Pumpkin Pie

This pie is really good.  Lick-the-bowl-clean, make-sure-you-have-room-for-seconds good.  Thanksgiving came early for us this year, since I can't make it home for the real deal at the end of the month.  And although we were stuffed just like our dear old turkey, we all managed to make some room for this pie, which had been tempting us with its deep orange hue and buttery, spicy aroma throughout our meal. 

And this opened up to some rave reviews - oohs and aahs from its eaters, and a general fascination by the sweet, tangy, and spicy combination of flavors.  The recipe I provide here shows you how to make your own crust, but of course you can buy a frozen 9-inch pie crust and I'm sure this pie would still taste great; it's the filling that's the winner.

Spiced Pumpkin Pie - serves 6-8

For the crust:
1 3/4 cup flour
1 stick of butter, cut up into smaller pieces
pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
room-temperature water

For the filling:
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
12 oz canned pumpkin
1 tablespoon molasses
3 eggs
1 cup heavy cream

1.  To prepare the crust, spread the flour on a work surface and create a well in the center.  Place the salt and butter pieces in the well. 

1. Using a pinching motion, press the butter into the flour, until a mealy combination has formed and the butter is mixed into the flour.

2.  Create another well in the center, and place the egg yolk inside.  Again using a pinching motion, mix the yolk into the flour and butter.

3.  Pour the water over the mixture in small doses, until a ball can be easily formed (you'll probably need around 1/2-cup of water).

4.  Knead the dough several times, and form it into a ball.  Place in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for at least two hours.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

5.  To prepare the filling, whisk the sugars and spices together in a medium bowl.  Add the pumpkin, molasses, eggs and the cream, and whisk thoroughly until combined.

6.  Remove the crust from the fridge and roll it out to cover a 9-inch pie pan.  Cut three or four x's into the bottom of the crust, and remove any overhanging parts of the crust.

7.  Pour the filling inside the pan, and bake for about ten minutes.  Reduce the heat to 325 degrees, and continue to bake until filling is firm, about 45 minutes.

Voila! Tarte de potiron, delicieuse!!

Sugar High Friday #4, or how I got my hands on a pain de Gênes

It was a circuitous route that brought me to le pain de Gênes, the sunny yellow French cake rich with butter, eggs, and almond paste,



and I never would have made it without a former New York cabbie and his Citroën.

It all began one day in the mid-1990s, in the parking lot of an Albertsons grocery store in Oklahoma City. My father, the ever-willing food shopper, paused with his grocery bags to

SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA ITALIAN FOOD PASTA RECIPE homemade YouTube Video VIDEOGULP !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMFwY5mBCG4endofvid
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SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA ITALIAN FOOD PASTA RECIPE homemade YouTube Video VIDEOGULP !

GULP - Spaghetti alla Carbonara is famous Italian dish - World famous for simpleness of ingredients and for strong and spicy taste
HOMEMADE VIDEO Spaghetti alla carbonara ITALIAN FOOD PASTA RECIPE - italian Cooking

Selection YouTube video Videogulp !
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Photo du Jour

New growth on the fig trees and a little fig-lette.

Yummy Potatoes: Cookbook Review

Last week I went through a box of recipes I had clipped from the San Francisco Chronicle. I found recipes dating back to the late 90's! I wish I was as good at organizing as I am at hoarding. Reviewing all those clippings, I can safely say I had saved more recipes written by Marlena Spieler than from anyone else. Spieler has been a writer for the Chronicle for ages and has written tons of cookbooks to boot.

So imagine my pleasure at receiving a review copy of Marlena Spieler's latest book, called Yummy Potatoes 65 Downright Delicious Recipes. And on the same day I posted one of my yummy potato recipes! Potatoes on the brain. I cannot tell you how delectable most of her recipes look! There are Breakfast Potatoes, Tapas, Meze and Antipasti, Soups, Salads, Mashes, Baked, Fried, Sides and a category called "Potatoes for Dinner!" I swear the exclamation point is hers, not mine, but it might as well be mine.

