Recipes from Yankee Pier Larkspur

Pastry Chef Patti Dellamonica-Bauler's Gingerbread Cookies

Makes 4-5 dozen cookies (varies by cookie size)

Ingredients
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 T + 1 tsp cinnamon
1T + 2 tsp ginger, ground
1 tsp clove, ground
1/4 tsp cardamom, ground
1/2 tsp nutmeg, ground
12 Oz butter, room temperature
2 tsp Kosher salt
1 cup Ginger Sugar (see recipe below)
1/2 cup + 2 T sugar
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 lemons, zest only
1 cup molasses
1 extra-large egg
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 tsp baking soda
1 T white corn syrup
1 T + tsp water
Cream Cheese Icing (recipe to follow)

Directions
Sift first 6 ingredients and set aside. Whisk eggs and buttermilk together and set aside. Place butter and salt in bowl of standing mixer, mix on low to smooth butter. Add ginger sugar and lemon zest and mix until smooth. Scrape down and add molasses, mix until smooth. Mix baking soda and water together and whisk into egg mixture. Then add to mixer in 2 additions, scraping in between and mixing until smooth. Add flour in 3 additions, scraping down in between. Remove bowl from mixer and wrap into 4 packages, roughly 2 inches thick. Regrigerate dough until firm enough to roll, preferably overnight. Roll cold dough out in batches to 1/4 inch thick. Refrigerate again before cutting. Brush cut cookies with a mixture of 1 part water to 1 part corn syrup. Bake at 350F degrees until center springs back when touched. Frost with cream cheese icing and top wtih ginger sugar. Or decorate however you like!

Ginger Sugar

Ingredients
1 pound sugar
1/2 pound sliced, candied ginger, chopped

Directions
Place sugar and ginger in bowl of food processor and grind until the mixture resembles sand.

Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients
1 pound cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 pound butter, soft
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 pounds sifted powdered sugar

Directions
Place cream cheese in mixer with paddle. Mix until smooth then add butter. Mix until smooth. In 2 dditions, crape down the mixer and add extracts. Begin adding sugar and scraping down as needed.

Watch Yankee Pier Larkspur chef August Schuchman prepare Steamed Manila Clams with Linguini

View Chef Schuchman demonstrating the preparation of Roasted Crab in Garlic Butter