Caramel-stuffed chocolate chip cookies

It’s the week after Halloween, and you may be wondering why you would need a dessert recipe. Think of it as a way of reducing the amount of candy floating around your home. Alternatively, this recipe could go into your holiday planning file.

This recipe was created with caramel-filled chocolate candies, but you definitely could make a substitution. Peanut butter-filled candies, Hershey’s kisses, or other small chocolate candies could be used as the filling for this recipe. Take a peek in your candy stash, and see what you could use.

These cookies store well. I have made batches that were shipped cross country and weren’t eaten until a week after baking and were still as delicious as the day they were made. So, as you start to think about your holiday baking, these could be a perfect choice. Make them in advance of gatherings or cookie exchanges, and know that you will have cookies ready when you need them!

Note: I have always used muffin tin liners when making these. Greasing the pan will work, but it is definitely a distant second choice for me.

Caramel stuffed chocolate chip cookies
Makes 48

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup mini chocolate chips
48 chocolate-covered caramels, unwrapped

In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugars.
Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated.
Stir in vanilla.
Add salt, baking powder and flour, mixing until blended.
Add chocolate chips, stirring until combined.
Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
After 2 hours, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a mini muffin pan with liners, or grease each cup.
Place a heaping teaspoon of dough into each cup.
Bake for 10 minutes or until golden.
Place tray on wire rack and push one caramel candy into each cookie.
Cool for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies from muffin pan to cooling rack.
Store in a resealable container once fully cooled.

Featured Photo: Caramel-stuffed chocolate chip cookies. Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.

In the kitchen with Sergio Metes

Sergio Metes is the executive chef of Luna Bistro (254 N. Broadway, Salem, 458-2162, luna-bistro.com), a tapas and wine bar that opened in Salem’s Breckenridge Plaza on North Broadway in June. A New Hampshire native, Metes got his start in the restaurant industry working in southern Florida under acclaimed chef Mennan Tekeli. Much of his practice combines Central and South American cuisine with some American or Spanish influences. Prior to joining the team at Luna Bistro, Metes worked at several local restaurants as a chef or consultant, including the former Unum’s in Nashua, which was known for its eclectic New American cuisine. He has also had culinary stints all over the Seacoast of New Hampshire and in southern Maine. Best-selling items at Luna Bistro include the cola-braised short rib tacos, the truffle fries, the crab cakes and the artichoke dip. The eatery is also a popular spot in town for its lounge seating, live music and comedy shows.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

I have to have very sharp knives. … It makes everything fast and accurate, and you’re able to really maximize your time-efficiency.

What would you have for your last meal?

I would have some really nice traditional Peruvian-style ceviche. It’s just a beautiful, tasty and wonderful thing to have … and for me, there are some memories associated with it as well.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

I really enjoy The Birch on Elm [in Manchester]. … They’re under construction right now, but I’m looking forward to when they’ll reopen soon.

What celebrity would you like to see eating at Luna Bistro?

You know who I really enjoy is Bradley Cooper. Something about him just says to me that this would be a really funny guy to talk to and socialize with. … He reminds me in a way of a brother-in-law, just [because of] his mannerisms, and my brother-in-law is a fun guy.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

The one that I enjoy the most, I would say, is the cioppino. It’s basically a dish that consists of a little seafood broth, and then I add some arrabbiata sauce, which is a spicy tomato-based sauce, and some shrimp and mussels, and then just basically let them do their magic in the broth. … We serve it with a grilled lemon and a couple of grilled crostinis and some scallions, and it’s just a very comfortable, enjoyable dish to have.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?

I’ve noticed a lot of places … [that are] bringing that rustic feeling into restaurants, and then just more local flavors … from farms in the area.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

I like to make coq au vin. … It’s basically chicken that has been braised and cooked in red wine with some aromatics in there. I like making that because the chicken gets really tender and it has this really nice flavor from the wine. I’ll have it normally with either some risotto or rice, or some roasted or boiled potatoes.

