I wanted to put reindeer antlers on Pancha but thought of it too late. This is our solution. We're off to beautiful Colorado for the holidays. Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas
I wanted to put reindeer antlers on Pancha but thought of it too late. This is our solution. We're off to beautiful Colorado for the holidays. Merry Christmas!
Pure Dessert
I've said it before, but I'm in awe of Alice Medrich. She was an early chocolate evangelist in the Bay Area, who brought us luscious desserts and truffles, inspired by what she had tasted and learned in France. Over the past few years she has written several terrific and award-winning books on chocolate including Bittersweet, Chocolate and the Art of Low-Fat Desserts, and Chocolate Holidays.
Her latest book is a bit of a departure, it's not just about chocolate, but an exploration into the world of high quality ingredients. The chapters in Pure Dessert are focused on the flavors of Milk, Grain, Nuts and Seeds, Fruit, Chocolate, Honey and Sugar, Herbs and Spices, Flowers and Herbs, and Wine, Beer and Spirits. Intriguing, don't you think?
In each chapter is a discussion of the ingredients, the flavors and where they can take you. Best of all are the recipes, which are very simple, in part to highlight flavors and not confuse your palate. It's a celebration of the nuances that contribute to the flavors we love. Medrich is a true perfectionist with an almost scientific like approach, so you are unlikely to ever have trouble with one of her recipes. In this season of too much frosting, sprinkles and fluff, this book is refreshing. Recipes include, Cardamom Roasted Figs, Corn Tuiles with Salt and Pepper, Blackberry Buttermilk Sherbet, Hazelnut Whole Wheat Sables, White Chocolate Souffle Cakes with Chocolate Orange Sauce, and Guinness Ice Cream.
Today meet Alice Medrich at a book signing and dessert tasting(!) from noon until 2 at Fog City News
Fog City News
455 Market Street @ Fremont St
San Francisco
415.543.7400
An interlude, or what happens when she digs in her archives
Last week I was tagged—not once, but twice—for the 23rd-post-5th-sentence meme, a nifty little game that would have me dig into my archives, find my 23rd post, pull out its fifth sentence, and analyze its meaning. Now, clearly, the universe wants to see me complete this task, and so, we’re off.A bit of perusal reveals that my 23rd post is a report on the 2004 Knight family lamb roast, opening
What is Natural poultry anyway?
Last week there was a flurry of comments about a post in which my Thanksgiving expert Rick Rodgers mentioned "natural" in regard to poultry. Coincidentally while shopping for chicken I had someone ask me if natural was the same as organic. I gave her the short answer, which was "no". But there's a lot more to it than that. Even reading the labels can be confusing.
Natural, according to the dictionary, means functioning or occurring in a normal way or existing in or produced by nature; not artificial or imitation. But when it comes to chicken and for that matter turkey, natural isn't what you might think. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture the label "natural" means the food contains no hormones, antibiotics or artificial ingredients and is "minimally" processed. But that doesn't prohibit processors from adding sodium, carrageenan and broth or water to the bird. Perhaps those aren't artificial ingredients, but neither are they naturally occurring in poultry at least not in the quantities that end up in the bird.
In fact, up to 15 percent of the weight of the chicken can be an injected solution of those aforementioned ingredients. The salt and broth may make the bird taste better, but it's not great for those on a low-sodium diet. According to the Truthful Labeling Coalition, the sodium added is up to 822% greater than the amount that exists in natural chicken and one single serving can contain over 25% of the recommended daily allowance of sodium for a healthy adult. Plus you pay extra for a salt and broth injected bird.
I don't know about you, but I don't want "enhanced" chicken. I want to buy the minimally processed bird that Rick Rodgers recommended and I'll enhance it myself. It just turns out it might not be the one labeled "natural". I also think everyone should know just what has been added to the bird before they buy it. Last month quite a few members of congress agreed and sent a letter to United States Department of Agriculture, asking for better labeling and that the label "natural" not be used on these injected birds. You can add your voice to the cause, here.
Smoky Citrus Tea Shrimp: Recipe
In a marriage each partner does certain things for the other. One of the things I do for Lee, my husband, is make him a pot of tea every morning. He simply cannot function without it. He rejects the idea of making it himself; when I make it he calls it "tea with the love". How I could I ever deny him that?
While I like drinking tea I don't drink it everyday as Lee does. But I do enjoy making it and I have long been fascinated with both the ritual of tea and the idea of cooking with it. Ever since making Indian style chai from scratch in college, I have tinkered around with recipes, such as Tea Smoked Chicken. When I had some powdered chai tea that was too sweet for me taste, I made some Chai Cookies with it. So I was really excited when this month's "Is My Blog Burning" event was announced with the theme (and pun) tasteTea.
I have several books about tea that include recipes, maybe three or four. One recipe really caught my eye, Smoky Tea Prawns using Lapsang Souchong tea as a sauce and cooking liquid from Tea: Essence of the Leaf. During this past week I received an offer from Adagio to try some of their teas and the tangerine flavored black tea not only sounded terrific, but seemed like the perfect thing to complement the shrimp. In the end I used both the smoky Lapsang Souchong and the tangerine tea. The tangerine tea is marvelously fragrant with large chunks of tangerine peel.
In addition to changing the tea, I also tweaked the ingredients adding some orange juice to bump up the citrus flavor. The resulting recipe is easy as can be and very impressive. Lots of tangy flavor and only minutes to prepare. Lee said it was "gourmet" and "would impress the judges on Iron Chef". Always being my biggest fan is just one of the things Lee does for me.
Smoky Citrus Shrimp
serves 2
2 handfuls salad greens
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 cup strong cup of Lapsang Souchong tea (I used Lapsang and tangerine tea)
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon orange juice
10 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
orange slices for garnish
In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. When butter melts, add the garlic. Saute garlic until fragrant and just beginning to turn golden. Add orange zest and stir quickly with garlic, about 15 seconds. Add tea, vinegar, honey, soy sauce and orange juice to pan and allow to come to a simmer and reduce slightly, a minute or two. Add shrimp and continue to cook until prawns are opaque and firm, cooked through.
Place a handful of greens on each plate. Serve shrimp with drizzle of sauce over the greens. Garnish with orange slices. This makes a nice starter or serve alongside peanut sauce noodles.
Enjoy!
Super Bowl Onion Dip: Recipe
What I consider "a super bowl" is not THE Super Bowl. It's a sophisticated little serving dish from Villeroy and Boch that's perfect for serving onion dip. I'm of the opinion you can never have too many bowls. Perhaps there is a food stylist somewhere deep inside me, struggling to be free.
Recently I had a creamy mushroom soup with chopped green beans and a topping of crispy onions. It was soup based on that classic, and in my opinion somewhat disgusting, Thanksgiving side dish, the green bean casserole. But the soup was delicious, proving some classics really are good if made with great ingredients. That was my idea for this dip which, coincidentally I served at Thanksgiving this year. But I think it would be great for that other major American holiday, Super Bowl Sunday.
I basically increased the seasonings and onions in a dip recipe I found on the Whole Foods Market website, which has lots of great ideas, by the way. The dip is filled with onions, leeks and garlic, a few seasonings and a rich and a creamy base that is vegan and healthy. Ok, it's tofu. I use a "light" firm soft tofu for a myriad of recipes, when pureed it becomes a creamy bland canvas, ready for flavor. This recipe is a good one for converting tofu-haters and for those who are looking for dairy-free recipes.
Onion Dip
makes about 2 cups
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion
1 leek
3 cloves garlic
pinch salt
12 ounces soft firm tofu, drained
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Peel and cut the onion in half. Thinly slice the onion halves, you should have about 2 cups of onion slices. Slice the white part of the leek and garlic. Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions, leeks and garlic and sprinkle with a little salt. Cook the onions, stirring from time to time to keep from sticking until brown and caramelized.
Transfer the onion mixture to the food processor and pulse a few times then add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Taste for seasonings and adjust to your liking. Chill overnight in the refrigerator and serve with vegetables, potato chips or pita chips.
Note: If your tofu is very moist you may need to slice it and drain it on paper towels.
Enjoy!
Café Press Store
I'm in the process of opening a Café Press Store that will offer greeting cards, calenders, bags and I'm not sure what else yet with some of the photos I've taken over the past six months.
