MUCH ADO ABOUT STUFFING

Today Is A Great Day for a Smoky Oven BBQ Brisket

2012-02-02T23:50:00.003-05:00

Superbowl appetites will appreciate this easy inside-BBQ brisket that really keeps the spirit of "the real thing".

Smoky BBQ is as close as your oven

It needs to start a couple of days before, though.
But first, let's talk about brisket for a minute. In the picture there are two cuts that I like to cook. The piece on the left is a second cut brisket, the one on the right is top of the rib. I never make "first cut" brisket anymore, it's just too lean, and doesn't have the marbling of fat that is really required for that falling-apart tenderness.
I know, it looks like a lot of fat, and it is. However...by using my procedure for making it ahead, the meat cooks slowly, and when you refrigerate it overnight, the fat all rises to the top, and you can remove it all before serving. Figure on a pound of raw brisket per person--you end up with about half the weight after cooking. Here is what you will need:

1 second-cut brisket or top of the rib.
A good spice rub
Liquid Smoke
Worcestershire Sauce
Good BBQ Sauce

Coat the brisket in the spice rub in a baking pan lined with enough foil to enclose the meat in the pan. (put a layer of parchment cooking paper between the meat and the foil if you don't cook right in foil)
Sprinkle on Liquid Smoke
Close up the package, and refrigerate overnight. Before baking sprinkle with Worcestershire Sauce.
Preheat oven to 265, and bake brisket for about 6 hours.
Open the package carefully (steam) and pour a bottle of BBQ sauce over the brisket and bake an hour longer.
For the low-calorie version (I know... just kidding) allow brisket to cool and put in refrigerator until fat rises to the top and can be removed.
Slice cold brisket, return to a baking dish and warm in a 350 degree oven.
Serve with additional BBQ sauce on the side.

Barbara Sibley of La Palapa's Chili-Cookoff Winning Chili...Deliciousness Just Runs in Our Family!

2012-01-31T12:06:00.002-05:00

One of the most popular foods to eat while watching the N.Y. Giants defeat the New England Patriots on Sunday will be chili. Today on Good Day New York, viewers learned how to prepare a hearty -- but easy -- version by the winner of the 2012 Golden Chilifest.
Barbara Sibley is chef and owner of La Palapa located on St. Mark's Place (and my dear cousin).

Watch the Video Here:

www.lapalapa.com

La Palapa's Award-Winning Chili Recipe
Serves 6
2 lbs gound beef
6 guajillo chiles
12 chiles de arbol
2 cups chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 cups tomato puree
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
2-3 tablespoons salt
¼ cup corn oil
2 cups cooked pinto beans
1 cup chopped red peppers
1 cup chopped poblano chiles
½ cup chopped jalapeños
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1. Wipe the chile de arbol and guajillo chiles clean with a damp paper towel. Place in a non reactive bowl and pour one cup of boiling water over them. Allow to soak for 20 minutes. Blend well in a blender with as much of the soaking water as is need to blend well. Strain through a sieve. Set aside chile puree.
2. In a deep sauté pan or 3 quart stock pot add the corn oil, onion and garlic and cook at medium heat until translucent. Add the beef and sauté until cooked.
3. Add the tomato and chile puree to the beef and cook for about 3 minutes at medium heat. Add in the cloves, cumin, black pepper, thyme, bay leaves and salt. Continue to sauté for one or two minutes or until the spices are aromatic.
4. Stir in the cooked beans, chopped red pepper, poblano chiles , jalapeños and cilantro. Lower heat to a simmer and cook about 15 minutes or until some of the liquid is reduced.
5. Chili is always best the next day when the flavors mellow.

Today is a Great Day for Beef Bourguignon, and Spaetzle

2012-01-27T09:11:00.002-05:00

Can You Believe this GROSS weather? I mean, at least it should be snow... never mind, what's the use in whining. Get into the kitchen and cook up something comforting, classic, and convivial. Make it today, and it will be better tomorrow, or Sunday. Roasted "Frost-Kissed" Artichokes are the perfect first course, just be sure to switch wines before the Beef Bourguignon.

BEEF BOURGUIGNON

1/2 pound bacon, beef bacon, or 1/3 cup olive oil
3 pounds beef stew cut into 1" cubes
1 large onion chopped
3 Tablespoons flour
a good bottle of burgundy red wine (if you wouldn't drink it don't use it in this)
3 cups of beef stock, home-made if possible
4 Tablespoons tomato paste
4-5 sun-dried tomatoes
fresh rosemary
2 cups fresh carrots cut into julienne
2 cups pearl onions (you can use the frozen ones but if you see cippollini, grab them up)
half-pound fresh wild mushrooms, like chanterelles
1 oz dried wild mushrooms, soaked
1/2 cup pitted black olives, french if possible, like nicoise..
1 tablespoon of fig or currant jam
fresh parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 325

cook bacon or beef bacon in heavy casserole with a lid (like Creuset or like), drain on paper towels, leave a couple Tablespoons of fat in the pan.

Saute the beef a few pieces at a time, taking care to really let them brown and develop a crust. (Don't stir them around a lot). This will make the difference between good and great!

Add the onions to the meat, sprinkle with flour, salt and pepper, and cook, (now you can stir) for 5 minutes

Add wine, tomato paste, sundried tomatoes, and rosemary and bring to simmer. Cover casserole and put in oven let cook for 1 1/2 hours. Add the carrots and pearl onions, and the soaked wild mushrooms, and continue cooking until very tender, about 2 1/2 hours total.

Clean and slice the fresh mushrooms lengthwise, and saute in a bit of oil or butter, add to the stew before serving. Correct seasoning, stir in the jam. Garnish with chopped parsley, and the reserved bacon.

And serve with some mashed or roasted potatoes, broad noodles, or whip up some Spaetzle, below. I know, it sounds nuts, but its even quicker than going to the market, and you have the ingredients in your kitchen already.

Use a spaetzle- maker to press small amount of dough into barely simmering water

simmer for 2 minutes then skim into ice-water to cool

EASY Spaetzle
Recipe from The Balthazar Cookbook,
2 cups all-purpose flour
7 large eggs
1/4 cup milk or soy milk.

Combine the flour, eggs and milk in a large mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour, or overnight.
Prepare an ice bath.
Bring a large pot of well salted water to boil with a drizzle of olive oil. If you’ve got a potato ricer, or spaetzle maker, use it. Otherwise, NO PROBLEM (more details at this link).
Set a large colander with big holes over the pot.
Remember, the steam is going to be hot. Use potholders.
Pour a ladle full of batter into the colander and press it through the holes with a plastic scraper. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes, then skim out the spaetzle with a slotted spoon and drop it in the ice bath.
Continue with remaining batter in 3 batches. Use only a little batter at a time, so they don't all smoosh together.
When you’re done with the batter, drain the spaetzle well and toss it with a small amount of olive oil to keep it from sticking.
You can use it right away, or keep it, well covered, in the fridge for a day until needed. Before serving, bring a pot of water to the boil, and add spaetzle, until heated through. Drain and serve.

RICED POTATOES
I don't usually recommend buying single-purpose gadgets like the spaetlze press, because they usually take up excess precious kitchen space. I admit that I keep this item stashed in the back of the pantry, but it actually is excellent for making mashed potatoes. Technically they would be called "Riced Potatoes" The mashed potatoes come out very light and fluffy. Made-ahead mashed potatoes are usually terrible, but if you have one of these, and even the dimmest kitchen companion, you can hand over the press, a bowl, and some warm, boiled potatoes, and be genuinely, harmlessly, helpful.

Potatoes, about one medium-size one per person
Pot of Boiling Water
Olive Oil or Butter
Salt and Pepper
Any fresh herbs like parsley, thyme, mint, chives, or a mix

Bring water to boil. Clean (organic) potatoes well, and boil about 20 minutes, just until they can be pierced with a knife. Turn off heat. Potatoes can rest in this hot water for at least half an hour. If longer, remove and drain, but keep warm.

In a serving bowl of appropriate size, pour in 3-4 Tablespoons of olive oil, a good amount of salt and pepper, and roughly chopped herbs.

Remove potatoes from water, and press through the ricer. No need to peel them, the ricer somewhat separates the skins. (Make sure they don't build up in the press and block the holes.

Resist the urge to stir up the fluffy potatoes, just wait till they are all done, and gently mix with the dressing at the bottom of the bowl. Garnish with another sprig of herb.

Healthy, Hearty, Simple and Delicious Vegetarian Stews and Soups. Get on those RESOLUTIONS!

2012-01-01T13:39:00.000-05:00

Ok, time to get a little back to normal. Like, no french fries for lunch AND dinner. These recipes were part of our Hanukkah Party menu... I was looking for some vegetarian dishes that would be great with latkas, and make good leftovers. Warning: these are yummy, healthy and delicious. They are also incredibly filling, so think of whipping up a double batch for a football-watching party, and then pack the leftovers in lunch-size containers. PLUS..these would all be great to bring for any kind of potluck. Enjoy.. and Happy New Year!

Chick pea stew

1 1/2 pounds eggplant, stems removed, cut into 1-inch chunks
Salt and black pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into strips
2 zucchini, cut into 1-inch thick rounds
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup water
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
8 sprigs cilantro, stems discarded, leaves chopped
8 sprigs parsley, stems discarded, leaves chopped
Harissa, to taste

Pour 4 tablespoons of the olive oil into a large skillet set over high heat. When just starting smoke, add the eggplant cubes. Immediately, reduce heat to medium, and stir well. Cook until eggplant pieces are golden and tender, about 10 minutes. When done, turn off heat and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven, heat the remaining two tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, add the onion, bell pepper, and zucchini. Cook, stirring often, until onion is starting to brown around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the paprika, turmeric, and garlic. Stir well, and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Then add the tomato sauce and water. Scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the Dutch oven with a wooden spoon. Add the eggplants, chickpeas, and one teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until all the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Moroccan Vegetable Stew

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, small dice
4 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon, or 2 cinnamon sticks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound butternut squash, large dice
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
Pinch saffron
1/2 preserved lemon, finely chopped
1 cup brined green olives
Steamed couscous, for serving

garnish:
chopped cilantro or parsley. chopped raw almonds, or any nut you have
Harissa or hot sauce

Heat butter and olive oil in a large heavy saucepan with a lid. When oil is hot, add onion, garlic, spices, salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until spices are aromatic and onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add squash (and potatoes), season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, stir to coat, and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Add broth, chickpeas, tomatoes and their juices, and saffron. Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until squash is fork tender, about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in preserved lemon and olives. Serve over couscous garnished with cilantro, almonds, and yogurt.

AFRICAN CURRIED CHICKPEA SOUP
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium onion (about 6 ounces), chopped
1 medium red bell pepper (about 6 ounces), chopped
1 jalapeño chili, seeded and finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped tomatoes, seeded and peeled, fresh or canned
1 teaspoon mild curry powder or more if you LOVE curry
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
3/4 cup cooked white or brown rice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
- In a medium stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and chili; cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add the broth, chickpeas, tomatoes, curry powder, salt, and black pepper; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Some Easy Luxuries for a New Year Supper, John's Favorite Wild Mushroom Soup, and the Easiest, Best Chocolate Mousse

2011-12-31T12:46:00.001-05:00

New Year's Eve.
A movie and a few good friends, a late supper. Not bad, right?
We'll start with a family favorite, a Wild Mushroom Soup. Comforting, rich, delicious.

Wild Mushroom Soup

Serves 6-8
2 oz. dried mushrooms, morels, chanterelles, whatever
3/4 cup madeira wine or sherry
1/2 stick butter
1 yellow onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
2 lbs. assorted fresh mushrooms
a sprig of fresh thyme
4 cups vegetable stock (or chicken if you wish)
salt and pepper to taste (truffle salt if you have it)
1 pint heavy cream (optional)

Rinse the dried mushroom in a strainer under cool water, and put them in a small bowl with the madeira for about an hour, stirring occasionally.

Melt the butter in a stew pot, and cook the onions until they are a bit soft.

Wipe the mushrooms with a damp towel and chop them coarsely, add to the onions in the pot, toss in the thyme, add salt and pepper to taste, and cook uncovered about 10 minutes.

Lift the dried mushrooms out of the madeira, and add them to the pot. Let the madeira settle, and pour the soaking liquid into the soup pot, leaving any debris behind. Discard debris.

Add stock, and simmer, covered for about 45 minutes, until the dried mushrooms are tender.

Strain the soup, and transfer the mushroom solids to a blender or food processor with about a cup of the broth, blend till very smooth, and return puree to the soup pot. Add salt and pepper, and truffle salt to taste. Thin the soup with the cream if it seems too thick, or you want it to be super creamy. Heat and serve immediately.

Easy Chocolate Mousse

This Chocolate Mousse Recipe was a standby when I was a newlywed. The recipe was my mother's and properly could be filed under "great recipes of the 80s." If you make it in a big bowl, it will have to chill for at least 8 hours, but putting it into small bowls, or aperitif glasses, it will set in about four hours.

4 eggs separated
1 pkg excellent quality chocolate chips, like guittard, or the like
2 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1 cup half and half
1 cup heavy cream
1-2 Tablespoons brandy if desired.

Put chocolate in food processor and pulverize.
Heat half and half till boiling point (microwave, or stovetop), and with processor running, add to pulverized chocolate and blend 10 seconds, mix in egg yolks.

(alternatively, put chocolate and half and half in saucepan and heat till chocolate is melted, or do it in a pyrex bowl in microwave)

Beat egg whites until stiff.
Beat 1 cup heavy cream until stiff.
Put a spoonful of the cream mixture into the chocolate mixture to lighten,
Alternate folding the egg whites and the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture with a spatula. Try to keep the whites from completely deflating,
Spoon mixture into a glass bowl, or individual bowls or glasses.
Refrigerate 4 hours for individual servings or overnight for a large bowl.
Garnish with more whipped cream and chocolate curls if you like.

Jelly Doughnut Pudding, Sufganiyot Pudding. A Great Recipe From the Cardiologist Cookbook

2011-12-25T10:11:00.001-05:00

Happy Holidays!

We had a wonderful Hanukkah Party last night, and this morning we are off to a Christmas Breakfast. A pile of delicious sufganiyot were left from yesterday, and I couldn't bear throwing them away, and then I remembered seeing this sick recipe in the NY Times a while back. So, in the spirit of holiday excess, I bring you

Jelly Doughnut Bread Pudding

3 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
8 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
14 jelly doughnuts, preferably filled with raspberry jam
Butter, for greasing pan.

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Fill a kettle with water and place over high heat to bring to a boil. In a large mixing bowl, combine cream, milk, 1 1/2 cups sugar, eggs, egg yolks and vanilla. Whisk to blend.
2. Using a serrated knife, gently slice doughnuts from top to bottom in 1/4-inch slices. Butter a 9-by-12-inch baking pan and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Pour about 1/2 inch of the cream mixture into pan. Arrange a layer of sliced doughnuts in pan, overlapping them slightly. Top with another layer, pressing them down slightly to moisten them. Top with a small amount of cream mixture.
3. Arrange 2 more layers of sliced doughnuts, and pour remaining liquid evenly over top. Press down gently to moisten. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Cover pan tightly with foil, and place in a larger pan. Fill larger pan with boiling water until three-quarters up the side ofpan.
4. Bake for 1 hour 50 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Turn off oven, open door slightly, and leave in oven for an additional 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

Today is a Great Day to Make Gingerbread Snowmen

2011-12-21T22:55:00.004-05:00

Gingerbread Snowmen

- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 3/4 cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice or cloves
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1. Melt the butter on stove or microwave, then stir in brown sugar, molasses salt and spices. I like to do this in a huge 8 cup measuring cup-- and mix it all up right in there. Cool a bit, and mix in the egg.
2. Stir baking soda and baking powder into the flour, and mix with wet ingredients.
3. Divide the dough into 4 pieces, put each into a quart ziplock bag, roll slightly and refrigerate for at least an hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350, line baking sheets with parchment
5. Using one piece of chilled dough at a time, roll out dough. If you roll it thinly the cookies will be crisp, if you roll it 1/4 inch thick, they will be chewy. I like to roll it between sheets of baking parchment. This way you do not have to flour the surface of the dough to avoid sticking.
6. Working quickly as you can, use cookie cutters to cut shapes, and transfer to lined baking sheets. Gather scraps into a ball, and return to ziplock in the fridge to re-chill.

7. Bake until they're slightly brown around the edges 8 to 12 minutes, or until they feel firm. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for several minutes, or until they're set. Transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
10. Decorate the cookies with Royal Icing and desired decorations.

Royal Icing
- 3 tablespoons meringue powder
- 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
- 6 tablespoons water
Beat all ingredients at low speed for 7 to 10 minutes, or until icing forms peaks. Tip: Keep icing covered with a wet kitchen towel at all times. Icing can dry out quickly.

Today is a Great Day to Bake Cookies!

2011-12-12T22:36:00.000-05:00

PRACTICALLY PERFECT SUGAR COOKIES (WITH SECRETS)

This is my favorite recipe for rolled, cut, decorated cookies. The dough is delicious (yeah.... a lb of butter!) But it is easy to handle and I find that it holds its shape very well. The original recipe called for 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder, but I omitted it once by mistake, and I liked the cookies even more, because they didn't puff in that way that gives the cookie good texture, but they aren't so darn PRETTY! This recipe makes up to 8 dozen cookies, but make the whole amount and stash the rest in the freezer for impromptu creative urges.
INGREDIENTS:

6 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
2 cups butter (4 sticks)
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla and/or
*secret ingredient- King Arthur Princess Flavoring

*Cream sugar and butter until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs and extracts. Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl and add to butter mixture. Mix well.

shhhh...here comes another secret- this one from Helen Lasersohn, hostess of our Book Group Cookie Baking Party. C'mon..we DO live in Westport, Ct.

Put a handful of the freshly made dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll to 1/8 inch thickness. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Stack up the adorable sheets of dough and put it on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for as long as you need to. When its firm, peel off the top sheet, cut the dough, and move directly onto parchment lined baking sheets.
Gather up the scraps, sandwich in parchment again, roll it out, and put back in fridge as you do the next sheet.
Helen comments further: One additional "secret" about working with the rolled out dough is to peel the bottom layer of parchment off the chilled dough, replace the parchment, flip over and peel top layer and then cut. That way, the cookie dough is less likely to stick to the parchment even super buttery tempearmental dough

*Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until the cookies just start to turn a light tan on the edges. Remove parchment to rack or marble to cool for a couple minutes before carefully moving onto racks to cool thoroughly before decorating.

Hanukkah Reverie. The Best Latke Recipe, and Something Totally Crazy, Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats

2011-12-12T08:52:00.000-05:00

Time For Hanukkah Treats! Decorate with abandon! Stave off mid winter blues with Empty Carbs!
Of Course, there are those who would object to the kinds of decorations I have come to love: but hey, why shouldn't Hanukkah be pretty? Like this Coconut Cake, decorated with a tiny Menorah, and blue M n Ms

Ina Garten Coconut Cake, Hanukkah Version

Time for Fun and Family, Friends, and FOOD!

Hanukkah Table

"Salted Caramel" Rice Krispie Treats

Hanukkah Cookies

Add caption

The Best Latkes
Under the influence of GG and Grandpa we learned, decadently, to love eating masses of them with creme fraiche and gravlax and caviar.

