Aloha, everyone!

I know some people come to Hawaii for the sheer natural beauty. The sun setting over the ocean, the waves lapping at the shore and the warm soft air are delicious. But truth be told, it's the funky side of Hawaii I love the best.

My first stop from the airport was to Ethel's Grill. It typifies what I enjoy about Oahu. It's cheap, friendly, funky, pure local goodness. Last year I showed the waitress a restaurant review I had written of Ethel's on my iPhone. This year she not only recognized me but remembered my name. The mix of Asian cuisines and local ingredients, with specials like a post Thanksgiving Turkey Loco Moco make me fall in love with Ethel's every time I visit.

Lunch was an order of fried hamachi kama (the rich, oily collar of the fish), sticky garlic chicken and rice and a big platter of Ethel's crazy delicious ahi tataki with slivers of soy marinated garlic and crunchy bean sprouts. It all came with bowls of egg drop miso soup, a crisp iceberg lettuce salad with her tangy herbal dressing and a little bowl filled with slices of sweet grapefruit. Oh, and an order of turkey loco moco for Lee. Before we left we also snagged two large papayas and a handful of guavas. The bill for 4 people? $40.

Aloha everyone, or as the locals say, alooooohaaaa!

Au Revoir New Orleans

This afternoon I say goodbye to friends and this wonderful city to return home to France. Au revoir gumbo, crawfish etoufée, coffee with chicory and po' boys.
Bonjour confit de canard, cassoulet, crêpes and muscat.
I'm so excited to see my husband, dogs and crazy cat! I can't wait to have a glass of decent red wine and smell the wild thyme that grows in the garrigue that surrounds our village.

Strawberry Shortcakes

Strawberry Shortcake and I go way back. And just to clarify, I mean Ms. Strawberry Shortcake, although in my mind I think I conflate her with Rainbow Bright, since I'm pretty sure I remember her riding around on a unicorn. Anyway, we have a lot in common. Her hair looks like a fistful of puffy Cheetos, I used to love Cheetos. Her friends are all named after fruits or desserts, I also base my identity around my love for key lime pie. And I seem to remember that she gave parties for the express purpose of collecting recipes. I'm also a collector. See, lots in common.


But her namesake can be a controversial entity. Most often it seems you find strawberry short cakes presented as layers of whipped cream and macerated strawberries held together with a white sponge cake. But I'm not sure how a four layer sponge can be considered a shortcake, and, as a now classic piece of Americana herself, I imagine that Ms. Shortcake would prefer a cream biscuit. Another area where we agree (best friends always agree). So when faced with making dinner and dessert for Ragnar's Norwegian parents, I knew strawberry shortcake wouldn't let me down. I could even introduce her as a classic American dessert, one that could hold her own against any continental cake.



Picture fresh strawberries sliced and macerated in sugar and lemon, their thickening juices staining the almond flavored whipped cream and seeping into the biscuit's fine crumb. This is comfort food of the highest order.

Strawberry Shortcakes From Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook


For the Biscuits


4 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
2 cups heavy cream
1 egg beaten, for wash
Sanding sugar


Oven preheated to 400 F. In a large bowl, whisk together the first 4 ingredients. Add the butter, and, using a pastry blender, cut it into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. There should be a few larger clumps.


Add the heavy cream and fold it into the dough with a large rubber spatula. Be sure to get the crumbs on the bottom of the bowl and mix until the dough just comes together. It will still be slightly sticky.


Put the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a 1 1/4" thick round. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Cut out the biscuits with a floured biscuit cutter and place the biscuits on an unlined baking sheet. Leave about 1 1/2" between them. Brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle with quite a bit of sanding sugar. Bake for 20 -25 minutes total, rotating the pan halfway through. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool.


For the Strawberries


Slice 3 pints of hulled fresh strawberries and toss with 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and 1/3 cup sugar. Allow to macerate for 20 minutes before serving.


For the Almond Whipped Cream
Adopted from some recipe or other somewhere down the road


2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons sugar


With an electric mixer beat all of the ingredients together on medium speed until soft peaks form.


To serve


Cut the biscuits in half horizontally. Layer with cream and strawberries, then cover with biscuit tops. If you're feeling generous, layer with more cream and strawberries.

La Fête du Fromage - Le Pavin d'Auvergne

Le Pavin d'Auvergne's bright, tangerine colored exterior literally glowed amongst the neighboring pale, white and beige cheeses at the Fromagerie.
It was impossible to resist.

This is another spectacular, washed rind, unpasteurized cow's milk cheese produced in the Auvergne, home to some of France's most famous fromages: Cantal, Bleu d'Auvergne, Gaperon, Saint-Nectaire and Fourme d'Ambert are a few examples.


It is named after lac Pavin, a lake that was formed about 6000 years ago in the crater of an extinct volcano in the Puy-de-Dôme département. The lake is known for being the deepest in the Auvergne and is considered to be one of the most beautiful lakes in the region.

Le Pavin d'Auvergne is a strong cheese. Its intoxicating flavor is rich with the taste of mushrooms and walnuts. The texture is dense and chewy, and very smooth and supple. It has a memorable, pleasant mouthfeel.
This one comes highly recommended!

Red wines from Bordeaux such as Côtes-de-Blaye or Côtes-de-Bourg pair well with le Pavin.

$1000 Giveaway!

Just a quick reminder to let you know that today is the last day of the $1000 Mother's Day giveaway on Glam Dish. All you have to do to enter is comment on how you would spend the prize on mom. Check it out! So far the comments have run the gamut from funny to sad to very inspiring, worth a read even if you don't enter the contest.

I'm posting 4 days a week over at Glam Dish and there are plenty of tantalizing recipes, useful tips and tidbits. Please do stop by and say "hi."

The contest is now over, but thanks to everyone for visiting and commenting. And don't forget, there will be another contest in early May.