This will take some time to work on but let me know what you think so far...
just click on the little button on the top right of the page.
I can also do coffee mugs, t-shirts and calendars. What do you think?
This will take some time to work on but let me know what you think so far...
just click on the little button on the top right of the page.
I can also do coffee mugs, t-shirts and calendars. What do you think?
La Fête du Fromage - Trappe Echourgnac
Smoky
That was my first impression of Trappe Echourgnac.
Nutty was my second.
Which would make sense as Trappe Echourgnac is matured in walnut liqueur from the Périgord.
And that isn't the only unique aspect of this week's cheese.
Also notable is that this cow's milk cheese is produced by nuns at the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Bonne Espérance (our Lady of Good Hope) in the Dordogne.
Previously, monks made cheese at the same site, then called the Abbaye d'Echourgnac, until war interrupted their lives in 1910. A group of Cistercian nuns took over the Abbey, changed its name, took up where the monks left off and began producing this special walnut liqueur infused cheese in 1999.
Trappe Echourgnac has a heady, smoky aroma and a smooth, buttery texture. Surprisingly, even though this is a rich cheese, the flavor is quite mild. I would happily eat it again!
A robust red Cahors is a good match for this aromatic cheese.
That was my first impression of Trappe Echourgnac.
Nutty was my second.
Which would make sense as Trappe Echourgnac is matured in walnut liqueur from the Périgord.
And that isn't the only unique aspect of this week's cheese.
Also notable is that this cow's milk cheese is produced by nuns at the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Bonne Espérance (our Lady of Good Hope) in the Dordogne.
Previously, monks made cheese at the same site, then called the Abbaye d'Echourgnac, until war interrupted their lives in 1910. A group of Cistercian nuns took over the Abbey, changed its name, took up where the monks left off and began producing this special walnut liqueur infused cheese in 1999.
Trappe Echourgnac has a heady, smoky aroma and a smooth, buttery texture. Surprisingly, even though this is a rich cheese, the flavor is quite mild. I would happily eat it again!
A robust red Cahors is a good match for this aromatic cheese.
Photo du Jour - Winter Savory
La sarriette, growing in our garden.
Winter savory is an aromatic perennial herb with a peppery, robust flavor. Some prefer its bold flavor to that of its softer flavored cousin, summer savory.
Add to creamy white beans or simmering lentils (it has properties that prevent flatulence), mix with roasted root vegetables or pair with braised pork and roasted chicken.
In Provence there is an amazing tasting sarriette infused goat's cheese called Chèvre à la Sarriette de Provence.
A Chef For All Seasons
This Summer we were introduced to chef Gordon Ramsay in Hell's Kitchen yet another food-oriented reality TV show. I admit I watched it, drawn to it like a moth to the flame. But truth be told I was more curious about the cooking than the pathetic contestants or the sadomasochistic challenges and punishments. Ramsay is a notorious yet brilliant chef with several very successful restaurants in Britain. Now we finally get a taste of Ramsay's food instead of his fury in the paperback edition of A Chef For All Seasons.
The first thing that struck me about this book is the introductions to each season. They cover the fruits, vegetables, meat and seafood and even herbs that Ramsay likes to use in his cooking. He shares how and why he prepares them. It's almost like a mini cooking course. I read every single one of the intros all the way through. I also devoured the Basic Recipes and Techniques section where you can learn his recipes for things like peach chutney, citrus confit, classic vinaigrette and flavored stock syrups.
As for the recipes themselves, they are organized seasonally as the title suggests. Some of the ingredients are not exactly mainstays of the home cook, such as woodcock, pigs feet, squab or pheasant and others frankly I never heard of such as blewit mushrooms? But plenty of the recipes do not call for exotic ingredients or preparations and the recipe instructions are straightforward and very well written.
The Summer recipes I plan on trying in the next week or so include Roasted Figs with Cinnamon Shortbreads and the Roasted Sea Bass with Chive Creme Fraiche, Baby Potatoes and Artichokes. If you'd like to get a sneak peek at the book, you can check out his recipe for Pillows of Ricotta Gnocchi with Peas and Baby Fava Beans here. There is plenty in Ramsay's book to inspire and to learn from if you are curious about the cuisine of the chef behind Hell's Kitchen.
Za'atar:Recipe
When I find a new ingredient I am intrigued. So it's not unusual for me to buy something I have absolutely no idea what to do with. Lately I have have been drawn to the Middle Eastern ingredients I've discovered in a fresh produce market. Last week I bought both a bottle of concentrated pomegranate juice and a spice called sumac.
Sumac is a plant with bright red berries. When dried and ground up they are sour and tangy, almost lemony. Sumac is the main ingredient in a spice blend called za'atar. It is composed of sesame seeds, thyme, sumac, salt and pepper. But it varies depending on who is making it. It might also include marjoram, oregano or cayenne. From what I've read za'atar actually means "thyme". It's often mixed with oil and served a dip with veggies or pita, but you can put it on almost anything, meats, eggs, potatoes, fish, salads or in a vegetable tagine. It's great sprinkled over feta cheese or over sliced white onions. I am crazy about it on toasted sourdough bread with a little butter.
You can buy za'atar in Middle Eastern grocery stores, spice store or online at your favorite spice seller but I think if you can find sumac (also available online or in Middle Eastern grocery stores) it's more fun to experiment and make it yourself. If you have difficulty finding it, at Penzeys you can get za'atar or sumac. Sumac is much cheaper at MySpicer but you have to buy in larger quantities.
Za'atar
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
2 Tablespoons ground sumac
1 Tablespoon powdered dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
Roast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat for a few minutes, stirring frequently until toasty golden brown. Allow to cool, then mix with the rest of the spices.
Enjoy!
Photo du Jour
La Journée National Slow Food in les Halles in Narbonne.We handed out dozens and dozens of delicious, creamy, Mona Lisa, Eden and Hermine potatoes that had been steamed and drizzled with olive oil.
La Fête du Fromage - Brebis de Cocagne
Hold a morsel of this runny fromage de brebis up to your nose and breathe in the warm fragrance of earth and wild mushrooms. Place it on your tongue and savor its alluring, buttery flavor.
Brebis de Cocagne oozes charisma.
It also oozes all over the plate as soon as you cut into it.
Runny, gooey, delicious cheese. Perfect for spreading on bread.
There in no way that Brebis de Cocagne could be mistaken for anything other than sheep's milk cheese - it has that typical round, tangy, brebis character. Though the soft fragrance and texture masks a surprisingly gutsy, rich flavor.
I am smitten.
The region around Albi, in the Tarn is home to the producer of this unpasteurized fromage artisanal. A glass of dry white wine such as a dry Jurançon would be a nice match with Brebis de Cocagne.
Brebis de Cocagne oozes charisma.
It also oozes all over the plate as soon as you cut into it.
Runny, gooey, delicious cheese. Perfect for spreading on bread.
There in no way that Brebis de Cocagne could be mistaken for anything other than sheep's milk cheese - it has that typical round, tangy, brebis character. Though the soft fragrance and texture masks a surprisingly gutsy, rich flavor.
I am smitten.
The region around Albi, in the Tarn is home to the producer of this unpasteurized fromage artisanal. A glass of dry white wine such as a dry Jurançon would be a nice match with Brebis de Cocagne.
TARTE TATIN RECIPE FRANCE part 2/2 YouTube Video VIDEOGULP !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zkxw_tIM0ZMendofvid
[starttext]
TARTE TATIN RECIPE FRANCE part 2/2 YouTube Video VIDEOGULP !
GULP - A classic recipe for Tartes Tatin - France chef - French dish -
HOMEMADE VIDEO TARTE TATIN RECIPE - FRANCE Cooking
Selection YouTube video Videogulp !
[endtext]
[starttext]
TARTE TATIN RECIPE FRANCE part 2/2 YouTube Video VIDEOGULP !
GULP - A classic recipe for Tartes Tatin - France chef - French dish -
HOMEMADE VIDEO TARTE TATIN RECIPE - FRANCE Cooking
Selection YouTube video Videogulp !
[endtext]
Brownie Points
Living in a small village of 400 people in the south of France has its advantages and its disadvantages.
Disadvantages
Advantages:
Last time I was dealing with bureaucracy problems, I took Lemon Bars as a 'thank you' to the Mairie. I think this time some gooey, dark chocolate Brownies are in order.