BE SURE TO CLICK THE LINKS BELOW THE PHOTOS FOR RECIPES.

Latke Recipe Here

Hanukkah Cocktails: Blue Raspberry Martinis

Gravlax Recipe Here, Latkes, Apple Sauce. Sour Cream

Ok, so back to the Smitten Kitchen Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats.
One of the blogs that I avidly follow is called Smitten Kitchen, and I remembered seeing a recipe for these there. I have adapted it substituting Vegan Marshmallows, and Brown Rice breakfast cereal, but I invite you to try it. If you have blue sanding sugar and want to decorate with it, shake it on top of the pan while the "treats" are still warm.

Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats (Vegetarian)
1 stick unsalted butter, plus extra for the pan
1 10-ounce bag vegan marshmallows
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal or Puffed Brown Rice Cereal
Butter (or coat with non-stick spray) an 8-inch square "brownie pan"
In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don’t take your eyes off the pot as while you may be impatient for it to start browning, the period between the time the butter begins to take on color and the point where it burns is often less than a minute.
As soon as the butter takes on a nutty color, turn the heat off and stir in the marshmallows. The residual heat from the melted butter should be enough to melt them, but if it is not, turn it back on low until the marshmallows are smooth.
Remove the pot from the stove and stir in the salt and cereal together. Quickly spread into prepared pan. Sprinkle top with Colored Sugar if desired

Stand By Your Plan. Kitsch. Lessons From Roses and Hanukkah Cookies. A Health Warning.

2011-12-12T00:15:00.000-05:00

Salted Caramel Krispie Treats

Stand By Your Plan. Kitsch. Lessons From Roses and Hanukkah Cookies. A Health Warning. AND A NEWS FLASH!!

Chanukah Cookies

Inspiration

You will have to admit, that the concept, the Platonic Ideal, the very paradigm of Chanukkah Cookies has no greater foot-soldier than Elise Meyer. For the better part of my life, (yeah, I know), I have greeted December armed and steeled by an arsenal of blue sugar in my never-ending quest (crusade?) for a small thing, really. A pitiably small thing. A Charming Little Hanukkah Cookie (CLHC). My cookie? Lovely. Of course, tasteful (I politely submit that I have crossed that Rubicon, albeit fortified in that battle by alliance with butter). Sweetly Classic. Defiantly Jewish. Ironically Kitsch, perhaps, I can deal with Kitsch (and quote from Clement Greenberg's seminal essay on the topic.)
I just wanted a signature CLHC. And I have really been working on it. You know I have.
But you know, not that I am necessarily accepting defeat, I have come to the conclusion that you just can't do that much when you are crippled by cerulean artificial coloring. It is just a crappy ugly color on cookies, and no manner of sprinkle or sparkle, icing or glaze, no piping tip, no cookie press, no secret recipe is going to make a cookie as cute as a gingerbread man.

But for the last two cold, wintry weeks, each time I have gone in or out of my kitchen door, I have been amazed by the little pink rose pictured above. When it bloomed before Thanksgiving, I willed it to live to greet our dear family from afar, and still it blooms, valiantly, improbably, through the fifth night of Hanukah. (Hello, Google, Have you noticed that I have been spelling Hanukka every possible way so... well, you know.)
And that rose is just sticking to the plan. And if it can bloom through Chanukah I can keep making cookies. But. Wait. That's not the only lesson. Want to hear the real lesson? Blue food coloring is TERRIBLE for you. IT IS! It's been banned in Austria and Belgium (they know about cookies), Denmark, France, Germany, and Switzerland. You can read the details, but, you know, I think I am just going to follow the great patissieres of Europe, after all, they invented puff pastry. And Gingerbread Men. What do you think? Blue-matorium? I submit my earnest attempts for consideration.

*****STOP THE PRESSES!!******

NEWS FLASH

BLUE M&Ms can WHAT? Read for yourself!

Click for Recipe

Jon Stewart, President Obama and Much Ado About Stuffing

2011-11-30T19:15:00.001-05:00

So is it Obama or Jon Stewart who are fans? In any case, I am happy to share the title!
Here is a link to the clip...Daily Show Much Ado About Stuffing

Is This Really The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie? Or is it This One?

2011-11-28T23:07:00.001-05:00

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies
These are the cookies that appeared in the July 9, 2008 edition of the New York Times. The very same cookies that set off an explosion of baking across the Internet to see if, indeed, they are the perfect specimen. Have you made them?
adapted from a recipe by Jacques Torres, et al.
Makes about 18 cookies

Ingredients

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content
Sea salt

Directions

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.


dough with chocolate chunks

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop six 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Until now, this has been my go-to Chocolate Chip cookie recipe-- they are a bit of a pain to make, and you ABSOLUTELY MUST make them on a silpat mat.

Supposedly, Martha Stewart's Daughter invented this recipe when she was 12.

Martha Stewart Living, September 1998

Makes fifty 4-inch cookies

1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for baking sheets
3 cups packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 cups best-quality chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment; set aside. Cream butter until smooth; add sugars, and beat until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Into a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Slowly beat dry ingredients into wet mixture. Fold in chocolate chips.
Drop 2 to 3 tablespoons dough per cookie onto prepared baking sheets; space dough at least 2 inches apart to allow for spreading. Bake until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheets, and allow to cool on baking racks.

On "Martha Bakes," Martha chilled the dough for 1 hour and baked the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes.

It's a Great Day for some Buttermilk Biscuits (actually its a grim rainy morning, so all the better for the biscuits)

2011-10-20T07:32:00.001-04:00

I just hate getting up on rainy gray mornings. Well, I kind of just plain hate getting up sometimes... but on mornings like this biscuits come to mind. Now, I can't claim any old Southern heritage, and, growing up, biscuits were popped out of a blue paper cylinder, but I just LOVE buttermilk biscuits.
Here is my favorite recipe. It makes enough for a brunch party, but you can halve it easily, and end up with 6 huge biscuits, or 8 normal sized ones.
Do you have buttermilk in your fridge? Probably you don't, but you have options. The recipe works with plain-old milk, half and half, and also plain yogurt. You can also keep dried buttermilk powder in your pantry forever-- follow the directions on the package-- or you can make your own buttermilk by mixing one cup of milk with 1 1/2 teaspoons of white vinegar. Let it stand for 5 minutes, it will bubble up a bit, stir it up, and... voila a cup of buttermilk.
The biscuits pictured above had about a 1/2 tsp. of thyme leaves and a handful of shredded cheddar added.

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cut into thin slices
1 1/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425°F. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in large bowl to blend. Using fingertips, rub butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and quickly stir until evenly moistened. (don't overwork the dough, or the biscuits will toughen). Use a lightly oiled 1/4 c. measuring cup or an ice-cream scoop to drop biscuits onto baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until biscuits are golden brown on top, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm with butter, and your favorite honey or jam.

Fluffy White Buttercream Frosting

2011-10-17T09:38:00.000-04:00

Fluffy White Buttercream Frosting

This rich, creamy frosting is lovely swirled atop a cake or cupcakes.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt (ONLY if you use unsalted butter)
1/2 cup (4 ounces) boiling water
1/4 cup (1 ounce) meringue powder (I like the Wilton Brand)
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) vanilla extract
4 cups (16 ounces) sifted confectioners’ or glazing sugar
2 cups (4 sticks, 16 ounces) soft butter, vegetable shortening, or a combination of both*

*We love the flavor of butter, but if your cake will be sitting in a hot place, using some (or all) vegetable shortening will help keep the frosting from melting.
Dissolve the sugar (and salt, if you’re using it) in the boiling water, and cool to room temperature. Mix in the meringue powder. Use a mixer to beat on slow speed for several minutes, until the powder is dissolved and the mixture is foamy. Increase the speed and beat until soft peaks form. Beat in the vanilla, then the confectioners’ or glazing sugar. Add the soft butter a few tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition.
Yield: Enough frosting to fill and frost an 8" layer cake or 24 cupcakes.

VARIATIONS: For coconut frosting, add 4 to 5 drops coconut flavor and 1/4 cup (1 ounce) coconut milk powder along with the confectioners’ sugar. Or flavor to taste with almond extract; coffee flavor; 2 teaspoons espresso powder dissolved in the boiling water; butter-rum flavor, or 2 tablespoons fruit purée, added after the confectioners’ sugar. Be aware that adding fruit or espresso will change the color of the frosting.

Stop Wasting Good Food! Tips for Refrigerator Management

2011-10-15T13:44:00.000-04:00

I know that you haunt the farmers markets and local venues for the best and the freshest items, it KILLS me that we end up wasting really expensive food.

Here are some tips for those moments when you are staring into your fridge and realizing that your rapidly deteriorating organic treasures are a ticking time bomb of garbage. And, if you have tips of your own to share- PLEASE comment below.

MOST IMPORTANT:

LABEL THOSE BAGS AND CONTAINERS!

NOBODY LIKES OR USES FREEZER MYSTERIES

Use containers and wraps designed for the freezer; they are thick enough to keep moisture in and freezer odors out. If you are going to freeze anything long-term in glass, make sure the glass is either tempered (the type used for canning jars) or specifically labeled for freezing. Since even freezer-safe glass can crack as food expands, always make sure to leave about 3/4 inch of space between the top of the food and the lid. Freeze in small portions. The faster food freezes, the fresher it will taste when it's thawed.

Squeeze out as much air as possible before freezing. When you're storing sauces, soups, or stews in containers, however, leave a bit of space at the top of the container to prevent the liquid, which expands, from freezing to the lid.

Use shallow, flat containers. Freeze broths, sauces, and other liquids flat in freezer bags, then stand them up sideways for storage. When you remove them and submerge them in a bowl of hot water (or hold them under hot running water), they'll thaw quickly.

Made ahead lunches: Freeze soups, spaghetti sauce, and lasagna in one- and two-portion containers, which thaw more quickly and guarantee you won't have to thaw more than you need.

And, if you have questions about shelf life, and whether it is still safe to eat something that you have stashed, check out this website: Still Tasty.

Tomatoes:

Cut up not pretty tomatoes and put on a baking sheet with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 400 until they are starting to get black in spots. Cool. Put in blender or food processor. Store in the fridge in a ziplock sandwich bag. Next time you make a soup, pasta sauce, or a stew, add it in.

Fresh Herbs:

When you get fresh herbs, wash them, and wrap in a wet paper towel, inside a ziplock bag. They will last for weeks this way. Works great for parsley, dill, cilantro, thyme, and basil.
In the fresh basil season, get a big bunch, wash it, and puree it in the food processor with olive oil. Freeze in a jar. It will turn dark, but keep its flavor. If you want pesto, add the garlic, cheese and nuts to the prepared basil mixture. Cheese and garlic do not retain their taste in the freeze as well as the pure herb, the oil will keep it from freezing rock-solid, so you can scoop out a spoonful to add to soup or pasta.
Wrap desired fresh herbs in unbleached coffee filters, bundle up and tie with thread - Pop bundles by herb content into marked freezer bags and place in the freezer. Come winter simply drop a bundle into long cooking dishes to simmer away

Cheese:

Fresh parmesan can be expensive. Grate the whole wedge of parmesan into a container and place in freezer- it'll last for ages!

Ginger Root:

Peel ginger root and place in a small jar with enough sherry to cover. Remember that you have it when you are making a stir-fry. Take out the knob and cut off what you need.

Bananas:

The minute that banana passes the point where you will eat it, peel it and put it in a ziplock in the freezer. When you have a couple, make my banana bread recipe or your own favorite one.
Or throw it into a smoothie
This also works well with cubed melon, peaches, mangoes, watermelon etc-- think MARGARITAS!

Berries:

Spread berries (or any other small, squishable item, such as hors d'oeuvres, meatballs, drop cookies, and leftover cooked ravioli and tortellini) out on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer them to a resealable plastic bag. This method will prevent them from clumping together.

Eggs:

You can freeze eggs as long as they are out of the shell and beaten. Stash yolks and whites separately in resealable plastic bags. (If you're freezing only yolks, beat each with about a teaspoon of sugar first to keep them fresh.) Thaw under hot running water or in the refrigerator overnight.

Bread:

Take leftover challah or brioche and slice it thickly and freeze... it will be all ready for French Toast. Or cut it into cubes and freeze to make a future bread pudding, or use the cubes in Stuffing.
Slice and freeze bagels, put them into the bag with the outside halves touching so they are easy to grab and toast.
Any leftover bread can be cut into chunks and processed into bread crumbs which keep indefinitely in the freezer.
Stale French or italian bread can be cut in cubes and sauteed with butter or olive oil and garlic to make croutons.

Onions, peppers:

Dice and put into ziplocs to be added to morning omelettes. No watery bleary eyes.
Freeze sliced onions and celery, and carrots together that can be thawed for soup or crockpot cooking.
Onions, celery and sweet pepper can be diced and frozen as a combination in amounts needed for recipes like Chili, Stew, Boiled Dinner, Soups, Pasta sauce, Stir fries

Hard Winter Squash like acorn or butternut:

Cut in half and put cut side down on baking sheet. Bake at 350 until it collapses. Scrape the flesh into a container and freeze for future soup.

Cranberries:

Stash a bag or two in the freezer when they first come into season, and make cranberry sauce when you have the time to do it. Save some to add into apple pies after they disappear from the market in december.

more to come:

Delicious Fall Weekend Dinner, Great for Tailgating or other Outdoor Fall Meals

2011-10-14T22:32:00.002-04:00

Delicious Fall Weekend Dinner, Great for Tailgating or other Outdoor Fall Meals
Tips for managing CSA bounty.

Please Follow this link for a Utterly Wonderful fall lunch/supper/picnic/tailgate. Its healthful, seasonal, and improves with age (yes, we do too).

Start with a Roasted Tomato base, that you can turn into a soup or a sauce, The amazing trick, of roasting and pureeing fresh vegetables, and stashing them in the freezer in ziplock sandwich-size bags is a fantastic way to use up vegetables, preserve seasonal vegetables, and save precious freezer space.

What? You Don't Have Our Bread Machine Challah Recipe

2011-10-10T00:31:00.000-04:00

Early Fall Flowers in Amsterdam's Flower Market


Holiday Round Challahs in the Bread Machine

Several (ok, dozens of) years ago, I was lucky enough to receive the perfect Bread Machine Challah recipe From Shari Levy. Over the years I have made it hundreds of times, and given the recipe to dozens of cooks. Over time, I have come to "slightly" prefer making Challah in the kitchenaid stand mixer, based on the resulting product, but in terms of practicality, the old bread machine wins out 95% of the time. You dump in the ingredients, push the "DOUGH" cycle button, and pretty much walk away for 90 minutes.
Do check during the first five minutes of the mixing, to make sure that the flour isn't lumping up in the corners of the bowl/pan. Don't be afraid of the paddle, you just need a swipe or two with a wooded spoon.

If you don't have a bread machine ask around, because lots of people have them and don't use them. These people will be thrilled to let you experiment with theirs, provided you offer them a taste of the results. Or find one easily at a Thrift Shop, I have seen brand new ones there. If you see a gently used one, I personally would not be squeamish, but I would wash the baking pan very well.
If you want to know the best machine? I have no idea, but this blogger apparently does.

I never do anything but mix dough in the bread-maker, so don't ask my advice if you are interested in actually baking in it.

In my bread machine, the dough cycle takes 90 minutes, the rise for shaped loaves takes about 60 minutes (use your warming drawer on "proof" setting if you have one). Baking takes 25 minutes on my baking stone.

If you can't do it all in one sitting you have various choices:
1. Make the dough in the machine (or mixer) and take it out immediately and put in an oiled bowl in the fridge to slow the rise. Put a spoonful of oil in a bowl about 2x larger than the dough. Spread oil around the bowl. Put dough in, and turn over so all of the dough is lightly coated in oil. Cover with a cloth napkin, then plastic wrap*. When you are ready to resume, remove from the fridge and allow to rise, then proceed.

2. Let the dough rise, then put it in the oiled bowl in the fridge to slow the rise. When ready to proceed, bring to room temperature, punch down the dough and let it rise again before shaping, rising, and baking.

3. Make the dough, shape the breads, and put, covered with a cloth napkin and plastic wrap* in the refrigerator (or even the freezer) before allowing the loaves to rise.

4. Do everything including rising the loaves, and par-bake for 15 minutes. Remove, freeze if desired, and return to oven for final baking.

Having Troubles? Here is a link to a good article about troubleshooting yeast breads

*The cloth napkin between the bread and the plastic is my way cutting down on the contact our food has with plastic. If you have no plastic issue, it can go right over the bowl.

Bread Machine Challah

makes 2 loaves

1 cup warm water
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar (white or brown)
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp. Salt
3 tsp (1 packet) yeast
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups of flour
Egg glaze: one egg beaten with splash of water

Put ingredients into Bread machine in order recommended by manufacturer.
Set to DOUGH cycle
Remove from machine
Set on lightly floured surface
Cut into 6 equal parts.
Braid into 2 loaves

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350. USE BAKING STONE IF YOU HAVE ONE

Set onto parchment paper on baking sheet, or into pam-sprayed glass loaf pans.
Allow loaves to rise until double. About 45 minutes.
Paint loaves with egg glaze.
Bake for about 25 minutes.

VARIATIONS:
For Caraway Salt-- Sprinkle Caraway seeds and coarse sea salt on egg glaze

Whole Wheat Variation: substitute one cup of whole wheat pastry flour for one of the cups of flour, add 1/4 cup of ground flax for extra healthiness.

Cinnamon Bread variation:
Instead of braiding 2 loaves, roll dough out into rough rectangle and sprinkle heavily with cinnamon and brown sugar, using at least one teaspoon of cinnamon and half a cup of brown sugar (can spread with soft butter first if making dairy).
Roll up loaf, tucking in ends well, put in sprayed loaf pan.

Bake as above.

High Holiday Sugar-Crunch variation: (shown in picture)
Cut the dough in half, and shape into a thick rope and sprinkle with a coarse sugar like Sugar in the Raw, Turbinado, or this sparkling white sugar from King Arthur. A touch of cinnamon would probably be good too.

Holding one end of the rope in each hand, just tie it into a simple knot, stretching slightly if necessary. Let rise as usual. Before baking, brush well with egg-water wash or Agave Syrup, or Maple Syrup, and immediately sprinkle more sugar all over the top.
We all hate raisins in, in anything actually, so this is my version of gussied up Challah.

Challah, regular recipe, (not machine)

40 minutes 10 mins prep

1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup warm water
3 teaspoons yeast
4 cups flour
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup warm water
1 egg yolk, beaten with
1 teaspoon water

sesame seeds or poppy seeds, or any of the variations above.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar in 1/2 cup water in bowl of mixer.
Sprinkle yeast over water and mix,let stand 10 minutes until foamy.
Add the next 6 ingredients to mixing bowl.
Mix with dough hook for 6 minutes.
Dough should be a little sticky.
Place in oiled bowl, cover and let rise in warm place until double in bulk.
Punch down dough.
Let rise until double in bulk.
Punch down again.
Divide dough into 3 equal parts.
Roll dough into three long strands.
Braid the strands, tucking ends under.
Cover with towel and let double in bulk.
Brush with beaten egg yolk.
Sprinkle with seeds.
Bake at 400 F for approximately 30 minutes, until golden brown.
The challah is done when it sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom.

