My Little Marshmallow

Old Photo Round-up

2010-03-25T11:48:00.003-04:00

A Christmas gift from Hubband:

Creamy broccoli soup and multi-grain toast
Beef and bean chili over cornbread
We will return to our regularly scheduled programming very shortly.

A Christmas Melody

2010-01-04T10:43:00.005-05:00

It's been a busy few months here at Chez Marshmallow, and the next two look incredibly busy as well. Plans almost every weekend for 3 months straight are fun, but boy they tire me out! Lots of things have been churning out of the kitchen here, but at such a volume and pace that most weren't even photographed. I didn't even get pictures of each course of our Christmas dinner!

It consisted of 4 courses:

1: Rigatoni with homemade bacon, shredded brussels sprouts, and seared bay scallops (Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc)

2: Onion tart topped with mixed baby green salad with sherry-shallot vinaigrette and pistachios (Trefethen Viognier)

3: Akaushi NY strip steaks, broiled, served with roasted cauliflower and sweet potato-chard gratin (Del Dotto Cave Blend 2006)

4: Pierre Herme's Melody (Dolce)

We also had my first attempt at truffled brioche, which turned out rather well.

Our fourth course: Pierre Herme's Melody is a rather cryptic statement, so let's throw a little light on the subject. I received a Pierre Herme cookbook for my birthday. Pierre is France's premier pastry chef, and authored this particular book in conjunction with Dorie Greenspan, she of "Baking with Julia" (yes, THAT Julia) fame.

Hubband and I browsed through the book looking for a Christmas dessert and decided on Melody, a multi-layered confection that required days of advance prep. I was ok with that, in fact, it was one of the reasons we picked that dessert. I didn't want to have to assemble something at the last minute.

Melody is composed (Ha, get it?) of a layer of extremely delicate cinnamon pastry, topped with a layer of genoise, a layer of Twenty-Hour Apples, a layer of cinnamon-caramel Bavarian Cream, another layer of genoise, another layer of cinnamon pastry, and finally a decoration of thinly sliced fresh apples brushed with strained apricot preserves.

I began with the genoise, which is a dry cake leavened only by whipped egg whites. It was my first attempt, and came out as only average, but good enough to proceed.

I then worked on the Twenty Hour Apples. Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced, fanned, layered with sugar, butter, and orange zest. Repeat x 8.

Sliced

Layered, wrapped, and weighted

After baking in an extremely low oven for 10 hours, they come to room temp, and then move into the fridge for at least 10 hours, weighted all the time. They come out as a sort of apple confit, lightly sweet, with a hint of orange. Very nice. The recipe makes about 6 times as much as you need, so we put some of the excess on pancakes, which I highly recommend.

The finished, assembled dessert.

After all the slicing, caramelizing, whipping, chilling, layering, rolling, baking, trimming, and fiddling were done, the dessert was good. It was shockingly light for something with so many components and layers. It was almost refreshing after a long rich meal, but still had enough sweetness to be a good finish.

My true disappointment was with the book itself. Several times during the making of this complex recipe, the instructions failed me, and it was only by experience and MacGyver-ing that it worked out. The directions for making the cinnamon caramel, the first step of the Bavarian cream, were complete and utter hogwash. I tried it his way 3 times, and failed spectacularly each time. I did it my way once, and succeeded. The recommendation for an ice bath to cool the creme anglaise was ridiculous, and caused the gelatin to seize. Furious whipping ensued. Pan sizes were off, thus making it impossible to me to have a truly professional-looking result. Hubband rather enjoyed my complaints, as he felt that being thus challenged was good for me, and interesting for him to watch. I, on the other hand, expected more from a book by Pierre Herme and Dorie Greenspan. I felt almost as though I was being tested, as if someone had purposely given me a book with incorrect instructions, just to see how I would adapt. I will likely try other things out of the book, and may even make this dessert again, but I will certainly take his instructions with a grain of salt.

How was your Christmas meal?

Giving Thanks

2009-11-24T17:27:00.010-05:00

I took this picture two weeks ago in Asheville, NC. The leaves are nearly done with their show of colors, and that can mean only one thing: Thanksgiving time. Last year I wrote a post detailing just a few of the things I'm thankful for, and I'd like to make that a tradition. Without further ado, here are just a few of the things that I'm grateful for this year.

For my health, and the health of my loved ones. I had surgery in March, and I'm very thankful to have had no complications and a relatively easy recovery. I'm grateful for all the people who helped out during that time.

For the opportunity to take another amazing trip to California, and to have Mom with us this time. I am grateful to have a Mom who's so fun that you WANT to take her with you on vacation, and a Hubband who's so wonderful that he's glad she's there too.