Our Mayor deserves a giant Merci.
It's good to live in a small village.
Disadvantages
- everyone, and I mean everyone, knows your business
- your neighbors always know if you're home or not - no hiding!
- the épicerie owner knows if you have guests arriving by how many baguettes you buy on any given day
- very slow tractor traffic
- can feel like a ghost town in the winter when everyone is inside, shutters closed, huddled next to the fire
- don't expect to run a quick errand to la Poste on the other side of the village without having to stop and talk to at least three people - a normal, 10 minute trip will take at least 30 minutes, so plan accordingly
Advantages:
- the owner of the épicerie will let you take things home without paying because she knows where to find you
- your neighbor the winemaker will deliver a case of his excellent Muscat Sec or Viognier right to your door
- concerts at the church are a 30 second walk down the street
- your neighbors (who know that you suck at gardening and take pity on you ) will leave lettuce, eggplant, green beans, fava beans, zucchini, cherries, apricots and tomatoes hanging in bags from your front door
- the Poissonerie van on Thursday, the Poultry van on Wednesday, the Fruit and Vegetable van on Monday, the Pizza van Friday and Saturday nights
- the mailman will deliver mail addressed to "Aunt Jenny, Our Village, FRANCE" - they must figure since it came from America, it must belong to les Américains
- delivery drivers can pretty much ask anyone who we are and where to find our house
- you can always have a quick snack of figs, which grow everywhere
- your Mayor writes you a very nice, complimentary letter to the powers that be, in support of you becoming a French Citizen
Last time I was dealing with bureaucracy problems, I took Lemon Bars as a 'thank you' to the Mairie. I think this time some gooey, dark chocolate Brownies are in order.
Our Mayor deserves a giant Merci.
It's good to live in a small village.
Je Suis Française
I still can't believe it.
I returned home from a shopping trip to Narbonne yesterday and the moment I walked in the house, husband held up an envelope and started singing la Marseillaise.
He must be mistaken, I thought. It's too early. The sous-préfecture said last May that it would take 1 more year to process my citizenship application and I had heard from several readers that they had to wait 2 years, 3 years, even 6 years.
I tentatively opened the envelope.
Madame,
J'ai le plaisir de vous faire savoir que vous êtes Française depuis le 30/11/2009.
Tears welled up in my eyes. I know that sounds silly, but it has been such a drawn out, paperwork-filled, frustrating journey to get here, I just can't quite believe it.
I am officially a French citizen.
The celebration has begun. Vive la France!
The Journey:
The First Few Steps Toward French Citizenship
Stumbled Already!
Picking Myself Up and Brushing Myself Off
Marseille - One More Step on the Path to French Citizenship
Life as a Stranger
French Citizenship Update
French Citizenship - One Step Closer
The Boys in Blue
French Citizenship - Chapter One Too Many to Count
I returned home from a shopping trip to Narbonne yesterday and the moment I walked in the house, husband held up an envelope and started singing la Marseillaise.
He must be mistaken, I thought. It's too early. The sous-préfecture said last May that it would take 1 more year to process my citizenship application and I had heard from several readers that they had to wait 2 years, 3 years, even 6 years.
I tentatively opened the envelope.
Madame,
J'ai le plaisir de vous faire savoir que vous êtes Française depuis le 30/11/2009.
Tears welled up in my eyes. I know that sounds silly, but it has been such a drawn out, paperwork-filled, frustrating journey to get here, I just can't quite believe it.
I am officially a French citizen.
The celebration has begun. Vive la France!
The Journey:
The First Few Steps Toward French Citizenship
Stumbled Already!
Picking Myself Up and Brushing Myself Off
Marseille - One More Step on the Path to French Citizenship
Life as a Stranger
French Citizenship Update
French Citizenship - One Step Closer
The Boys in Blue
French Citizenship - Chapter One Too Many to Count
Photo du Jour - Fields of Gold
Slowly but surely the vineyards here in the Minervois are being ripped up and planted with olive trees, fields of asparagus and even hay.
The Good Home Cookbook: Giveaway!
Some time ago I mentioned that the publishers of The Good Home Cookbook were looking for recipe testers. In addition to getting a first crack at the recipes, testers also got their names in the book and a copy of the book. Now the book is out and for a limited time only you can get a FREE COPY too!
The Good Home Cookbook is filled with American recipes that have been tried and tested by hundreds of home cooks. The story of how this cookbook came about is really quite interesting. This isn't a cookbook in which to find wildly new and exotic recipes, it's a solid book to refer to time and again, in the same vein as The Joy of Cooking and The Fannie Farmer Cookbook. Because America is a melting pot you'll find recipes inspired by the cuisines of many countries from Greek Baked Shrimp, to Sausage & Saurkraut Supper to Spaghetti Carbonara (which thankfully does not include cream in the recipe). I recently turned to it when looking for gingerbread cookies.
You can check out the Good Home Cookbook blog and
You can STILL get a free cookbook, though the publishers have reached capacity for the free cookbooks, they are running a contest for the best custom eggplant parmesan and macaroni and cheese recipe. The winners will get a free cookbook. Their name will be attributed to their recipe on the Good Home Cookbook blog and their recipe will be in a forthcoming cookbook based upon “spin-offs on the classics.” More details available on the Good Home Cookbook blog. Good luck!
FOOD
Basic Crepes:Recipe
Crepes are popular all over the world. They are great for just about any meal at all, or even a snack. I've eaten them on the street in France, but also in Asia. In Holland they serve them in proper restaurants for lunch or dinner but never for breakfast.
Here in Japantown, there is a shop where you can watch crepes being made in a storefront window. People are mesmerized. It's the same in Thailand with street vendors selling "roti" another type of crepe. There is a big round flat cooking surface and the batter in ladled out onto it, a wooden spreader is used to get the batter thin enough and to cover the surface perfectly. In a matter of seconds it is flipped then flipped again, then filled and served. Popular fillings seem to include cheese or an egg or bananas or chocolate.
Because chocolate and bananas are a bit decadent for breakfast we had our crepes filled with peaches and yogurt this morning. It took me a long time to get a crepe recipe just right, but now it is no fail. The great thing about crepes is they can be filled with savory or sweet fillings, meat or vegetarian and with this recipe you can even make them virtually fat free if you want and they still come out good.
Here it is:
Basic Crepes
2 eggs (or 1/2 cup fake eggs)
1 teaspoon sugar (skip for savory filled crepes)
1/2 cup flour
1 pinch salt
1 cup milk (any kind is fine including nonfat)
1 teaspoon oil
Throw all the ingredients into the blender and blend away! The batter only needs to rest 15 minutes or so (to reduce bubbles) then heat a non-stick crepe pan over medium heat and spray lightly with cooking oil. Ladle approximately two tablespoons of the batter into the pan and tilt the pan to cover the bottom with a thin, even coating. Cook the crepe until small bubbles form on the surface and it is barely firm, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Flip and repeat until crepe is done. Use crepes immediately or stack them separated by wax paper. Wrap well and freeze for up to one month. Thaw while still wrapped at room temperature.
You can actually buy your own crepe maker. Home versions start at about $150. However unless you're planning on a career change that involves selling crepes--I would suggest a non-stick crepe pan, and in my experience cheap ones work just fine.
Here in Japantown, there is a shop where you can watch crepes being made in a storefront window. People are mesmerized. It's the same in Thailand with street vendors selling "roti" another type of crepe. There is a big round flat cooking surface and the batter in ladled out onto it, a wooden spreader is used to get the batter thin enough and to cover the surface perfectly. In a matter of seconds it is flipped then flipped again, then filled and served. Popular fillings seem to include cheese or an egg or bananas or chocolate.
Because chocolate and bananas are a bit decadent for breakfast we had our crepes filled with peaches and yogurt this morning. It took me a long time to get a crepe recipe just right, but now it is no fail. The great thing about crepes is they can be filled with savory or sweet fillings, meat or vegetarian and with this recipe you can even make them virtually fat free if you want and they still come out good.