2011-10-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

Moist and tasty Carrot Cake, packed with Coconut, Crystallized Ginger, Pineapple, and Macadamias

Really Good Carrot Cake, Vegan Friendly, Moist, Festive, Keeps Well,

Loves to Travel.

(What else could you ask for in a cake, really?)

2 1/3 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut- or the organic, dried type
1 cup dry-roasted macadamia nuts

3/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger

3 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract

2 cups finely grated peeled carrots

2 8-ounce cans crushed pineapple in its own juice, slightly drained (leave about half the juice)

Frosting

3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, or tofutti cream cheese
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperatur, or Earth Balance Sticks

2 cups powdered sugar

about 3/4 cup canned sweetened cream of coconut (such as Coco López)
1 teaspoon coconut extract

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Butter three 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides, or one half-sheet pan.
Line bottom of pans with parchment paper, spray with non-stick spray.

Combine 1/3 cup flour and next 3 ingredients in processor. Process until nuts are finely chopped.

Whisk remaining 2 cups flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in medium bowl to blend.

Using electric mixer, beat sugar and oil in large bowl to blend.
Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Beat in vanilla and coconut extract.

Beat in flour-spice mixture.

Stir in coconut-macadamia mixture, then carrots and crushed pineapple.

Divide batter among pans.

Bake until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes. If using a sheet pan, rotate pan half way through baking.

Run knife around edge of pans to loosen cakes.

Turn cakes out onto racks, and cool completely

Make the Frosting:
(This recipe makes a ton of frosting, enough for the 3-layer version of the cake. If you are making a sheet cake, you can reduce the ingredients by 1/2)

Beat softened cream cheese and butter in mixer bowl until smooth.

Beat in powdered sugar, then both extracts. Slowly add the cream of coconut allowing it to absorb into frosting mixture. I have rarely used the entire amount, especially when making the vegan/pareve version.

Chill until firm enough to spread...at least 30 minutes.

Place 1 cake layer, flat side up, on platter.

Spread 3/4 cup frosting over top of the cake.

Top with second cake layer, flat side up.

Spread 3/4 cup frosting over.

Top with third cake layer, rounded side up, pressing slightly to adhere.

Spread thin layer of frosting over top and sides of cake.

Chill cake and remaining frosting 30 minutes.

Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake.

Arrange whole nuts and ginger around top edge of cake. Sprinkle on more coconut if you like.

Chill 1 hour.
(Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and chill.
Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.)

Happy New Year. Honey Cake with Salted Caramel Thyme Roasted Plums

2011-09-28T11:58:00.000-04:00

For Rosh Hashanah Dessert, the first thing that springs to mind is Honey Cake, of course. But how many disappointing honey cakes have we all had? Lots, right?
They look pretty enough, sure, but the dry, tasteless cake rarely lives up to it's reputation. But ever on the hunt to perfect the "golden oldies", I tried once again, and I do believe that this honey cake, served with a garnish of Italian Plums in salted-caramel-thyme glaze might be the retro-modern kind of dessert that we can all stand behind. Feel free to garnish with a dollop of creme fraiche, or thick Greek Yogurt.

GRAND MARNIER HONEY CAKE

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup honey
1 Tbs. orange peel, grated
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup warm coffee or strong tea
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 Grand Marnier (or brandy)
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds (optional)
Fits in three loaf pans, two 9-inch square or round cake pans, one 9 or 10 inch tube or bundt pan, or one 9 by 13 inch sheet cake.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease pan(s) with non-stick cooking spray. For tube or angel food pans, line the bottom with lightly greased parchment paper, cut to fit.
Or use one of my favorite disposable (non aluminum) baking pans available here- these are amazing to have on hand especially if you often bake and bring, as I do.

Method:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Make a well in the center, and add oil, honey, white sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, coffee, orange juice and Grand Marnier, if using. (If you measure your oil before the honey, it will be easier to get all of the honey out.)
Using a strong wire whisk or in an electric mixer on slow speed, stir together well to make a thick, well-blended batter, making sure that no ingredients are stuck to the bottom.
Spoon batter into prepared pan(s). Sprinkle top of cake(s) evenly with almonds, if using. Place cake pan(s) on two baking sheets, stacked together (this will ensure the cakes bake evenly- otherwise the bottom will overbrown due to the high sugar content.

DO NOT OVERFILL THE PANS, MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE AT LEAST 1/2 INCH FOR RISING.

Bake until cake tests done, that is, it springs back when you gently touch the cake center. For LARGE angel and tube cake pans, this will take 60 to 75 minutes, loaf cakes, about 45 to 55 minutes. For sheet style cakes, baking time is 40 to 45 minutes. Set timer for minimum time, and keep an eye on them.
Let cake stand fifteen minutes before removing from pan.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen via Marcy Goldman’s Treasure of Jewish Holiday Baking

Salted Caramel -thyme Roasted Plums

Anyone who knows me knows my passion for salted caramel, so when I decided on the honey cake, I thought, "hmmmm, compote?" and wrinkled my nose. Because, yeah, compote. But then I looked at the Italian Plums on the counter, that were going to become (yet another) plum torte, and I thought of the honey-roasted pears from last year, and decided to improvise. In France we had a thyme-plum dessert that was yummy, and I have a lot of thyme in the herb bed. So I came up with this

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
4 tablespoons Earth Balance or unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. Sel de Guerande or Maldon fleur de sel or another good salt
6 big fresh thyme sprigs
Italian plums, about 15

Method:

Preheat oven to 475°F.

Stir Sugar, honey, margarine, salt and thyme together in large ovenproof nonstick skillet over high heat until butter melts. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly (mixture will bubble vigorously).

Add plum halves, cut side down. Cook plums without stirring for 2 minutes. Turn plums over and transfer skillet to oven. Roast until caramel is deep brown, checking frequently to prevent burning, about 4 minutes.

Divide among dessert plates, spooning caramel over, leaving thyme behind.

Sprinkle with a bit of fresh time (optional) and

Serve with Honey Cake, or crème fraîche, or Greek Yogurt.

Menu: A Languedocien Luncheon in Castelnau-Le-Lez

2011-08-07T18:49:00.001-04:00

Salade de poulet roti avec capres

Tabouli with cucumbers

Sylvie, Jeannette, Elise, Marie et Caroline

Max, Patrick, and Henry

Henry's Belles

Avocado Salad

Devilled eggs and new radishes

Tomato Peach Salad

Our friends from Pierrefeu du Var drove for hours and hours to come visit. I had a blast scoring the freshest local produce for a salad-y feast. It had been so hot on Thursday and Friday I was terrified that nobody would have an appetite, but the weather turned. Overcast with a gentle wind, the garden was a delight, and in all I think we killed 5 bottles of wine. But luckily nobody was counting.

Picholine olives with Piment d'espalette and Herbs de Provence

Eggplant Caviar Provencale

Chicken salad with capers and baby romaine leaves

Dijon Devilled Eggs with Radishes

Avocado Cilantro Shallots and peppers with lime and olive oil

Tomato Peach and Apricot salad with mint

Recipes to come....

Market day in Montpellier- Baby Artichokes and Eggplant Caviar for tomorrow's lunch

2011-08-05T18:04:00.000-04:00

With our Pierrefeu du Var friends coming for lunch tomorrow, I stopped by the farmer's market for peaches, tomatoes, basil, apricots and other fresh deliciousness. I'm making chicken salad, and thought that eggplant caviar would be a great accompaniment. Besides the plump purple eggplants murmered "buy me buy me", who was I to resist?

The recipe is simplicity personified:

Heat oven to 375. Can make ahead-- even better the next day.

Take 3 washed eggplants and cut slits into them. Peel and cut 3 or 4 garlic cloves the long way into slivers, and stuff the slivers into the eggplants.
Put the eggplants directly on the oven rack, and bake until they slump, about 40 minutes, depending on the size of the vegetables. (If you are grilling anyway, you can put them on the grill)

Remove from oven and let cool until they can be handled, then cut off the tops and scrape the inside part into a bowl. Discard skin.

Chop well or put in food processor. Add about a Tbsp. of olive oil, a tsp. of dijon mustard, the juice of half a lemon, some chopped parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate overnight if you can.

Before serving, slice a baguette into 1/2 inch slices and brush with olive oil, sprinkle with coarse salt, and toast until crisp, turning half-way through to crisp them on both sides.

For the Baby Artichokes:
Simply clean and split artichokes vertically.
Arrange in a baking dish, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of olive oil, salt, pepper, and a couple of garlic cloves.
Cut up 2-3 lemons, squeeze over.
Cover and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Test by pulling off a leaf and biting it. Look for tenderness at the light colored bottom of the leaf.
Shake pan, turn artichoke halves a bit, and cook uncovered 10 minutes more, until liquid is syrupy and artichokes look delicious.

Today is an AMAZING day for an AMAZING TREAT: Sour Cherry Lemon Squares

2011-07-22T17:47:00.001-04:00

It is 103 degrees in Westport.

Too hot to eat, too hot to cook, but I have a fridge full of lemons, that big batch of sour cherry jam (read below), too many eggs, and a sweet tooth. Earlier I was craving lemonade, so I had a brainstorm: Lemon Bars! Then I had another Brainstorm- use some of the jam. So as they say in that commercial: "two great tastes"!
I bring you the improvisation of the day.

Make your favorite Lemon Bars according to directions. When they are completely cool, take about 3/4 cup of your homemade sour cherry jam (or a store-bought equivalent, (even if its blackberry, or blueberry, or apricot), melt the jam in the microwave for about 30 seconds, till it is spreadable, and "frost" the lemon bars with the cherry jam. Before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar from a shaker or a sifter.

Don't have a favorite Lemon Bar Recipe? Feel free to use mine (or actually Alice Medrich's)

Very Tangy Lemon Bars

from Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich

Crust:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup flour

Topping:

1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons unbleached white flour

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, strained

Preheat oven to 350. Line the inside of an 8x8 baking pan with foil or parchment,

To make the crust: In a medium-sized bowl, combine melted butter, sugar, vanilla and salt. Add the flour and mix until just incorporated. Spread the dough evenly in the bottom of the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the crust is very brown at the edges, and lightly browned all over.

While the crust is baking, make the topping: Stir together sugar and flour. Whisk in the eggs. Add lemon juice and zest and stir until combined.

When the crust is baked, open oven door, and pour filling into the pan over the hot crust, turn oven down to 300, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until center no longer jiggles. Let cool completely in pan before slicing.
Before serving, dust with powdered sugar.

Today is a great day to make Sour Cherry Jam

2011-07-06T18:17:00.000-04:00

We went to visit Rob and Jessie at their new "camp" on gorgeous Lake Champlain. The delicious local cherries were ready, and there was nothing that was going to hold me back from cooking a couple quarts of the sour ones I love best into a batch of Sour Cherry Jam. Do not be put off by the process, it really is simple (if time consuming). But worth it? YOU BET!
If you have never made jam before I suggest familiarizing yourself with the process. Here is a pretty good primer

First, wash and pit the cherries. This is infinitely easier with the use of a cherry pitter-- I highly recommend the old-fashion-y one I used, you can order it here.

Chop the cherries fine, leaving a couple of whole ones for appearances, but not too many. Put in a large pot with the zest and juice of a large lemon. The lemon will add pectin to the mixture. Pectin is what makes Jelly "jell". You can use commercial Pectin like Certo, but for a small batch, or for the cooking experience, try it this way for fun.

Cook the chopped cherries with the lemon until very soft, about 20 minutes. Stir it every couple of minutes, don't let it burn on the bottom.

This is what mine looked like when it was cooked. Carefully pour contents of your pot into a large measuring cup. Measure the amount of cooked fruit, and return it to the pot, with exactly 3/4 the amount of sugar. So, dear math majors, if you have 4 cups of cooked cherries, add 3 cups of sugar. Put a couple of white plates into the freezer to chill, you will use these to test your jam's doneness.

Continue cooking until the fruit-sugar mixture starts to gel and sheet off of the spoon, looking jammy, and thick. If foam forms, skim it off, and stir and stir, it would be a drag for it to burn at this point, wouldn't it?
When you think it's about jam, turn off the heat, and get one of the frozen plates. Spoon on a good dab, and return it to the freezer for a couple of minutes to chill. If you can push a line into it, and it doesn't run back together, "Its Jam". If it doesn't, cook it some more, and repeat.

Carefully spoon the hot jam into your adorable, warm, sterilized canning jars, wipe off any drips on the top, and top with the disk and loosely screw on the band.
Prepare a large pot of boiling water, with a rack or steamer basket, or just a couple of extra canning rings. Carefully lower the jars of jam into the boiling water and process for 10 minutes. Lift out, cool well.

If you are making a small amount of jam, (like one or two jars) and intend to finish eating it right away, you can just refrigerate it without bothering about the water bath, but do still sterilize the jars before.

As American as Blueberry Blueberry Pie

2011-07-02T16:15:00.000-04:00


Mix fresh and wild blueberries

Allow the berries to rest until the juices start to flow

package of chilled pastry

start to roll on floured cloth

lightly roll the pastry with your rolling pin

leaving overhang, gently drape into pan

pour in filling, dot with butter

King Arthur Pastry Blend and Clearjel

Use scissors to remove excess pastry

Crimp the crust (notice my festive blue nail polish!)

Brush lightly with milk or cream, sprinkle with sugar

Cut slits to allow steam to escape

Bake in middle of preheated oven, if crust seems to brown too quickly, lightly protect with foil strips

PERFECT BUTTER PASTRY
2 1/2 cups King Arthur Mellow Pastry Blend, or All Purpose flour
2 tablespoons buttermilk powder, optional
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 Tbs. sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter or vegetable shortening or a combination
6 to 7 Tbs. ice water

Combine the flour, buttermilk powder, and salt.
Work in the butter in two batches, leaving some pieces as large as your thumbnail.
Sprinkle in ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork and adding water till the dough is completely cohesive.
Divide it in half, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes before rolling.
Roll the crust about 1/8" thick and about 2" wider than the diameter of your 9" deep-dish (at least 1 ½" deep) pie pan.
Place in the pan.

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Make Filling
4 cups fresh blueberries, washed and drained
2 cups wild blueberries (frozen or canned are ok)
3 Tbs. Instant ClearJel OR 4 Tbs. instant tapioca
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1Tbs. freshly grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1-2 Tbs. butter
Milk or cream and sugar for sprinkling on the crust
TO ROLL THE CRUST:Put a clean kitchen towel on your work surface, and sprinkle with flour.
Unwrap one pastry disc and place it on the towel, and sprinkle with a bit more flour.
Roll the dough once, and turn the towel 45 degrees.
Roll again, turn again. Continue until your crust is even, about 1/8 inch thin, and big enough for about a 2 inch overlap in your pan.
Avoid over rolling the dough, or rolling your pin back and forth.

Preheat the oven to
425°F.

Toss together the berries, half the sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
Let the juices develop a bit.
mix the clearjel (or tapioca) and remaining sugar together in a small cup (this keeps the thickener from clumping inside the pie). Add to berries. Pour into the crust.
Roll out the top crust, (or make a lattice if you like) place it over the berries.
Trim excess overhang, and crimp the edges together.
Cut several slashes to allow steam to escape (if you haven't made a lattice crust). Spritz with water, and sprinkle with sparkling sugar or cinnamon sugar.

Bake the pie at 425 for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven heat to 350°F and bake for another 40 to 50 minutes, covering the edges if they seem to be browning too quickly. When done, the filling will be bubbling, and the crust golden brown. Remove from the oven, and cool for at least 1 hour before serving.
Serve with vanilla ice cream for a super treat.

Happy 4th of July! Herb Garden Gazpacho, and authentic wood fired Paella

2011-07-01T10:05:00.006-04:00

Artisinal treasures brought from foreign lands

Smokin' Paella!

Paella, which you, my loyal followers know, is a passion of mine, was originally a peasant meal, cooked over a campfire. Although my kitchen version (check left sidebar) is delicious, cooking it over wood is AMAZING.
The process is the same. The only change I made was grilling the veggies a bit before they were added to to pan. It takes a bit longer to cook, but hey, who ever complained about spending too much time around a campfire on a gorgeous summer evening with people you love? Cook it over a hot, flaming fire, and after you add the rice, don't stir it. You want to develop the crusty bottom called "socarrat:, the best part. When the rice seems almost done (bite a grain, you should feel a tiny bit of hardness at the very core), remove from the fire, and place a clean kitchen towel over the pan to allow steam to complete the cooking process. (The Spanish farmers use newspaper. but, I'm not in Spain, and I prefer my printing ink on my fingers, not on my lips.)
You will find this Paella Primer to be as useful as I did. (don't ask me about the "naked whiz" part, I just do the research, I don't invent it.)

Whenever we travel I buy local ingredients in the markets. This is the market in Istanbul where I bought the Bahranian Saffron. The Bomba rice was purchased in the Born Area of Barcelona, during a fabulous half day walking tour we arranged with Marta Laurent, a wonderful foodie-guide. Check her blog. You can read about this hand milled, rare product here. The wonderful shop, Casa Gispert, is a MUST for food fetishists (like me). In a pinch, you can use any Bomba rice or Goya short grain "Valencia" rice. Look in your local gourmet shop (Balducci's locally here in Westport.)

So we started with some sangria, slice up some oranges (a blood orange is a nice touch) lemons, cube up an apple, stir in a bottle of wine. Let the fruit get to know the wine.

Gazpacho seemed the perfect first course. Here is my favorite recipe, I love it because you get to use all those yummy herbs you have been growing:

(serves 6-8)
1 small bunch of celery
1 cucumber, peeled
3 carrots
1 small red pepper
1 small green pepper
1 small onion
4 cups tomato juice (bottled, or fresh tomatoes, pureed and strained)
fresh basil, fresh tarragon, fresh dill, fresh mint fresh parsley - about 1 Tbs. of each
1 Tbs. fresh or dried oregano
2 fat cloves fresh garlic
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. sugar
1Tbs. worcestershire sauce or Balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tsp salt
fresh pepper

Process the cucumber, celery, carrots, peppers, onion, garlic and herbs in batches in a food processor until well chopped but not completely mush.
Add remaining ingredients
Adjust salt and pepper to taste
Allow to rest and chill in the refrigerator until serving.
Keeps 2 days

A LUNCHEON OF SMALL PLATES WITH ERICA JONG, BEAUTIFUL BUNS, BETTER THAN SEX CAKE, SHOOTERS AND SLIDERS

2011-06-18T18:59:00.119-04:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure of celebrating the publication of Erica Jong's newest book, Sugar in My Bowl: Real Women Write About Real Sex, and hosting a bevy of amazingly accomplished and beautiful women to benefit the wonderful Westport Public Library's Summer Reading Programs. As you can see, I took the liberty of linking you to the "support the library" page, in case you are inclined to further the success of my favorite local institution's terrific programs.