Meet Tony Bourdain

Last week Anthony Bourdain came to town to sign copies of his latest book, Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook: Strategies, Recipes, and Techniques of Classic Bistro Cooking. At A Clean Well Lighted Place for Books, the space was jammed with foodies, chefs and so many culinary students from the Culinary Academy just a few blocks away that Bourdain claimed he could smell them coming in the place.



Bourdain knows how to work a room. He is opinionated and takes on the controversial issues--the scandal at James Beard, the unsung heroes of the kitchen--Latinos, TV celebrity chefs, the raw food movement, foie gras, bear bile, you name it, nothing is off limits. He tells it like it is and despite his handsome good looks, he quickly dispels the idea that cooking is in any way glamourous. What makes him so appealing is his passion and enormous respect for the humble beginnings of much of the world's greatest food. He spoke at length about the more undesirable or "squiggly bits" that need lots of trial and error to turn into something truly great. As for his new book, he says the hardest thing about learning to cook bistro food, is pronouncing it.



It's pretty unusual when you think about it. Most celebrity chefs are first and most well known for their cooking and have used that to build a non-cooking career. But not Anthony Bourdain. Though he was a cook for years, his real fame came from his writing and not even writing cookbooks but non-fiction in his two bestselling books Kitchen Confidential and A Cook's Tour. He also wrote a series of mysteries. Then came television, and now, finally, a cookbook based on his classic bistro cooking at Les Halles in New York. Unlike so many other cookbooks this one is written for the home cook, teaching them what do, as it is done in a restaurant.



If you want straight-from-the-hip advice and you want to know how to cook the classics like Boeuf bourgignon and Vichyssoise, Les Halles is your book. If you want to hear about Bourdains next adventure living in Vietnam for a year, and his culinary travels stay tuned to the Travel Channel next year.

The simple things: compote de pommes -- and a few questions about applesauce

BEFORE

Simple ingredients.

Simple recipe.

Simple post.

AFTER

Not so simple questions:

Why is this called "applesauce" in English?

Why is "applesauce" just one word?

Are you familiar with the secondary definition of the word applesauce? It's "nonsense; bunk."

On sharing and sugar, with a lot of banana cake

Like so many others who love the warmth of the stove, I once thought that I wanted to be a chef. One of my half-brothers had gone to cooking school, so it seemed only natural. Never mind the fact that said half-brother does the least amount of cooking of anyone in our family; chefdom was clearly in my blood. To test my reasoning, I took an internship one summer at Greens Restaurant in San

Mildly Spiced Chickpea and Spinach Stew

I'm really happy with this chickpea stew, not only because of its smoky and spicy flavors, but also because when I pureed the remainder of the stew and served it to some guests the next day, they loved it too.  They actually ate it quite speedily and more readily than anything else on the table. So, this makes me happy, because although I only put the recipes I'm confident about on the site, I can never truly know if they are satisfactory to other people - it is at this point that I will implore you to post a comment if you end up trying a recipe.  It is extremely helpful to know what you think, and I would appreciate it greatly!

In any case, I trust that you will enjoy this, especially if you are a chickpea fan.  They have such a unique nuttiness to them, and no matter how tender they get, they always contain a certain crunch to them that adds great body to any soup or stew.  Although using dried chickpeas is a bit of a hassle, it is absolutely worth it, because you can cook them with herbs and spices which mildly penetrate the peas and give them greater depth of flavor. 

I always suggest preparing more than 1 serving when making soups, because it's such a treat to have a hearty bowl of soup ready in a flash after coming home late from work or wherever the day led you.  I used spinach because it's delicious and has a nice and thick consistency, but I think kale would hold up equally well.  You can use an equal amount of kale instead of spinach.

Lastly, I think this soup would be thrilled served alongside some sour cream, yogurt, or creme fraiche.  Enjoy this stew, this week, and this very moment that finds you reading this website!

Chickpea and Spinach Stew with Mild Spices - makes 2 servings

2 cups dried chickpeas
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tbsp each of ground cumin, coriander, and chili powder
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
4 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup chopped fresh spinach


1. Place the chickpeas in a medium bowl and cover with water so that it's covered by about 2 inches. Soak overnight.
2. Drain chickpeas; in a medium-large saucepan or deep skillet, add the chickpeas, enough water to cover by 2 inches, the chopped rosemary, ground cumin, and a dash of pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring a few times to combine, and simmer until chickpeas are tender, about 1- 1 1/4 hours.
3. Once chickpeas are done, heat olive oil in a large skillet (large enough to hold chickpeas and cooking water) over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes.
4. Add chickpeas with their cooking liquid to the skillet, along with the coriander, chili powder, sun-dried tomatoes, and tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer until sauce has thickened slightly, about 30 minutes.
5. At this point, add the chopped spinach, stir to combine, and cook until spinach is soft, about 15 minutes longer. Season to taste with additional spices or seasonings.

Photo du Jour - December Sunrise

The colors shifted this morning from pale pink and lavender to orange and red. Absolutely stunning!

Tomorrow's Tuesday...

...so get ready to taste some cheese!

Sunday Links

Haven't posted any Sunday Links for a while...here are a few that have piqued my interest in the past few weeks.


Just heard this song. It is officially The Season.
And this version of an old favorite brought a huge smile to my face this week.

If I make a batch of this today it will just be ready in time for Christmas.

Simply lovely.

Soothing shades of gray. And brilliant shades of orange.

The recipe states that it makes a great side dish. I beg to differ! Add a green salad and a glass of white wine, and this makes a delicious meal.


If you have a favorite new recipe, website, blog - please share it with me.
Bon dimanche!

Photo du Jour - Dazzling

A burst of color where the vineyards meet the garrigue.

This was taken a couple of days ago. I just stepped outside to find little flakes of snow falling.

Photo du Jour

The beautiful village of Minerve.
My friend Michael was reading a novel recently that featured Minerve. The name triggered something so he sent me an email asking if it was close to where we live. Yes, just five minutes up the hill from our village!

March Motivation

Is anybody in France motivated by cooking in March? Other than those of you who live in Provence or on the Riviera?

