that of excessive caloric consumption). What sets this apart from other recipes is the luxurious coating of vanilla sugar after the cookies have come out of the oven. Fragranced with the sultry perfume of vanilla bean, these crescent shaped butter cookies melt on the tongue and are seductive in smell, shape, taste and texture. The hardest part of the recipe is the self-restraint needed to avoid eating all the buttery dough.

makes 57 cookies -Adapted from The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion.
Ingredients
For the dough:
7/8 cup (1 3/4 sticks, 7 ounces) unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (3 ounces) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups (7 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
Scant 2 1/3 cups (7 1/2 ounces) almond flour (ground almonds), preferably toasted
For the vanilla sugar
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) superfine or castor sugar
1/2 to 1 vanilla bean

Procedure
1. In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter, salt, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour and almond flour, stirring to make a cohesive dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.
3. Break off walnut-sized pieces of the dough, and roll them into short (about 2-inch) logs. Shape the logs into crescents, then gently press to flatten them slightly. Place the cookies on the prepared sheets.
4. Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, until they're a light golden brown. Remove them from the oven and let cool on the pan for 10 minutes.5. While the cookies are cooling, process the sugar and vanilla bean in a food processor or blender until the bean is thoroughly ground. Place the vanilla sugar in a shallow bowl. While the cookies are still warm, gently roll them in the vanilla sugar. Transfer them to a rack to cool completely.
Pre-baked cookies - not so pretty before their bath in vanilla sugar. But then doesn't everyone look better after being covered in sparkles and annointed with perfume?

Happy Holidays from A Tale of Two Kitchens!

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Cook 2
As Christmas grows near we want to share some of our favorite recipes to satisfy your holiday sweet tooth. We actually got together to make cookies 2 weeks ago, but were having so much fun catching up that we forgot to take pictures!

This year I made sugar cookies, chocolate covered pretzels, almond tuiles and chocolate balls. The pretzels are my go-to treat for holiday gifts (especially good for bringing to work--fast, cheap, yummy, and pretty enough, especially with the addition of some red and green sprinkles). My first attempt at tuiles was not very successful: the dough wasn't thin enough and was too sweet. But they were still delicious broken up over chocolate ice cream! I'll keep working and when I find a good recipe I'll post it.

My favorite family tradition (apart from decorating the Christmas tree while listening to Dr. Demento's Christmas album) is frosting cookies while watching Its a Wonderful Life or A Christmas Story. This year I took a more unique approach and watched that old Christmas classic, Twin Peaks...maybe that's why all of my cookies look a bit wacky!

My Family's Traditional Christmas Cookies
(Thanks for the recipe Mom...and for making them all these years and putting up with the overuse of sprinkles and undercooked cookies!)

3/4 cup Crisco shortening (I used butter instead)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Mix shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla thoroughly. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to shortening mixture. Chill at least 1 hour (I recommend over night).

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Roll dough 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured surface (don't worry about getting it too thin...it's easier to get the cookies off if they are thicker and I think they taste better). Cut with your favorite cookie cutters, holiday themed or not (the bunnies are my favorite). Bake 6-8 minutes or until cookies are a delicate golden color. Makes about 4 dozen.

Quick Cream Icing
Blend 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, 1/4 tsp vanilla, and enough cream, milk or half-and-half (2-3 tbsp) to make a thin icing that sets up after several minutes. Be sure to leave it slightly thicker if you're going to use food coloring.

New (to me) Chocolate Balls
(Thanks to Ed's mom for her mother's recipe...these were a great help in getting us through exam season!)