On the culinary side, it was a bit of a challenge to come up with a light lunch I could do with a lot of help from friends and library volunteers that could be quickly served to almost 125 people standing in the garden, without hindering the social aspect which I believe to always be the draw of such events. Of course, the talented and always-provocative Erica Jong was delight. I felt challenged by the subject matter to provide sensuous tastes, as well as my usual healthy, local, fresh focus. And my sustainable party-goods initiative. Here's a Link to one of my sources for those who asked. Branch: Sustainable Design. The glasses are Govino.

Everything was served in mini, sustainable, individual portions. These were either passed in baskets, or available on a central buffet. It worked quite well. This would be a wonderful menu for a Shower, A Baby Naming, a birthday, or a Mother's Day get together. Also some great ideas in here for picnic food.)

For the dessert, my first thought was to do a Tres Leches Cake, as I have been dying to try the recipe in Barbara Sibley's Book that I cooked from in my last post. But I kept having the nagging feeling that there was some dessert I had read about with "sex" in the title. I lazily googled "sex cake". This was not a good idea. You might be surprised at the number of businesses that provide, ahem, anatomical pastries of great, cough, verisimilitude. I won't link for our younger readers. But if you are curious (or demented) look for exotic in the company title.
Anyway, I digress. There is a cake called Better Than Sex Cake. I made this, as well as the Tres Leches. I loved the combo, sort of the same idea, but in Vanilla and Chocolate versions. I served teeny-tiny bites. Lets just say that both recipes call for large quantities of Sweetened Condensed Milk, a personal embarrassing guilty pleasure. There are many versions of this cake. You can google these yourself (google Better Than Sex cake, not Sex Cake, remember) I don't profess to have produced the definitive version. Was it better than sex? Well-lllll, you can decide that for yourself. I guess it all depends, doesn't it.

Iced Carrot Ginger Soup Shooters with microgreens

Devilled Egg Salad Sliders

Caper-Lime-Tuna Sliders

Olive Focaccia, sun-dried tomato and marinated mozzarella skewers

Watermelon Feta Mint Salad

Edamame Chick Pea Cucumber Salad

Tomato and Peach Salad

Better Than Sex Cake

Tres Leches Cake

Strawberry Melon Blueberry Skewers

CARROT GINGER LEMON SOUP

1/16-1/8 cup butter
1 1/2 cups onions, chopped
1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed garlic
1 1/4 lbs medium carrots peeled and chopped, about 3 cups
2 seeded chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
3 cups vegetable stock
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
4 Tbs sour cream one small carrot peeled and grated
PROCEDURE:
Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat.
Add onion; sauté 4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 2 minutes.
Add chopped carrots, tomatoes and lemon peel; saute 1 minute.
Add 3 cups stock and bring to boil.
Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes.
Cool slightly. Puree in batches in blender, mix in lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. This keeps well, can be served hot or cold, and is even better the next day.
Serve hot or cold garnished with Micro-greens or Pea Shoots if desired.

Beautiful Buns

For the slider rolls I used the famous beautiful hamburger bun recipe from King Arthur Flour. How could I not when I thought of the name! If you know me at all you know what a devotee I am of their products. And recipes. If you sign up on the site for their email list, you will be notified of the Free Shipping promotions a few times a year, which is when I order months worth of baking supplies at a time.
(fair warning: you will be tempted to buy things that you had every intention of using-- like special european flour supposedly perfect for bagels, that take up cupboard space indefinitely.)
What I was looking for was a light, soft buttery roll, suspecting all along that it would turn out to be a challah-like recipe. Sure enough. I might add an egg in the future and use this recipe for a dairy challah (I know, I know...)
Anyway, this site sells hamburger pans, but as usual, I did the research so you don't have to. I tried making them with whole wheat (fail), I tried making them in mini-muffin pans (fail), but what worked was making the dough, rising it, shaping the golf-ball size rolls, rising them, and baking them half way. This is called par-bake. Bake till they feel pretty firm, but before they start to turn golden. Remove from oven, cool well, and freeze. When you want them, fire up the oven, pile them on a baking sheet, and bake until they brown. Depending on the size you made them it will only be about 6-8 minutes. Pretty cool.

BEAUTIFUL BUNS
    •    1 cup lukewarm water
    •    2 tablespoons butter or margarine
    •    1 large egg
    •    3 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
    •    1/4 cup sugar
    •    1 1/4 teaspoons salt
    •    1 tablespoon instant yeast
    •    *For best results (a smooth, slightly soft dough), use the smaller amount of water in summer (or in a humid environment), the greater amount in winter (or in a dry climate); and something in between the rest of the time.
TOPPING:
    •    3 tablespoons melted butter
1) Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — to make a soft, smooth dough.
2) Cover the dough, and let it rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until it's nearly doubled in bulk.
3) Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into pieces about the size of a golf ball. Shape each piece into a round ball; flatten slightly. Place the buns on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about an hour, until noticeably puffy.
4) Brush the buns with about half of the melted butter.
5) Bake the buns in a preheated 375°F oven for 15 to 18 minutes*, until golden. Remove them from the oven, and brush with the remaining melted butter. This will give the buns a satiny, buttery crust.
6) Cool the buns on a rack.
*see note above about par baking.
More good advice from King Arthur:
Brushing buns with melted butter will give them a soft, light golden crust. Brushing with an egg-white wash (1 egg white beaten with 1/4 cup water) will give them a shinier, darker crust. For seeded buns, brush with the egg wash; it'll make the seeds adhere. And, feel free to add the extra yolk to the dough, reserving the white for the wash.

Devilled Egg Salad

Make or (purchase a good quality, not terribly mayonnaise-y) Egg salad. Add copious amounts of chopped fresh dill, hot sauce (tabasco type) dijon mustard, and smoked paprika. Taste. Add more hot sauce. Stuff into small or large Sandwiches, (or cherry tomatoes that have been hollowed out and drained on paper towels). Another Egg Salad idea-- Truffle Salt!

Tuna Salad with Capers and Lime
Make (or purchase good quality, not terribly mayonnaise-y) tuna salad. Add capers, splash with lime, add freshly ground black pepper and a bit of smoked salt if you have it. Smoked Paprika also works deliciously

WATERMELON FETA MINT SALAD

This concoction tastes a lot better than it sounds, you really should try it. Just keep in mind that it isn't one of those "improves with age" salads. If you are contemplating making it ahead, prepare the melon and refrigerate. The macerating onions are good for a couple days, and quickly assemble the rest of the ingredients before serving.

1 small red onion
2-4 limes, depending on juiciness
1 medium size sweet, ripe seedless watermelon
1/2 lb. feta cheese
handful fresh Italian parsley
big handful fresh mint, chopped
4-5 Tablespoons good olive oil
Black pepper, freshly ground
(optional: pitted sliced black greek olives, balsamic vinegar)

1) Cut the watermelon into small chunks or, if you have one, use a melon-baller to create adorable spheres. Put in bowl with accumulated juices
2) Slice the onion in half the long way, then into thin slices, put in a bowl with lemon juice to soften. You can also use a sweet onion and balsamic vinegar for a mellower taste.
3) Crumble Feta into bowl with melon, top with onions, pour olive oil over, add olives if you are using them

4) Rinse fresh mint and parsley, chop coarsely and add. Grind pepper to taste
5) Turn gently with hands or spoons to mix.

CHICK PEA, EDAMAME, AND CUCUMBER SALAD

Have you discovered frozen shelled edamame in the supermarket (Trader Joe's, Whole Foods). What a delicious and healthful addition to all kinds of salads. This is basically an Israeli Salad that adds Chick Peas and Edamame. It's so filling and yummy it can be a great vegetarian meal.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint, parsley, oregano, marjoram or a combo
Salt and pepper
1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
1 seedless cucumber, peeled cut in quarters lengthwise, diced
6 radishes chopped
½ small sweet onion chopped
1/2 cup shredded or chopped carrots
1 chopped red, yellow, orange or green sweet pepper

1) In large serving bowl, combine oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, mint, salt, and pepper. Add chickpeas; toss to coat. As they are cut and chopped add the rest of the veggies.

2) Cook Edamame following package directions, cool and add to salad.

3) Season with salt and pepper to taste. This is even better the next day, and is great to take on a picnic or pot-luck.

Olive Focaccia and Mozzarella Bites
I used the fabulous Olive bread from our local Wave Hill bakery, but you can use any good bread you can find, or bake the one from the Pioneer Woman linked above. These would be such a great hors d'oeuvre, or snack to take on a picnic or to the beach.

1 Olive or rosemary Foccacia, Ciabatta, or other artisan bread
1 mozzarella ball
sundried tomatoes
fresh herbs (basil, parsley, oregano, rosemary)
Olive oil
small bamboo skewers 4-6 inches in length

1) Cut the mozzarella into half- inch cubes. Put in a bowl with a sprinkling of olive oil, fresh herbs, and a good grind of pepper. Herbs de Provence would work really well also. This can be done ahead.
2) Cut the bread into bite size squares, and cut a pocket horizontally half-way through.
3) Drain the Sun-dried tomatoes on paper towels and cut in half.
4) Tuck dried tomatoes and cheese in the bread chunks and thread onto the skewers. Garnish with a stuffed olive if desired.

Make ahead sandwich hints:
Use toothpicks to keep sandwiches neatly closed.
To keep sandwiches from drying out, line a basket or tray with a napkin (paper or otherwise), and arrange sandwiches closely together. Wet a paper towel and wring out most of the water. Lay the damp towel over the sandwiches, and cover closely with plastic wrap. Keep at cool room temperature for an hour at most in hot weather, but keep in mind that the refrigerator will harden fresh bread.

Fiesta! A Summer Buffet of Mexican Tapas via Barbara Sibley

2011-06-05T08:45:00.003-04:00

Several months ago I attended a cooking class by my cousin Barbara Sibley, chef/owner of the La Palapa Restaurants at the Culinary Loft in Soho.


Sorry that this picture does not accurately illustrate the very beautiful Barbara Sibley

Use either yellow or blue corn tortillas

The food was delicious and the class was fun. But, I found it to be particularly successful in clarifying and demystifying the ingredients and techniques of authentic Mexican Cuisine. I love Mexican food, but before this adventure, my culinary repertoire generally required cellophane wrapped items found in the "snack food" aisle of Stop n Shop. Following the class, I wanted to try some recipes at home and write about them, but the miserable cold winter that lasted until last week did not exactly inspire me to dive into a day-long marketing and cooking marathon exploring the recipes in her new book Antojitos: Festive and Flavorful Mexican Appetizers.

But, Amanda came to Connecticut this weekend with some of her (and my) favorite longtime- buddies, and requested fajitas for dinner, immediately after I submitted a review of Costa Careyes in Jalisco, Mexico to Jetsetter (I will update when the sale goes live), I immediately grabbed the book and headed to the SoNo Country Market in Norwalk. In addition, I have been excitedly enjoying creating and adapting recipes using a wonderful new product: Jack's Gourmet Sausages, which come in Chorizo, Italian, South African, and other Varieties. Supersol and Park East Kosher stock them. And now you can order ONLINE! Click link above.

The result:


Very Happy People

I encourage you to visit La Palapa, or to get the book, but here is the menu and a couple of the recipes, in red.

The Menu:

Tequila with Sangrita

(a lovely mixture of orange, fresh tomato, pomegranate, and hot chili juice)

Hibiscus Margarita

Salsas:

Pico de Gallo

(fresh tomato salsa)

La Palapa's Tomatillo Salsa

Entrees:

Tequila and Lime Marinated Skirt Steak

Corn Masa Chalupas with Chorizo

Turkey tacos

(adapted from the recipe for Pork Loin Tacos with Ancho and Pasilla Chile rub)

Jicama, Melon, Apple, and Pineapple Salad

Grilled Fresh Asparagus

grilled mini-skewers of sweet onion and sweet peppers

blue corn and yellow corn fresh tortillas

note: for most recipes it will be pretty hard to avoid visiting a market that stocks the required items, or order online.

Chalupas (Corn Masa Boats) with Chorizo or its Kosher and Vegetarian Variant

1 generous cup Masa Harina

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup warm water

corn oil for frying

Mix masa harina and salt. Slowly add the water, working into the flour to form dough. Knead 3-5 minutes until moist and smooth.
Divide into 12 equal balls, and pat into thick disks.
Cook disks, a few at a time, on a hot griddle on medium high heart, turning once for about three minutes on each side until a golden brown crust forms on each side.
As you remove them, (careful, hot), use your thumbs to pinch the edges up and the center down, creating a rim.
Cool completely, and set aside, covered well with plastic wrap until ready to fry
Heat about 1" of oil in a skillet until hot and a small piece of dough sizzles on contact, and gently fry the chalupas, turning once, for about 2 minutes on each side until crisp and golden. Do not brown too much or they will toughen.

Lift from oil, drain on paper towels and fill immediately, or wrap tightly in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, and reheat in a dry skillet or griddle, or microwave on high, 15-30 seconds.
Assemble:
1 teaspoon corn oil
3/4 cup chorizo (Jack's gourmet kosher chorizo®*, vegetarian chorizo)
1/4 cup Tomatillo Salsa (below)
1/4 cup crema Mexicana (or non-dairy Tofutti Sour "cream")
1 Tablespoon finely crumbled queso fresco, or ricotta salata cheese, (or soy cheese crumbles)
Chopped onion, cilantro leaves, guacamole for garnish

In a skillet heat oil and add chorizo breaking up into small pieces until well cooked, 5 minutes. Reserve.
Warm chalupas as above, and arrange on platter.
Fill each "cup" with a Tablespoon of Cooked Chorizo, and top with 1 teaspoon salsa, a dollop of crema, and a good sprinking of cheese, onion, and cilantro. Serve with guacamole if desired.

*Jack's kosher chorizo is quite spicy, and salami-like. I cut it into 1/4 inch pieces, fried it well with an equal amount of ground beef, and drained off the rather shocking amount of fat in a strainer. This comes very close to the taste and texture of real chorizo.

for the vegetarian version, I cooked Soy-Rizo in a skillet, and since that too was very strong, I added about half a can of black beans. This would also be a good combination for Tostadas.

The finished Chalupas

Tomatillo Salsa
(makes about 2 cups)
10-12 tomatillos, husks removed and cut up (about a pound)
10-12 sprigs of fresh cilantro
1 large jalapeno, stemmed and seeded (more or less to taste)
about 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion such as Vidalia
kosher salt

In a blender or food processor combine the tomatillos, cilantro and chiles. Pulse, adding a bit of water at a time until a coarse puree forms.
Transfer to a glass or ceramic bowl and add chopped onion and salt to taste.
Can keep up to 5 days in fridge.

Tomatillo Salsa Ingredients

Blender-ing the Tomatillos

Jicama, Melon and Pineapple Salad

1 jicama peeled and cut into sticks, 2 inches long, and about 1/2 inch thick

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

kosher salt

2 oranges peeled and cut into sections with pits and pith (membrane, white stuff) removed

1 granny smith apple cut into thin wedges

1/4 cantaloupe peeled, seeded, and diced

1/2 small pineapple peeled cored, and cut in 1/2 inch pieces

3 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

romaine lettuce hearts washed well

2 Tablespoons lime juic

1/2 to 1 teaspoon chile pequin powder or spanish sweet paprika

In a small bowl combine jicama, orange juice and 1/2 tsp. salt, toss and refrigerate up to an hour.
Add apple, orange, canteloupe, pineapple and cilantro. Mix
Line salad bowl with romaine leaves. Mound jicama/fruit mixture in the middle and sprinkle with lime juice, salt to taste, and just a sprinkle of the chili powder.
Serve Immediately

The most delicious Tapenade ever... Thanks to Leslie Geller, fellow "bookie".

2011-05-21T18:53:00.000-04:00


Olives and Tapenades at the Cannes Market

All the coverage of the Cannes Film Festival made me think of my own favorite Cannes happenings, and for me, tops on the list is the wonderful Marche Forville, the ultimate fruit and vegetable extravaganza.

We especially adored all the different olives and olive spreads (tapenades) that we bought from this wonderful young man, but you can capture all the salty deliciousness of the south of France by following this recipe by my friend Leslie Geller, who served it recently at a book group lunch. It was all I could do to keep from licking the bowl!

TWO OLIVE TAPENADE

2/3 c black olives (I used kalamata)

2/3 c green olives, spanish, not stuffed (I used a jar of Spanish olives with pimento)

1 garlic clove

12 flat fillets of anchovies, salt or oil packed, drained well and patted dry

1/4 c small capers drained

2 tsp tomato paste

2 tbls olive oil

You can do this in a food processor, but the author suggested hand chopping. She also suggested keeping the black olives separate from the green, but I mixed everything together. You chop up each item up to the tomato paste separately, you put half of each with the green olives and the other half with the black and can serve them side by side. After hand chopping, I couldn't see the need and just mixed it all up together. I would suggest making twice as much as this as I use it on everything I eat until it runs out.

Roasted Artichokes, The Best Method. Seasonal Delights, Healthy Options

2011-05-15T12:19:00.000-04:00

Artichokes have always been a big favorite of our family. We never seem to tire of them.
The enormous ones in the market this week were too beautiful to pass up-- they looked like PEONIES! I grabbed a bunch thinking of the Roasted Artichokes I made last year. That method was excellent, but getting the timing right seemed elusive, and they made a pretty big mess, so I hunted around for inspiration.

I found something like this on YouTube--I was attracted to the ease and neatness of the preparation- But the taste was superb, and the artichoke flesh came out soft and creamy- out of this world! I have to say, I very much doubt that I will ever, ever, ever make them any other way.

To be conscientious, I should note that some people believe that we should not be preparing our food in such a way that it is in direct contact with aluminum foil. Hey, I don't want Alzheimers, and I assume you don't either. So, if this is a concern, consider doing this with a layer of parchment paper next to the artichoke, then the foil over that. I tested it and it works fine... maybe even better.
Go forth in health!

INGREDIENTS:

artichokes, one per person
peeled garlic cloves, one or more per artichoke depending on how much you like garlic
lemons
olive oil
coarse kosher salt

Preheat oven to 450

Tear off two sheets of foil per artichoke, or one sheet of parchment, and one of foil, each one about a foot. Use heavy-duty foil.
Prepare artichokes as follows:

Using a sharp (serrated) knife, cut off stem and the top 1/3 of thoroughly washed artichoke.
Use your fingers to spread the leaves apart somewhat
Place artichoke on one sheet of foil, and squeeze lemon generously between leaves, inside, and under
Place garlic clove(s) in the center cavity
Drizzle with a couple TBS olive oil, Sprinkle with salt.
Close the foil tightly around the artichoke, and wrap again in the second sheet.

Roast the artichoke "softballs" in the oven for 1 hour 20 minutes.
Remove from oven, and be smart enough to let the packets cool until they can be handled.

Serve the artichokes hot, room temperature, or cold. They will keep well, and can be made a day in advance. For keeping, I would probably keep them wrapped in the foil, in contact with all the delicious juices.

I served them with Blender Chipotle Aioli

4 cloves garlic cloves
1 egg yolk at room temperature
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup olive oil
canned chipotle peppers in adobo (or chipotle powder)
finely grated lemon zest

put the garlic, egg yolk, mustard, lemon juice, and salt in blender or food processor and puree until smooth. If you do not have a blender or food processor, whisk the ingredients together in a bowl.
Slowly drizzle in oil, drop by drop, with the motor running and puree until aioli thickens (should take 2-3 minutes). If you are using a whisk, keep beating while very gradually adding the oil until the aioli is thick—this will take several minutes. Season to taste with chipotle, and lemon zest.
Refrigerate until used-- the aioli WILL THICKEN quite a bit. Leftover aioli can be refrigerated for 2-3 days. Try it on a turkey sandwich!