I always find this a problematic time for motivation of all sorts, but especially the culinary variety. I know it is now officially spring, but we have had decidedly chilly temperatures for a week and even some snow.

The typical harbingers of spring cuisine, asparagus and strawberries, don't seem to be available yet in any palatable form in Aveyron -- which is why I'm looking to other blogs to illustrate them!

Nice blogs though: I had never run into Confiture Maison, a fairly new food blog in French written by Vanessa in Minneapolis, Minnesota. But why does she already have access to asparagus?

And Eric B. of A boire et à manger turns everything he whips up to gold, even Spanish strawberries. His blog has been a favorite of mine for a long time, so check it out if you speak French.

In the meantime, I'm freezing and have nothing on my cooking inspiration list. Last year, my kids were fed up with eating soup at the beginning of February! So you can imagine the situation now.

Any ideas?

Ceramic Peeler:Equipment

I am not a geek, but I am always curious about new kitchen gadgets and technologies. So just a few months ago at the Gourmet Products Show when I saw that several companies were selling ceramic knives, I was eager to give them a try. They are made out of futuristic sounding "zirconium oxide". The manufacturing process also sounds like something out of a science fiction novel; ceramic material is ground into a micro-fine powder, made into slurry and poured into a machine where it is subjected to 100 tons of pressure and molded into blades. I tried one out that was made by Kyocera and was surprised at how light and sharp it was. But talking to chefs and foodies I didn't find a lot of support for these new knives. I heard complaints that they can only be sharpened by the manufacturer, that they are too fragile and can chip or break, and that they don't hold their sharpness as long as promised.



This week I got a chance to try out Kyocera's new wide ceramic peeler and I have to say, I'm really impressed. First of all it has a great comfortable handle, it is angled to make peeling easier and it is sharp as can be. Best of all, unlike other peelers, there is no chance it will rust. I tried this peeler out on raw butternut squash and beets and it came through with flying colors. Speaking of which, the white ceramic did not get stained when I peeled the beets!



Being able to peel hard winter squashes and root vegetables is really useful. I made soups out of each in the pressure cooker in minutes flat. While I'm not sure I would use this for peeling carrots, there is no question it is much safer and easier to handle than any other peeler I've ever used on hard-to-peel and larger fruits and vegetables. Kyocera also recommends using it on tropical fruit, cheese and chocolate.



If you're not ready to invest in a ceramic knife yet, but want to try out the technology, at just under $20 this is an affordable piece of hardware you may really enjoy using. Williams-Sonoma will probably carry the peeler and Soko Hardware (1698 Post street in Japantown) carries both the peeler and some knives. You can visit Kyocera's web site to find out where to purchase near you.



Some places to find this new wide peeler:



Kitchen Kaboodle East Coast Kitchenware chain

Knife Merchant Catalog and website or 1-800-714-8226

County Restaurant Supply-San Carlos, CA (probably the closest to the Bay Area) 650-591-0701

La Cocina Gift Fair is Today!

La Cocina is hosting a holiday gift fair where you will have a chance to try and buy lots of wonderful things from participants in their food business incubator program and other local entrepreneurs.

Some of my favorites not to miss are Clairesquares for chocolate covered crunchy "flapjack" oat bars, Kika’s Treats for chocolate covered caramelized graham crackers, Love and Hum­mus Co for delectable organic hummus, Sajen for spicy and healthy Indone­sian drinks. In addition, Marcia Gagliardi will be there signing copies of her terrific book, The Tablehopper's Guide to Dining and Drinking in San Francisco.

In my experience, food gifts are some the most appreciated gifts of all. In this case you'll also be supporting low-income entrepreneurs in our community and helping turn them into successful business owners.

Where: Mis­sion Cul­tural Cen­ter for Latino Arts
2868 Mission Street between 24th and 25th St., San Francisco

When: Fri­day, Decem­ber 10th, 4PM — 9PM

Com­ing? RSVP on Facebook

Vendors also include: Liga Masiva – Cof­fee and Teas | Deli­cias Sal­vadore­nas – Sal­vado­ran Pas­tries | Estrellita’s Snacks – Yucca and Plan­tain Chips | Neo Cocoa – Truf­fles | Sabores del Sur – Alfa­jores and Empanadas | Onig­illy – Japan­ese Snacks | Pick-A-Peck Pick­les – Pick­les | 18 Rea­sons – Classes for Food Lovers | De La Paz – Cof­fee and Teas | End­less Sum­mer Sweets – Ket­tle Corn and Caramel Apples | En Vie Nat­u­rals – Bath and Body Prod­ucts | Kim Jensen Mosaics – Arti­san Mosaics | J. Telford Tex­tiles – Dec­o­ra­tive Tex­tiles | Meat­pa­per – Mag­a­zines and Posters | Mimi McCurry’s – Chimichurri | Mix­coatl – Mex­i­can Arti­san Crafts | Rub­ber Ducky Soap Co – Bath and Body Prod­ucts | Spiffy Mutts – Pet Fash­ion | Stone­house Olive Oil – Olive Oils | Sweets Col­lec­tion – Mex­i­can Gel­latins | 3 Fish Stu­dios – Art Prints | Urban Bazaar – Kitchen­wares | Yvonne’s South­ern Sweets – Pra­lines and Cook­ies | Mex­ico by Hand – Mex­i­can Kitchen­wars and Crafts | House Kom­bucha – Kom­bucha | and more…

I hope to see you there!

Daly City and San Bruno are just a stone's throw from San Francisco. But according to the 2000 census, 30% of all residents of Daly City were Filipino. I'm guessing they head to San Bruno for dinner. On My Plate takes us to dinner at Patio Filipino for some amazing Filipino food. Anyone want to head down there besides me?

I just call them open-faced sandwiches but in France they call them breakfast. Check out the fabulous post on "tartines" from no other than La Tartine Gourmande.

Finally over at Meathenge Dr. Biggles waxes poetic about the latest thing to curl his toes, more specifically a batch of rind on bacon. Mmmmmmm bacon.

