Every week, Express-News Taste writer Paul Stephen cooks several recipes for his job — often creating his own in the process. Cooking with Paul chronicles what he learned each week from that process. Enjoy!
A balanced diet, it has been said, is a cookie in both hands. Well, this week we’ve got fistfuls of the things.
Girl Scout Cookies have started their annual infiltration of homes, offices, churches and just about every other venue around South Texas. For this week’s Taste centerpiece, I transformed those treats into a quartet of recipes — including a twist on the classic German braised beef dish sauerbraten, which traditionally uses crushed gingersnaps to thicken a sweet-and-sour gravy.
Now, as a person who never was a Girl Scout and never raised a Girl Scout of his own, I confess ignorance of the arcane rites governing the sales of these confections. Fortunately, this week taught be a lesson or two.
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Most importantly, I’m no longer at the mercy of colleagues or randomly stumbling on a cookie booth set up outside a grocery store to secure my sugary stash. If you’re jonesing, swing by girlscouts.org. There’s a searchable database listing every table, stall or booth selling the cookies (they cost $4 per box) that can be filtered by distance and date.
While I was on their website, I took a deep dive into the cookie FAQ and took away a few inspiring tidbits that helped assuaged my indulgence guilt.
Girl Scout Cookies use ethically sourced cocoa made without child or slave labor. They’re both kosher and halal to appeal to cookie junkies of all faiths. The bakeries producing the cookies make an annual report to the Girl Scouts regarding their environmental sustainability and social responsibility initiatives.
On ExpressNews.com: 5 wheat-alternative flours and how to use them
As for enjoying the things, I did stumble on one dangerous revelation: Thin Mints, which are already perfect, are even better once frozen. I used half a box recipe and tucked the other sleeve of cookies in the freezer to enjoy later — in this case less than 24 hours, and who has time to let them thaw? Now I’m out of Thin Mints again, but at least I know where to buy more on a whim.
One last note on the cookie bonanza: The Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas have partnered with a number of San Antonio-area restaurants and bars for an event called Girl Scout Cookie Flavor Fest that will run Feb. 24 through March 1.
Participating venues will serve up fun dishes and drinks inspired by Girl Scout Cookies. Martinis rimmed with crushed Thin Mints, Tagalongs in an ice cream cake, Do-Si-Dos in a fudgy brownie, you get the idea. For the full list of participating venues and their menu items, head to girlscoutcookieflavorfest.org.
Recipe: Dulce de Leche Bars with Samoas Girl Scout Cookies
Recipe: Lemon Pudding with Lemonades Girl Scout Cookies
Recipe: Sauerbraten (German sweet-and-sour beef) with Girl Scout Cookies Shortbread Gravy
Recipe: Rice Krispies Treats with Girl Scout Cookies Thin Mints
Paul Stephen is a food and drink reporter and restaurant critic in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | pstephen@express-news.net | Twitter: @pjbites | Instagram: @pjstephen
https://www.expressnews.com/food/recipes-cooking/article/Cooking-with-Paul-Lessons-learned-from-cooking-15074336.php
2020-02-22 10:00:00Z
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