A Winter's (Fish) Tale. A Look at Sustainability, the future of the oceans, and What to Eat.

2011-05-03T17:44:00.001-04:00

Hi there food-blogosphere! Amanda here! It seems these days that every time I turn around I discover that I’ve been eating meats I shouldn’t be eating, scrubbing with cleaning products that pollute the water or ordering vegetables from half way around the world. (Did you know that celery has a ton of pesticides in it? Oy!) It makes it hard to eat ethically without becoming a radical tree-hugging vegan. Lucky for us meat eating, cheese loving, egg devouring “normal” folks, there are plenty of organic, sustainable and guilt-free choices that we can make to avoid supporting environmentally destructive industries.

Lately, I have been exploring the 70% of our Earth’s surface covered in water. Until recently, the ocean often got neglected in discussions of environmentalism. But as it turns out, many of our fishing practices are even more harmful than the worst farming practices on land. If we are not more careful about the fisheries we support, we are at the risk of completely wiping out the fish that we love so much. (and if my kids can’t eat sushi in 25 years, I'm not going to bother feeding them at all…) So what can you do to eat more sustainably when it comes to fish?

1- Only eat seafood that comes from America. Patriotism aside, our fishing practices are generally more sustainably regulated than most other countries.
2- When it comes to SALMON, stay away from farmed. Your best bet is wild Alaskan salmon.
3- Try to eat line-caught fin fish and farmed shellfish. The staff at your grocery store’s fish counter should know where your fish came from and how it was caught. Whole foods is especially good at this!

If you’re confused, stick to MSC certified fish. Those are the ones with this picture:

Look for this symbol when you are shopping for dinner.

Or if you generally eat out, check out this Seafood Watch pocket guide or free iphone app. That will tell you exactly what fish you should avoid and better alternatives.

I hope that you’ll consider thinking twice when eating fish because we only have one ocean and it’s a damn cool place.

Thanks for listening and now we will continue with our normal programming… mom take it away.

UPDATE:

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE THAT APPEARS IN THE NEW YORK TIMES MAY 3, 2011
Flip Side of Tilapia

CEDAR PLANKED SALMON

Prepared with natural red cedar, planked salmon is a slow cooking method that produces a wonderful aroma, delicate texture and rich smoky flavor.
Ingredients

Cedar planks (soaked in cold water for at least an hour)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup bourbon or lemon juice
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
Freshly ground black pepper
coarse sea salt (maldon if available)
Method

Preheat grill.

Mix maple syrup and bourbon or juice together. Set aside.

Remove the planks from water and place on the grill until hot. Using tongs, carefully turn plank over and place salmon on the hot side. Place fillets on the smooth surface part of the plank, sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Brush maple syrup mixture over salmon. Cover grill. Cook over a medium to high flame for approximately 10 minutes or until done.

The Best Blondies Ever: Time For REAL Sweets!

2011-04-27T13:06:00.003-04:00

ABSOLUTELY THE BEST BLONDIES

1 c pecans, chopped
(1 1/2 c shredded coconut) optional
1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
12 Tbs unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) softened
1 1/2 c dark brown sugar
2 large eggs lightly beaten
4 tsp vanilla
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 ounces white chocolate chopped
Preheat oven to 350.
Grease a 9 x 13 glass baking dish.
Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in bowl, reserve
Cream butter and brown sugar until combined.
Add eggs one at a time, stir in vanilla.
Fold in dry ingredients just until combined.
Fold in chocolate, coconut and nuts and pour into prepared pan, smoothing the top
Bake 25-30 minutes. DO NOT overbake.
(Top will be shiny and slightly cracked).
Cool to room temp on wire rack before cutting into squares.

"Barely Legal" Passover Rolls, aka "Uncle Ricky's Popovers"

2011-04-24T08:22:00.004-04:00

It seems like (too) long ago that we were blessed with Women's Seders led by the incomparable Debbie Friedman z"l, and during these years we produced a Cookbook called "Passover Recipes and Reminiscences". (Contact me if you want one, I am sure we can come up with something).
This Recipe was submitted by my dear friend Vivian Orbach Smith, and is credited to her brother Ricky.
The process is like making Cream Puffs, and along that line, I amended the recipe with the last step, piercing the puffs to allow the release of steam that would make the inside soggy.

Golden Brown Passover Popovers on baking sheet

passover bagel

Truthfully, these are best immediately after baking, but I know you will have an opportunity to whip some of these us in the coming days. They also do nicely with a bit of egg-salad, chicken salad, or a slice of turkey for a "sandwich". Or maybe you want to get fancy, and make them small and turn them into Profiteroles, with a little ice cream and some chocolate sauce.

Uncle Ricky's Popovers
Makes up to 12 depending on how big you shape them

Preheat oven to 400

1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 (scant) cup matzo meal
4 eggs

Bring oil, water, sugar, and salt to a boil, Remove from heat and add matzo meal, beating well until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Form balls with moist hands, being sure not to compress mixture too much, and carefully place on parchment covered baking sheet, allowing room to spread.
Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown. When you remove from oven, pierce each in the side with the tip of a sharp knife to release steam.
Serve immediately

The Passover tale of Golda- Lox and The Perfect Matzah Ball

2011-04-23T18:55:00.000-04:00

Here is the tale of Golda-Lox and the three dozen Matza Balls. Nice Jewish girl is in charge of making the seder. She makes a batch of matza balls, but they were TOO hard. Nobody really likes very hard matza balls. So, she tries a different recipe. She mixes them, and chills them, and boils them,but this time they came out TOO soft. They just turned to mush!
What to do? Being a crafty girl she adjusts the amount of matza meal, and, lo and behold, her matza balls were JUST RIGHT.
Here is the final very delicious, just perfect matza ball recipe... Sorry if you tried this earlier and found them too hard:

Lois Magid's Matzah Balls
(Like in the seder, there is a theme of "fours")
yeild: about 16

4 Eggs
4 Tablespoons Chicken Fat
3/4 cup Matzah Meal
4 Tablespoons Chicken Soup
1 Tsp. Salt
White Pepper

Beat eggs slightly, stir in chicken fat, gradually add matzah meal.
Stir in the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.

Bring large pot of salted water to a REAL boil,
Moisten hands with water, and shape walnut sized balls of the mixture gently, not compressing them too much.
Drop into the salted, boiling water.
Cover the pot tightly, reduce heat to slow simmer, and cook for 25 minutes. DO NOT REMOVE THE COVER OF THE POT while they are cooking.

hints/notes:
Don't let the water boil too vigorously, or they will fall apart.
You can make these with olive oil, they won't taste as good, but you might live longer. Try making them half chicken fat and half olive oil and see what you think. Remove to a plate and cover closely with plastic wrap
They can stay warm in the salted water for a couple of hours
They freeze well, or can stay tightly covered in fridge for 2-3 days.
I like to add a couple tsps finely chopped parsley, but some people don't like the look of the "flecks".

Time for something (anything) Yummy for Passover

2011-04-20T23:39:00.000-04:00

4 pieces matzo
1 cup salted butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups chocolate morsels
1 cup walnuts or almonds (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
Lay pieces of Matzo in one layer on the pan. Break it into pieces to fit as needed.
Melt butter with brown sugar over medium heat. Stir frequently until it bubbles. Pour over matzo and spread to cover. Put in the oven for a minute or two.
Sprinkle 2 cups of chocolate morsels on top and return to oven for 1 minute to melt morsels.
Remove from oven and with a spatula spread chocolate. Sprinkle with nuts if desired.

Freeze 20 minutes until hard. Crack into pieces and store in a zipper bag in the freezer.

Passover Brownies

2011-04-19T16:17:00.002-04:00

Passover Brownies
Good enough for anytime

So easy, if you just throw it all in a food processor:

heat oven to 350
put following ingredients in food processor:
4 Eggs
2 sticks k-for-p margarine (I know...but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do)
scant 2 cups sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup Matza cake meal
1 bag chocolate chocolate chips divided

Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips briefly in food processor
mix in half of the chips
put in greased 8 x 11 pan. bake about 30 minutes until knife comes out clean

when you remove the pan from the oven, sprinkle on the remainder of the chips. allow to melt, and spread over the top.
Cool well, cut into squares.

What To Do With ALL Those Yolks...

2011-04-18T13:56:00.001-04:00

Lemon Curd
From Cake Art
Makes 3 cups

1 cup butter, cut into cubes
1 cup sugar
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3-4 lemons)
zest of 3 lemons
10 egg yolks

Add 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice to a wide saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occassionaly.

In another bowl, separate 10 egg yolks and combine with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Slowly temper the boiling lemon juice mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking continuously. When fully combined, return the mixture to the saucepan and continue to cook until the whisk leaves a trail in the curd.

Remove from heat and strain into a shallow dish. Place plastic wrap directly on top of the curd and let set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Store in the fridge for up to one week.

Here is a link to the website with a very good tutorial on it:
Completely Delicious Lemon Curd

Passover Tables and Treats

2011-04-13T11:26:00.000-04:00

These cookies are like the passover cookies that they used to make at the old My Most Favorite Dessert shop on Madison Ave in the 80's....

"Actually Good" Passover Cookies:
by François Payard

Yield: Makes 40 cookies

Parchment paper
2 1/2 cups walnut halves
3 cups (k-p) confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 egg whites (size LARGE eggs- if you have Jumbo use 3)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Position 2 racks in the upper and lower thirds of oven. Heat oven to 350°. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place walnuts on a work surface and finely chop. Transfer to a separate large baking sheet and toast until fragrant, about 9 minutes. Let cool. Mix sugar, cocoa and salt in a bowl. Stir in walnuts. Add egg whites and vanilla; mix with a fork until dough is just moistened. Should be like a heavy brownie batter. Drop batter by the teaspoonful onto baking sheets in evenly spaced mounds. Bake cookies until tops are lightly cracked and glossy, about 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

These are the best coconut macaroons ever-- nothing like those gross canned ones.

Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons
(Gourmet Magazine, March'92)

Yield: Makes about 30 macaroons

4 large egg whites
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla (for not-passover also use 1 tsp coconut extract)
2 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1/4 cup matza cake meal (for non-passover use flour)
1/2 cup chocolate chips, or bittersweet chocolate

In a heavy saucepan stir together the egg whites, the sugar, the salt, the vanilla, and the coconut, sift in the flour, and stir the mixture until it is combined well. Cook the mixture over moderate heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes, increase the heat to moderately high, and cook the mixture, stirring constantly, for 3 to 5 minutes more, or until it is thickened and begins to pull away from the bottom and side of the pan. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, let it cool slightly, and chill it, its surface covered with plastic wrap, until it is just cold. Drop heaping teaspoons of the dough 2 inches apart onto buttered baking sheets and bake the macaroons in batches in the middle of a preheated 300°F. oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are pale golden. Transfer the macaroons to a rack and let them cool.
In a glass bowl in the microwave melt the chocolate, stirring until it is smooth, about 2 minutes, and dip the macaroons, 1 at a time, into the chocolate, coating them halfway and letting any excess drip off. Transfer the macaroons as they are dipped to a foil-lined tray and chill them for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until the chocolate is set. The macaroons keep, chilled and separated by layers of wax paper, in an airtight container for 3 days. (If the macaroons are made in advance, let them stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.)

here is a tasty Passover side dish idea.Quinoa and Spring Vegetable Pilaf Quick Recipes: bonappetit.com

2011-04-12T12:39:00.001-04:00

Quinoa and Spring Vegetable Pilaf Quick Recipes: bonappetit.com

Here is Amanda's version, without peas, as appropriate for passover.
At least by our in-house Rabbinic authorities... wow... "raging debate"... who knew?
Raging Debate about Quinoa

More Passover. Gefilte Fish Terrine (sustainable)

2011-04-12T08:29:00.001-04:00

Alaskan Halibut And Salmon Gefilte Fish Terrine (Sustainable)
(Adapted from NY Times, April 1998)

For more Insight into Gefilte Fish, see my dear friend Geoffrey's Blog:
Madliik. Gefilte Fishing

TOTAL TIME
1 hour 30 minutes (plus chilling time)

Ingredients
* 2 pounds line-caught Alaskan or Pacific Halibut fillets, skinned and boned
* 1 pound Wild Alaskan Salmon fillets, skinned and boned
* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, preferably kosher for Passover
* 4 medium Spanish onions, peeled and diced
* 4 large eggs
* 6 tablespoons matzoh meal
* 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste
* 2 teaspoons ground white pepper
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons snipped dill, plus more for garnish
* 2 large carrots, peeled
* Parsley for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Cut the fish into large chunks, and place in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse about 20 times: do not puree, but grind fine. Place in the bowl of an electric mixer.
2.Heat oil in a large frying pan, and saute onions until soft and transparent. Let cool.
3.To the fish mixture, add the onions, eggs, 2 cups of cold water, matzoh meal, salt, white pepper, sugar and lemon juice. Beat in an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment at medium speed for about 10 minutes. Add the dill, and grate in the carrots; mix well.
4. Pour the mixture into a greased 12-cup bundt pan or ring mold. Smooth the top with a spatula, and cover with foil. Place in a larger pan filled with water that is almost boiling.
5. Bake for 1 hour, or until the center is solid.
Cool for 5 minutes, or until mold is cool to the touch. Run a knife around the edges. Place a flat serving plate on top, then flip over, inverting onto the plate. If the mold doesn’t come out easily, give the plate a shake. You should feel or hear it give.
6. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Slice as you would a torte, and serve as an appetizer. Garnish with the parsley and remaining dill, and serve with red horseradish.

Beautiful Pears in the Market. Honey Baked Pears like Grandma's Passover Fruit Compote but Better! And Chozen Ice Cream

2011-04-10T12:20:00.000-04:00

Red Bartlett Pear

In Case you never got around to trying the wonderful
Baked Pears I posted a few weeks ago, it occurred to me that those would be a wonderful, modern version of the "Compote" I dreaded as a kid when seder dessert FINALLY appeared!

Of course, the usual thing is to poach pears in red wine, but this eliminates poaching, and its incredibly simple ingredients are easy on Passover requirements.

Incredibly Simple Baked Pears

Ripe Pears. (1/2 to one per person)
Pear Nectar (or any other fruit juice you have)
Honey
Cinnamon or Nutmeg
Optional: Piece of Vanilla bean or Vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375
Using a vegetable peeler, peel the pears, and cut them in half the long way (if you can keep the stems intact they look prettier. Taste the same).

Use a teaspoon or a melon baller to scoop out seedy core.
Arrange pear halves flat side down in baking pan.
Pour pear nectar into pan, to the depth of about an inch, or almost to the top of the pears.
Drizzle with honey, dust with spices, add optional Vanilla.

Bake for about 45 minutes to an hour until the pears are soft, and the liquid is reduced to a thick syrup.
turn off oven and leave pears in until dessert time, or use warming drawer. (Its not just for aluminum foil any more.)
Or, refrigerate pears and syrup until you need them or keep them warm in a warming draw, or rewarm before serving.

These are delicious as they are, or you can pimp them with anything you love.
Crumpled Macaroons would be a natural, Or honey cake crumbs.
Ginger and pears are a natural, so think of doing them with ginger snaps, ginger bread. Creme Fraiche. Or ice cream.

Check this out!
Chozen Ice Cream
Chozen Ice Cream

Truffled Macaroni and Cheese. Sophisticated Comfort Food for Sophisticated Ladies, when its 10 degrees and snowy.

2011-01-25T00:34:00.003-05:00

Today the Bookies absolutely devoured this super-comfort menu despite the fact that I was certain I would draw scorn for the flagrant flouting of conventional Ladies' Lunch comme-il-faut. But, heck, we were discussing Nicole Krauss' The Great House, and it was so darn depressing, what with all those sad, hungry, angsty characters that there was really nothing to do but cheer ourselves up with carbs and calories.
Even before it was the chi-chi menu staple (and...hello! an appetizer??), Mac-and-cheese has always been a personal favorite of mine and ours. I admit, that, in a pinch I have resorted to a frozen Stauffer's, (usually picked up at the 7-11, at the bottom of the Stratton Access Road), scratch Mac and Cheese has always been a relative no-brainer.
So this one is gussied up with Truffle oil, truffle salt, or whatever Truffle-y condiment you have hiding in the back of the cupboard. But Lord knows, this recipe is just FINE without it. The listed cheeses are only a suggestion, really. Use "cleaning up the cheese drawer" as an excuse for this excess.
The tart and tangy Apple Endive salad, seemed a wonderful counterpoint to the richness of the pasta.

Truffled Macaroni and Cheese
Serves 12
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb.macaroni or radiatore, or orichietti (something that will hold the sauce)
1 stick butter (1/4 lb.)
1/2 cup flour
5 cups hot milk
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp, cayenne
1/2 tsp. mustard powder
8 oz Gruyere , grated or chunked
8 oz grated Fontina
1 cup grated cheddar or smoked cheddar
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2-3 slices of stale good bread, cubed
Butter for "dotting"
1 Tablespoons truffle oil and more for drizzling on top
1 Tsp. truffle salt or regular salt

Butter a large rectangular baking pan, Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Check the pasta directions (varies by brand) and cook about 3/4 of the package timing, till the center still is a bit crunchy.

In a big saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, don't let it brown. Slowly whisk in the flour, and let it cook, continually whisking so lumps don't form. for about 6-8 minutes over medium heat.

Slowly pour the milk into the "roux", whisking constantly, and cook the sauce for about 10 minutes, until it thickens.

Add the truffle salt, white pepper, mustard, 1 Tablespoon of truffle oil, cayenne and nutmeg.
Slowly add the gruyere, cheddar and fontina cheeses and cook for 2 more minutes until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.

Drain the pasta and add to the cheese sauce. Just mix to combine. Pour into a buttered rectangular baking dish about 12 x 8" (not too deep).

Mix together the bread cubes and Parmesan and spread on the pasta. Dot with butter.
bake for about 40 minutes until the top is browned and bubbly.
Let stand for 10 minutes, and drizzle the top with more truffle oil, and sprinkle with more truffle salt.

Endive and Apple Salad

6 endives
2 granny smith apples
big bunch of Italian Parsley (or Watercress)
dried cranberries

Wash endives, cut crosswise into slices about 1/2 inch thick, and mix with coarsely chopped parsley or watercress. Sprinkle with dried cranberries.

Make dressing:
In a jar shake together:

2 Tbs. dijon mustard
3 Tbs. fresh grapefruit juice
3 Tbs, apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup neutral oil (can use olive, but I prefer canola or corn oil for this)
salt and pepper to taste.

Cut apples into cubes and mix with dressing in a small bowl and reserve until ready to serve. (This keeps apples from turning brown, and infuses them with the dressing)

When ready to serve, add apple/dressing mixture to salad, and toss well.