Here it is:
Basic Crepes
2 eggs (or 1/2 cup fake eggs)
1 teaspoon sugar (skip for savory filled crepes)
1/2 cup flour
1 pinch salt
1 cup milk (any kind is fine including nonfat)
1 teaspoon oil
Throw all the ingredients into the blender and blend away! The batter only needs to rest 15 minutes or so (to reduce bubbles) then heat a non-stick crepe pan over medium heat and spray lightly with cooking oil. Ladle approximately two tablespoons of the batter into the pan and tilt the pan to cover the bottom with a thin, even coating. Cook the crepe until small bubbles form on the surface and it is barely firm, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Flip and repeat until crepe is done. Use crepes immediately or stack them separated by wax paper. Wrap well and freeze for up to one month. Thaw while still wrapped at room temperature.
You can actually buy your own crepe maker. Home versions start at about $150. However unless you're planning on a career change that involves selling crepes--I would suggest a non-stick crepe pan, and in my experience cheap ones work just fine.
Inside the Kitchen--Gerald Hirigoyen
| www.flickr.com |
Inside the Kitchen presents so many great chefs and classes, it can be hard to choose, but one of my first choices was to take the class called "Secrets of Basque Cuisine" with Gerald Hirigoyen. I am a big fan of his two current restaurants, Bocadillos and Piperade (I also used to love both Fringale and Pastis, his former restaurants).
Basque cusine has both French and Spanish influences, but is unique and not well-known in the US. Hirigoyen gave us a bit of the flavor of the region with his description of eating outside under an umbrella and drinking a glass of rose. In his recipe booklet he also gave us a suggestion for his favorite restaurant near Saint-Jean-de-Luz, the town where the seafood stew originates. He also did a little Emeril impression to keep us amused.
Today's dishes were an elegant yet spicy and satisfying fish and seafood stew with langoustines, called "Ttoro". An interesting technique was demonstrated, pureeing the stock, vegetables and fish bones in a blender before straining it to create the broth. The other dish was a seasonal dish of squab in red wine. The mahogany roasted squab was succulent and delicious, perfect for this time of year.
Gerald Hirigoyen is one half of the other team competing this afternoon against Elizabeth Falkner and Melissa Perello. Who am I rooting for? I'll never tell!
FOOD + INSIDE THE KITCHEN
What a day!
My interview? No other than Jacques Pepin! KQED ever so kindly arranged for me to meet and interview him. Much better pictures and lots of details soon. That's me with a stack of books for him to sign.
Breakfast by the way, was terrific, I definitely recommend Canteen. A tiny little place, only four little booths and about ten seats at the bar. I had a scrumptious corned beef hash that was made with house smoked corned beef, lots of carmelized onions and Yukon gold potatoes topped with two perfectly poached eggs. I will plan another meal or two and post a review.
It was also great catching up with the Culinary Muse who I am glad to say is posting more frequently. Today she shared a discovery for a juice bar in the Ferry Plaza. Betcha didn't know there was one!
Paring down... to one blog
I can make this wordy, or I can make it to the point.
Since I have felt detached from this blog for months now, I think I'll be straightforward.
I've decided to stop writing Cuisine Quotidienne. The site will stay up, but -- at least for the coming year -- I'll be blogging only on La France Profonde. And I may work in some food-oriented posts there.
Thanks to those of you who commented here frequently, or even infrequently, and I hope to get individual comments out to some of you eventually!
Since I have felt detached from this blog for months now, I think I'll be straightforward.
I've decided to stop writing Cuisine Quotidienne. The site will stay up, but -- at least for the coming year -- I'll be blogging only on La France Profonde. And I may work in some food-oriented posts there.
Thanks to those of you who commented here frequently, or even infrequently, and I hope to get individual comments out to some of you eventually!
Galette des Rois, a French tradition
Early morning in Paris ... since January 1st, the bakeries are ready for the season of Galettes de Rois! So I better hurry up to tell you abou it, before there are no more galettes around, the season lasts only two weeks!
My deck plants rest this winter after the cold spell in December (see prvious post!) and at the market I bought a tray of hyacinths, pink and white, to bring a note of color to my Parisian winter.
In France, the "galette" is a speciality pastry that celebrates Epiphany, a christian celebration to remember the visit of Kings to Jesus on January 6th.
The classic galette in Paris is made with puff pastry and almond paste inside.
This year, I bought the traditional bordelaise galette, a brioche crown with dry fruit and candied sugar on top, at Maison Delcourt, a very good bakery near my home.
Maison Delcourt is rue Boileau and has delicious bread, pastries, chocolates, and marrons galces, and I stop by when I do my market at the Porte de Saint Cloud on Sundays.
My deck plants rest this winter after the cold spell in December (see prvious post!) and at the market I bought a tray of hyacinths, pink and white, to bring a note of color to my Parisian winter.In France, the "galette" is a speciality pastry that celebrates Epiphany, a christian celebration to remember the visit of Kings to Jesus on January 6th.The classic galette in Paris is made with puff pastry and almond paste inside.
This year, I bought the traditional bordelaise galette, a brioche crown with dry fruit and candied sugar on top, at Maison Delcourt, a very good bakery near my home.Maison Delcourt is rue Boileau and has delicious bread, pastries, chocolates, and marrons galces, and I stop by when I do my market at the Porte de Saint Cloud on Sundays.Don't know what to do for ... (3)
Here is yet another fine menu for the Holiday season. Its a "best of" very traditional and festive French dishes.
> Cheese Souffle 
> What are you having for Christmas?
The Simple Things
It's not very literary, but when I think of the word "simple," I immediately associate it with cooking.
If only every day I could turn out a beautiful, delicious, yet very simple dish!
Yesterday I succeeded. What were my ingredients?
A fresh, seasonal vegetable (or fruit?) that I already had on hand; "running to the store" is not simple...
A few staples that I always have in stock...
A half-eaten package of something...
No cookbooks, just putting the pieces together...
...and it all came together in less than ten minutes to make a lovely dish.
Simple.
This post was inspired by the Sunday Scribblings writing prompt for the week: "simple." I usually post my Sunday Scribblings on And So Forth, but this one obviously belonged on Cuisine Quotidienne.
For more posts on "simple," click here.
Emily and Amos in Paris
Last week Emily and Amos came for dinner. They had toured Burgandy before coming to Paris and were delighted with their trip! Chablis, Vezeley, Dijon ... so much to see ... and taste! Emily is the daughter of dear friends with whom we spent many happy summers in Cape Cod and later in Bar Harbor. I was extremely happy to see her again and to meet her husband.
We started the evening with a glass of rose Champagne! 
Then came the Mediterrannean clafoutis, a savory clafouty made with fresh tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes.
Then came the Mediterrannean clafoutis, a savory clafouty made with fresh tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes.The main course was a lamb shoulder, cooked with shallots and served with traditional steamed "cous-cous" (wheat). 
Then I served a large bowl of salad, seasoned with olive oil and red wine vinegar, and a traditional cheese platter with one sheep cheese (from Pyrennees), a blue cheese (I opted for Roquefort, made also with shee milk), a classic Emmental, and a goat cheese (Crotin).
Then I served a large bowl of salad, seasoned with olive oil and red wine vinegar, and a traditional cheese platter with one sheep cheese (from Pyrennees), a blue cheese (I opted for Roquefort, made also with shee milk), a classic Emmental, and a goat cheese (Crotin).Finally, I presented a peach tart. I cook the peaches on a pie shell where I spread a mix of ground almonds, creme fraiche, one egg, and 1 Tbsp of softened butter. It is delicious!
We served a red Bordeaux 2005, and had a great Cognac with the dessert.
I hope they enjoy reading this post back in New Hampshire!
Pim, Pebble Beach & Preeminence
You know Pim, or you know of Pim. If you read food blogs, no doubt you have at least once seen her blog, Chez Pim. Pim lives a gourmet life many vicariously enjoy through reading her blog or following her on Twitter or catching sight of her in newspapers and glossy magazines. She is known for her annual fundraising efforts on behalf of UN World Food Programme, and as an arbiter of taste. Pim is the author of the much anticipated book, the Foodie Handbook: The (almost) Definitive Guide to Gastronomy, to be released later this year. Her handmade butter is enjoyed at rare tables around the Bay Area and her Thai curries are legendary. She even made pop tarts something to savor. I know her because I was an early food blogger, but I'm just a hanger-on. This is how I imagine her circles of friends, with apologies to Malcolm Gladwell.