FOOD

Sparkling Jellies: Recipe

Ok, so England isn't the home of one of the world's greatest cuisines, but it has exported a number of delicious dishes. I'm particularly fond of crumpets, Summer pudding, bangers and mash, fish and chips, the Sunday roast with Yorkshire pudding, and chicken tikka masala (while not completely English the combining of chicken tikka with a masala sauce is believed to be a British invention). On the rise in popularity are sticky toffee pudding and perhaps one day, my favorite English sausage the chipolata.

Something else I think of as decidedly English that has not gained in popularity yet here in the States, are Jellies. Not jelly like grape jelly, but jellies for eating that we call gelatin or Jell-o. But the British versions are much more sophisticated often including booze and ending up like gelatinized versions of elegant cocktails. Every Summer, British cookery magazines feature a variety of these lovelies which can be served instead of a cocktail, as a starter, a palate cleanser or a dessert.

The possibilities are endless. One package of gelatin and you are on your way! Other requirements include little glasses and tiny spoons. I have collected some shot glasses for this purpose and also use my otherwise rarely used vodka set. In fact, vodka is a good ingredient for some jellies. Look for juices, fruits and any number of liquors for inspiration. Any sparkling wine is wonderful "gelatinized". It's a great way to use up your bubbly, if you are left with some extra in the bottle. You could also add some fruit flavored syrup instead of sugar. Recipes are really more formulas than anything else. I'm working on a limoncello version at the moment...

Sparkling Jellies

1 envelope powdered gelatine (such as Knox) 1/4 ounce or about 1/2 Tablespoon
1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar, depending upon your taste
1/4 cup cold water
1 bottle of sparkling wine, if it's missing a glass or two that's ok
fruit, as desired

In a saucepan combine the gelatin, sugar and water. Let sit for 10 minutes, stir to combine. Add the wine and heat until gelatin is thoroughly dissolved. Pour into glasses and top with fruit if desired. Chill for several hours.

Enjoy!

FOOD

Tagged

La Bella Sognatrice at Bleeding Espresso tagged me for an interesting meme yesterday.

"The Seven Songs I Would Pick If I Could Only Listen To Seven Songs For The Rest Of My Life, Which, Yeah, Like Someone Is Going To Impose That Condition On Me, And Assuming I Can Even Come Up With Seven.”
Wow.
The original meme asked for "Seven Songs You Are Into Right Now."
I was given the choice and I chose the former, which is much more fun!
My jet lag kept me up half the night anyway, so I had plenty of time to think about seven songs. Why do I always get tagged for meme's when I have jet lag?

1. Because it invokes memories of afternoons drinking champagne and dancing in my backyard in the Seattle summer sun with my girlfriends, ABBA's Dancing Queen definitely makes the list.

2. Annie Lennox is a goddess. I loved her with Dave Stewart in the Eurythmics and I love her on her own. There are several of their/her songs that could make this list but if I have to chose just one it would have to be Erased. "Well here I go, remembering again. All the anger and the blame. People in glass houses shouldn't throw those stones. But...something just flew through my windowpane." The pain and bitterness are palatable.

3. Wonderful! Wonderful! by Johnny Mathis. A great song with sweet lyrics. It is forever etched in my mind however, as the music in a wicked X-Files episode entitled Home.

4. This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) by the Talking Heads. I just love this one.

5. Sheryl Crow is another one I love and choosing just one song was tough, but A Change has got to be it. "Hello its me. I'm not at home. If you'd like to reach me, leave me alone."

6. Via Con Me by Paolo Conte. Another song full of the lyrics "it's wonderful, it's wonderful." (is there a theme here?) I love his raspy voice.

7. I need at least a couple of good songs to dance and sing along to, so after Dancing Queen I have to add Copacabana by Barry Manilow to the list. Poor Lola with that faded feather in her hair. The ultimate karaoke song.

I'm going to tag Donna, Susan, who loves her music, Sam and Laurie. Take your pick of which meme to do and let's see what you come up with!

Thanks Sognatrice! This was a fun meme!

It's Wednesday?

Darn if I didn't up and forget what day of the week it was! Please check back tomorrow for La Fête du Fromage.

Merci!

In the meantime, here are 350+ photos of cheese to whet your appetite.

Falafel

My appreciation for falafel certainly changed after I tried some in Paris at  l'As du Fallafel, a.k.a. the purveyor of tiny balls of heaven wrapped neatly in a pita.  It's a well-known establishment in this city, and one that at least in my humble opinion merits all of the high praise it receives.  A no-nonsense, hustle-and-bustle kind of joint that has tourists and residents alike enamored.

I have never seen l'As du Fallafel empty; at any time of day, be it 11 AM, 4 PM, or midnight, there is always someone devouring the enormous pitas.  And I am not exaggerating, the pita's are enormous!

This pita pictured here is the Falafel Special, the cheapest and most popular one on the menu (6 euros).  It's a hefty meal, stuffed with all sorts of treasures like red and white cabbage, fried eggplant, tomatoes, pickles, cucumbers, spicy red sauce, a thick and creamy tsatziki sauce enveloping everything like a wonderful and edible blanket; and of course, tiny fried balls of spiced chickpeas, all wrapped in one of the thickest pitas I've ever seen.


Needless to say I think there's an undefinable and intensely satisfying taste that comes with falafel, and I actually have been making a healthier version for the past couple of years which I've adapted from a Moosewood recipe and is a great alternative to this deep-fried original. The good news for anyone who would like to do the same: it is extremely easy to make.  Essentially, you combine all of the ingredients together in a food processor, form them into little balls, and fry them lightly in a skillet.  Sounds good to me! 


When I made this at home, I ate it with sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, pickles, and sundried tomatoes, and I served it with harissa (a spicy red sauce) and a quick home-made tahini sauce (1/2 cup tahini, 1 tsp. lemon juice, pinch salt, and 1 tbsp chopped parsley mixed together).  I think it would go wonderfully as well with some hummus or thick yogurt-dill suace.  However you eat it, I am confident you'll enjoy the rich chickpea flavor!


