Breakfast of Champions!

I know what you're probably thinking. Leftover spaghetti is NOT breakfast food. But it is for me! I get bored eating only traditional American fare like eggs, cereal, pancakes and waffles.

According to my research, leftover spaghetti is not a traditional breakfast food anywhere. But reading the breakfast article over at Wikipedia I found out about amazing breakfasts from all around the world (photos too!). Some of the most memorable breakfasts I've had in other countries include a traditional Turkish breakfast that featured tomatoes, cucumber, cheese and olives and an enormous smoked seafood buffet in Finland, although that may be more indicative of hotel breakfast food than what the average Finn eats.

I also find comfort in the simple French breakfast of a baguette, butter, jam or croissant, and hot chocolate. Lee's favorite is a British breakfast and he likes Asian breakfasts too. In general I am not crazy about most traditional Chinese and Japanese breakfasts, but Indian breakfasts with breads and chutney sound very appealing to me...

How about you? Do you eat anything unconventional for your first meal of the day? Do you have a favorite traditional breakfast from a foreign country?

FOOD

Fancy Food Show Winter 2010 Cool Stuff

There were a number of things I saw at the Winter Fancy Food Show that really intrigued me this year. But tasting something is not the same as cooking with, or trying something in my own home kitchen, so I decided I would put some of the most provocative products into a separate post from my favorites. Hopefully this makes sense. Next up will be the trends from the show and beyond...


If you love cheese, how can you not fall head over heels for this wedding cake? It's made entirely of Cypress Grove chevre and lovely fresh flowers. For someone who prefers cheese over sweets, it would be a fantastic way to celebrate in style. In fact, master cheesemaker and Cypress Grove founder Mary Keehn served one at her own wedding.


I've been hearing about black garlic for quite some time, but I'm not sure I'd ever tried it before the show. It was offered up in various forms from whole heads, to cloves to liquid. It is fermented and all the natural sugars come out creating a very sweet molasses like flavor and a texture somewhat chewier than a raisin. It has no bite and is actually used in various desserts, believe it or not. I think it would be great with caramelized onions, on pizza, or even in bread. I snagged a sample and look forward to experimenting with it. Hopefully it will be more widely available soon.


Let me tell you, the show floor was simply buzzing about smoked olive oil. Everyone I met asked if I had tried it. Yes, I did. And I liked it, but will need to see how it works on various dishes. It seems like it would have good potential on soups and drizzled over vegetables or to boost flavor on grilled foods. It's supposedly a top seller in Tyler Florence's kitchen shop in Mill Valley.


When I was in Japan I discovered yuzukosho, a paste made from the yuzu citrus and kosho, a Japanese green chili pepper. It's got loads of tangy citrus flavor not just pure heat. I was so crazy about it I bought tubes to bring home, afraid that I might not find it here (fortunately it is available in my local Japanese grocery store). This new product is yuzusco, like Tabasco, and it is yuzu and kosho but in a thin vinegar sauce. It has all the complexity and mild heat of yuzukosho but is much easier to use. I would use it in place of Tabasco, which I find to be fairly simple and one note. I hope the company producing it is able to get distribution soon.


I only tried a packaged mole sauce once, and it was dreadful (actually Trader Joe's discontinued it not long after I bought it)l. I tried both the black and red mole sauces from award-winning San Angel as well as the red cascabel sauce and was very impressed. The red was a bit spicier, the black a bit sweet but each tasted homemade and contains high quality natural ingredients. They were layered with flavors and I could see keeping them on hand to use with leftover chicken and turkey. I'd use the cascabel to make enchiladas.


My friend Vanessa of Italy in SF introduced me to these fantastic Etruria Gourmet vinegars from Italy and their producer, Giuseppe Cagnoni. I had never had honey vinegar before and fell for it, hard. I plan to pick up a bottle and see how many ways I can use it. I bet it would be great on fruit salad as well as bitter green salads. Vanessa suggested using the mild honey vinegar with sparkling water for an aperitif, which sounds great. The raspberry vinegar was also amazingly fragrant and floral. Giuseppe explained how the ancient honey vinegar was probably first invented by accident. All his vinegars are living, contain "mother" and are not filtered.


Another vinegar I liked was this Sparrow Lane pear vinegar. Again, I tried it plain, so I don't have a good idea how it will perform in recipes, but I did like it very much.