Last week I scored an invitation to dine with Pim and some other food and wine bloggers, old friends really. It was a very intimate gathering at Manresa, and most of us met each other almost exactly five years ago to the day, when blogging was still a fairly new phenomenon. The hosts for the evening were from Pebble Beach Food & Wine. This is the second year for what is one of the most exclusive premier food and wine events around. To give us a "taste" of what the events are all about we dined on dishes including the famous Arpege egg--a soft boiled egg with heavy cream, maple syrup, salt and sherry vinegar, duck foie gras with a gelee of buckwheat honey and Pim's ginger lime marmalade, and cabbage and caviar. Cabbage and caviar? you ask, yes and why not, since chef David Kinch recently won Iron Chef America with the secret ingredient cabbage.
We drank wines including, 2002 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Reims, 2002 Puligny-Montrachet Louis Latour en Magnum and my personal favorite, 1997 Chateau Haut Brion. I'd tell you more but you'd just end up hating me.
The truth is, you can hang out with the likes of Pim at Pebble Beach Food & Wine from April 16 - 19th, 2009. There will be chef demonstrations, lunches and dinners prepared by well-known and rising star chefs, and tastings of some of the most sought after wines in the world, all at the beautifully picturesque seashore that is Pebble Beach. Like the dinner I enjoyed, the events will be intimate, the food delectable and the wines outstanding. Care to attend a tasting of 1959 Bordeaux, see a cooking demonstration by Thomas Keller, or learn about food and wine pairing with chef Michel Richard and Penfolds? Perhaps you'd prefer a chef's table truffle lunch or dinner with the Michelin star chefs of San Francisco? Tickets start at $100 and packages at $995. Cheaper than a trip to the grand capitals of Europe and almost as good as day in the life of you-know-who.
Last week I scored an invitation to dine with Pim and some other food and wine bloggers, old friends really. It was a very intimate gathering at Manresa, and most of us met each other almost exactly five years ago to the day, when blogging was still a fairly new phenomenon. The hosts for the evening were from Pebble Beach Food & Wine. This is the second year for what is one of the most exclusive premier food and wine events around. To give us a "taste" of what the events are all about we dined on dishes including the famous Arpege egg--a soft boiled egg with heavy cream, maple syrup, salt and sherry vinegar, duck foie gras with a gelee of buckwheat honey and Pim's ginger lime marmalade, and cabbage and caviar. Cabbage and caviar? you ask, yes and why not, since chef David Kinch recently won Iron Chef America with the secret ingredient cabbage.
We drank wines including, 2002 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Reims, 2002 Puligny-Montrachet Louis Latour en Magnum and my personal favorite, 1997 Chateau Haut Brion. I'd tell you more but you'd just end up hating me.
The truth is, you can hang out with the likes of Pim at Pebble Beach Food & Wine from April 16 - 19th, 2009. There will be chef demonstrations, lunches and dinners prepared by well-known and rising star chefs, and tastings of some of the most sought after wines in the world, all at the beautifully picturesque seashore that is Pebble Beach. Like the dinner I enjoyed, the events will be intimate, the food delectable and the wines outstanding. Care to attend a tasting of 1959 Bordeaux, see a cooking demonstration by Thomas Keller, or learn about food and wine pairing with chef Michel Richard and Penfolds? Perhaps you'd prefer a chef's table truffle lunch or dinner with the Michelin star chefs of San Francisco? Tickets start at $100 and packages at $995. Cheaper than a trip to the grand capitals of Europe and almost as good as day in the life of you-know-who.
2 Down, 42 to Go
My recipe development project is an interesting and unusual one. While the client came up with the recipe titles, I'm creating the actual recipes. It's a seasonally organized appetizer book and focuses on fresh flavors or classic recipes with a twist. It's a very cool project. I've always said if I could just shop and cook and write about it I would be very happy indeed. Well, be careful what you wish for! The problem is I have lots of other work at the moment which pulls me away from the kitchen.
So with 44 recipes to create, which would you tackle first? Call me lazy or smart, but I'm a big believer in going for the low-hanging fruit. Spending some time with the list of recipes I quickly identified the recipes I felt I could easily master. First up--hummus. But not just ordinary hummus. This recipe had a few twists to it. I did a lot of research and reviewed many recipes I had made before. One of the twists was a garnish of fresh pomegranate seeds. Aren't they gorgeous? They taste wonderful too, as you might imagine they provide bright juicy accents to a rich and creamy dip. It's really a great way to dress up hummus, provided pomegranates are in season of course.
Second up was a recipe for olives with feta and a very unique dressing. The herbs look pretty but after several tries I decided the flavors of the lemon and olives were just too overpowering, obliterating the herbs no matter what I did. That said, it was still delicious!
Sunday Stovetop April 6
This meal was a bit on the beige side, but then again last Sunday was a beige day. Saturday was gloriously sunny, and Sunday started to veer to grey...and somehow, that made for beige weather.I actually have quite a bit to say about this meal, but am feeling too lazy to write it -- so it may come in installments.
I do want to thank Loulou for her fabulous baked asparagus risotto recipe, which you can see on the right. There's a little too much hazy sunlight on it to get the full picture, but the principle of baked risotto may have changed my life.
(Sure, my life has really been transformed by learning to simmer my risotto in the oven rather than stirring it on the stovetop.)
How trite. It is truly time for a vacation.
Dinner at Mimi's
Did you ever eat in a restaurant that was not really a restaurant? On this trip we have eaten at taquerias, restaurants, cafes, cocina economica places, and loncherias. We also ate at Mimi´s which was something else entirely.
Mimi is from Mexico City one of the worlds largest cities. It is congested and polluted and vibrant and alive. But Mimi was not healthy and her doctor told her to move to the country. She found a spot she liked very much at Laguna Bacalar. The lake is also known as the lake of seven colors. Imagine a large shallow lake surrounded by wildlife, especially tropical birds. The lake ranges from turquoise to opal to grey to navy blue--all at the same time. It is peaceful and beautiful.
After three years Mimi's health was much improved. She and her husband made plans to return to Mexico City, but then they did not go. They stayed. It was just too nice at Laguna Bacalar to leave. So Mimi decided that she would open a restaurant but it seemed no one is willing to sell or even rent to her near the main square where there is no other restaurant around.
Driving the costera or coast line of the lake you will find houses that have signs indicating Mexican meals or Comidas. If you ring the bell at Mimi's house, she will invite you to her terrace to one of three tables and serve you a homemade meal. When we were there the menu was asado de res or a rich and chile infused beef stew, served with it was rice and black beans and fresh carrots. An appetizer of nachos was served and for dessert an unusual and divine almond flan. Everything was terrific and a terrific break from restaurant food. She charged us less than $10 a piece. I hope she gets to open a real restaurant soon, I would love to try it. But in the meantime I enjoyed a home cooked meal and the company of a gracious hostess in the midst of all the restaurant meals.
Bargain Bank: Shop
My name is Amy and I am a bargain hunter. I recognize it is a disease and I have no power over it. If I see a bargain, I don't just buy one, I buy two, three, four or more. And now I sometimes get on the phone to call others, do they want some? So I guess this makes me something of a bargain pimp.
We have a little joke in our household. I say "I'm going to the bank" and Lee says "Going to the Bargain Bank?" Well, he's right. The Bargain Bank is right across the street from the actual bank, so how can I not go? Every single day there is new stuff that I want to check out. I don't actually buy stuff everyday. As all bargain hunters know, vigilance is key because you never know when or where you will find your next treasure.
The Bargain Bank often has a good selection of gourmet products. Sometimes products are frighteningly near an expiration date, but not always. Some of my most impressive finds have been white truffle honey, Scharffenberger Nibby Chocolate bars, and as of yesterday, Yellingbo Gold Extra Virgin olive oil. I tried this complex and creamy Australian olive oil at the Fancy Food Show a couple of years ago and really liked it. It got rave reviews at Saveur magazine not long after. A 500 ml bottle sells around $20, but at the Bargain Bank? $3.99! Of course, it will probably be gone today. My other prize finds yesterday were some tins of Harney & Sons iced tea bags. They are lovely and would make a nice gift but now that I have spilled the beans it will be hard to give them away. Consider this shopping tip my gift instead.