Falafel - serves 1-2
1 7-oz. can chickpeas
1/2 onion, minced (you can wrap the other half in foil and save it for another day)
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tbsp chopped parsley
2 pinches cumin
1 small pinch cayenne pepper
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
3 tbsp flour
2 tbsp vegetable oil


1.  Pour everything (except the flour and vegetable oil) into a bowl or food processor, and mash or process until everything is combined together and pasty.
2.  Add flour and mix until combined - the paste should be able to form easily into little balls at this point - if not, add more flour by the tablespoon-full.
3.  Form into 4 balls of about 1 1/2-inch diameter
4.  Heat oil in a large skillet until it's smoking hot; add falafel balls, flatten slightly with a spatula, and cook until golden, about 10 minutes on each side. 


Bon week-end a tous!

Meet Nigella Lawson

Yesterday I got to meet another of my culinary heroes, or in this case heroine. Nigella Lawson. Nigella is a terrific writer and a wonderful home cook. In fact when she was introduced yesterday as a "great chef" the first thing she did was to say she is not a great chef and is not even a chef at all. She is completely unapologetic and honest about her abilities and her lack thereof which makes her entirely refreshing. Almost the anti-Martha in some ways, she is eager to point out her imperfections and as if to illustrate the point she managed to burn a pancake in front of about 100 people in her cooking demo which she quickly abandoned in favor of a frank discussion of cooking instead.



Nigella is very funny in addition to being drop dead gorgeous. She is somehow attractive to men and unthreatening to women, a rare combination. It's because of her attitude towards life, especially about home cooking and her ability to make us all feel like we can do it too. Perhaps because she has faced so much unexpected tragedy in her life--the loss at an early age of her mother, sister and first husband, each of cancer, her philosophy is that "simplicity is the key to everything" and that "anything that is true in the kitchen is true out of the kitchen". She explained that her cooking show that takes place in her home kitchen came out out the circumstance that her husband was sick and she needed to make some money and yet not leave home. While not having faced anything like those conditions, I can certainly relate to her assertion that her life is "a balance between fear of boredom and laziness". Perhaps this explains while I rarely cook the same thing twice and often fail to clean up?



While telling the audience that she believes too much of what we think about food comes from food professionals, she also carries her own whisk in her purse, just in case she's asked to cook something. She summed up her passion for cooking by saying that "I like the whole world of food" and that "outside of sex, food is the most intimate communication you can have".



Endearing her to me forever was the assertion that she finds it hard to imagine there is a meal better than roast chicken and mashed potatoes, that and the fact that like me, she refuses to wear an apron.

Carte de Séjour Watch

Day 89

I'm Walking to New Orleans

Well, not really....but I love that song.
The alarm clock will ring at 2:45 tomorrow morning to give me enough time to clear the cobwebs, take a quick shower, get dressed and finish packing before we leave the house at 3:30 AM to drive 90 minutes to Toulouse where I catch a plane to Amsterdam, then another one to Detroit and finally a third to New Orleans.
I'll arrive in time for dinner but my brain will be screaming, Go to sleep, don't you know it's the middle of the night?!
I hate jet lag.

I'll be attending a couple of parties, going to several parades, dancing the night away at one Mardi Gras ball (Krewe of Muses) and will finally get to eat some decent shrimp!

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Norwegian Cardamom-Cinnamon Rolls

There are ways to make cinnamon buns very time-consuming and complicated. And perhaps if it weren't the day after New Years and we weren't all tired of time-consuming and complicated, such an endeavor would be well worth it. We could make a croissant dough with layers and layers of butter, a process that requires rolling and folding and chilling done three times. We could start the night before and finish in the morning and we would be rewarded with something sinful.

Or, if it were a normal weekend morning, with chores that needed to be done and errands that needed to be run, we could buy our cinnamon rolls pre-made, or cut them from a package, which is almost the same thing. But it's the day after New Years and we don't have much to do. This is a lovely compromise.

Especially if your finace decides he wants to take this particular project on himself, as mine did. The dough for these Cardamom-Cinnamon Buns is forgiving. It's relatively painless if you're planning on lounging all morning anyway and waiting for a few quick rises is no big deal. The recipe comes from this website, but R has translated and converted it for us below. These rolls aren't overly sweet, but if you have a craving that needs to be satisfied, feel free to slather them with some vanilla icing (my father's preference). We made do with a little butter melting on top.

Norwegian Cardamom-Cinnamon Rolls

For the Dough

4 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 cup sugar

1 package active dry yeast

3 1/2 decilitiers milk

1 stick of butter

For the Filling

4 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 stick of butter

Oven preheated to 425, two cookie sheets greased or lined with partchment paper

Mix the flour, cardamom, sugar and yeast together. Melt the butter and heat the milk until it is just warm to the touch. Mix the butter and the milk into the dry ingredients. Kneed by hand until the dough forms a ball. Cover the dough and allow it to rise for about 1 hour.

In the meantime, allow the butter for the filling to softened and work the sugar and cinnamon into the butter to form a paste.

Once the dough has risen, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/2" thick rectangle. Spread the filling mixture evenly over the dough and roll it up jellyroll style. Using a serrated knife, cut the dough into slices and space the slices out on the cookie sheets. We baked the cookie sheets one at a time for around 14 minutes each, plan to start checking at about 12 minutes.

Remove the rolls from the cookie sheets and transfer to a wrack to cool. Be sure to dig into a couple of them while they're still warm, just as they are or with a smearing of butter on top.

* * *

Let's not forget, since these are yeasted they're headed over to Yeaspotting, Susan's weekly breadfest at Wild Yeast!

FoodSmarts, WineSmarts

There is something oddly satisfying about being able to impress your friends and family by showing off all the meaningless information that you know. Remember when Trivial Pursuit was all the rage? And how long has Jeopardy! been on TV anyway? Trivia games are positively addicitive.