Today is a good day to make a hearty pasta dinner. Lamb, Porcini, and Sausage Ragù

2011-01-15T00:28:00.003-05:00

Continuing on the theme of the last posting, for Split Pea soup: another stick-to-your-ribs (your waist, your abdomen, your upper thighs...)
But, really, in this cold snowy month, you have to make those heavy, delicious dishes that are simply too heavy the rest of the year.
This dish goes very well with a 20 Powder Run Day. Also a rough red wine, a salad, and a light dessert.

Every Italian Momma has a recipe, but the basics are constant: it starts with meat (beef, pork, veal, duck, even boar) and vegetables like carrots, tomatoes and onions, all cooked in wine and broth. Any many aromatic herbs.
When you think of it, its quite like a Jewish Brisket, except the meats are chopped up first in a Ragù. Like a brisket, it needs time to cook slowly, its not a quickie pasta supper.
Ragù is most often served over pasta.
This recipe includes dried porcini mushrooms, which give the sauce a real taste of the Tuscan countryside.
Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup water
1 ounce dried mushrooms, porcini, chanterelles. morels, whatever

1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 carrot chopped fairly fine
good handful chopped fresh Italian parsley
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped

5 or 6 sun-dried tomatoes
8 ounces Italian sausages
8 ounces ground lamb
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 qt chicken stock

1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes
2 bay leaves
4-5 leaves chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed

1 pound pasta, fresh pappardelle, or orichette, something that will catch and absorb the sauce.

Bring 1 cup water and mushrooms to boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat. Let stand 15 minutes. Strain soaking liquid into bowl. Coarsely chop mushrooms. Reserve

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.
Slice or chunk sausages, removing any casings.
Cook until brown, breaking up with back of fork, 5 minutes or so,
Add lamb sauté until brown, about 5 minutes.
If you feel there is a lot of grease in the pan, pour some off or dump the contents into a strainer in the sink, and drain. Return to the pan.
Add onion, carrot, 1/4 cup parsley and garlic. Sauté until vegetables are tender but not brown, about 5 minutes.

Add wine. Increase heat to high and boil until wine is almost evaporated, about 5 minutes.
Add 1 cup chicken broth; boil 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add reserved mushroom liquid. Simmer until liquid is almost absorbed, about 5 minutes.

(if you like a finer, smoother sauce, you can now put this in a food processor and pulse five or six times. Personally, I prefer it chunky)

Mix in tomatoes with juices, bay leaves, sage, fennel seeds and porcini mushrooms. Reduce heat to low.
Simmer uncovered until sauce thickens, breaking up tomatoes with fork, adding remaining chicken broth 1/2 cup at a time and stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Correct seasoning with salt and pepper.

Can do ahead, in fact it definitely improves on sitting

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Add sauce to pasta pot and rewarm over medium heat. Add pasta and toss to combine. Transfer to bowl.
Sprinkle with more parsley

Today is a Great Day for Split Pea Lentil Soup with Smoked Turkey

2011-01-07T05:20:00.003-05:00

It is 4:15 am on the clock, not sure what time my body thinks it is. We just returned from our two week long gastro-ganza in Israel and Turkey. While the cool and gray weather of the middle-east didn't exactly scream summer, this Winter thing seems a little...harsh.
Snow in the forecast. Glad we missed the last one, we need SOUP. We need Western Europe. Or at least Central Europe, and definitely Meyer Family Fare. But I brought back saffron and aleppo pepper from the Spice Market in Istanbul, and I bet I will figure out a way to work that into the recipe too.
Its a great day for Split Pea Soup.

Ashkenazi Cassoulet?

Split peas and lentils, rinsed

Soup veggies ready to be diced

Not at all why they call this Schwarma, you can substitute any sausage or equivalent

Ingredients:
1 smoked turkey leg (you can substitute ham hock or leave it out if you want veggie)
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 large onion
3 carrots (or equivalent in mini-carrots)
3 ribs celery with leaves
3 cloves garlic
handful fresh parsley
1/2 yellow or red pepper
1 lb. green split peas, or green french lentils or combination
3
1 quart chicken stock
2 quarts water
pinch saffron
1 bay leaf
pinch aleppo pepper or fresh ground black pepper
pinch thyme fresh or dried
salt to taste
truffle salt if you have it
croutons for garnish
hot dogs, sausages, as desired, optional

Heat large soup pot with olive oil and add coarsely chopped onion, carrots, celery, pepper, parsley garlic. Let cook 15 minutes stirring occasionally till soft.
Add rinsed lentils, stock, water, thyme, turkey leg,
add seasonings and herbs
Bring soup to low simmer and cook until peas and lentils are soft, and the turkey is falling off the bone, about an hour (you could but in into a crockpot or slow cooker now.
Remove the bone, and if desired, puree the soup with an immersion blender.
Dice the turkey into bits and add back into soup

If you want a heartier soup-meal, cut any sausages or hot dogs you like into half-inch slices and cook them in frying pan until well cooked, and add to the soup. You can also slice them up and cook them with the soup, but I always find that that makes them rubbery.

Better if made ahead, so all the ingredients get to know each other. Reheat before serving, ladle into big soup bowls, dust with truffle salt, and serve with croutons.

Today is a great day for the perfect Eat-At-Your-Desk Snack.

2010-12-16T19:14:00.002-05:00

Oh, my god, I have so much work to do, I have exiled myself to Soho, where, armed with nothing but a huge box of tissues because I have a runny nose, and a $40 Canal Street space heater because its freezing in here, I have chained myself to the computer. I will meet deadlines. I need food.
I love Gourmet Garage, one block away. (This does not mean I want it one floor below me. Really.)
So I put together the perfect snack, lunch, or breakfast from my staples. Sometime we can debate if this is the easiest or the most difficult snack to have. And let's not bring "local" into the debate at this particular moment. Or Kidneys.

One Slice "Balthazar Pain de Seigel" (exactly what it says on the Garage Label)
One slice ripe Saint Andre or Explorateur cheese
Five ripe raspberries.

Toast bread. Spread cheese. Smoosh raspberries.
Pour Sumtra.
Get back to work.

Today is good day to make Curried Apple and Butternut Squash (Soup)

2010-11-27T17:40:00.001-05:00

I had a bunch of apples and squash still not spoken for on the Thanksgiving Menu, so we decided to turn this into another Thanksgiving Side Dish, knowing that the leftovers would be easily turned into a delicious soup. In fact, lots was, and it is. So Add this to the arsenal.

As a plus, it is very healthy and low in fat.

1 butternut squash, about 1-1/2 pounds, washed well
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper

2 apples, cored, chopped into half-inch pieces
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Set oven to 375F.
Peel and seed the squash, reserving seeds.
Cut into dice-sized dice (hmmm)

Believe it or not, if you put the whole squash into the microwave for three minutes, it is amazingly easier to peel and slice
Mix the squash with with oil (butter) and spices.
Transfer to baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Combine apples, maple syrup and balsamic vinegar.
Arrange apples over the squash. Re-cover with foil, bake for another 10 minutes.
Uncover the dish, stir and bake for about another 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the squash is fully cooked and the liquid is absorbed. Check seasoning to taste.

Clean the reserved squash seeds, removing anything icky. Arrange on baking sheet in one layer, and sprinkle with more curry powder, pepper and sea salt. Bake until crisp along side the squash, making sure not to burn them.
Sprinkle over finished dish.

SOUP OPTION
Put leftovers into food processor or blender, or mash well with potato masher.
Put in saucepan and add vegetable or chicken stock till it is the thickness you want.
You can finish the soup with a swirl of cream or butter, or creme fraiche, or coconut milk
If you are very skinny or have an evil metabolism you can forget about the stock entirely and use half and half.

Today is a Great Day to Bake French Apple Cake

2010-11-25T10:45:00.000-05:00

Simple Delicious French Apple Cake: The Aroma of Fall

When we were in France, there was a simple little apple cake at our local Patisserie, this is a good rendition of it.
It is a wonderful addition to ANY fall table, and of course, Thanksgiving is the Iconic fall table, isn't it?
I wasn't really thinking of this cake, but we have a birthday at the table this year, and Henry and I both bought apples on our daily errands, so I think you will join me in appreciating this easy, but delicious bit of France.

3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt

The batter in the springform, foil bottom.

4 large assorted apples, peeled and cubed
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons Calvados (can sub. dark rum)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled to room temperature (or Earth Balance)
(Turbinado Sugar for Sprinking if desired)
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven.
2. Heavily butter a springform pan and place it on a baking sheet.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
4. Peel and core the apples, then dice them into 1/2 inch pieces.
5. Beat the eggs until foamy then whisk in the sugar, then rum and vanilla. Whisk in half of the flour mixture, then gently stir in half of the melted butter
6. Stir in the remaining flour mixture, then the rest of the butter.
7. Fold in the apple cubes until they’re well-coated with the batter and scrape them into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top a little with a spatula.
8. About 10 minutes before the cake is finished, sprinkle top with some Turbinado Sugar, or other coarse sugar if desired.
9. Bake about 55 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edge to loosen the cake from the pan and carefully remove the sides of the cake pan, making sure no apples are stuck to it.
Enjoy with ice cream or whipped cream.
The cake keeps well loosely covered for three or more days.

Today is a Great Day to make Spicy Smoky Spiced Pecans

2010-11-23T15:08:00.001-05:00

If you can resist eating them all before your holiday dinner, Spicy Smokey Spiced Pecans keep amazingly well in a sealed tin or tupperware container for at least a week.
If you don't want spicy or smoky you can just make it with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and leave out the chipotle powder. If you want sweeter, use the vanilla option, use crunchy sugar or soft.

OK, QUICK, COME TAKE THESE AWAY FROM ME. NO, I AM SERIOUS, NOW. TAKE. THEM. NOW.

If, perchance, you are either a huge Alton Brown fan, or you don't have an oven, and prefer to use a stove, a barbecue, or a campfire to make these, you can follow the recipe here:
Alton Brown Spiced Pecans, Skillet method

INGREDIENTS

1 egg white, beaten with a fork until white and frothy
1 tablespoon water (can use vanilla extract for a vanilla-y taste)
3 cups pecan halves (or preferred nut)
1/2 cup sugar, white or brown or mixed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder, or other chile

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
In a small bowl beat the egg white with the water until white and frothy. Stir in the pecans, mixing till well moistened.
Mix together sugar, salt, cinnamon, chile, cloves and nutmeg. Sprinkle over the moistened nuts. Spread out on pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or more, stirring once or twice, until they are crisp and candy-coated. These can burn easily, so do keep an eye on them.
Be careful not to overcook and burn the nuts.
can be doubled easily.

It's a Great Day to Bake Pumpkin Bread

2010-11-21T16:41:00.003-05:00

Today is a great day to start Thanksgiving Prep, by baking Pumpkin Bread, or Cranberry Bread, or both!
Snack on one today, then wrap it well in foil, and freeze it for Thanksgiving, or bring it to work, or send it off to someone you love.

A couple of years ago, Amanda and I had a great time making this with Stella and Juliette. It is easy and fun to make, and totally yummy. And non-dairy, making it very versatile. The recipe makes three loaf pans if you use the disposable foil or paper ones, or two if you use full size (mine are pyrex) ones. They also work very well in muffin or mini muffin tins.
disposable paper bake pans

Ingredients:
3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 16 oz can solid pack pumpkin
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 2 or 3 loaf pans depending on size.
Beat sugar and oil in a large bowl to blend. Mix in eggs and pumpkin.
Sift flour, spices, baking soda and baking powder together in a large bowl. Stir into pumpkin mixture in two additions. Mix in walnuts if using.
Divide batter equally between pans. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, and bread start to pull away from the side of pan, about 1 hour and 10 minutes for two breads in the large pans.
Allow to cool on racks. Can be frozen directly in disposable pans.

UPDATE:
A couple of footnotes to the above post.
First, and most important: It is often a problem getting the middle of a large pumpkin bread to cook sufficiently without the edges being overcooked. This problem is easily solved by baking it in a ring pan, such as the paper one here:

These paper baking rings are available from baking supply sources like King Arthur Baking Company.

Two: Lisa Friedland suggested adding chocolate chips, and was happy with the result, I wanted to make some of the breads without nuts for Emily, so I divided the batter. One loaf plain, one with walnuts, and one with dried cranberries and walnuts.

Thanksgiving. New Traditions: Second Dessert

2010-11-12T08:18:00.001-05:00

Blueberry Crumb, Apple Lattice, Perfect Pecan

Thanksgiving Menu

Henry's Famous Smoked Turkey

Of course its your favorite holiday!
Browse the links below to some of our favorite recipes, or check the column of "tags" on the right edge of the blog for more ideas.
One of our favorite "New Traditions" (is that an oxymoron?) is "Second Dessert". Second Dessert solves two problems at once.
First, keeping kosher means that your Thanksgiving pie crusts will not be made with butter, and will not be served with whipped cream or ice cream. (And might contain nasty margarine/transfat/stuff).
Second, you know how after you finish all the yummy dinner, you kind of feel too full for dessert, but then you kind of start scrounging around for a snack a couple hours later.
So, our tradition has become: Dinner (at 5-ish), a light dessert for those who want it (apple cake, a brownie, some fruit). We continue on to a lively game of Charades, Trivial Pursuit, or Guitar Hero.
Then some time later (consult your Rabbi or the most "Jewy" in your crowd for the specific time frame), Dig into a rich, non-pareve, whipped cream garnished dessert.

Hey, all traditions had to start somewhere.

Zia Salad from Casa Sena Restaurant, Santa Fe
Smoked Turkey
Brining Turkey-- We are HUGE fans
Arlene's mushroom stuffing
Cranberry Orange Sauce
Turkey Gravy for when you are smoking or grilling Turkey
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Glazed Chestnuts
Praline Sweet Potatoes
Lemon Haricots Verts
Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic
Cranberry Nut Bread
Pumpkin Bread
Perfect Pecan Pie
Indian Pudding

Indian Pudding
4 cups milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup cornmeal
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
grated fresh nutmeg to taste
1 tsp. salt
1 cup molasses
1 tsp. grated orange peel
Vanilla ice cream
Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a saucepan over low heat, scald milk and sugar. Gradually stir in the cornmeal. Cook and stir constantly until smooth and slightly thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in eggs, cinnamon, ginger, molasses, nutmeg, and orange peel. Mix thoroughly. Pour into greased 2-quart casserole. Bake 1 1/2 hours. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
Makes 6 servings.

A Middle Eastern Feast for Fall: Persian, Moroccan, Syrian, and Israeli Delights

2010-10-24T22:18:00.006-04:00

Table with Persian Eggplant and other Salads

Moroccan Carrot Salad

Israeli Salad, Celery Salad

Lamb Kofte

Fall is a wonderful time to enjoy planning and eating meals with heartier, earthier tastes, more complex spices, and lengthier preparations that still take advantage of the relatively wide array of vegetables in the markets. The other thing about this menu that is worth noting, is that it does not use terribly expensive or arcane ingredients, and though it is very tasty, its not too spicy, and it will produce very tasty leftovers.
I love making dinners that are very veggie based, with lots of small plates that allow personalizing by taste/predilection of my guests. In this kind of spread vegetarians can be as happy as carnivores, and depending on your time, talents, and the availability of take-out, this menu outline can suit cooks of all levels. Supplement with bowls of homemade or store-bought hummus, tahina, babaganoush, olives, stuffed grape leaves, harissa, and lots of fresh pita. If you really feel energetic, consider making the super-duper easy homemade pita at the end of the post.
A wonderful addition to this meal is the famous chicken, pomegranate, walnut dish that is a classic of the Persian kitchen Koresht Fesenjen here.
The first thing to do is take stock of your fridge. Pull out all those veggies and plan your salads around what you have. Onions, mushrooms, beans, rice, carrots, celery, squash, whatever--
then choose from the salads below depending on what you have. The more fresh herbs the better, as far as I am concerned- you will definitely want big bunches of parsley, cilantro, mint, chives etc...
Use the internet or a cookbook to enhance the selection below. This one is an all-time favorite of mine:
Claudia Roden, A New Book of Middle Eastern Food
The recipes below are just the framework. you can add or subtract any number of dishes, this is the basis of a REALLY GREAT potluck, have your friends bring any tabouli, quinoa, rice salad, or potato salad they want.

MORROCCAN CARROT SALAD

4-5 large Carrots

half a cup of pitted black olives

a handful of fresh chives, scallions, mint, parsley as desired coarsly chopped

1 lemon

3 Tbs. good olive oil

cumin, salt and pepper to taste

Wash and grate 4-5 large carrots into a mixing bowl. Mix in slivered black olives, and chives or cilantro.
Wash lemon, and grate the yellow part of the rind into the salad. Then squeeze the juice into the mixture. (Did you know that if you microwave a lemon for about 20 seconds, it makes it easier to juice? Ditto, roll it on the counter with the palm of your hand). Add in the olive oil, and about 1/2 tsp cumin (more if you love cumin) and salt and pepper.

You can also add in grated radish for a spicier touch
sprinkle in a teaspoon or so of honey or agave syrup and some raisins if you like a sweeter version
mix in a can of chick peas, rinsed if you suddenly have extra guests

PERSIAN EGGPLANT- serves 4 Adapted from Marcella Hazan
This one takes a little bit of time, and clean-up, but they are so delicious, it really is worth it.
The process of slicing, salting, soaking, and rinsing is the key to success. The bigger the eggplant you use, the more benefit you will derive from the process. If you can find tiny, tangerine-sized eggplants, you can skip this step, and just fry the thin slices.

2 medium eggplants
kosher Salt
Olive oil, (not Extra-Virgin) enough to come up a 1/2 inch on the side of a pan, plus refills if necessary
Fresh garlic, peeled and chopped
Fresh parsley chopped
2 lemons, sliced thinly
1. slice eggplants into 1/4-inch rounds. Layer the slices in a colander salting each layer liberally. Put paper towels between layers. Put in the sink let stand for at least 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, rinse the slices to remove excess salt, and put onto a kitchen towel and dry very well. You will notice that the eggplants are kind of leathery, or papery.
2. Put oil to a large skillet to come up a 1/2 inch on the side of the pan. Don’t let the amount of oil scare you. Cooked at the right temperature, the eggplant will absorb very little of the oil. Turn the heat to high and as the oil is heating,
3. When the oil is hot (read: immediate sizzle and bubble when you dip in a slice), slide eggplant slices in a couple at a time, in a single layer, not too crowded. Brown gently on both sides, turning as necessary and transfer to brown paper grocery bags to drain as they are done.
4. When cool layer decoratively on platter, sprinkle with chopped garlic and parsley, coarse salt, and intersperse with thinly sliced lemon.
5. Cover and keep at room temperature to preserve crispness. Can do several hours ahead.

LAMB KOFTA These yummy bites will be familiar to anyone who has travelled in the middle east. There are many variations, and you can make them as spicy as you like by increasing the measurements of the spices. You can nestle them in pita (like falafel) and garnish with salad, tahini, or tsadziki. I like them with a good dose of spicy Harissa. This recipe makes enough for 4 if you have a lot of side dishes. You can also do it with ground turkey.