Bargain Bank
1541 Polk Street @ California
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 345-1623
599 Clement Street @ 7th Ave
San Francisco, CA
(415) 221-4852
Mon-Fri 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Sat-Sun 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
| READ MORE When is a bargain not really a bargain? Over at Bay Area Bites is my take on Restaurants Struggling with Sustainablity Check it out and weigh in on the debate. |
FOOD
Braised Zucchini Wheels with Almond-Mint Pesto
John Thorne once accused zucchini of having "the nutritional value, flavor and texture of rained-on newspaper" and of being able to claim the dubious virtue of being growable by anyone, in overwhelming abundance. Harsh words for such an innocent little squash, and in my opinion, totally unwarranted. After all, "watery" is just a disparaging term for "juicy" and sure, its flavor may not be particularly assertive, but that adds to its versatility. As for the nutritional value, I stand by my own completely unfounded idea that anything grown out of the ground and messed around with only a little, has to be good for you.
Of course, I haven't met a vegetable that doesn't profit from a little stuffing. Especially stuffing with a mixture of almonds, breadcrumbs, lemon, garlic and mint. Plus, they're so darn cute, splitting down the middle like little baskets just trying to hold in all of that stuff. I made a few alterations to the recipe, as tends to happen. For one thing, I left out the 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds called for in the pesto because I didn't have any. Out of guilt, and to make up for it, I anointed them with grated parmesan cheese and quickly ran them under the broiler at the end. You know, for crispiness and meltiness and such. I would also recommend adding a little salt and pepper to the pesto mixture before braising. But after those changes, you're all set to go.
Braised Zucchini Wheels with Almond-Mint Pesto
Adopted from a recipe in Vegetarian Times, July/August 2009
1/3 cup breadcrumbs (I used panko)
1/3 cup whole almonds
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
4 medium zucchini (about 2 pounds total), cut into 4 wheels each
Sprinkling of parmesan cheese
In a food processor, chop the first 6 ingredients until coarse. Add the oil and the salt and pepper to taste, and pulse a couple of times until you get the consistency of a chunky pesto.
Cut an X into each wheel, to within about 1/2 inch of the bottom. Be careful not to cut straight through. Pry the wheels apart, and scoop about 1 teaspoon of pesto into each.
Arrange the wheels in a 10" oven-proof skillet, and add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the pan. Bring the liquid to a simmer over medium heat, then cover and cook for 20 minutes. The zucchini should be tender. Preheat the broiler.
Remove the zucchini from the heat and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese. Run the pan under the broiler for 3-5 minutes until the cheese is melted. Serve.
Kidney Beans Stewed in Red Wine with Tomatoes and Herbs
This seems like a good time for me to make the case (again) for dried beans. Ironically, although about the least expensive food you can buy, I do realize that they are a bit of a luxury time-wise. I'm not talking about the overnight soak. I think many of us have an idea of what we'd like to make a day out, and soaking takes all of about .5 seconds actual work. But even after a good night soaking, the beans do have to be cooked for a bit of time to be ready. I don't judge if you want to use canned beans in your cooking. I'm merely suggesting that if you find yourself with a bit of extra time, canned has nothing on dried.
Although this is by no means a labor intensive recipe, using dried beans is an apt metaphor for the entire process. Relatively light on work, but heavy on time. We are talking about stewing, after all. For me, that's okay most any day of the week since all I do is sit around and read a gazillion books. If it's not okay with you on a regular basis, save this recipe for a lazy Sunday afternoon when your only responsibilities include lounging, drinking coffee, and lounging some more. You'll be amply rewarded.
This is an extremely healthy recipe, loaded with things that are nothing short of spectacular for your body. Primarily beans. And I'm willing to bet that just about everyone could use a few more beans in their lives. The recipe comes from Peter Berley's The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen, and has been only slightly adopted by me. The yield is 4 servings, but not if you take the easy way out and make it your main course for two people who pride themselves on healthy appetites. Then it serves 2, with unfulfilled requests for more. What can I say, we're gluttons. In this case, gluttons without guilt.
Kidney Beans Stewed in Red Wine with Tomatoes and Herbs
Only slightly adapted from Peter Berley's The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen
1 1/2 cups dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight
Olive oil for the pan
1 small red onion, chopped
1 small carrot, diced
1 small celery rib, diced
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons tomato paste
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup red wine
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
Handful of minced parsley
Combine the drained beans and 4 cups of fresh water in a pot over medium heat. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, partly covered, for one hour. I added a bit more water part way through so the mixture wouldn't dry out.
Preheat the oven to 275 F
Warm the oil in a dutch oven over medium heat and cook the onion, carrot and celery, along with a pinch of salt, for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 5 minutes more. Be sure to stir once in a while so nothing sticks.
Add the wine, increase the heat, and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the vinegar and bay leaf, and finally the beans with their water. Tie a bouquet garni made up of the fresh herbs (see note) and add it to the pot. Also add any additional water necessary to barely cover the beans.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and place in the oven. Bake in the oven, covered, for 1.5 hours, then uncover for the last 1/2 hour. Remove the bouquet garni, and season with salt and pepper. Serve with minced parsley sprinkled over the top.
Note:
* I find an easy way to deal with the bouquet garni is to use an empty tea sachet meant for loose tea and just cram the fresh herbs inside. Fold the lip over and toss in the pot.
UPDATE: Peter Berley e-mailed me! I'm such a loser, and get star struck so easily (but only by people I care about. For instance, I saw Cameron Diaz walking her dogs in Central Park a couple of months ago, and I really couldn't have cared less.). But anyway, he was so gracious and said that he's glad we're enjoying his cooking. Rock on!
Sunday Night Sandwiches:Recipe
Lots of people pooh pooh the George Foreman grill. Not me. I think it's great for roasting vegetables, making shish kebabs and grilling delicate things like fish. But most of all I love it for being a makeshift panini press.
Last night's grilled sandwich was mozzarella, heirloom tomato and pesto. Perfect with a green salad dotted with olives and shreds of parmesan cheese. It's the end of July and tomatoes are just starting to ripen in California. While I cook with canned tomatoes all year round, when tomatoes and fresh and in season I find the less you mess with them the better.
Heirloom tomatoes come in a wide variety of colors and shapes. But whether your tomatoes are heirloom or not, the best things to do with ripe fresh tomatoes is to make a salad out of them, add them to a sandwich or toss them with pasta. Cooking fresh tomatoes does not enhance them. When they are at their most sweet and delicious, eat them as close to raw as possible. That's what makes this sandwich is so terrific!
Sunday Night Sandwiches
serves 2
4 slices of sourdough bread
6 slices of fresh mozzarella
1-2 Tablespoons pesto
1 medium tomato, sliced (blot slices with paper towel if excessively juicy)
Preheat the grill. Spread two slices of bread with pesto. Top the bread with tomato slices. Top the tomato slices with the cheese then put the second slice of bread on top. Spray the top of the sandwich with cooking spray and place on the grill, top side down, so that you can spray the second side. Close the grill and give the sandwich several minutes to grill until crispy on the outside and oozy on the inside.
Enjoy!
Curried Butternut Soup:Recipe
As each new season arrives I begin to think that it's my favorite. The colors, the scents, and the flavors of fall are just beginning to tantalize my senses. For sure it's the rich and eye-catching colors that grab me first; the pumpkins, pomegranates, pears and apples are so beautiful they almost beg to be put on display.
Of course anything that is associated with Thanksgiving is also a hallmark of fall. Pumpkin, pecans, cranberries, even brussels sprouts. Just the words alone make my mouth water in anticipation. It seems in preparation for the winter, flavors intensify. Not that the flavors of summer aren't intense, but they have a different fresh delicate succulent quality about them that disappears in the fall.
All sorts of winter squash are turning up at the market right now. Hardy vegetables that have some staying power. They wait until you are ready for them, unlike summery tomatoes and basil that say "use me or lose me!"
Butternut squash is so wonderfully easy to cook and just tastes like fall to me. Some of my favorite things to do with butternut squash are to use it in risotto, a tagine or soup. I really can't resist making a pureed butternut squash soup. There are endless variations for it. The one I made recently included an onion, an apple and some curry spices--cumin, chili and ginger. I finished it off with a can of coconut milk.