For the renovations we did on our home. I'm thankful we were able to do them, that they turned out even better than we hoped, and that we don't have a single contractor horror story to share.

And always, never last nor least, I'm so thankful for Hubband. He's my greatest gift and my biggest supporter. He takes care of me, makes me laugh every day, and always inspires me to do and be better.

Happy Thanksgiving to you, and may you have much to be thankful for.

Pride

2009-11-09T08:28:00.002-05:00

I will attempt just about any recipe that you set in front of me, provided of course that it sounds interesting, and I have finally gained enough experience that a new recipe will usually turn out pretty well. I have developed so much confidence in the kitchen that now I've even acquired the disturbing habit of often trying out a new recipe on company.

One area of cooking that I really want to get better at, and really develop a feel for, is bread baking. I've got my standard sandwich loaf all wrapped up, but I also love a good chewy and crusty loaf, and that's what I want to gain the ability to bake.

On a recent evening that company was coming, I decided to combine my bad habit of new recipes with my doughy aspirations for a double-whammy of inexperience and the unknown. Fortunately, even with some small deviations from the recipe (accidental) everything turned out very well, and these were my best loaves yet.

I mean really. Look at that crumb structure! Look at the lovely air pockets! The lightly browned, crusty-chewy crust! I was so proud of it, I called my mom to describe it. I got off the phone quickly as our friends C & B arrived, and we sat down to this bread with creamy European-style butter and butternut squash soup. We chatted for awhile, and then had a second course of baked pork chops stuffed with prosciutto and asiago, and ended it all with caramel cake and coffee. The next day we took the rest of our soup, bread and butter over to mom's for a nice lunch. I'm still proud of that bread, and it's long gone. Not forever though...I'm making more this week to go with a broccoli soup recipe that's been brewing in my mind.

Pugliese bread, from The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart. I'm not going to post the recipe here, because I did have some accidental variations. I'm going to bake it again the right way, see how much difference that makes, and then post whichever I like better.

Challenge, Part II

2009-10-14T10:20:00.003-04:00

Here are a few more photos of things I baked for the guys during our Master Bath renovation:

Nutmeg Doughnut mini-muffins:

Very subtle flavor of nutmeg in a rich, buttery muffin. They are reminiscent of cake doughnuts, and after baking are brushed with butter and tossed in confectioners' sugar. The guys seemed to really like them, but one did mention that the nutmeg flavor may have been TOO subtle.

Carrot Cake mini-cupcakes with cream cheese frosting:

My standard carrot cake and cream cheese frosting recipe. This cake is so moist that it almost doesn't hold together as a cupcake. These disappeared rapidly.

Korova Sables/World Peace Cookies:

Buttery, rich, crumbly, sandy, chocolatey. These cookies are something unto themselves. Too bad they have such a cheesy name. For the recipe, check here.

Dulce de Leche Brownies:

A recipe by David Leibovitz, which is always a good start. These babies are ooey-gooey, rich and delicious, and the best part is that you make the batter in one pot! One pot, one spoon, one baking dish. Easiest clean-up ever. These are our new go-to brownie recipe, and won't be surpassed any time soon.

Challenge, Part 1

2009-10-07T13:55:00.006-04:00

Phase one of our recent renovations was our master bathroom. Instead of going with the same contractor who was going to work on our kitchen, we chose a smaller company that we have used in the past for handy-man-type work. We know the guys quite well, and trust them to not only do a thorough job, but to honestly critique new recipes that I spring on them. They expected our bathroom to take about two weeks, and I set myself a challenge: bake something for them every day that they were here. I got to try out a few new recipes, tweak some old ones, and get honest feedback, and they got fresh treats and coffee daily and felt appreciated. It was a win-win situation for all of us.

In no particular order, here are the first four days' efforts:

Peach Pocket Pies

Adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum's Pie & Pastry Bible

Individual hand-held peach pies. Ok, but not great. I think peaches are best eaten fresh. The crust did turn out nicely though, as Rose's always do.

Schrafft's Butterscotch Cookies

Very subtle flavor. I don't know that I would even go so far as to call it 'butterscotch'. I found that to be misleading, as people were expecting a much bigger flavor once they heard the name. They were tasty, but I think they need something else to bolster them. They'd be great as the base for an ice cream sandwich.

Good old peanut butter cookies, by request.

I did half the batch with milk chocolate kisses, and folded dark chocolate chunks into the other half. I liked the dark chocolate better. The guys were divided: half for classic with kisses, half for dark chocolate.

Raspberry Bars

Adapted from Favorite Brand Name Baking

A shortbread-like base, filled with jam, and topped with crumbles of the same base dough. Simple, delicious, and always a hit.