2 sticks margarine (I used butter)
1/2 lb graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups Angel Flake coconut
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 lb powdered sugar
1 large bag chocolate chips
1/2 bar paraffin (optional)

Dump everything except the chocolate chips into a bowl and mix thoroughly. Shape into balls. (Be sure to leave enough in the bowl for stressed-out boyfriend to clean). I recommend chilling them in the freezer for an hour. Melt chocolate chips and paraffin (the paraffin isn't necessary but will make the chocolate coating prettier...I skipped it this year) in a double boiler. Drop balls in chocolate and roll until covered. Place on wax paper to cool. Makes about 4 dozen.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Food of the Pilgrim's Pride

Cook 1


For me, Thanksgiving is all about pride. It's important to take a moment to recognize that we have all earned this day off - this day to relax and feast and drink and forget about work. I'm glad to have a day to take pride in my family, in my freedom as an American and in the delicious food that I helped prepare. Mostly, I'm proud that we are all still here, celebrating our perseverance, so many days after the Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving. Despite the wars, the economy, and the nagging fear that yes, humans really are that terrible, Americans are still taking a day at the end of November to cook some turkey and eat together.

But all seriousness aside, I am mighty proud of the food that my family and I put together this year. The turkey was brined and boy was it juicy. I used to hate turkey - or maybe I just hated the idea of a bland, brittle and dessicated piece of meat - but this year I changed my mind. Our bird was glossy and bold, as you can see in the picture above, and quite flavorful. My parents get all the credit for the turkey (my mom as chef de cuisine and my dad as the sous chef).
I'm now going to take you through a few highlights of our meal.

First up is a dish with which I have a love/hate relationship. These so-called 'Best Brussels Sprouts' take forever to make because of the intensive prep required (must finely dice carrots and bacon, quarter and core the sprouts, toast the pine nuts, etc.). Yet. YET. These are the finest sprouts in the land and I make them every year. Just fry up in a big skillet, 6 slices of bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces, then throw in the sprouts and minced teaspoon of garlic, the cup of carrots and the half cup of pine nuts and coat with the bacon grease. Let cook with the lid on for 5 or so minutes, until the sprouts are wilted but still green, shaking the pan every so often. Add parsley and voila!
And then there were the sweet potatoes with toasted marshmallows. And uh, I do mean sweet. But if you can't eat dessert during dinner at Thanksgiving, then when can you? I also love how unabashedly American this dish is. It screams, 'I'm here...I'm a formerly healthy vegetable covered in marshmallows...get used to it!'
The next dish is a new-comer to our table this year, but came highly recommended by a friend. Parker House Rolls, which originate from the historic Parker House Hotel in Boston, were easy to make and drew rave reviews. They were plenty buttery, but not overly dense like a brioche, nor overly light like a biscuit. The crumb was yeasty enough to absorb a good amount of gravy and best yet, the rolls were divine spread with some strawberry jam the next morning. I used the Gourmet recipe, found here.

We also had creamed spinach, homemade cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, cornbread and challah stuffing, gravy, mashed turnips and celeriac, and creamed onions and peas. For dessert there was chocolate cake, pumpkin pie, apple pie and pecan pie. I used the Cook's Illustrated vodka crust this year and I will never try another pie crust recipe again. Here's the link to this very trust-worthy recipe.
And with that, I'll turn the cursor over to Cook 2, who will give us a taste of her family's Thanksgiving.

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Cook 2

For me, Thanksgiving is all about family. Don't get me wrong--I love the food but with my sweet tooth I prefer Christmas cookies slathered with icing to the savory traditions of Thanksgiving. So I decided to make my post more of a collection of pictures without any recipes this time.

The big Thanksgiving lover in my family is my brother, David (you'll see his plate later). Last year I hosted my family in New York and when I suggested a non-traditional menu of roasted chicken and updated sides David wouldn't hear of it. So I measured my mini New York oven, my mom bought the smallest turkey she could find, and we had a delicious traditional feast. This year we were all in North Carolina (me, David, his (Canadian) girlfriend Kelley, our cousin Ben, and of course my parents) so my mom whipped up an impressive meal without even breaking a sweat. Remembering the chaos of preparing Thanksgiving dinner last year (even with my mom's help) I can't believe she's able to make it look so effortless!

This year I was very lucky and got to enjoy 2 Thanksgiving dinners, about 6 hours apart! First I ate with my family around 2, and then I joined my boyfriend's family and his sister's in-laws for dinner around 6. Needless to say I was stuffed and very glad I'd run a 5k that morning! Unfortunately I forgot to take my camera for the 2nd dinner, but it was absolutely beautiful (especially the southern coup de grace--orange jello cool whip salad! It kindof looks like this and tastes amazing). Enjoy the photo montage!