One of the oddest things I tried, also all the buzz at the show, were savory filled macaroons from Fabrique Delices. Supposedly these are popular in France. I liked the goat cheese one, but the other flavors such as porcini and sun-dried tomato were problematic for me, as the cookies were too sweet. Since they are made from egg whites and sugar, I'm not sure how the baker will get the balance of sweet and savory right, but I think it's an interesting idea and look forward to trying them again, perhaps with a glass of wine?


The Fancy Food Show has very few gadgets and gizmos, but there was an interesting invention, Bread Armor a special plastic zip top bag designed specifically to keep artisanal bread fresh. It wasn't an ordinary plastic bag, but one made of 7 layers and supposedly it keeps baguettes fresh for up to 20 days. Obviously I need to put this to the test! But as someone who routinely makes bread crumbs or tosses out petrified baguette remnants, I am very excited at the prospect of this product. It can also be reused many times.

Home

Last night I watched a series by Stephen Fry in which he traveled across America, spending a bit of time in each and every state. The final leg of his journey took him through San Francisco, northern California, Portland and Seattle. My old stomping grounds.
I sat there glued to the TV and experiencing some pretty strong feelings.

In San Francisco I could feel the vibe of that city, that amazing energy that I've never felt anywhere else, the satisfaction oozing from the people who know that they live in a very special, very unique place.
In Portland I could feel the clean air, the positive energy, the kind people, the green.
In Seattle I could feel the edginess, smell the salty air and roasting coffee beans, experience those breathtaking views out over Puget Sound and feel that misty rain on my face.
It was like visiting home.

Home.

In my heart New Orleans is my home away from home. Even though I don't get it sometimes, it is a place that is addictive, seductive, sultry. And rare.
But those jewel like cities along the Pacific still tug at my heart strings.
I get them. I know how to navigate them and know how the people think.

So watching Stephen Fry cavorting around the west coast made me a bit misty eyed.

Now France is my home. And I wouldn't want it any other way.
If I could fully express how fortunate I feel to be living here, I would. I thank my lucky stars every day that I am here, that I have the chance to live in Europe and in a country that values so much of what I value; recognizing the little things, appreciating family time, experiencing joy, savoring local delicacies.
And to have the time to be. Just BE.
To experience life. To enjoy amazing food and wine. And cheese!


So this definition of home. For me it is slippery. I still feel attached to so many places.
But I know that for now, even though my heart strings get tugged at from time to time, I am. Home.

Photo du Jour

An early coquelicot. By May 1 there will be entire fields in bloom.

Photo du Jour

An old stone basin planted with hens and chicks.

Fresh Zucchini with Sliced Almonds and Parmesan

I wish I could take the credit for this brilliant dish, which, in all its simplicity, still manages to provide strong flavors of salty, nutty, sweet, and tangy.  With only four ingredients, it is a simple and remarkably fast meal which can constitute either a lunch, light dinner, or starter.  I really do wish I came up with it, as it's pure genius.  However, I owe the creation of this recipe to Jimmy Bradley and Danny Abrams, the chefs/co-owners of Red Cat Restaurant in the chelsea area of New York.  The first time I tried this at the restaurant I knew I would have to go back and try it again soon.  I nearly bowled over when I found out how easy it is to make!

I'd also like to add that I decided to make this recipe to start a new series of recipes, which all can be made in 20 minutes or less.  However, this lucky dish happens to qualify for both the 5-ingredients-or-less category and the one just mentioned above.  And I imagine this overlapping will happen often, as these categories are more mutually inclusive than exclusive.  Nevertheless, please enjoy, eat well, and live happily!

Fresh Zucchini with Sliced Almonds and Parmesan - serves 1

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 fresh zucchini, peeled, ends chopped off, and cut into 1/2-inch long matchsticks
3 tablespoons blanched, slivered almonds
1/4-cup (or about 10 pieces) of parmesan slices (can be made with a vegetable peeler)

1.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat.  Once hot, add the zucchini, sprinkle with a good dash of salt and a sprinkle of pepper, and sautee until zucchini is just starting to color, about 3 minutes.
2.  Add the slivered almonds; sautee until almonds just begin to color and zucchini is slightly golden, about 2 minutes more.
3.  Transfer to a plate; sprinkle with additional salt and pepper to taste; top with parmesan and serve.

9 am Sunday: oatmeal ups the ante

I accepted the challenge, and I conquered: I cooked breakfast for Jimmy, the reigning king of Sunday mornings, and dear reader, he asked for the recipe. Never mind the fact that I had help (Brandon), or that the majority of the menu was decreed from above (Rebecca). I did it, and I did it my way, daring to use only the amount of butter called for—no more, no less—and tossing in a reckless amount