Strawberry Bars

Adapted from Favorite Brand Name Baking

Varying the temperature of the butter will change the texture of the cookie. Keeping it on the chilly side with give you more of a crisp shortbread, and room temperature will make it more like a slightly crumbly butter cookie. Both are delicious. The quality of the jam you use will directly affect the flavor of the bar, so get one that you really love. I've used almonds in the crust before, and they work very well but have a much milder flavor than the pecans. You can, of course, also use a preserve other than strawberry. I used raspberry in the photo above.

2 C all-purpose flour

1 C granulated sugar

1 C butter, softened or still slightly cold

Heavy pinch of salt

3/4 C pecans (or almonds) coarsely chopped

1 egg

10 oz strawberry preserves (or flavor of your choice)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease an 8" or 9" square pan with butter or cooking spray.

Combine the flour, sugar, butter, salt, nuts, and egg in a large bowl and mix until combined. If you use colder butter the mixture will be crumbly, which is fine. Scoop 1 cup of this dough out of the bowl and set it aside for the topping. Pour the remaining dough into the prepared square pan and use your fingers to press it evenly into the bottom of the pan. Spread the preserves on top, keeping a 1/2" border around the edge free of preserves, if possible. (Preserves at the edge bake onto the pan, making the bars harder to remove.) Crumble (or dollop) the reserved 1 cup of dough over the top of the preserves and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool completely in the pan, then cut into bars.

Before and After

2009-09-28T08:31:00.002-04:00

I've mentioned renovations quite a few times here on MLM, but I'm not sure I've ever really given an idea of just how much we did. It was a three-phase operation: Phase 1 was our master bathroom, Phase 2 was our floors, and Phase 3 (most relevant to this forum) was the kitchen.

Phase 1 went very well. There were a few very minor bumps in the road, each easily solved and none of which put us more than a day or two behind schedule. We took the bathroom down to studs and slab and started over, everything new except the toilet. It turned out fabulously, with a larger shower, deeper soaking tub, feature wall of stone, more cabinetry, and small layout changes that made a world of difference.

Phase 2 involved more work, both on our part and the part of the workers. Hubband and I packed all of our things, and moved every piece of furniture out of the first floor. The garage was full of our furniture, the bedrooms upstairs were stuffed with boxes; there was even a bookcase on the front porch. He and I moved into a guest bedroom at Mom's for about a week and a half (Thanks Mom!) while the workers came in and chiseled up the wood floor. (Yes, chiseled. It was glued down.) They had the old floor up in 3 days, and laid the new floor in just 2 days. We spent the next few days cleaning the house with the help of some wonderful neighbors and setting things to rights again before we could move back in.

Phase 3, the kitchen. The phase that involved the most planning and the most thought. The phase with the most bumps in the road! There was some confusion over cabinetry pieces, a few minor things that were fairly easily fixed. The biggest issue was the range. To make a long story short, after much research and thought, we settled on a very particular model, which we were assured was in stock. The night before we were scheduled to take delivery, we received a call telling us that there had been a mistake, the range was not in stock. It was, in fact, back-ordered. It would be two more weeks before we got it. Then, a few days before that delivery, Hubband called to double-check. Oops, the company rep said two weeks? He meant four. Hubband demanded that we be provided with a loaner range in the meantime, which eventually we were. They ended up pulling something close to what we ordered out of their showroom. It was very disappointing, but I've found myself curiously at peace with it. I spent a lot of time cooking with my Mom, and I've gotten to challenge myself by figuring out ways to make meals with a wall oven, a microwave, and a single gas burner that's outside, attached to the grill. Now that we have the loaner stove, I'm playing with that a bit, and discovering that there is definitely going to be a learning curve. Before we get into that, though, how about a before and after photo?

Before:

Note the nice color, but plain style of cabinets, backsplash made of various shades of tan porcelain tile, and icky shades of beige countertop.

After:

All new cabinetry (the old was recycled, given to a friend to redo their kitchen. Countertops were recycled as well.) including a large hearth/mantel style hidden hood. The backsplash is a continuation of the countertop, natural stone. We moved the refrigerator, placing it next to the existing full-size wine refrigerator and placing a microwave, wall oven, and hidden warming drawer where the fridge used to be. The range has increased in size from 30" to 36", from four burners to six. We installed an LP tank and gas line. In the 'Before' photo you can see the extent of the island; it ended at the pillar on the left. In the new kitchen, we've added more cabinetry there and extended that end to create an integrated eating area, as well as a very large workspace. I love that now when we entertain, guests will be able to sit at that eating area and talk to me while I cook, but not have to worry that they are in my way. I think we've added a lot of character to what was a very bland and standard kitchen. I love it.

The first thing that I made with the loaner stove had to be pasta, because I was finally capable of boiling a whole pot of water in a reasonable amount of time! Bacon, caramelized onions, butternut squash, with a splash of white wine, fresh thyme, some chicken stock, and a pinch of cayenne.