My dad, Ben and Kelley enjoying a lively game of Kings in the Corner waiting for dinner.

My mom carving the delicious turkey.

Infinite mini pumpkin muffins

David's 1st plate!

The menagerie: Charlie the cat, Bandit the shiba inu (with his back to the camera as usual) and Arne the terrier mix.

Soufflés Galore

Cook 1: My Soufflated Ambitions

I've always wondered why cheese souffle wasn't more popular. It seems like a dish that has a rustic coziness despite its French ethnicity, that would appeal to home cooks and hipster chefs alike. So this weekend when I set out to make this casserole of puffed egg and cheese, I counted on re-discovering a hidden gem. I would trumpet the re-capture of this lost treasure from the rooftops and the dish would be launched into a glorious renaissance.
But first I watched Julia Child's video on making cheese souffle, found here. It seemed really easy. I used her recipe and all her suggestions.

Because I was serving cheese gougeres (hot cheese puffs) before dinner, I needed the oven and left the vulnerable unbaked souffle, covered by a large pot(as approved by Julia Child), out on my kitchen counter while I tended to the gougeres. Reader, remember this.

(By the way, gougeres make a splendid hors d'ouevre. They have an air of fanciness to them, but they're downright easy to prepare. Serve them hot and with a glass of champagne or white wine.)

So back to the souffle. I popped it in the oven and dutifully waited by the door until the obligatory 25 minutes had passed. I also downed a couple of glasses of wine to ease my nerves and entertain my guests. Through the oven window I could see the souffle start puffing up, true to its name (souffler means 'to puff up' in French).
When the top was browned and airy, I pulled it out of the oven and it thanked me by immediately collapsing down like a cheap feather pillow. My worst fears were realized! Luckily my guests were too polite to say anything.


While the subtly spicy flavor and tender texture was very good, I missed the volume and pizazz that should accompany a properly puffed souffle. A souffle should sashay and bounce. Mine limped.
So what happened? Should I not have left it out on the counter? Maybe the dish was too large and the batter couldn't rise properly? I used an 8 cup capacity dish, but made a recipe that called for 6 cups. Maybe I didn't beat the eggs whites properly. I was afraid of over-beating so maybe they didn't achieve enough volume to begin with.
Will the souffle rise to glittering stardom as I had predicted? Probably not. There may be a reason why the cheese souffle was lost in the recipe books. It's kind of a pain in the ass to make (lots of steps, results are not guaranteed), it has to be timed precisely, and it's not a filling meal for the the amount of time invested in its production. I think my guests were still hungry, despite a large side salad of frisee, butter lettuce, toasted pecans, pear and lemon vinaigrette. I served brownies for dessert with some ice cream. All in all, a good dish, but not one I will make again soon.

Souffle au Fromage
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia Child

For 4 people

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and butter and coat in cheese the souffle dish:
6 cup souffle mold
1 tsp butter
1 T grated swiss or parmesan cheese

Souffle Base:
3 T butter
2 1/2 quart saucepan
3 T flour
wooden spatula or spoon
1 cup boiling milk
wire whisk
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
pinch nutmeg
4 egg yolks

Melt the butter in the saucepan. Stir in the flour with wooden spoon and cook over medium heat until butter and flour foam together, a total of 2 minutes. Don't brown the mixture. Remove from heat and when mixture has stopped bubbling, pour in all the boiling milk at once. Beat vigorously with a wire whip until blended. Beat in the seasonings. Return over moderately high heat and boil, stirring with the whisk, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and immediately beat in the eggs yolks, one at a time, beating furiously to combine. You can prepare the base to this point ahead of time. Dot the top with melted butter and set aside until you want to use it.