Cioppino (seafood stew)
From the kitchen of Sergio Metes of Luna Bistro in Salem

2 cups seafood broth
Mussels
Scallops
Shrimp
¼ cup white wine
1 Tablespoon basil chiffonade
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
2 roma tomatoes, cut into quarters
¼ cup to ½ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper as needed

Cook the garlic on medium heat for two minutes. Add the mussels, scallops, shrimp, wine and tomatoes. Allow to simmer for two to four minutes. Add seafood broth and basil. Cover for about four to five minutes, until the mussels are open and the shrimp is fully cooked (scallops can be added as preferred to achieve the desired level of doneness). A touch of fresh-squeezed lemon and crusty bread for dipping are recommended.

Featured photo: Sergio Metes of Luna Bistro in Salem. Courtesy photo.

Soup’s on

Bouillon Bistro now open in Milford

Scratch-made artisan soups, chowders and stews are the stars of the menu at Bouillon Bistro — formerly known as Wicked Pissah Chowdah, the eatery has found a new home on the Milford Oval, where it held a grand opening Oct. 7 just in time for the town’s Pumpkin Festival weekend.

Co-owner Sue Poulin left her corporate career to purchase Wicked Pissah Chowdah, at the time located on South Street just off the Oval, from founder Ellen Muckstadt in June 2020. Poulin and business partner Lisa Gamache have also since opened a second location in Townsend, Mass.

Bouillon Bistro is unique for featuring a different lineup of around six to eight home-cooked soups every single day, with a total of 35 to 40 rotating soups available any given week. By Monday, the new menu for the upcoming week is posted to the website and on social media.

“There’s a lot that goes into it. The process starts at around 8, 8:30 in the morning … and then by about 10 or 10:15, everything is nice and percolating,” Poulin said. “We open the doors at 11, so we like to let the soups sit in the cauldron for 40 minutes or so to let the flavors do their thing.”

Hot soups are then served straight out of the pot from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. (or, for the really popular soups, whenever they sell out — Poulin said it’s not uncommon for some soups to not make it past the lunchtime hour). A cooling process begins at 2:30 p.m. for the leftover batches.

“Whatever is left, we put them in an ice bath, bring the temperatures down and then we package them in pints and quarts to go in the cooler. Then we’re open until 6 for cold takeout,” Poulin said. “[They are] good for up to a week in the refrigerator, or up to a year in the freezer.”

Saturdays are when Bouillon Bistro will serve what Poulin calls a “wild card” lineup of soups, or options based on whatever excess inventory or ingredients they’ll find themselves with.

Since taking over the business, Poulin estimates amassing around 120 different soup recipes. They’ll often run the gamut from traditional offerings like beef stew, corn chowder, broccoli cheddar soup and New England-style seafood chowder to more unique soups, like a Mexican-inspired chicken tortilla soup, a cheeseburger soup with ground beef, shredded carrots, diced celery and potatoes, a Buffalo chicken soup, a creamy sausage tortellini soup and more.

In addition to the soups, the eatery offers bread, bagged crackers and a small menu of paninis.

“I really want to be known for the soups, and going forward we’ll be doing different sides just to accompany the soups,” Poulin said, “Each one would have a fun side.”

Poulin said that, like at its South Street predecessor, the plan is for Bouillon Bistro to temporarily close just before Memorial Day and reopen Labor Day weekend.

Bouillon Bistro of Milford
Where: 123 Union Square, Milford
Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed on Sundays and Mondays.
More info: Visit bouillonbistro.com, find them on Facebook and Instagram or call 213-5443

Featured photo: Sausage and gnocchi soup. Photo courtesy of Bouillon Bistro of Milford.

Winter is brewing

Oktoberfest, ski and snowboard sale return to Pats Peak

Just ahead of its season kickoff, Pats Peak Ski Area in Henniker is inviting you to the slopes for two concurrent annual events to celebrate — a ski and snowboard sale inside its main lodge, and an outdoor German food festival and beer garden, complete with live music, a magic show, a stein holding contest, keg bowling, demonstrations and more. It’s all happening on Sunday, Nov. 6, at 11 a.m. and is free to attend, regardless of whether or not you’re a Pats Peak passholder.

“There’s a lot going on, and you can come and shop at the sale and stay for the Oktoberfest, see all your friends and get ready for winter,” said Lori Rowell, Pats Peak’s director of marketing and sales. “The food and the band are all outside underneath a big tent in front of the main lodge, [and] the Oktoberfest goes from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., while the sale goes from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.”