I Read Nie-Nie

2009-09-23T08:39:00.003-04:00

I wonder if you've heard of Nie -Nie. Stephanie Nielson, she of the paper silhouettes , back-to-school-dinners, and nearly fatal plane crash. A woman of faith and a woman of hope.

Have you heard of her sister, C Jane? Courtney Jane, who took in three of her sister's children while Nie recovered, who rejoices in the little things but isn't afraid to talk about wanting some big ones.

Both are Mormon, (I am not) both are mothers, (I am not) but both are very inspiring to me. They are unafraid to discuss their shortcomings, unafraid to discuss faith and loss, body-image and love, cake and Mormon-inspired vegetarianism. They will also willingly delight in a fabulous pair of shoes.

I've been reading both for well over a year, and I'm not really sure why I've decided today to blog about them. Maybe it's because I noticed this morning that when I don't have much time, and cannot check in on every blog I've bookmarked, those are two that are never skipped. I always check in on Nie and C Jane and their families.

Do you read Nie Nie?

Big Sur

2009-09-12T08:40:00.013-04:00

As discussed back in JUNE (shame-face), we headed from San Francisco down the Pacific Coast Highway to get to Big Sur.

Eventually we found our resort for the night and after being scared out of our wits by a man that popped out of a tree*, we checked in and were driven to our treehouses:
After ooh-ing and ahh-ing at our amazing accommodations, we decided to take a walk around the secluded property, and there were gorgeous views every way we turned:
Part of the property is a redwood forest, and it was truly amazing to encounter these giants. I remember being shocked at how straight they grew:
After a fabulous dinner at the resort's restaurant (I forgot my camera. Let's blame jet lag, eh? At this point I had been awake, traveling, and enjoying to the max for an absurd number of hours.) we went back to our respective treehouses, and Hubband started a fire for me in the treehouse's beautiful stone fireplace, step one toward our goal of a fire every night. We only enjoyed it for a short time, as sleep was soon to come, but it was wonderful. The next morning, we enjoyed the views for a little while, then bid adieu to this amazing place to continue south, to Hearst Castle. We stopped for breakfast at a little place I had researched called the Big Sur Bakery. Simple and unassuming, you'd never guess from the exterior what lay within:
Ricotta-asparagus tarts with kalamata olives, apricot-studded coffee cake, multiple flavors of danish, huge cookies, scones, cinnamon buns, croissants, and other assorted trays of deliciousness, all freshly baked! Fabulous coffee too. All in a rustic little wooden building attached to a gas station. Breakfast was fabulous, and we picked up ham and gruyere stuffed croissants to save for our lunch. We jumped back in the car, and continued south.

*No really, a man popped out of a tree. Mom and I were already slap-happy at this point, and were laughing out of proportion to the actual humor of anything. Poor Hubband. Then we pulled into the resort, Hubband was telling us to calm down, and A MAN POPPED OUT OF A TREE. He was the security guard of the resort, checking to be sure we had reservations, but his hut was an enormous tree trunk that perfectly blended in with the landscape. At that point, we all lost it, and to this day we feel that we were accosted by a Hobbit.

Surfacing

2009-09-11T11:18:00.003-04:00

*Crickets chirping*

Wow. June 25th. I'm a little ashamed that June 25th is the date of my last post. This year has been so incredibly busy, and gone by so quickly. We've been renovating our home since mid-July, including the kitchen, so the cooking has fallen by the wayside a bit. Thank goodness for having Mom close by. We had to move into her house for about a week during one stage of the renovation, and have been eating dinner there for several weeks while waiting for the new kitchen to take shape. Everything was supposed to have been finished today, but of course, there's always a hiccup, and that hiccup just happens to be my new range! Backordered, so it won't be here for two more weeks. I must admit that this renovation has gone incredibly smoothly, and if there had to be a hiccup somewhere, I'm grateful it was just a backordered appliance, instead of a plumbing or electrical disaster. Grateful, but still wishing I had my range.

I need to get back on the right track, and putting up a list of things to come is one way to keep me honest. There will be posts to come about our California vacation, about the baking challenge I set for myself during Phase I of the renovation, and before-and-afters of the kitchen. They will all be mixed together.

If you're checking in, thank you for sticking with me through the silence!

California Dreamin'

2009-06-25T09:11:00.005-04:00

Things remain busy here at Chez Marshmallow thanks to planning for some upcoming renovations, but I still apologize for the lack of posting. I need to work harder on making time for this.