1 pound ground lamb
1 onion, chopped fine
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1 pinch cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, or 1/2 tsp harissa
4 tbsp cilantro or parsley chopped plus more for garnish if desired
black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp mint
1 lemon cut into wedges

Mix the lamb in a large bowl with the onion, garlic, spices and cilantro and season well with salt and pepper. Mix well, until they are very soft, and the seasonings are well incorporated.
Shape walnut size lumps into oval shapes (if you will be grilling them, shape around small skewers) and arrange on broiler pan or plate. Refrigerate up to 24 hours. The mixture will firm up when chilled.
The kofta can then be broiled, grilled, or pan-fried in a bit of olive oil until done, about 12 minutes.
Arrange koftas on plate. Scatter with the mint and serve with the lemon wedges and your choice of accompaniments.
note: If you can find it at your local market a good shortcut is available: Sadaf Kabob Seasoning
You can order it online, (as well as an amazing array of ethnic delights) from Kalustyan's, one of my absolute favorite markets. If you are in the NYC area you HAVE to go there sometime.

Ok. Now for the EASY HOMEMADE PITA
2-1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for sprinkling while kneading
2 tsp. sea salt
1 Tbs. sugar
1 packet yeast or 2 tsp. (bread machine yeast or saf is best)
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 cup warm water (105-110 degrees)

8-inch squares of aluminum foil for baking

Combine 1 cup flour with the salt, sugar, and yeast. Add the oil and water. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for three minutes, then stir in the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time. The dough will be a rough, shaggy mass that pulls away from the bowl. If the dough feels very wet, add a Tbs. of additional flour.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 6 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 500°.
Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.

Roll into balls, dust lightly with flour, and cover with a damp tea towel. Let rise for 30 minutes.

Flatten each ball into a disk, by pressing with your palm, and roll out with a rolling pin, into 6" rounds. Its more important to get them thin than perfectly round.

Place each round on a square of foil, and carefully place 4 at a time, directly on the oven rack. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes, or until they are puffed. (They may not all puff, but they will still taste amazing)

If not using immediately, stack and wrap them in a large piece of foil. This will keep the dough soft while the tops fall, leaving a pocket in the center.
To reheat, stack several in a pile, wrap with foil, and place in a 375 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Simply Roasted Chicken

2010-10-02T00:41:00.001-04:00

First there was company, then no company, then company again. By the end, I was kind of "done" with the whole idea of cooking dinner. Still, we had to eat, right? Finally, I just decided to do the simplest possible preparation of one of my Kosher Pastured Chickens from Grow and Behold.
This time. Just sea salt, pepper, and the delicious tiny chicken.
I know that you know that I know how to truss a chicken tidily... this is just SIMPLE. No trussing.

How simple? Preheat your oven to 450 degrees, convection roast, if you have that option. OVEN. HOT. (Simple, right?).
Rinse the chicken, remove any innards and/or excess fat. Salt and Pepper heavily inside the cavity, and outside the bird (drizzle a bit of olive oil to help it stick if you want).
Now, the trick I love is this: Roast the chicken suspended on a rack over a baking pan. this allows the hot air to circulate all around the chicken, crisping it to perfection.

Roast until the meat around the drumstick is no longer pink. For a small bird of 3-4 lbs. it will take about 50 minutes to an hour.

Along with the simple theme I chunked up butternut squash, and drizzled it with maple syrup and more salt and pepper. Baked in a pie pan right next to the chicken.

So Easy, So Delicious,

and if you are lucky, you will have a couple of slices left tomorrow for a chicken sandwich on rye toast with a slice of an heirloom tomato.

For Sukkot

2010-09-22T17:17:00.022-04:00

SUKKOT DINNER OF STUFFED VEGETABLES IN ROASTED TOMATO SAUCE

It is traditional to serve Stuffed Vegetables for the holiday of Sukkot. The vegetables within the vegetables represent the bounty of the holiday. Of course, it makes sense, when the farmer's markets are overflowing with the wonders of the late summer harvest. Peppers of all colors and Scoville Units, weird squash, eggplant, cabbage, whatever.

1. Assorted heirloom tomatoes, sprinkled liberally with olive oil, sea salt and pepper, roasted with unpeeled cloves of garlic. 450 degrees until they look like this... about 45 minutes. Cool. Slip garlic out of peels.

2. Blend tomatoes, and any of the accumulated juices in blender until smooth. The puree will be very thick. You can thin it with some water, milk, cream, chicken stock, or tomato juice.

This is a wonderful thing as the base of a soup or a pasta sauce. See the end of the post for a picture of it as a soup with fresh basil.

(I always ask the guys at the farm stands for their ugliest tomatoes, and store as much as I can of this at the end of the summer)

3. Prepare an assortment of vegetables into cute little containers for stuffing. I used a variety of squash and peppers. Some of the peppers were actually quite hot, and they turned out to be the most popular players on the team. Hollow out the squash with a small spoon or a melon baller, leaving a good shell of about 1/4 inch all around. Prop them up in a baking pan.

4. Prepare stuffing.

For this you can use any stuffing that you like. Be creative or be safe. Saute the chopped up flesh of the squash and pepper trimmings with onions, peppers, and any other vegetables you like/have (certainly: celery, carrots etc.). To this you can add some partially-cooked rice (brown, jasmine, whatever) couscous, quinoa, bread cubes. or bread crumbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper and fresh herbs. Mix in a half- cup or so of the roasted tomato mixture for moisture and seasoning. For this dish,

I used some of the house made Spicy Tunisian Sausages that I found at the Kosher Marketplace in NYC, removed from the casings, crumbled, and cooked, so I will not be adding cheese, but you can do it your own way. I have done this with cubes of cheddar and it was delicious. Cook it all up and let it cool off enough to handle.

5. Carefully fill up the vegetables with the stuffing mixture, and gently pour enough of the the thinned tomato sauce around the vegetables so it comes about half way up the vegetables.

6. Cover well and seal up with foil, and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, until its all bubbly and the squash and peppers are tender.

BONUS:

ROASTED TOMATO SOUP:

Look above for a picture of the Roasted Tomato Soup that I made from the same process as the sauce. Idea: make up a super size batch of the roasted tomato puree, and be all ready for the next dinner or lunch. This soup ROCKS, and if you eat it you will practically live forever, what with all that lycopene, and all the goodness from the phenols in the olive oil and the cardio-protectiveness of the flavanoids in the fresh basil. Now for the SUPER health/taste treat, add on these Kale Chips-- so delicious floating on top of that soup. Try this even if you (like me) think you don't like kale.

Kale Chips:

Wash kale (any kind, or collards, or whatever leafy green thing calls your name from the farmstand or the bins at Whole Foods). and remove the heavy stems. Spread out in one layer on a baking sheet, sprinkle with about a Tablespoon of olive oil and some sea salt, and bake at 375 for about 15 minutes. You do have to watch it, the timing is approximate, because I have found that each batch of kale seems to cook differently. You want it crisp, like a potato chip.

A Tasty and Refreshing Summer Lunch Menu

2010-07-25T10:36:00.003-04:00

100 in the shade? Don't fret. Yesterday we hosted our lovely French Friends from Montpellier, Lyon, and Lot, and despite that cruelly oppressive heat, we all happily munched our way through this tasty, easy to prepare menu.
Cool Cucumber and Avocado Soup with Tomato-basil guacamole
Evil Quesadilla Bread
Tomato Peach Salad with Mint and Red Onion
Grilled Ratatouille with fresh corn
Smoked trout and salmon Platter with assorted olives, capers, lemon and scallion
Fresh Herb Cream Cheese
Devilled Eggs
Assorted Tapenades and Hummus spreads with crusty bread

Dessert:
Pecan Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream
Chocolate Almond fudge

Cucumber Soup
1 large English hothouse cucumber, peeled, diced (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 1/2 cups low-fat (1%) buttermilk, or plain yogurt
1 avocado, quartered, pitted, peeled
4 tablespoons chopped red onion
Handful of fresh basil, chopped

1/2 cup seeded chopped tomato
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
4 tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt
Combine cucumber and buttermilk in blender. Chop 1/4 of avocado; set aside for salad. Cut remaining avocado into chunks. Add avocado to blender; then add 2 tablespoons red onion and 1 tablespoon basil. Blend until very smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Cover; refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
Mix reserved avocado, remaining 2 tablespoons onion and 1 tablespoon basil, tomato and lime juice in small bowl. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover soup and tomato salad separately and refrigerate.) Ladle cucumber soup into 4 bowls. Dollop each with 1 tablespoon yogurt; top with tomato salad and serve.

Quesadilla Bread
This recipe is from Thrill of the Grill. So I guess it could rightfully be listed under my great-recipes-of the 1980's. I first had it at Cathy Collins' house, and she said the same thing I say to you now. I know that when you see the ingredients you will shriek and never want to be my friend again, but this makes an enormous amount. Its enough for a restaurant. I just never figured out how to make it smaller, and the pan it calls for (a half-sheet cake pan) is one of my kitchen standbys (standbies?). So here it is, make it or not....

1 cup pastry flour
2 cups all all purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp fresh cracked pepper
12 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
1 pound butter, melted
3 cups grated sharp cheddar
1 1/2 cups sour cream

preheat oven to 375, grease a 12 x 17 inch baking pan
sift flours, baking powder, salt, set aside
beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks
beat egg yolks and sugar together until light
fold into the whites,
working steadily, fold in the dry ingredients, melted butter, cheese, and finally sour cream
pour batter into greased pan and bake for 20-30 minutes until the entire top of the bread is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean
Let bread cool completely, then turn it out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Can be made ahead, and cut into squares or sticks, and, if desired toasted, grilled or re-heated in oven to serve hot, or just serve cold.

Tomato Peach Salad
for 8 people

Cut an assortment of 4-5 tomatoes, yellow, red, cherry, whatever into chunks
Cut 4 peaches into chunks
roughly chop a handful of fresh mint (1/4 cup packed leaves)
if desired mix in some thinly sliced celery, or a bit of red onion
add a healthy dose of Olive oil, some balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.
Mix and let sit for an hour or two to meld flavors.
If you have any left over, buzz in the blender for a delicious gazpacho

Improvisation: Grilled "Ratatouille" with corn
Go to the farmers market and buy some fresh and delicious vegetables, eggplant, summer squash, zucchini, red onion, tomatoes. Slice them up big enough that they won't fall between the grates on your grill, sprinkle with olive oil
Heat up the grill and grill vegetables till slightly charred. cut in chunks. put in bowl with some olive oil, vinegar, and whatever fresh herbs you have/like, like oregano, thyme, marjoram, chives.
Grill or steam young corn and cut off the cob, mix in with vegetables.

Insanely Easy Chocolate Fudge or Hot Fudge Sauce
This is so easy its almost a joke. Great for late night chocolate cravings. If you pour it into a greased 8x8 inch pan and let it cool it becomes fudge. If you want fabulous hot fudge for ice cream sundaes, just cool slightly.
Melt a pound of chocolate in microwave, or double boiler. (whatever chocolate you have- chips, bars)
Stir in a can of condensed milk, a tbsp of vanilla, and 3 Tbsp of Karo Syrup if you have it otherwise leave it out.
Pour into greased pan and sprinkle with roughly chopped almonds or walnuts if you like nuts.

Magical, easy, artery-clogging and delicious Summer Fruit Cobbler

2010-07-07T08:26:00.001-04:00

Magical, easy, artery-clogging and delicious Summer Fruit Cobbler

4 cups peeled, sliced peaches, blueberries, blackberries, pitted cherries or a mixture of all
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup water
8 tablespoons butter (one stick)
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 cup milk
Ground cinnamon, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the fruit, 3/4 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in oven to melt.

Mix remaining 3/4 cup sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping. Gently pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Using a slotted spoon, put fruit on top, and then gently pour syrup around the fruit in the pan. Again, don't stir. Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon. Batter will rise to top during baking. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

To serve, scoop onto a plate and serve with your choice of whipped cream, creme fraiche, or vanilla ice cream.

King Arthur Flour's Perfect Buttercream Frosting

2010-06-16T06:03:00.003-04:00

This rich, creamy frosting is lovely swirled atop a cake or cupcakes.
3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt (ONLY if you use unsalted butter)
1/2 cup (4 ounces) boiling water
1/4 cup (1 ounce) meringue powder
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) vanilla extract
4 cups (16 ounces) sifted confectioners’ or glazing sugar
2 cups (4 sticks, 16 ounces) soft butter, vegetable shortening, or a combination of both*

*We love the flavor of butter, but if your cake will be sitting in a hot place, using some (or all) vegetable shortening will help keep the frosting from melting.Earth Balance sticks work well for me- if dairy is not an issue I do half butter, half EB.

Dissolve the sugar (and salt, if you’re using it) in the boiling water, and cool to room temperature. Mix in the meringue powder. Use a mixer to beat on slow speed for several minutes, until the powder is dissolved and the mixture is foamy. Increase the speed and beat until soft peaks form. Beat in the vanilla, then the confectioners’ or glazing sugar. Add the soft butter a few tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition.
Yield: Enough frosting to fill and frost an 8" layer cake or 24 cupcakes.

VARIATIONS: For coconut frosting, add 4 to 5 drops coconut flavor and 1/4 cup (1 ounce) coconut milk powder along with the confectioners’ sugar. Or flavor to taste with almond extract; coffee flavor; 2 teaspoons espresso powder dissolved in the boiling water; butter-rum flavor, or 2 tablespoons fruit purée, added after the confectioners’ sugar. Be aware that adding fruit or espresso will change the color of the frosting.

Lee Bailey's Barbecued Veal and other 80's Culinary Hits

2010-06-10T16:00:00.000-04:00

My love of cooking goes back a long time. I fondly remember experiments in French Pastry (Paris Brest, cream puffs) as part of my High School French Curriculum with Mrs. Story in 10th Grade at NFA (1970). But it wasn't until after John was born that I really started to hit my stride. The summer of 1983, when we rented a house with Arlene and Larry in Quogue, was a turning point in intensity and complexity of entertaining-- and the key for me, and I suspect many others of my generation, were the books by Lee Bailey. My first one was Country Weekends, and some of the recipes in that volume are classics of my repertoire. No coincidence that the book was published in 1983. The value of those books to me, lay in Bailey's do-it ahead attitude-- he instructed me on the value of advance preparation, simplified serving, building menus with farmer's market-fresh multiple vegetable side-dishes, and, the magic of southern-inflected classics that were festive, easy, familiar-but-exotic, and just delicious.

I know that you will love this dish. Everyone who tries it loves it. The two-stage cooking assures that the veal will remain moist, and that you will not be squinting into grill smoke while guest are chatting and sipping. Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients- they are all things you probably already have in the pantry.

Barbecued Veal

(serves 6)

1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
1 green pepper
2 bunches scallions, including 2 inches of the greens
1/4 cup olive or peanut oil
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup wine vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
1/4 t. tabasco (or more if you like tabasco)
2 Tablespoons capers and some of the brine
1 4-5 lb boned and butterflied shoulder or leg of veal (might be already rolled at the market, if so, just untie it, and remove any "yuckies".

Put cleaned and trimmed onion, green pepper, scallions, garlic and parsley in a food processor to chop finely. Heat the oil in a large skillet and add veggies, simmer 5 minutes, and add all the other ingredients except veal and simmer for 20 minutes. Cool.
Put the meat in a pyrex or ceramic bowl, and pack the thick marinade all around it. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for 4-5 hours, turning it once or twice.

About an hour before you are ready to cook it, take the meat from the fridge to come to room temperature, and start your fire if using charcoal (better). If using gas, heat the grill for 15 minutes. Preheat inside oven to 375.
Grill the meat for about 15 minutes per side. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinade in a saucepan.
After the half-hour grilling time, put the meat into a baking pan or a dutch oven. Cover and bake for about an hour. Test for tenderness after an hour, and continue baking another 1/2 hour if it seems tough. When done. remove from the oven, and keep warm and covered until time to serve. It will be fine for at least another 45 minutes. Slice and arrange on platter, spooning some sauce over, and serving the rest on the side. Garnish with fresh mint or parsley leaves or a combination of both.

This is wonderful with this side dish, or whatever your CSA or Farm Market has to offer.

Grilled Garlic New Potatoes and Haricots Verts
(This can also be done very successfully in the oven if you are not grilling or it starts to pour!)

Rinse and cut new potatoes (multicolor if you like) into halves or quarters depending on size. putting them, as they are cut, into a bowl. Douse lightly with good olive oil, chopped garlic, coarse salt, and fresh pepper to your personal preferences, stir. Cut a length of heavy foil, and place the potatoes in the center, closing the foil tightly around them. Place the packet on the grill and cook for 1/2 an hour or until done.

Meanwhile, clean beans, and make another foil packet with them (or steam them, or roast them). These only need about 15 minutes on the grill.

When ready, carefully open the packets, and combine them in a serving bowl or platter.

Sage Stuffed Chicken on the Rotisserie

2010-05-28T16:54:00.001-04:00

Chicken Stuffed with Fresh Sage, Rotisserie Grill or Roasted

I adore the convenience of my kitchen-door herb garden, although it seems that very little of it actually survives our snowy winters. The only plant that reliably comes through the ordeal is the Broadleaf sage- a common variety- which just loves its spot, and produces endless handfuls of velvety leaves from snowmelt to Thanksgiving.

It would certainly be the most trite thing in the world to comment on how wonderful a really good roasted chicken is. But...trite is true. And this terrific method produces the most succulent roast chicken, while using tons of my happy sage leaves. Herbalists take note: Sage has an impressive history dating back millenia--it is believed to impart wisdom, long life, good health, domestic virtue, and mitigation of grief...makes sense that it goes so well with Roast Chicken!
Once you have prepped the chickens this way, you can roast them following whatever method you prefer, but I will describe my two favorites.
Around here, the small kosher chickens we get (3-4 lbs) are good for about 2-3 diners- with a bit leftover for a chicken sandwich or two the next day.
What happens in this method is that the sage creates a space between the skin and the bird, infusing the meat with the most delicious scent, while allowing the fat to drip off, and the skin to crisp to perfection.

Get everything arranged before you start the assembly, because your hands will be...you know...

Ingredients:
3-4 lb. roasting/fryer Chicken
2 lemons
big handful of fresh sage leaves
assorted other fresh herbs if you have them- thyme, small sprig of rosemary, marjoram or oregano
salt, pepper and Herbs de Provence
kitchen string

1. Wash the chicken well under cold running water, being sure to remove the plastic bag holding innards if there is one. Leave the chicken soaking in the cold water for half an hour or so, if it is a kosher bird, or if not consider brining it for an hour or two.

2. Wash sage leaves well, and remove from stalks.

3. Quarter the lemons.

4. Place the chicken on a cutting board, and clean up any pinfeathers (an old tweezer works great for this). Pull and large pockets of fat out of the cavity and discard or save for another use. (You can put it into a heavy ziplock bag in the freezer until you need it. )

5. Squeeze half the lemon into the cavity, and leave it in there, sprinkle with salt, pepper, herbs de provence, and any additional herbs you wish to use.

6. Using your fingers, gently separate the chicken skin from the flesh all over the bird, including the back, the wings, legs etc. Try to not tear the skin, but if it happens, don't get upset.

7. Stuff sage leaves between the flesh and the skin working them into all the crevices.

8.Truss the bird simply with kitchen string; see the attached pictures for an easy and effective technique.

9. Sprinkle the trussed chicken with the rest of the lemon, a good grinding of fresh pepper, and some more herbs de provence.