Last night I was watching Napa Style with Michael Chiarello, who is a renowned local chef and restauranteur. The show featured recipes for "game night" and the game they were playing was a food trivia game called FoodSmarts. Genius! Why didn't anyone think of this before? And how come no one told me about it?



I was amazed at how challenging the questions were. I tend to think I know something about food, but I didn't get them all right. In fact when I checked out the product online, and tried the demo, I got even fewer of the answers right. Oddly enough I seemed to do better with the wine version...WineSmarts



Do you know what Bombay Duck is? Think you know what "reserve" means on a wine bottle? See if you really do by checking out the trivia. Both FoodSmarts and WineSmarts were created by Smartsco a trivia game manufacturer that also sells SexSmarts and coming soon, ChocolateSmarts. Imagine a trivia game based solely on chocolate. Crazy! But probably a lot of fun. If you visit the web site you can find out where to purchase the game, and try out a few questions for yourself.

Blog Day 2006

I have a hard time keeping up with all the food blogs I already read. But I discover lots more through the comments on my site and also from blogs that have linked to me. Here are some of the ones I have discovered recently. I hope you enjoy them too! If you want to participate, just link to 5 new blogs and include the technorati tag Blog Day 2006. Happy Blog Day everyone.

My first pick is A Mingling of Tastes. Based in Ft. Lauderdale, Julie has such a great sense of humor, I can really count on her to put a smile on my face. Plus she's much better at plating than I am.

Can we ever have too many ex-pat food blogs from Paris? I think not! When I first heard the name La Petite Chinoise I thought it was the fine mesh cooking utensil but it turns out it is Ginny herself. She only started blogging a few months ago but her Postal Service stories rival those of our esteemed friend David Lebovitz.

I've already mentioned the blog once in "Posts of the Week", but Cook Think is a couple month old blog that started with a manifesto. I find some great ideas here.

The other blog that made it into my "Post of the Week" not long ago is Eat, Drink, One Woman. Ganda in New York has been traveling and sharing her adventures. She also regularly interviews people about what is in their refrigerator.

Another place I have found some good blogs lately is Delightful Blogs. You can also vote for blogs (hint, hint). Most importantly this is an edited list not just a repository. Begun earlier this year, Golidlocks Finds Manhattan is a recipe-centric blog with some photos of wildlife and livestock thrown in for good measure.

FOOD + BLOG DAY 2006

NO pretexts accepted!

During my stay in San Francisco I have toured a few places in search of ingredients for my private classes and everyday suppers, and I can tell you I am stunned to see the good quality and variety of produce I have found. Whole Foods, and the market on College Ave (Berkley) were among my quality-food stops.

No more pretexts accepted, START COOKING!

Oh, and a special note about the Bresaola from ... Uruguay (pictured above). I couldn't resist and I highly recommend it. For our supper, I arranged an Italian charcuterie plate with bresaola, Parma prosciutto, copa, and more, had raviolis with a home made pesto (parmigiano, pecorino, fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, olive oil), and a salad.

Dessert Giveaway!

There's another contest over at Glam Dish today! Win one of three prize packages that each include a signed copy of a Gale Gand cookbook, bakeware and 12 coupons for a product that was named to Time Magazine's list of the 100 greatest consumer products in 1998. It was invented 60 years ago. Do you know what it is? Click here to find out...

Brown bag it

One day a few weeks ago, entirely without prompting, Brandon packed me a lunch for work. Just like that. I opened the fridge, and there it was: a Tupperware containing one of his trademark concoctions, soba noodles with a peanut-citrus sauce, with my name on it.“Oh yeah,” he said nonchalantly, “I thought you might like some for your lunch tomorrow.”With no explanation, just like that, he

Artichoke Time

I love artichokes.  Ever since I was little my favorite answer to "what's for dinner" included artichokes.  My mom always steamed them and served them with drawn butter.  There's something so simple and yet somewhat decadent about eating nothing but the artichoke and pure butter.  The only other thing I can think of my parents eating this way is lobster.  I've also had stuffed artichokes at various Italian restaurants, but these days my favorite way to eat an artichoke is Perla Meyers's Artichokes with Curried Ginger-Lemon Vinaigrette.  Yes, they're that good.  They're so good, in fact, that when I want my favorite vegetarian friend to come over, all I have to do is mention these artichokes and he won't make any excuses.  

The recipe comes from Ms. Meyers's book Spur of the Moment Cook: Spontaneous and Flavorful Meals for the busiest Days of the Week.  Although the topic sounds somewhat hackneyed in the age of Rachel Ray and the 5 minute meal, Spur of the Moment Cook is not your typical dump-some-canned-things-in-a-pan type of speedy cookbook.  Meyers studied baking and confections in Switzerland and Vienna and received a degree from Le Cordon Bleu.  She seems to be most interested in the kind of peasant European cooking that inspired the whole California Cuisine craze lead by Alice Waters.  Two of Meyers's other well-known cookbooks are titled The Seasonal Kitchen: A Return to Fresh Foods and Peasant Kitchen: A Return to Simple, Hearty Food if that gives any indication of her culinary interests. In most of her books, Spur of the Moment included, Meyers focuses on preparing fresh, whole foods simply and in a way that highlights their natural qualities. 

Anyway, back to these artichokes.  It's an easy recipe, and the real star is the amazing Curried Ginger-Lemon Vinaigrette that gets poured into the bowl made from scooping the choke out of the heart. Once you dig out all the vinaigrette with the leaves, you're left with a perfectly dressed artichoke heart to enjoy.   Although Ms. Meyers's recipe includes an option for anchovy fillets, I simply left them out.  It also calls for 1 teaspoon of lightly beaten egg yolk, but if you're uncomfortable with raw eggs, just leave it out as well.

I like how the artichoke looks like a sunflower once it's been filled.