Our recent trip to California was a welcome respite from all the things going on here recently, and we enjoyed it fully. We began by flying to San Francisco on a Sunday morning; thanks to the time difference, we left here at 7 am and got there at 9:30 am, leaving us a full day to play. We found our bags and engaged in some Tetris-like calculations to fit them all in the car, and then took off in search of some authentic Dim Sum. Doing some research before the trip, I found that a restaurant called Ton Kiang kept popping up as a great authentic place to go for dim sum. Literally meaning "a bit of heart", dim sum began as small snacks to be eaten with tea, but has become an experience all its own. Small plates of various preparations are carried around on trays or carts, as the server pauses at each table to tell you what they've got. After struggling to find some parking, we found that the restaurant was already full and bustling at 11:15 on a Sunday. By the time we were midway through our meal, there was a line out the door.

I only took one shot of the table, as I'd forgotten my camera in the car (bad blogger!) and was using Mom's. Also, I wanted to get back to eating. We had a wide range of dishes, including roast duck (with bones, our least favorite) spicy long beans, shrimp-stuffed scallops, green chive & shrimp dumplings, egg rolls, calamari, foil-wrapped chicken, pot stickers, BBQ pork buns (both baked and steamed) and egg custard tarts. The pork buns and the calamari were my personal favorites, although the pork bun/Hambow in Seattle still wins as best, merely for the reason that it had a better ratio of meat to bun. The calamari was amazing; super tender with a thin batter so crisp that it crackled when bit. The egg rolls were also perfectly fried; they positively shattered when you bit into them, and weren't greasy at all. The green tea was a refreshing and appropriate accompaniment. After an incredibly satisfying lunch, we got back into the car.
We traveled over what is probably the most famous bridge in the country and headed up to Muir Woods to see some redwoods. Fortunately, we arrived into the most beautiful day the city had had in quite awhile: mid 70's, no fog. Unfortunately, this meant that Muir Woods, the closest and most accessible National Park to many San Franciscoans, was packed. The closest parking space we saw was more than a mile from the head of the trail, so we headed out again and stopped to take a few photos of the beautiful vistas that to road to Muir Woods provides.
We headed back into the city, toward the piers, to get to the Ferry Building Market. The architecture of the old building was beautiful:
and the vendors were amazing. Summer truffles and fresh porcini anyone? I was so tempted. We browsed, oohed, and ahhed, but we knew that few things would survive the trip home. We settled on some chocolates from Recchiuti, bread from Acme, and sweet treats from Miette. The chocolates were delicious; Hubband and I shared some fleur-de-sel caramels and some burnt caramel hazelnuts, while Mom tried the chocolate peanut butter balls and Key Lime apples. I felt that I couldn't go through San Francisco for a second time without trying their sourdough, which is what we ordered at Acme, while Mom tried their 'Not-so-cross' buns, which she loved.
Hubband got a vanilla cupcake with strawberry buttercream from Miette. He enjoyed it, but I felt the buttercream was too whipped; it was nice that it was so light, but buttercream (to my mind) should also be rich, and this one had so much air whipped in that it was closer to whipped cream than frosting. I got a few macarons, which were fairly forgettable. The chocolate-lavender had far too much of the latter ingredient. Instead of an accent, it was an herbal punch to the mouth, and was rather unpleasant. The hazelnut was very mild, but nice. The salted caramel was the best of the bunch, but that's a hard flavor to mess up. The texture on all three was good, however.

Armed with treats and some bottles of water, we settled in for our ride to the next destination: Big Sur.

Happy Harvest

2009-06-17T13:59:00.003-04:00

Well, we're home. The trip was amazing, but I'm still in the process of acclimating to being back home, as well as organizing the 700+ photos I took, so posting about that is going to wait, just a short while.

In the meantime, check these out!

My first morning home I went out to check on my little tomato plants. First off, they're not so little anymore! They've really taken off, and have set quite a bit of fruit already. My earliest yielder is an heirloom variety called 'Lime Green Salad", shown above along with one early graduate of the 'Porter's Dark Cherry' plant in another container. I got three from the LGS plant, two chubby rounds and one lovely semi-oblong, classic heirloom shape. Deeee-licious.
I enjoyed them simply, with a sprinkle of good salt and some fresh mozzarella for lunch. It was a nice little welcome home from the garden.

Something A Little Different

2009-06-06T22:18:00.003-04:00

Here's a little something different. About a month ago I tried to improve, or at least germinate, another skill set: sewing. Hubband's cousin is expecting a wee bundle of joy, and the organizers of her shower asked that everyone decorate a onesie for the baby. I decided that instead of just breaking out some tie-dye or puff paint, I would attempt to sew the baby a matching onesie and stuffed animal set. I already had the pattern for small stuffed animals, so I shrank it down to 30% or so and used it for the onesie as well. I think they came out quite well for was what basically my first solo project.