According to Rowell, Pats Peak’s in-house kitchen team — led by longtime head chef Guy Pelletier — prepares all of the dishes featured at the German food festival. Options will include knockwurst or bratwurst, steamed in beer and served on 6-inch sub rolls with sauerkraut and grilled onions. You’ll also be able to order a plate of pork schnitzel with mushroom gravy and sides like hot German potato salad, braised red cabbage with baked apple, and a warm soft jumbo pretzel. Kids’ hot dogs and chicken fingers will be available as well.

For those with a sweet tooth there will be apple crisp with your choice of ice cream or whipped cream (or both) and, of course, Pats Peak’s famous home-baked giant M&M cookies.

“The cookies started back in the early ’60s, [when] the owners’ wives used to be the cooks in the kitchen,” Rowell said. “They made chocolate chip cookies at first, and then someone said, ‘Oh, let’s put M&Ms in them.’ So then they would just make them bigger and bigger, and now they’re so big, they’re like the size of your face. … We can only fit six of them on one big sheet pan. I think the chef said we sell something like 20,000 of them a season.”

The beer tent, meanwhile, is sponsored by Harpoon Brewery and will include many of its seasonal selections, from its Oktoberfest to its Flannel Friday and Rec. League brews.

The Massachusetts-based Bavarian Brothers band is scheduled to perform traditional Oktoberfest party music for the duration of the festival. Rowell added that, between the band’s breaks, there will be a series of three magic shows with Marko the Master Magician and Hypnotist.

A beer stein holding contest is also planned, with signups available on the day of the event. An Oktoberfest tradition that’s also now a competitive sport, the contest challenges you to hold a beer-filled stein out in front of your body with one hand for as long as possible.

“There’s also going to be bounce houses for the kids, a woodsman show … and an ax throwing trailer,” Rowell said. “This year we also have a new event called McDonny’s Traveling Farm. It’s a petting farm with chickens, ducks, bunnies and goats.”

As for the ski and snowboard sale, Rowell said that’s put on by the Pats Peak Ski Team, a nonprofit alpine race program that gives kids the opportunity to participate in race training exercises and competitions throughout New England, mostly in New Hampshire and Vermont.

While it does largely depend on the weather, Pats Peak’s projected season runs from the first Saturday of December through the last Sunday of March. Rowell said that Jan. 5 will mark the 60th anniversary of skiing at the slopes.

“Our plan is to start making snow in the middle of November, and if we have favorable snowmaking and enough snow, we’ll open,” she said.

Oktoberfest/ski and snowboard sale
When: Sunday, Nov. 6 (Oktoberfest is from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; ski and snowboard sale is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
Where: Pats Peak Ski Area, 686 Flanders Road, Henniker
Cost: Free admission; food and beers are priced per item
Visit: patspeak.com
Oktoberfest is rain or shine. Anyone who wishes to sell their own skiing or snowboarding equipment must drop it off between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5, and fill out a consignor form online at patspeakracing.org.

Featured photo: Photos courtesy of Pats Peak Ski Area in Henniker.

The Weekly Dish 22/11/03

News from the local food scene

• Seniors Thanksgiving luncheon: The Salvation Army’s Northern New England Division is inviting seniors from Manchester and Bedford to attend its annual Thanksgiving luncheon on Thursday, Nov. 17, at 11:30 a.m., to be held at its community center (121 Cedar St., Manchester). Entertainment will be provided by The Sunshiners. Reservations for the luncheon are being accepted now through Nov. 10. Call 627-7013 for more details.

• Get your Greek feast: Join Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (68 N. State St., Concord) for its next boxed Greek dinner to go, a drive-thru takeout event, on Sunday, Nov. 13, from noon to 1 p.m. Now through Wednesday, Nov. 9, orders are being accepted for boxed meals featuring dinners of Greek stuffed peppers, rice, a Greek salad and a roll for $20 per person. The event is drive-thru and takeout only — email ordermygreekfood@gmail.com or call 953-3051 to place your order. The church is also planning a similar takeout and pickup meal on Dec. 11, featuring cheese pitas with a Greek vegetable medley. Visit holytrinitynh.org.