Note: I use a pressure cooker and a hand blender to make this soup quickly, but you could easily make this in a conventional pot and blend in a blender, a little at a time. You could also cook the squash in the microwave to speed things up, just cut it in half and place it in a glass container with some plastic wrap over it and cook until done.
Curried Butternut Soup
1 large or 1-2 small butternut squash
1 onion
1 apple
2-3 cups water
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon chili powder, any type you prefer
1 can coconut milk
Peel, seed and chop the squash. Peel core and slice the apple into chunks. Chop the apple. Place all the vegetables and the apple in a pressure cooker and add enough water to almost cover halfway. Add the spices and cook on medium pressure for 10 minutes. Add one can of coconut milk. Puree the soup using a hand blender, then add salt to taste.
Enjoy!
Claudia Roden's Ataïf
Ataïf, (atayef) or "arab pancakes" as Roden calls them in her book A Book of Middle Eastern Food, are a popular Middle Eastern sweet. She writes that they were particularly loved by the tenth century Caliph Mustafi in Baghdad. The recipe remains essentially unchanged, and ataïf are basically pancakes made from a very spongy batter, dipped in syrup and then either stuffed and deep fried or left in the shape of a pancake, panfried, and adorned with a cream made from buffalo's milk called eishta (I chose the latter method and that's the one I write about bellow). Although Rodin does suggest that crème fraîche, whipped cream and clotted cream are all acceptable substitutions, they really are not the same thing as eishta. In her newer book, the more opulently illustrated and physically weighty Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey & Lebanon, Rodin makes no mention of eishta, assuming, I suppose, that the modern American cook is not going to be interested in a process that includes a 7 hour resting period before it's placed in the refrigerator over night. In her chapter on Lebanon from Arabesque, Rodin offers a recipe for Tiny Open Pancakes with Cream and Rose Petal Jam, in which crème fraîche is recommended.
Roden published A Book of Middle Eastern Food in 1968, and was, along with Paula Wolffert, instrumental in introducing the cuisine of the middle east to an American audience. Because her initial effort came out at a time when these foods were almost completely foreign to American and British audiences, it seems reasonable to assume that the more encyclopedic nature of Middle Eastern Food was meant as an introduction to an entire region and cuisine. The book is only sparingly illustrated with small line drawings, and like the greatest food writers of her generation, Roden includes the historical and cultural background of many of the dishes (for example, ataïf are traditionally an important part of the wedding feast). A general trend in cookbook writing is evident just through a comparison of Middle Eastern Food and Arabesque. Where now Americans are familiar with the staples of middle eastern cooking, in Arabesque the emphasis is much more on adapting the process to a western kitchen, rather than documenting traditional methods and ingredients.
Traditionally, eishta (or kaymak in Turkish) is made from the thick cream that forms when rich gamoussa (buffalo milk) is boiled. Customarily the cream is set aside after each boil for later use. Rodin offers a recipe that uses heavy cream and milk instead, although I would imagine that if you can get your hands on some buffalo milk (and who knows, maybe you can) that the process is the same. The eishta should become so thick that it can be cut by a knife and laid flat on pastries or curled into delicate little rolls.
For the Eishta
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
5 cups milk
Combine the cream and the milk in as wide and shallow a tray as you have in order to provide the maximum amount of surface area (I used a large jelly-roll pan). Slowly bring to a boil and then simmer gently over very low heat so that the surface just barely trembles and shimmers for 1 1/2 hours. (Bring a book, Middle Eastern Food is a good choice!) Turn off the heat and let stand for 7 hours before refrigerating. Chill overnight before using. A thick layer of cream should have developed on the surface of the milk. Detach the cream from the pan, transfer to a plate and cut into squares.
For the Ataïf
1/2 oz (1 cake) fresh yeast or 1/4 oz (1 package) dried yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Oil for frying
For the Syrup (this made a massive amount of syrup, much more than was needed. Although delicious, if you don't want a ton leftover, I'd cut it in half.)
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1-2 tablespoon orange blossom water
Garnish- eishta and either chopped pistachios or almonds
Dissolve the yeast with 1 teaspoon sugar in 1/4 cup lukewarm water. Let it stand in a warm place for 10 minutes until it begins to bubble. Sift the flour into a large bowl, then add the yeast mixture and work it into the flour. Add the rest of the water slowly, stirring constantly and vigorously, until the batter is smooth. Cover the bowl and leave it in a warm place for about an hour until it rises, and becomes bubbly and elastic.
To make the syrup, dissolve the sugar in the water with the lemon juice and simmer until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the orange blossom water and simmer for 2 minutes more. Allow the syrup to cool before chilling it in the refrigerator. When you're ready to cook the batter, grease a frying pan very well, and heat it until it is very hot. Turn the heat back down to medium and pour 1 tablespoon of batter for each pancake into the pan. The batter needs a little help in spreading, just use the back of a fork or spatula, but don't force it, it won't spread very much. Fry the cakes on both sides, working in batches. When the frying is done, dip the pancakes in the syrup and garnish with the eishta and some chopped nuts, as is traditional, or add some rose petal jam to the top as Rodin suggests in Arabesque.
I simply cut squares of eishta and drizzled the orange blossom water syrup on top. They were delicious and the eishta was completely worth it. It's not particularly sweet, but it's luxuriously creamy.
* * *
I'm sending this post to Suzana at Home Gourmets for my second entry to Hey Hey It's Donna Day! The theme is pancakes.
It's July and I'm Freezing
First let me say this is not a post about the weather in San Francisco. I am currently working on a new recipe development project that involves freezing. My assignment is to create recipes that can be prepared in multiple individual portions, then frozen and cooked before serving. Each recipe is like a fun little puzzle to try and solve.
The real challenge is finding things that actually benefit from this treatment. If you read the widely circulated recipe for chocolate chip cookies in the New York Times recently, then you know that letting cookie dough rest, makes for a better cookie. I have it on good authority that freezing gnocchi dough also improves the final product. In the past I've frozen things like crepes and dumplings very successfully.
So far my list of completed recipes consists of chicken apple sausage patties, chocolate chip cookies, jerk-rubbed chicken wings, and sesame ginger beef and I plan to try using ice cube trays and muffin tins to make individual portions. Ideas I am pursuing include herb biscuits, calzones, meat pies, puff pastry turnovers, pesto and variations, stuffed mushrooms, gnocchi, spaetzle, ravioli, dumplings, spanakopita, blintzes, meatballs, stuffed peppers, crepes, and veggie burgers.
But I'd like to hear from you. Is there anything you freeze in individual portions for serving another time? Links to posts, recipes or pictures would be great too. I look forward to your comments!
Cheese and Wine Pairing
I stumbled onto this site today and do believe it will come in handy.
WineFetch.com
The best part is, they have a page dedicated to wine and cheese pairings. You select your wine and it recommends which cheese to enjoy with it or you select your cheese and it recommends the wine.
Check it out!
WineFetch.com
The best part is, they have a page dedicated to wine and cheese pairings. You select your wine and it recommends which cheese to enjoy with it or you select your cheese and it recommends the wine.
Check it out!
Bob's Donut:Shop
The pleasure derived from a warm fresh French or French cruller doughnut is almost beyond description. It's a very different kind of doughnut than say an old-fashioned. It is light and crispy and almost eggy in the center. While many doughnuts are made from yeast based batter, the cruller is made from pate a choux (pronounced: pat-a-shoo). A doughnut seems like a very decadent indulgent thing, yet according to Dunkin' Donuts a cruller will only set you back 150 calories.
The French cruller is a doughnut that has a long history in the Northeast where it was traditionally made in a braided rather than round shape. Why it's called a French cruller I cannot say for sure. Cruller comes from the Dutch word krulle, meaning "twisted cake." Perhaps the French part refers to the French type of dough it's made from? If you know for sure, please feel free to enlighten me.
As with all other doughnuts it's really nothing special when cold, but it you can get your hands on a hot one...My pick for where to find a good one is Bob's Donuts on Polk street. They make most of their doughnuts from scratch, rather than mixes, and are routinely rated among the best in the City. Just a few blocks from my house I rarely have one, because they make their doughnuts at night and you have to pass by at just the proper moment to get it right. Just to be on the safe side, you can give them a call to see when the doughnuts are fresh.