TO GRILL: Prepare the rotisserie on your grill, thread chicken(s) onto rod, and grill for about 45 minutes to an hour until done.

TO ROAST: Preheat oven to 475. Arrange a grid rack (like you would use to cool cookies) over a roasting pan, and pour about a cup of water or white wine into the pan below. The grid lifts the chicken out into the open hot oven, allowing the heat to circulate all around the bird, and letting the fat drip off into the liquid below. CAUTION: THIS METHOD CREATES QUITE A BIT OF SMOKE...but a delicious bird, which, for a 3.5 lb. bird takes only about 50 minutes. Remove carefully, and allow to rest 10 minutes before carving.

Milk and Honey and Noodle Kugel.

2010-05-18T11:44:00.001-04:00

For Shavuot: Nancy Snell's Noodle Kugel

aka: Its No Secret Why Your Grandfather Died of Heart Disease

Ah, Shavuot, most inconvenient holiday- coming at that time of year when many of us are swamped with finals, graduations, allergic headaches, revamping our putt, transplanting tomato seedlings, and whatever else we do at the end of May.
There is at least one good thing about the "chag", though- the custom of eating dairy foods. Why?
Ask Moses! (Or your favorite Rabbi).
So, set the DVR to record Lost, and whip up a batch of that Jewish Comfort-Food Classic, Noodle Kugel. There are plenty of low fat versions, be my guest.... I'm sticking with Nancy Snell's caloric classic. Please pass the Lipitor.

1 12 oz. Bag Egg Noodles, cooked

2 sticks butter

4 beaten eggs

2/3 cups sugar

1 pound cottage cheese

1/2 pint sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

raisins if you wish (of course we HATE raisins in anything)

Topping:

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 tsp cinnamon

1Tbs sugar

Cook and drain noodles, melt butter, beat eggs, mix all together (not topping) and pour into rectangular baking dish. Sprinkle topping. Bake at 325 for 1 hour 15 minutes.

note: since I had half a (pint) container of Mascarpone ripening in the fridge, I threw it in. Might be a definite keeper, if Mascarpone is something you have access to. I found it near that creme fraiche that I love from,Vermont Butter and Cheese Company.. Don't make a special trip tho.

Vegetarian but Delicious Onion Soup

2010-05-10T09:31:00.000-04:00

Vegetarian Onion Soup

Who, and especially those, ahem, in the boomer age-group, doesn't dream of a delicious, steamy, cheesy Onion Soup Gratinée. The last couple of colder-than-we-have-been-enjoying nights made me think of making it, but to make it in a kosher kitchen, I would have to make the choice between delicious soup and delicious cheese. Having tried a topping of vegetarian "cheese" on a classic beef-stock-based onion soup, well, let's just say I no longer even pause at a display of those products.

So, the question remained, how to "beef up" the soup, this reminded me of a wonderful NPR program I had downloaded to my ipod-The Fifth Taste that discussed what the Japanese call "umami" (it means YUMMY). So I googled Miso Onion Soup, and found the following recipe. It is very very good as it stands- but its wonderful with my alterations: instead of using all "spanish onions" (those are the basic, yellow, any-market onions) I used a variety of different onions, including red ones, a sweet one, and most important, three or four shallots. And while the original recipe called for swiss cheese- definitely try Gruyère, or a mix of Gruyère and Fontina.

As Julia would say: Bon Appétit!

Ingredients

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 pounds large Spanish onions, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced (about 4 cups)- or a mixture of onions including shallots
8 diagonal slices of baguette, about 1/4 inch thick.
1/3 cup miso
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large slices Swiss, Gruyere, or Fontina cheese

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, and heat until shimmering. Add the onions and cook, stirring constantly and adjusting heat as needed, until the onions are soft and deep golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove pan from heat and allow onions to cool in the pan.
2. Brush both sides of the bread slices with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake, turning once, until just crisp, about 4 minutes a side. Remove from oven and set aside.
3. Pour 3 cups of water into a 2 quart saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Add miso, thyme, and cooked onions; mix well. Simmer and season with salt and pepper as needed.
4. Preheat a broiler. Place a large oven-proof serving bowl or four small oven-proof bowls on a broiling pan or small baking sheet. Pour the hot soup into the large bowl or divide among the small bowls. Place the croutons on top of the soup, and top with Swiss cheese slices. Place the pan holding the soup directly under the broiler until the cheese is melted, and the soup is bubbling. Serve immediately.

Warning: Measure Your Salt - Diner's Journal Blog - NYTimes.com

2010-05-06T17:01:00.000-04:00

Warning: Measure Your Salt - Diner's Journal Blog - NYTimes.com

Interesting and important!

Nutty Healthy Perfection: Foolproof Oven-Baked Brown Rice ♥ | A Veggie Venture

2010-05-06T12:49:00.001-04:00

Foolproof Oven-Baked Brown Rice ♥ | A Veggie Venture

This is an amazing way to cook Brown rice. I am linking this post to another blog, since that blogger got permission to reprint the recipe, and I am too lazy to, but want you all to try this. Never more will you have sticky, lumpy, why-did-I-start-this glop, but gorgeous separate grains of nutty, healthy perfection

More Tea Party Recipes- Sandwiches

2010-04-19T11:01:00.001-04:00

First Some Hints about making Tea Sandwiches:

Choose a selection of fillings and breads that will be interesting on the platters and on the palates.
For planning purposes, figure on 4 to 6 cut sandwich servings for each person.

Consider some bread-less options.

Choose the best-quality white or wheat bread available. Supermarket choices include Pepperidge Farm "Very Thin" loaves that come in white and whole wheat. A French "Pain de Mie" is considered the standard, and if you want to try making it yourself you can check out this blog entry: home baked pain de mie. There are also those little breads made by Rubschlager that are easily available. I just don't understand why they always seem to be to hard.

Never serve end slices. Freezing the bread before cutting and then spreading makes for easier handling.

Bread slices should be lightly buttered (use unsalted) no matter what filling you use. . Butter should be at room temperature before spreading. Sandwiches will not become limp and soggy as readily if you spread the butter to the edge of the bread.

Cut the crusts off the bread with a long, sharp knife after the sandwiches are filled, or cut them into shapes with cookie cutters (sharp, thin tin ones work best.) This keeps everything neater.

Since tea sandwiches should be delicate, cut each sandwich in half on the diagonal or into thirds or fourths before serving.

Garnish the sandwiches with chopped fresh herbs like parsley, dill, sprouts, or slices of stuffed olives.

Making Sandwiches Ahead of Time :

If you need to make tea sandwiches in advance you will have to figure out how to keep them from drying out. You can stack the uncut sandwiches, wrapped in wax paper and refrigerate, or complete and garnish the sandwiches on the platters, covering them loosely with a sheet of wax paper and then place a damp kitchen towel over the wax paper (never place a damp towel directly on top of the bread because the sandwiches will become soggy. Refrigerate until serving time.

When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator. Uncover sandwiches immediately before serving.

Some Recipes

Cucumber Sandwiches are a tea-time standard. I love the traditional ones- nothing but bread, butter, and thinly sliced english cucumbers, but if you are not strangled by tradition, I highly recommend this variation.

Cucumber Mint Tea Sandwich

1/2 seedless cucumber, peeled and very thinly sliced (about 32 slices)
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, rinsed, dry, and chopped fine
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup cream cheese, room temperature

2 Tablespoons sugar
16 slices best-quality white bread
Salt to taste

Place cucumber slices on a clean kitchen towel (or paper) pressing firmly to remove excess water.

In a small bowl, combine mint, butter, sugar, and cream cheese; spread on one side of each slice of bread. Lay cucumber slices onto the buttered side of 8 slices of bread. Sprinkle with salt. Top with the remaining slices of bread, buttered side down.

Carefully cut the crusts from each sandwich with a long, sharp knife. Cut the sandwiches in half diagonally and then cut in half again. Decorative shapes can be made with cookie cutters.

Yields 8 whole sandwiches or 16 halves or 32 fourths.

Goat Cheese and Watercress Tea Sandwich

16 thin slices cinnamon-raisin bread,

2 (5 1/2-ounce) logs soft fresh goat cheese (such as Montrachet), room temperature
1/2 cup chopped watercress leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted until fragrant, finely chopped
Watercress sprigs (for garnish)

In a medium-size bowl, mix fresh goat cheese and chopped watercress; season with salt and a small amount of finely ground fresh pepper. Spread mixture evenly over 8 bread slices. Top with the remaining sliced of bread.

Carefully cut the crusts from each slice of bread with a long, sharp knife. Cut the sandwiches in half diagonally and then cut in half again. Decorative shapes can be made with cookie cutters.

Roll cut edges of each sandwiches in the softened butter.

Place pecans on plate. Dip buttered edges of sandwiches into pecans, gently pressing the pecans into the butter.

Arrange sandwiches on platter. Garnish with watercress sprigs.

Yields 8 whole sandwiches or 16 halves or 32 fourths.

Dill Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches

8 hard boiled eggs**
1/2 cup good mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon finely-chopped fresh dill
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
20 slices best-quality white bread

Peel eggs and place into a medium bowl. Slice eggs and then coarsely mash them with the back of a fork. Add mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and dill; stir until well blended. NOTE: This mixture can be refrigerated, covered, up to two days.

Spread butter onto one side of each slice of bread. Spread the buttered side of 10 slices of bread with 2 tablespoons egg mixture. Top with remaining slices of bread, buttered side down.

**Put eggs in pan of cold water. Bring to boiling. Cover pan, turn off heat and leave for exactly (egg-xctly) 20 minutes for perfect HB eggs

James Beard's Famous Onion Sandwich

James Beard's Famous Onion Sandwich- the Story

8 slices firm-textured white bread, cut into quarters
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large sweet onion, like Vidalia, WallaWalla, or Maui peeled and sliced into paper-thin slices
Sea Salt, Fleur de Sel, or whatever fancy salt you have
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 tablespoons of finely chopped chives or parsley

Arrange the bread slices next to one another on a flat work surface. Using a glass or an 1-inch round coo0kie cutter, cut out two (2) small rounds from each sandwich; discard trimmings.

Spread each bread circle with 1 tablespoon butter. Place a thin layer of sliced onions over the butter. Lightly season the onions with salt.

Assemble the sandwiches with remaining bread slices, pressing lightly to make them adhere.

Spread some of the mayonnaise around the outside rim of each sandwich round. Roll the rim of each sandwich in the chives or parsley to coat completely.

Smoked Salmon Sandwiches on Pumpernickel

Smoked Salmon is a very popular and traditional Tea Sandwich Choice. You can vary this recipe by slicing the cucumbers more thickly, and using them instead of bread, producing cucumber-salmon canapes.

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon minced scallion
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
1 tablespoon capers drained
1 teaspoon prepared (white)horseradish
Pepper to taste
2 teaspoons butter, room temperature
8 slices pumpernickel bread
sliced smoked salmon
12 cucumber slices, sliced thin

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, scallion, dill weed, capers, horseradish, and pepper; set aside.

Spread butter thinly over pumpernickel bread slices; spread mayonnaise mixture on each bread slice. Divide salmon and cucumber slices evenly over 4 slices of bread; top with remaining bread slices.

Cut each sandwich in half diagonally. NOTE: May also cut in quarters or small rounds (your choice).

All this talk about Tea Parties

2010-04-16T20:22:00.002-04:00

All this talk about Tea Parties has been making me obsess over a proper Afternoon Tea. Luckily for me, my dear friend Orna became a Grandmother this week, and this happy occasion provided the perfect opportunity to polish up the silver.

For me, there is no more delectable menu. Without a doubt, it is a bit labor intensive, but the results are worth it.
Afternoon Tea (don't say "High Tea") is three courses. First sandwiches, then scones with clotted cream and jam (and strawberries if you like.) Finally cake or pastries.

Despite the fact that there are many more terrible scones than good ones, I believe that you will find this recipe to be everything you hope a scone will be. They will be absolutely best if you bake them right before serving them. Warm scones are sublime. You can make them a few hours ahead, cool, and reheat at 325 wrapped in foil for about 10 minutes. Or just enjoy them cold. Clotted cream is the definitive accompaniment, with strawberry jam. Whole Foods and other "gourmet" markets will often have jars, from this company, but you can buy it online too.Clotted Cream source
If you can't find it you can substitute Creme Fraiche, or whip a cup of heavy cream, and mix in 1/3 cup sour cream and a Tablespoon or so of powdered sugar. It won't be the same as real Devonshire Cream, but it will do in a pinch.

Dried Cherry Scones

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 T unsalted butter
1/2 cup dried cherries cut in half if large, dried blueberries, or currants
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
Coarse Demerara Sugar for sprinkling

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees . Set rack in middle
Mix flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or rubbing between your fingers until it is in pea sized lumps. Stir in the cherries. Mix together 1/2 cup milk and sour cream in a measuring cup. Pour all at once into the flour mixture and stir gently until just blended. Turn out onto parchment, and knead two or three quick turns just till dough comes together, DO NOT overwork the dough. It is ok if there are still lumps of butter.
With floured hands, gently break the dough apart and pat into golf-ball size portions. Place onto parchment lined baking sheet, and flatten lightly. Let the scones just "kiss" each other. Whisk together egg and 1 tablespoon of milk. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash, and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Let them rest for about 10 minutes.
At this point, you can put the baking sheet of scones into the freezer until solid, put into heavy zip lock bags, and have them on hand to bake up whenever the opportunity for a tea party presents itself.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the tops are golden brown, not deep brown.
Remove to rack to cool, or if serving immediately, wrap loosely in a cloth napkin in a basket.

Passover Recipes

2010-03-23T16:19:00.004-04:00

Check these Passover recipes

Best Vegetarian Chili Recipe Share from Sue Smith

2010-03-04T20:41:00.003-05:00

Sue Smith hosted our March meeting at her lovely house on Monday. We all adored this healthy veggie chili:

The Best Vegetarian Chili

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 onions, chopped

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons ground cumin

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped into ½” cubes

6 jalapenos, seeded and chopped

2 green peppers, seeded and chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 celery heart, chopped

4 tablespoons best-quality cocoa powder

1 large can tomatoes, chopped, with liquid (I like Muir Glen)

1 cup water

2 cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups fresh or frozen white corn

½ cup bulgur – soak for 20 minutes in advance

juice of 2 limes, grated zest of 1

salt (fleur de sel is best) and pepper

cilantro, chopped

In a large pot, heat oil and sauté the onions and spices for 5-10 minutes. Add the squash and sauté for another 5-10 minutes. Add peppers, garlic and celery and cook for 1 minute. Add cocoa, tomatoes and water; bring to a boil. Add kidney and black beans, corn, and bulgur. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until bulgur is cooked. Add lime juice, zest, and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

Whatever benefit was bestowed by the low-fat organic deliciousness was cancelled out by the best cookie ever:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

from Barefoot Contessa Parties by Ina Garten

Makes 36 to 40 Cookies

½ pound unsalted butter at room temperature

1 ½ cups light brown sugar, packed

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 extra-large eggs at room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup good smooth peanut butter

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 pound good semisweet chocolate chunks*

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla and peanut butter and mix. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and add to the batter, mixing only until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks.

Drop the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using either a 1 ¾-inch

ice cream scoop or a rounded tablespoon. Dampen your hands, flatten the dough lightly, then press the tines of a wet fork in both directions. Bake for exactly 17 minutes (the cookies will seem underdone). Do not overbake. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

*Note: I use the 1 pound block of Belgian dark chocolate from Trader Joe’s. Break into pieces and pulse in the food processor.

For more wonderful chocolate chip cookie recipes check this blog called, appropriately enough, Cookie Madness. I happen to agree completely with her top five recipe list.

COOKIE MADNESS

The Hamentaschen Axiom: Its Always Something

2010-02-27T11:25:00.001-05:00

No matter what you do, something is going to be wrong with your Hamentaschen.

Hamentaschen baking and garden planning are always linked in my mind. Even Henry just asked "Is it spring yet?". Seed Catalogues were my sole companion during last week's Involuntary Arctic Exile, and I stayed busy convincing myself not to plant any number of exotic heirloom varieties. And Amanda and I sent links for Hamentaschen Recipes back and forth in gchat.

Hamentaschen are like Connecticut vegetable gardens. In the garden, either its too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry. Spring is too early, or too late. Its either blossom-end rot, or tomato horn worms. And if its none of those, deer or woodchucks get in. And there are rabbits. Hamentaschen are either tasteless and dry, or tasty and deformed. If you make poppy, people complain that they are not apricot. If you make apricot, you wish you had raspberry. And although you never really had a scrumptious triangular cookie with a Yiddish name and a fruity filling, you always secretly believe that, like a hardy but tasty tomato seed, eventually all will be revealed. Why do we persist? Seed catalogs and baking hamentaschen are signs that spring is on the way. And Jews and gardeners are nothing if not persistent.

Amanda went with tasty dairy hamentaschen made with a rugelach- like cream cheese and butter pastry. Alas, they did the come-unstuck-flop-open-into-circles- with-blobs-of-jam thing.

I decided to revisit and tweak a recipe that I thought had potential, one that boldly claimed to be "The Best Hamentashen You Will Ever Eat"
Although I wouldn't go that far, they really don't taste too bad. (Jews and gardeners...hopeful).The problem with these is that they are seriously UGLY. Part of the problem is mine-- in my last frenzied stock up at Whole Foods, I bought Organic Cane Sugar- which is significantly coarser than my usual Domino. And thinking that more is more in the taste department of non-buttery baked goods, instead of using my microplane grater, I grated the orange peel coarsely. So the dough was lumpy, ergo lumpy result.
The combo of the coarse sugar and the coarse orange peel, however made for a crisp and flavorful cookie, one that even improved a bit with time.
So take off your glasses and bite into one of these

UglyTaschen

Adapted from an adaptation from the Molly Goldberg Jewish Cookbook

¾ cup sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup room temperature shortening, butter or margarine (I used half Earth Balance Sticks, half Fleishman's pareve margarine)
1 egg, beaten
3 Tbs. orange juice
1 tsp. grated orange zest
2 tsp. vanilla extract (or your choice)
1 tsp Princess Flavoring optional

Filling of your choice-- Solo/Lekvar/Lemon Curd/ Jam

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, orange zest, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer.

Add shortening or butter in tablespoon-sized pieces and combine with the paddle attachment until the dough has big crumbs.

Combine orange juice, extract, and beaten egg.

Add these wet ingredients to the dough and mix until a dough is formed. I found the dough very dry and added an extra Tablespoon more juice or soy milk.

Divide into two mounds, and roll each out between 2 sheets of parchment to a thickness of about 1/8 inch.
Chill well-- at least an hour. For more about this see the sugar cookie entry.

Heat oven to 400

Remove a chilled dough sheet from the fridge. Remove top parchment and flip over onto baking sheet.

Using a 3” round cutter, (or a glass like your "Oma" did), cut dough sheet into circles.

Place 1 (scant) teaspoon of filling in the center of each circle. Fold up the corners and seal well forming triangles.

Place cookies on cookie sheets and bake 12 – 15 minutes, rotating if your oven requires it until light golden brown.

Let cool on sheets about 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: about 2 dozen
Easy to double.