Artichokes with Curried Ginger-Lemon Vinaigrette

For 4 large artichokes

Vinaigrette: 

1 lemon, cut in half, one half juiced

1 teaspoon lightly beaten egg yolk 

1 teaspoon curry powder

* One 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and passed through a garlic press 

1 1/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 large garlic clove, also pressed

3/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons finely mined scallions or chives (I used three scallions)

Salt and pepper

Get some salted water boiling and cook the artichokes along with half of the lemon for around 25 minutes or until the artichoke is done.  For the vinaigrette, combine the first 7 ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.  As you wisk begin to pour the oil in slowly until all of it is emulsified. Stir in the scallions and season with salt and pepper.

Once the artichokes are done cooking, place them in a colander and blanch them under to cold water until they are cool enough to handle.  Spread the artichoke leaves carefully, and let it cool until you can handle it.  Once cool, use a grapefruit spoon to dig out the fuzzy choke in the center, which you can discard.  Pour 1/4 of the vinaigrette into the heart where the choke used to be.  

* I found this to be more like juicing the ginger through the press because the fibers didn't really break down.

* * *

I'm sending this post in to Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen for the "No Croutons Required" event.  This month's theme is "dressing" so I thought this recipe would be perfect.  Hope she likes it!

Photo du Jour - Blossoming Prow

Flower boxes decorating a barge on the Canal du Midi.

Culinary Confessions

I'm a thief. First I snagged the concept of Posts of the Week from Too Many Chefs. Now I brazenly bloglift Culinary Confessions from David Lebovitz. But at least I give credit. That counts for something, right?

My confessions:

I have never used my bread machine

I rarely wash mushrooms

I have broken three sugar bowls in under four years

I prefer that mugs match in color or style, but not both

I hate it when recipes call for an uneven number of egg whites and yolks

I consider sour cream a staple item

I believe in the golden rule "I cook, you clean"

I love leftover pasta for breakfast

I have about six open jars of jam in the fridge (and just as many of mustard)

I think cold pizza is gross

I stockpile pasta and canned tomatoes like they're going out style

I love my Le Creuset

I believe most things are improved with bacon and fried onions

I melt chocolate in the microwave

If I drink coffee I get heart palpitations

I would love a big copper bowl for whipping egg whites

I think peanut butter with sugar in it is gross

I think mayonnaise with sugar in it is gross

I prefer whipped cream over frosting on cakes

I love shopping at Trader Joe's

I have five whisks and I use them all

I find sifting anything a bother

I often keep herbs in the fridge until they either get crispy or turn to slime

I prefer cooking alone

I have never successfully made meringue

I don't like to order risotto in restaurants because mine is usually better

If I ever ran out of garlic or onions I'd have to go out to dinner

I use non-stick pans (are you horrified?)

I wish Plugra butter came in 1/4 pound sticks instead of one pound blocks

I have no fewer than four chocolate bars on hand, just in case

I can't eat dates or lobster

My kitchen has been less than tidy ever since my housekeeper moved back to Guatemala (she moved three years ago)

There you have it, my culinary confessions. So, what are yours?

Photo du Jour

Shade
So necessary during the height of summer.

Photo du Jour

Memories of my trip to Paris in April with my sister.
I yearn to go again.
Someday....

The Simple Things

Over the past few years, I have taken on more teaching work, which means getting home later in the evening -- often around 6:30pm. By the time I unwind and touch base with my family, that doesn't leave much cooking time, nor any time to pore through cookbooks. If I try to launch into new recipes, our dinner time gets way too late.

This year I have been rediscovering very simple things, like these Choux de Bruxelles à la crème from one of my favorite cookbooks. The recipe's little secret is to slowly sauté five juniper berries in butter before adding coooked Brussels sprouts and, finally, a bit of crème fraîche.

Taking a Beating

Yes, here I am, once again complaining about the never ending bureaucracy that is knocking me around, chewing me up and spitting me out.
I won't go into great detail, but my Carte de Séjour has been expired for two months now and just last week I received another letter from the sous-préfecture asking for more papers, more attestations, more justificatifs. Flashback to ten months ago when we were doing the same thing for my husband.

They want to know that we have enough income to live on. I guess being here, paying taxes and supporting the local economy for almost five years hasn't proven our case yet.
They want an attestation stating that I will not work without prior authorization from the authorities. Which they've already granted me. Which I asked for. From the authorities. Obviously they're not convinced in this area either.
They want copies of tax returns from 2006. They already have them in triplicate.

Oh. My. God.
When. Will. This. Get. Easier?

Why do they grant some Americans 10 year Cartes de Séjours with no problems? Is it just our sous-préfecture?

If I didn't love it here so much, I might have given up by now.

Why do YOU cook, Allison Arevalo?

Photo credit: Allison Arevalo
Have you discovered Local Lemons yet? Blogger Allison Arevalo is a New York transplant and perhaps that is why she embraces the local Bay Area food scene with such enthusiasm. She's been blogging less than a year, but her writing is already finding a home in print and beyond. She makes food that looks and sounds soul satisfying whether she's making Duck Fat Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Almonds and Cranberries or her own high caliber everything-from-scratch version of a Big Mac. Her food blog is focused on sustainable living but without a hint of attitude or fundamentalism. Plus you have to love it when she improves upon potato pancakes by adding Italian sausage and leeks and topping them with poached eggs!

"I never really thought about it. But now that you ask, it feels like hundreds of reasons are floating in my mind, justifying the insanely long hours I seem to spend in the kitchen. If I had to name a few, let’s start with these:

I cook because I love the feel of food in my hands. The smooth skin of kneaded dough, the beaded florets on a crown of broccoli, the sticky reside of chopped garlic cloves.

I cook because it makes me feel creative. Mashing spices, blending flavors, giving a traditional recipe my unique touch.

I cook because it’s my contribution. Something I can give my friends and family to enjoy, and hopefully put a smile on their face.

I cook because it comes naturally to me. And we all tend to gravitate toward innate talents or abilities.