Here's another view, with a better angle of the onesie.
Fun! There were some tight spots, as the pieces were so small, but I really enjoyed making them. I hope Hubband's cousin thinks they're as cute as I think they are!

Things will be quiet around here, again, as I'm heading out for a much-needed vacation! I will have LOTS to share upon my return however....shall I drop a few hints? No, the anticipation is more fun!

Le Sigh

2009-05-28T10:29:00.002-04:00

1) No, I am not dead.

2) No, the blog has not been abandoned.

I know it's become a familiar refrain here lately, but things have been so damn busy! How busy? Well, for the past week I've been saying that I want to make a trip to Whole Foods, and I still haven't had time to get there. All I've been able to manage are quick trips to Publix to get bare essentials, and even that's not working out so well. (Example: we're out of olive oil. Gasp!) On top of, indeed because of, the busy-ness I haven't really been in my groove food-wise. We've been eating of course, but nothing particularly interesting. A nice change from that happened on Sunday, when I had a fun and wonderful little cooking class with my friend M, and we made 2 flavors of soft pretzels, 2 fondues to dip them in, and Chinese chicken salad. Of course, being in teaching mode I didn't take any photos, and I was reluctant to interrupt Hubband's tete-a-tete with M's boyfriend J to make them do it. (They were pretending it was the 50's, as M and I were in aprons in the kitchen. Theirs was a discussion of wood-paneled man-rooms and old scotch. Hilarious.)

We're going on vacation soon, and I think that a week of decompression will be really good for me. I'm hoping that by our return, I will have found my groove again. I'm hoping that I will be re-energized and ready for what lies ahead. I'm hoping to find new inspirations that lead to great dishes.

I'm hoping to hit the store today, and hoping to make something new for dinner tomorrow. Hope springs eternal.

Oops!

2009-05-18T16:30:00.002-04:00

I forgot to mention this little bit of fun in my last post about Hubband's birthday dessert buffet. When I was dipping the buckeye centers in melted chocolate, one went in too far and had only a thin line of center left showing. I picked up a toothpick, added two little dots, and instead of a mistake, I had created (drumroll please!) BUCKEYE NINJA!

He was pretty awesome. Why did we find him so amusing? I don't know, but I was sad when his number was up a day or so later.

Is This Thing On?

2009-05-11T15:42:00.003-04:00

Wow. It's been a long time, hasn't it? I apologize. Things have been out-of-control crazy around here for the last few weeks, and if you know me personally, you know how much I detest it when things are out of control. Things are mostly back to normal now, which means I can get back to cooking real meals and posting! Hooray! First, though, there's quite a backlog to get through. There were a lot of fast meals there for awhile, but I still occasionally managed to take a photo and make something semi-worthwhile.

Let's rewind the clock a few weeks, to mid-April.

It was Hubband's birthday!

He didn't want a big party and all the attention, but did want to spend time with friends and neighbors, so he decided on a dessert buffet. We invited a few folks without telling them the occasion, and just enjoyed their company and some sweets on a Sunday evening.

Above (on the beautiful etagere Hubbs gave me for Christmas!) we have buckeyes, bite-size smores, and jammie bodgers. Jammie Bodgers are a sweet, crumbly cookie, almost like a shortbread, but more buttery, that are filled with buttercream and jam. They are also Hubband's favorite cookie. We also served Mud Pie and our favorite homemade strawberry balsamic ice cream, made from strawberries we picked a few months ago. I roasted the strawberries back then and poured them into a vacuum-sealer bag with all their juices, (they were a tad too much for pint jars, so I couldn't go with the original idea of canning) sealed them, and froze them until required. It worked perfectly!

We had a great night with our neighbors, although as usual I made too much and there were too many leftovers. The next day was Hubband's actual birthday, which he took off from work. He did request a menu, which began with his favorite biscuits: sweet potato. He wanted them topped with another of his favorite things, but one that I've never made before and he doesn't get very often: sausage gravy. As it was all an experiment anyway, I made it with spicy italian sausage instead of the usual mild or breakfast variety. I made a double batch of biscuits, but cut the usual number to get thicker, double-height biscuits to stand up to that rich and heavy gravy. Served with an egg over easy, they made Hubband smile and proclaim 'Best Sausage Gravy & Biscuits Ever', so I guess they turned out just fine. And yes, because he didn't let me make him a traditional birthday cake, or anything remotely close, I stuck a candle in his biscuits. On second thought, that sounds like some sort of family-unfriendly innuendo. I'm leaving it anyway.
I know sausage gravy isn't very photogenic. I should have used Michelle's trick, and topped it with a chive.