• Bon appétit: The Franco-American Centre presents “Holiday Food Traditions of Franco-Americans,” a free lecture to be held at the Dana Center for the Humanities (Saint Anselm College, 100 St. Anselm Drive, Manchester) on Thursday, Nov. 3, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. According to the Franco-American Centre’s newsletter, the event will feature a panel of avid cooks who will explore Quebec’s traditional and recent contributions to holiday fare, from tourtière (pork pie) to crêpes and tarte au sucre (sugar pie). Panelists will include Renée McMaster, owner of the HotMess Poutine food truck; and Nathalie Hirte, office manager of the Franco-American Centre and host of Franco Foods, a how-to YouTube series on French-inspired recipes that her son Oskar directs and produces — both McMaster and Hirte are natives of Quebec. According to the newsletter, this event is part of the New Hampshire Institute for Franco-American Studies’ lecture series. Visit facnh.com.

• Backyard brews: Get your tickets now before they’re gone to the fourth annual Backyard Winterfest, happening at Backyard Brewery & Kitchen (1211 S. Mammoth Road, Manchester) on Friday, Dec. 2, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. A 21+-only event, Backyard Winterfest brings together craft breweries from Derry, Londonderry and Manchester for a night of pouring and sampling. Backyard Winterfest is an outdoor event, so dress accordingly. Tickets are $30 per person and include access to all the beer being poured throughout the evening, as well as a 4-ounce tasting glass. Visit backyardbrewerynh.com.

On The Job – Sally Pendleton

Physical therapist specializing in dry needling

Sally Pendleton is a Physical Therapist certified and specializing in dry needling, a technique used to treat muscle pain and improve muscle function. She serves patients in southern New Hampshire through her privately owned mobile practice, Dry Needling Delivered.

Explain your job and what it entails.

My job is treating people for muscle pain with dry needling in the comfort of their own homes. Dry needling is an effective technique that uses very small needles without any medication to help relieve pain such as muscle spasms, strains, repetitive injuries and headaches, among other injuries. Dry needling offers an alternative treatment option for pain relief and improved muscle movement. Unlike acupuncture, dry needling focuses on releasing trigger points in the muscle.

How long have you had this job?

I have been the owner of Dry Needling Delivered since April of 2021.

What led you to this career field and your current job?

I had been a physical therapist for 28 years working in outpatient clinics. I had seen how well dry needling worked for patients, so I wanted to take the course to be able to offer this service to help relieve pain for my patients.

What kind of education or training did you need?

The course is offered to medical professionals who already have a background in anatomy. It was an extensive three-day course to be able to perform dry needling as a physical therapist.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

Typically I will wear business casual attire as I want to look professional but also be comfortable carrying my treatment table into people’s homes and performing the dry needling treatment.

How has your job changed over the course of the pandemic?

I started Dry Needling Delivered after I got laid off from my job as an outpatient physical therapist due to the pandemic. I had considered doing dry needling as a business before that, and getting laid off made me want to take more control of my situation. It also gave me time to plan and implement my business model.

What do you wish you had known at the beginning of your career?

At the beginning of my career as a physical therapist, I wish I had known that I had the fortitude to create my own business with confidence to be able to offer this service.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

I would like other people to know how great the benefits of dry needling are so I can help as many people as possible.

What was the first job you ever had?

My first job was at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center back when it was Memorial Hospital in 1994.

What is the best piece of work-related advice you have ever received?

The best work-related advice that I have received is to look at the patient as a whole person — spirit, mind and body — rather than just focusing on the injury itself.

Five favorites

Favorite book: I don’t have any particular favorite — anything I can read while sitting on the beach.
Favorite movie: The Shawshank Redemption
Favorite music: Anything by James Taylor and Van Morrison
Favorite food: Who can pick just one? I do love savory foods for sure.
Favorite thing about NH: The friendly people, beaches and fall foliage

Featured photo: Sally Pendleton. Courtesy photo.

Stay in the loop!

Get FREE weekly briefs on local food, music,

arts, and more across southern New Hampshire!