Bob's Donut & Pastry Shop
1621 Polk St (between Clay and Sacramento streets)
415.776.3141
Open 24 hours a day but go between 10 pm and midnight or don't bother
10 Cool Things: Fancy Food Show Winter 2011
This year at the Winter Fancy Food Show I was chosen to be one of the "trendspotters" for the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade. As part of a small group of editors, writers and chefs, I helped to identify a number of trends. But that was just the beginning. I saw and tasted a lot of other interesting and appealing things. There were cultured, pastured and hand rolled butters, snacks made from seaweed, shortbread cookies flavored with herbs and flowers and lots of lovely chutneys, jams, vinegars and olive oils. Here are some new things I had not seen or tried before that each made a positive impression on me. I hope you get to try them soon!
These wacky little fruit, Shanley Farms Finger limes, look like cornichons. Inside they have little beads of a very mild lime juice. It's like some kind of molecular gastronomy experiment only from nature! Crunchy caviar-like beads of lime would be great on oysters, smoked salmon, guacamole; I can think of almost many ways to use them. The season is October through mid January and they keep up to three weeks, so you keep your eyes out for them.
Saba is a thick syrup made from grapes. It comes from Italy and is not easy to find. This is the first time I have seen a producer from within the US. Saba from Terra Sonoma is lovely. It's thick and rich and would is terrific as a sauce or marinade. It can also be drizzled over things like ricotta, ice cream, yogurt or even hummus.
I am obsessed with wine pairing. Because I fully appreciated wine even more when served with food, I'm always interested to learn about cookies, crackers, cheeses or other snacks that are specifically designed to go with wine. Cookies & Corks, wine pairing cookies come in a variety of flavors and there are charts to help you figure out what pairs with what. There are about 15 cookies in three flavors in each box to go with red, white or sparkling wine. If you are hosting a wine tasting party or looking for the perfect gift to go with a bottle of wine, this is it!
Vin Tucci wine cookies not only taste good with wine, they are made from wine! I really like the crunchy light texture. There are several flavors, anise, spice and honey but none of them are very sweet. They are sophisticated and because they contain no butter, oil or eggs, they are fairly healthy. Look for them in speciality food stores. I think they're just great.
So you might be thinking what's new about charcuterie and salumi? Been there, done that. Well Olli Salumeria is really special. Oliviero Colmignoli is a fourth generation Italian salumi maker who makes his products here in the US using heritage breeds of pork. He is making prosciutto, speck and even culatello! Other companies I love that are also making fabulous artisanal salumi are La Quercia and Creminelli but Olli is brand new.
Zocalo Gourmet, Heritage flours offers a line of products I didn't get a chance to try, but am very curious about. They are gluten-free flours made from a wide variety of ingredients. I'm sure they add different flavors and textures to whatever you use them in. The gluten-free folks have gotten a head start experimenting with all kinds of flours. I look forward to working with them soon too. Varieties include mesquite, purple corn, sweet potato, and lima bean.
Sometimes it feels like the Fancy Food Show is nothing but tea, chocolate and cheese. It all blurs together. However new Poco Dolce Olive Oil with Sea Salt chocolate bars really stood out from the rest. They have a seductively soft creamy texture that is indescribably good. You just have to try them.
Last year I wrote about those crazy folks from Lillie Belle Farms, who made a blue cheese truffle. It sounds dreadful but one bite and you are converted. Now, instead of eating a bon bon, you can slather the Smoky Blue Cheese Truffle Spread, basically a smoky blue cheese chocolate ganache on bread. Oh man, this is nothing but trouble!
SanTasti water is a palate cleansing sparkling water. And it really works! At the Show there was no shortage of flavors to try and neutralize. The water has a touch of sugar to balance the acidity, but it doesn't taste sweet. It has some fruit pectin and cellulose gum which bind to the tannins left in your mouth from something you've eaten or drank like wine or chocolate. It also has a bit of citric acid which helps refresh your mouth. You don't taste the additives and it just tastes like fresh water but it does remove the flavors of whatever you've just eaten or drank. It's perfect for wine tasting. You can get a free sample if you like (you will have to pay for shipping and handling).
This is a tease. My friend Andy works for a cheese importer and happened to have a bag of these insanely sweet and crisp chiles from Basilicata. One crunchy bite and you will swear off potato chips forever. I am not kidding! I It looks like you can get these at Zingerman's and even cheaper from Market Hall Foods. Here's recipe from Rosetta Constantino for making them at home.
Note: Andy tells me "Others may have the peperoni cruschi but they're not the same ones. I should have them here soon and hopefully for a lot less."
These wacky little fruit, Shanley Farms Finger limes, look like cornichons. Inside they have little beads of a very mild lime juice. It's like some kind of molecular gastronomy experiment only from nature! Crunchy caviar-like beads of lime would be great on oysters, smoked salmon, guacamole; I can think of almost many ways to use them. The season is October through mid January and they keep up to three weeks, so you keep your eyes out for them.
Saba is a thick syrup made from grapes. It comes from Italy and is not easy to find. This is the first time I have seen a producer from within the US. Saba from Terra Sonoma is lovely. It's thick and rich and would is terrific as a sauce or marinade. It can also be drizzled over things like ricotta, ice cream, yogurt or even hummus.
I am obsessed with wine pairing. Because I fully appreciated wine even more when served with food, I'm always interested to learn about cookies, crackers, cheeses or other snacks that are specifically designed to go with wine. Cookies & Corks, wine pairing cookies come in a variety of flavors and there are charts to help you figure out what pairs with what. There are about 15 cookies in three flavors in each box to go with red, white or sparkling wine. If you are hosting a wine tasting party or looking for the perfect gift to go with a bottle of wine, this is it!
Vin Tucci wine cookies not only taste good with wine, they are made from wine! I really like the crunchy light texture. There are several flavors, anise, spice and honey but none of them are very sweet. They are sophisticated and because they contain no butter, oil or eggs, they are fairly healthy. Look for them in speciality food stores. I think they're just great.
So you might be thinking what's new about charcuterie and salumi? Been there, done that. Well Olli Salumeria is really special. Oliviero Colmignoli is a fourth generation Italian salumi maker who makes his products here in the US using heritage breeds of pork. He is making prosciutto, speck and even culatello! Other companies I love that are also making fabulous artisanal salumi are La Quercia and Creminelli but Olli is brand new.
Zocalo Gourmet, Heritage flours offers a line of products I didn't get a chance to try, but am very curious about. They are gluten-free flours made from a wide variety of ingredients. I'm sure they add different flavors and textures to whatever you use them in. The gluten-free folks have gotten a head start experimenting with all kinds of flours. I look forward to working with them soon too. Varieties include mesquite, purple corn, sweet potato, and lima bean.
Sometimes it feels like the Fancy Food Show is nothing but tea, chocolate and cheese. It all blurs together. However new Poco Dolce Olive Oil with Sea Salt chocolate bars really stood out from the rest. They have a seductively soft creamy texture that is indescribably good. You just have to try them.
Last year I wrote about those crazy folks from Lillie Belle Farms, who made a blue cheese truffle. It sounds dreadful but one bite and you are converted. Now, instead of eating a bon bon, you can slather the Smoky Blue Cheese Truffle Spread, basically a smoky blue cheese chocolate ganache on bread. Oh man, this is nothing but trouble!
SanTasti water is a palate cleansing sparkling water. And it really works! At the Show there was no shortage of flavors to try and neutralize. The water has a touch of sugar to balance the acidity, but it doesn't taste sweet. It has some fruit pectin and cellulose gum which bind to the tannins left in your mouth from something you've eaten or drank like wine or chocolate. It also has a bit of citric acid which helps refresh your mouth. You don't taste the additives and it just tastes like fresh water but it does remove the flavors of whatever you've just eaten or drank. It's perfect for wine tasting. You can get a free sample if you like (you will have to pay for shipping and handling).
This is a tease. My friend Andy works for a cheese importer and happened to have a bag of these insanely sweet and crisp chiles from Basilicata. One crunchy bite and you will swear off potato chips forever. I am not kidding! I It looks like you can get these at Zingerman's and even cheaper from Market Hall Foods. Here's recipe from Rosetta Constantino for making them at home.
Note: Andy tells me "Others may have the peperoni cruschi but they're not the same ones. I should have them here soon and hopefully for a lot less."
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