Lunch was another of his favorites, homemade wheat bread with raisins and a cinnamon sugar swirl, made into a chicken salad sandwich. We went out for dinner. This birthday baking frenzy came soon on the heels of Easter, which I already mentioned was hampered by my lack of an oven. Fortunately the oven was fixed just in time to complete most of this, although a few early pieces were done at Mom's house.

Spicy Sausage Gravy

This was all done by sight, and isn't very hard, so these amounts are going to be approximate. If you want exact measurements, I'm sorry, but look at the bright side: this way you can make as much or as little as you want!

Spicy Italian sausage (I used 3 large links)

Olive oil

All-purpose flour

Milk or cream (I used skim milk with a little half & half for richness)

Dried thyme

Freshly ground black pepper

Salt

Red Chili Flakes (optional)

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Remove casings from sausage and crumble into skillet. Add about 1 Tb of olive oil to get things going. Cook sausage until it is browned and cooked through, stirring occasionally and using your spoon to break the sausage into small chunks. When browned, use a slotted spoon to remove the sausage, leaving the fat in the pan. Add an approximately equal amount of flour (i.e. 3 Tb fat in the pan, add 3 Tb flour) and whisk together to make a roux. Let the roux cook for 1-2 minutes to remove the raw flour flavor, then gradually begin whisking in your chosen dairy product. Continue adding dairy until the gravy is a bit thinner than you want the finished product to be. Let the gravy come to a boil so the flour fully thickens, and add a little more milk if necessary to make your desired consistency. Add salt and lots of pepper, as well as dried thyme. (Dried thyme is powerful, so unless you're making a huge batch, you probably only want a pinch. Crumble it between your fingers before sprinkling it in.) Taste for seasonings, and add more salt and pepper as you see fit. If it's not spicy enough, add a pinch of red chili flakes. Add the sausage back into the pan, stir to combine, and simmer for a few minutes to meld the flavors.

Serve hot, over biscuits.

Back in the Saddle

2009-04-18T17:00:00.004-04:00

Yes, this post is overdue. Can anyone say they were really on the edge of their seat? I thought not.

Easter, to me, is all about breakfast. Sure, I like Easter dinner; when I was a child it always included ham and green bean casserole, and this year we were hosted by some wonderful neighbors who fed us delicious grilled salmon. But the breakfast...Easter breakfast should always include something sweet, to my mind, and so it is an excellent day for making cinnamon buns or french toast. This year, I set my mind on having homemade danish to accompany our shirred eggs, home-smoked bacon, oven-roasted onion potatoes, and Bellinis. I've made the danish recipe once before; it's by pro pastry chef Sherry Yard and was a feature for The Daring Bakers, which is how I heard about it. It's a nice dough, subtly scented with orange and cardamom, smooth and silky to the touch. It's fairly easy to work with, provided you allot yourself enough time: from start to finish, flour to baked good, this takes 11 hours. Unfortunately for both Mom and me, my oven stopped working two days before Easter, and so I hauled lots of groceries to her house to get things done. I called her at 9:30pm the night before Easter, asked her to preheat her oven, and said I'd be there in a bit. I showed up around 10, popped the danish in the oven, and we stuffed glassine bags with Easter cookies and drank wine until the danish were golden brown and puffed. I wasn't too sad that my oven had stopped working.

The danish recipe makes enough dough for two braids, but I like to do one braid and one set of individual danish. The individuals were shaped into 'spandau', or envelopes, and filled with sweetened cream cheese and a rhubarb-vanilla compote.

The big braid was filled using Sherry Yard's recipe for spiced apples, as well as my personal addition of frangipane. Hubband loves the almond flavor, and I think it compliments the apples perfectly.

We brought dessert over to our neighbors, as they were providing dinner. With Hubband's invaluable help I settled on making my good old carrot cake recipe, as it's simple, delicious, and fitting for the season. (Rabbits like carrots.) The cake was baked, just like the danish, the night before at 10pm in Mom's oven, then blanketed in cream cheese icing on Sunday afternoon. I had leftover fondant at home from a project that never got off the ground, and decided to try my hand at a little cake decorating. Some grass, flowers, a rabbit, and a bee were all I could muster in the time I had. Each got attached to the cake and brushed with a little luster dust, and off we went!

The carrot cake didn't fail me. As always, it was soft and super-moist, and I was pretty pleased with the decorations considering they were only my second time playing with fondant.

A Weeknight Dinner

2009-04-07T12:34:00.003-04:00

I've gradually gotten back into cooking, first in my trusty office chair, then standing on one leg, and now, finally, I'm back on my two feet! Hubband and I worked together to make this a few weeks ago, while I was still on one leg. He made it possible for us to eat outside in the garden, which was a huge treat for me, having been stuck in the house so long!