The notes that go with each recipe are filled with wonderful anecdotes like the time she went digging in HRH Prince Charles' garden, or took a class from James Beard and whether it's a story about her Aunt Stellie or her travels through Italy, France or Greece you can't help but wish Marlena were your friend to chat with over a meal. Anecdotes aside, I'll hang onto this book not just for the recipes but also for the inspired combinations like potatoes with lemon juice and olive oil, potatoes and chermoula, potatoes with pasta, tomatoes and cheese and potato enchiladas with red chile sauce. Check out several of the recipe on the Chronicle Books site. Yummy. Potatoes. Indeed!

READ MORE Over at Bay Area Bites is my review of The Breakaway Cook.

Pizza: Cookbook Review

The Bay Area is not really known for pizza but maybe it should be. After all we are the home of pizza throwing champion Tony Gemignani. No one is more passionate or knowledgeable about pizza than Tony. Perhaps you've seen him on TV doing tricks or teaching others how to toss the dough. He's the captain of the World Pizza Champions and even invented a silicon based glow-in-the-dark pizza dough practice disk called "ProDough". He has a pizzeria out in Castro Valley called Pyzano's Pizzeria and has written a book called not surprisingly, Pizza. He studied at a pizza school in Italy and speaking from personal experience, he makes a great tasting pizza.

Most of my cooking is the quick and easy variety. But every once in a while I take on something that requires a little more planning, a little more time, a little more effort. Not brain surgery by any means, but not one of those I'm-hungry-what's-in-the-fridge meals either. While certain things I won't take on such as croissants or puff pastry, pizza is the perfect candidate. As Tony recently told me, it's not that hard to make. But there are some secrets to getting it right.

The best way to learn Tony's secrets are to get a copy of his terrific book. Pizza is co-writtten by Diane Morgan and has recipes for just about every kind of pizza you might want to try-- traditional Neapolitan style pizzas, New York style pizzas, Chicago style deep-dish pizzas, California style pizzas and even grilled pizzas. If you are serious about making pizza this is a really good book because it goes into detail about all the ingredients and all the techniques, leaving nothing to chance. A real hands-on guide, it is paperback and has flaps to hold the book open in the kitchen. It's available on Amazon for only $12.32, less than a large pizza these days.

Tomorrow read my interview with Tony over at Bay Area Bites and come back here for a contest with fabulous prizes...

FOOD + PIZZA

Wasabi Mayonnaise Salmon Recipe

There is an exchange that happens in my household. I ask "what should I make for dinner?" and I hear the refrain "Japanese food." The problem is many of the necessary fresh ingredients for the Japanese food in my repertoire, such as shiso, shiitake or enoki mushrooms, gyoza wrappers, mentaiko, udon, daikon and tuna, are not ingredients I typically have on hand. In fact, I need to go to an Asian specialty store to buy them. But I do have a few recipes that come from one of my favorite cookbooks, Let's Cook Japanese Food! that I can make at a moment's notice. And now I have a another one, salmon with wasabi mayonnaise.

The other day I was looking for Japanese salmon recipes and found one for Sake no Mayonnaisu. I didn't actually have any mayonnaise on hand, but I did have wasabi mayonnaise! Why not use it instead? It was perfect. The mayo protects the salmon from drying out and extends the flavor. I am going to give you the instructions for making it with salmon fillets but you can make it with steaks as well. The basic procedure is to broil it on both sides, then add some mayo--as much or as little as you like, then broil it again slightly and serve. I think you could use other flavored mayo too such as miso mayonnaise or Dijon mustard mayonnaise to good effect.

This is such an easy recipe for salmon, I hesitate to even call it a recipe. But the truth is, we all need a few dead simple options. It's not that cooking takes too much time, but it does take some thinking. This is a recipe for those days when you literally can't think straight.


Wasabi Mayo Salmon, adapted from Let's Cook Japanese Food!
serves 4

4 4-5 ounce fillets of salmon, I used Copper River Coho
1/4 cup wasabi mayonnaise (I like the Trader Joe's brand)
Salt

To prepare the fish, slice a few gashes in the skin, to allow it to crisp up nicely when broiled. Season the fish with salt and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before cooking.

Preheat your broiler, if necessary. Broil the fillets 4 minutes per 1/2 inch thick, starting skin side up, flipping the fish once during cooking. One to two minutes before the fish is done, top each serving with the mayonnaise and return to the broiler. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!