Egg Whites and Cheese:
5 egg whites (room temperature)
pinch salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3 ounces coarsely grated swiss or parmesan cheese

Beat egg whites in an unlined copper bowl or in an impeccably clean and dry aluminum/ceramic bowl. I used my stand mixer. Add the cream of tartar and salt and beat until stiff peaks form. You will know because the egg whites will just be able to stand up on their own when you lift the whisk from the bowl. Don't over-beat or the souffle will be dry. Stir a big spoonful of egg whites into the prepared base and all but a tablespoon of the cheese. Delicately fold in the rest of the egg whites. If you don't know how to fold in egg whites, check out this video.

Baking:
Turn the souffle mixture into the prepared mold, which should be almost three quarters full (mine wasn't, probably a fatal error). Tap the bottom of the mold lightly on the table and smooth the surface of the souffle with the flat of a knife. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Set on a rack in middle of preheated oven and immediately turn heat down to 375. Do not open door for 20 minutes. In 25-30 minutes the souffle will have puffed about 2 inches over the rim of the mold, and the top will be nicely browned. Bake 4-5 minutes more to firm it up and serve at once.

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Cook 2: Roasted Garlic Souffle


I was really excited about this project--I've never made souffle before and I was definitely a bit intimidated. At my boyfriend's suggestion I watched the Good Eats souffle episode (available on youtube) and it was incredibly helpful! In the episode Alton makes a basic cheese souffle, so I just followed most of his instructions but used roasted garlic for the flavoring instead of cheese. I was really worried that something would go wrong and it wouldn't rise but after about 15 minutes in the oven I could see little peaks sticking up over the edge and knew that it was working! This turned out to be much simpler than I ever expected, and definitely a dish that will be added to my repertoire.

Roasted Garlic Souffle
Adapted from Alton Brown's Cheese Souffle

Ingredients:
1 tbsp ground parmesan
1 head garlic, roasted and chopped in the food processor
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
pinch of salt
1 1/2 c milk, heated
4 egg yolks
5 egg whites
1 tbsp water
1/8 tsp cream of tartar

1. Before you start anything set the oven to 375. The oven needs to preheat and then stay on for another 15-20 minutes to heat up the walls so that all of the hot air doesn't escape when you open the door to put the souffle in.
2. Butter your souffle dish and coat with ground (I just used the smallest grate possible) parmesan. Put dish in freezer.
3. Make a roux: melt butter over medium heat, then add flour and salt and whisk for 2 minutes over low heat.
4. Stir in heated milk and bring to a boil.
5. Whisk egg yolks until light yellow and creamy. Turn off heat and temper egg yolks with milk mixture (bechemel) by adding a small amount of bechemel at a time and whisking well to combine. Add a tbsp at a time 3 or 4 times and then dump the eggs into the bechemel and combine well. Set aside to cool (this needs to come to room temperature before being combined with the egg whites).
6. Beat egg whites, water and cream of tartar to stiff peaks.
7. Stir 1/4 of egg whites into yolk mixture. Then fold in the rest a third at a time, being as gentle as possible. It's ok if there are some white streaks.
8. Pour into souffle dish. Smooth the top and run your thumb around the edge to help the souffle rise straight.
9. Cook for 35 minutes without opening the oven door. As tempting as it may be, do not open the door until the timer has gone off or the souffle will fall. I just left the light on and stared at it the whole time. Test with a knife to make sure its ready (firm at the top but still somewhat gooey at the bottom).
10. Attempt to serve as best you can (we ended up with globs of souffle but it still tasted delicious) and enjoy!

I served this with oven roasted asparagus (roasted in the toaster oven).

A Trip to the Market

Cook 1: An Old Friend

Fall is a time of renewal. Although I haven't felt that nervous twist in my stomach thinking about the first day of school in several years now, I still enjoy the way Fall teases us. We know that Winter is coming when the leaves turn ochre and waft to the sidewalk, when our shadows grow long in the early morning, and when the air smells of spicy wood smoke. Rather than heed these warnings of the colder, darker season lurking around the corner, we delight in the promise of a new school year, soft new sweaters, enjoying the company of neglected friends now that busy summer schedules are winding down and...oh yes - the food! Fall, that tease, brings frost but he also brings our favorite foods and the knowing wink that it's time once again to bring out the traditional automanal spices, full force. I don't know about you, but I don't feel quite right using cinammon and nutmeg or baking off a butternut squash in April. I know I'm allowed, but I just don't think Fall would approve. Below is a recipe that celebrates the return of Fall and the promise of more cold weather recipes...and more cold weather.

