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?