I cook because it keeps me sane. The rituals of the kitchen help me unwind from a crazy day at work, or the two-hour traffic jam, or the bills on the counter.

I cook because it connects me with my past. I envision my great-grandmother, who taught me the value of fresh foods, preparing meals similar to mine when she was growing up in Italy.

I cook because chemicals, hormones and pesticides scare me. When I cook something myself, I know what I am eating and where it came from.

I cook because I think about food all day long. From the moment I open my eyes until my last bite of dinner, and if my day doesn’t involve something good to eat, it’s just not a good day."

But mainly, I cook because I love it, and because it makes me who I am."

Before my Russian shopping adventure this past weekend I stuck with the familiar when shopping for Russian groceries. I bought farmer's cheese to make blintzes. I bought the best tasting homemade sour cream. I stocked my freezer with various types of meat and potato dumplings called pelmenyi and vareniki to boil up and serve with a dollop of the aforementioned sour cream. I sometimes bought a slab of Russian bacon or some smoked fish. Baffling to the uninitiated, too many other items in Russian specialty shops have all Cyrillic labels with no English translation and even if they are translated their usage remains a mystery.



But shopping with Alenushka and Sour Cherry as they are known on the Craigslist Food Forum was a great opportunity for Pozoleboy and I to unlock many more secrets of Russian specialty store shopping and expand our culinary horizons. Our first stop was New World Grocery where we learned that Russian candy is often named after animals--such as bears or cows. We nibbled some rich candy called "syrki" a round chocolate covered delight filled with a sweet creamy center that tasted something like a fruity ricotta only creamier. I hope no one else was hoping to buy some as our little troop cleaned out the store's supply. I picked up a sour plum sauce that was recommended for barbecuing or serving with meat. I also noted for future reference a jar of honey with pine nuts floating in it. This is spooned on toast for a decadent breakfast. I also bought some of the yogurt which I did not realize until I got home was not low fat! At only $2.29 for a 2 pound container it was priced right but will be more of a treat than an everyday staple.



My other purchase was tea. It shouldn't have been such a surprise to find tea, after all Russians are famous for their samovars. The package says deluxe Ceylon but it is also flavored with bergamot like a traditional Earl Grey. And deluxe it is, when you see the length and quality of the tea leaves you know it will brew a top notch cup of tea!



The meat counter usually has a platter of slices of various meats to try, but the helpful women behind the counter are also perfectly willing to serve up tastes of almost anything you want. Don't miss some of the smoked and spiced beef like Russian versions of pastrami.



More on the Russian shopping adventure to come...check back Thursday.



New World

5641 Geary Blvd. @ 21st

415.751.8810

Sunday morning 8 am in Paris, 32 F

Saturday (yesterday) was pretty cold here in Paris; the weather channel said it was going to drop below 32 F at night - and it did. The sky has been pretty blue, some trees still have brownish leaves; the "fall-into-winter" views in the city are beautiful.

We had friends for dinner. One couple arrived with this beautiful lilac-pink bouquet that matches my living room decoration very well.
Through the top glass of the living room coffee table you can see Victims of a Map, a bilingual anthology by Palestinian poet Mahmud Darwish. Next to the flowers, two candle holders in dyed stone and brass and its matching box, from Uruguay. In the bakc, the red lacquer ice bucket I gave my hsuband from Christmas when we were in Hong Kong. I had purchased it in the boutique of the Mandarin hotel, which I believe, does not exist anymore (sigh). In the background, and ancient Chinese rug.

I had dressed the table with my "taupe" color Jacquard Francais table cloth, and had arranged the center of the table with a candle holder made with beads in all shades of green, gift from a friend who lives in Ankara, and four square hand painted little dishes, gift from another friend, where I had placed a "pinch" of my home made pot-pourri. In the background, my mouth-blown water pitcher from Mexico, and the mouth blown water glasses from Cairo, as well as the high stem wine glasses that my husband does not like at all (too tall, too big, a modern invention!) but that I find very elegant next to the tall water glasses.
When our friends left, past midnight, we moved from the deck into the living room the most fragile plants to let them sleep inside!
Today we'll have to cover them with a protection to help them survive the cold week ahead! It seems it may snow in Paris today.

By the way, last week I planted - at last - the 50 something bulbs I bought in Amsterdam two weeks ago. Beautiful flowers expected in March, I'll keep you posted!

Mousse au chocolat a go go!

Sunday's dessert for lunch : Mousse au chocolat! I made it in a large bowl and served it with a wooden ladle I brought from Japan, which meant that one could have "generous" portions!

For the recipe of the Mousse au Chocolat, visit my website, and search in the Recipe Window.

www.aworldinapan.com

La Fête du Fromage - Le Petit Fiancé des Pyrénées

Voilà Le Petit Fiancé des Pyrénées. Another fabulous, yet very different, fromage de chèvre.


This pressed, natural rind, unpasteurized fermier goat's cheese is nothing like a fresh, crumbly-centered Loire Valley chèvre. Instead, le Petit Fiancé des Pyrénées reminds me of a young Reblochon, somewhat like le Chevrotin des Aravis, only softer and more delicate.

It is produced in the Ariège department in the Pyrénées (as you probably already guessed). It is rich with yeast, nuts and salty flavors. The pâte gently oozes when you cut into it, promising a wonderful cheese. It did not disappoint!

"Enjoy it now," the Fromager said. "Do not refrigerate it and do not let it mature, it is ready to eat this week."

Let it mature???
As I gently placed it into my bag, noting its dense, supple texture through the wax paper, I couldn't wait to get home, tear off a hunk of baguette and slice off a wedge. Not a chance that I was letting this one sit around any longer than necessary.

Le Petit Fiancé des Pyrénées' hefty price tag was worth every luscious mouthful. It didn't take us long to polish it off and how I wish I had bought two instead of just one so we could have savored it all week.
I didn't, and in only two days it was gone.

I need to get some more. Soon.


Light red wines, such as a Mâcon from Burgundy, will compliment this cheese perfectly.