I saw this recipe for restaurant-style pork chops in the New York Times Magazine section a few weeks ago and it looked too good to pass up. I made a few modifications, which is what I've posted below. I served the pork chops with an arugula salad dressed in a snappy lemon vinaigrette to cut the unctuousness of the pork and smashed butternut squash to underscore those Fall flavors.

Serves 4, Time: about 1 hour start to finish

Ingredients:

3/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup pecans
4 (1 1/4-inch thick) pork chops
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 green apples, cored
1 lb butternut squash, peeled, cored and cubed

4 cups arugula

juice of 1 lemon

1. Toss the butternut squash in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 350 degrees for about half an hour, until soft. Pull from oven and roughly mash in a medium bowl. Cover and set aside.

2. In the meantime, whisk together the syrup, vinegar, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

3. Place a small pan over medium heat, add the pecans and about 2 tablespoons of the maple-syrup sauce and cook for a few minutes, until the nuts are glazed. Transfer the nuts to a plate covered in parchment paper and spread them out to cool. Transfer the cooled nuts to a cutting board, chop roughly and set aside.

4. Season the pork chops generously with salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil. Turn on the overhead exhaust fan. When the broiler is hot, broil the pork for approximately 7 minutes per side. Brush with some of the remaining maple glaze every 2 or 3 minutes, turning them frequently to prevent the sugar from burning.

5. When the chops are cooked, remove from the broiler and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving. Meanwhile, slice the cored apples into thick rounds, drizzle with olive oil, season lightly with salt and pepper and place on the broiler pan or grill until tender when pierced with a fork. These, too, should be brushed with the maple glaze and turned frequently.

6. While the meat is resting, add the juice of one lemon and a good glug of olive oil to a medium bowl, along with salt and pepper. Whisk furiously and add the arugula. Toss to coat the leaves.

7. Top the chops with the apple slices and chopped pecans.

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Cook 2: The Best Salmon Dish Ever


This post was supposed to be about fresh fall finds at the market, but when I saw the fish counter all thought of squash and greens went out of my head and were immediately replaced by 3 words: salmon en papillote. This is the dish that got me eating salmon on an (almost) weekly basis last year and since the fish selection at the local grocery stores here is basically nonexistent I jumped at the chance. This dish is great for many reasons:

1) There are only 5 ingredients
2) It's baked in parchment (or foil...I forgot I hadn't bought parchment yet) so there are no dishes to clean up
3) It's incredibly delicious, easy and fast

Salmon en papillote (in parchment)

Ingredients:
salmon (we got about .8lb for 2 people (1 large, 1 medium) and had enough)
lemon
parsley
onion
white wine/vermouth
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Slice 5 very thin slices of onion, 10 very thin slices of lemon, and pull off a handful of parsley.
3. Pull out about 20 inches of parchment paper and fold it in half. Now make a heart like you did when you made valentines when you were a kid. It doesn't have to be pretty, at it's best if the top is elongated. Unfold the heart.
4. Stack the ingredients in the middle of one side of the heart: parsley, onion, half of the lemons, salmon, salt and pepper, lemons (see picture above). The stack should point towards the curve.
5. Lay the other half of the heart on top of the salmon and begin folding the edges at the bottom. The goal is to completely seal the fish so that it steams. Again this doesn't have to be pretty, and especially with parchment its always handy to have a stapler around for extra reinforcement. Stop when you have about 2 inches left at the top.
6. Pour a dash of wine or vermouth in the hole and seal up the rest of the way.
7. Place the packet on a baking tray and bake for 15-20-25 minutes. I find that the time varies widely so I start checking the firmness of the fish at around 15 minutes.
8. Remove from oven, rip open in a dramatic fashion and enjoy!

I served this with oven roasted potatoes and a green salad.