We shared one of the thick NY Strips that I butchered up and individually froze; Hubband grilled it after we concocted a dry rub of sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, cumin, clove, chili powder, and cayenne. The rub turned into a flavorful crust after a meeting with the grill, and I sliced it and laid it alongside some simply roasted Brussels sprouts (olive oil, salt, and pepper) and our surprise side of the night. I don't even know what to call it, but it really ended up being the star of the dinner! I thinly sliced a yellow onion and caramelized it along with two zucchini that needed to be used up. When they were soft and browned, I added a minced garlic clove, a tiny minced jalapeno from our garden, fresh thyme, and a half can of creamed corn leftover from corn muffins, then finished with a little butter and pepper. The corn added wonderful sweetness that played with the caramelized vegetables, but the little hint of garlic and spice kept a great balance.

It was a great weeknight dinner!

Zucchini-Onion Side Dish

Not only does this dish lack a snazzy name, I don't have an exact recipe, as this was yet another case of me making something up on the fly with whatever I had. This should be close enough.

1 med. yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced

2 med. zucchini, thinly sliced width-wise

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp minced jalapeno, seeds and rib removed

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1/2 can of creamed corn

1 Tb butter, unsalted

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Place a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, spray with a little nonstick spray or add about 1 Tb olive oil, and add onions. When they are translucent and beginning to brown around the edges, add the zucchini slices. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until onions and zucchini are both deeply browned and limp. Add garlic, jalapeno, and thyme leaves and stir until fragrant. Add creamed corn and heat through, then stir in butter to finish. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

Tea for Two (or Three, or Four...)

2009-03-31T11:03:00.003-04:00

Another one from the archives: Welsh Tea Cakes! I made these about a month ago, just before my ankle surgery. I had a very busy week scheduled, after a very busy week before that, and realized that I finally had one day when nothing was going on. I pledged to do whatever I felt like that day (plus a load of laundry and tidying whatever mess I made), and decided that I felt like baking. I pulled out a recipe that I've had for years, and peeked in the pantry for a way to enhance it. The recipe was for a Welsh Tea Loaf, molasses-flavored and raisin-studded. Normally molasses and raisins are two big hints that something will be delicious, at least to my mind, which is I'm sure why I saved the recipe in the first place, but when I have made it in the past, the flavor was lacking. It was good, but muted; it needed some tweaking. I wanted the molasses flavor to be much stronger, but without the hint of bitterness that lots of molasses can sometimes impart. I also didn't want to drastically alter the texture of the loaf by adding so much extra liquid. Moistness is nice, but I didn't want a sog-fest. A rummage through the pantry revealed a small bag of dark muscovado sugar left over from gingerbread baking last Christmas. Muscovado has big molasses flavor without so much of the moisture, so it was exactly what I wanted. I replaced two thirds of the white sugar in the recipe with the muscovado, and baked it in muffin tins instead of an 8x8" square.

The little tea cakes came out perfectly! Moist, with rich molasses flavor, they were just what I had been hoping for. Hubband didn't like the original recipe when I made it for him way back when, but he just couldn't get enough of this more flavorful version. Who knows if this cake is authentically Welsh or not, but it certainly goes wonderfully with tea, or coffee for that matter. They were even better when eaten outside in the garden, slathered with homemade strawberry preserves.

Homemade strawberry preserves? Yes, a few months ago Hubband and I ventured south a little bit and found a hydroponic strawberry farm, where we picked about 15 lbs. Mom came over a few nights later when Hubband was out and we washed, hulled, diced, simmered, and canned all fifteen pounds (with a few set aside to roast in balsamic for ease of future ice cream batches). It was my first time canning, and pressure-canning at that. Each jar sealed tightly, and after dividing them up with Mom, using them on pancakes and toast, and on these tea-cakes, we still have some to spare. I think we'll certainly be doing that again. Especially when you do it like this:
with a strawberry-basil-lemonade cocktail on the side!

Welsh Tea Cakes

adapted from goodness-knows-where

I kept it simple for this first time, but I think adding cardamom, cloves, and/or a bit of nutmeg would be really nice as well!

2 2/3 C water

12 oz raisins

4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 C butter, softened

1 C dark muscovado sugar

1/2 C granulated sugar

3 eggs

2 Tbs unsulphured molasses

1 Tbs vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

4 C AP flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine water and raisins in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat to simmer for 2 minutes, to plump the raisins slightly. After two minutes, remove from the heat and add the baking soda. Set aside to cool. Cream together the butter and sugars, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. When incorporated, add the cooled raisins, cooking liquid, molasses, salt, and vanilla. Mix, then add the flour and mix until incorporated. Pour into a greased 8x8 pan or divide among 24 greased muffin cups. Bake 50-60 minutes for 8x8, 30-35 for muffin tins. Once baked, let cool in pan (8x8) or turn out onto wire racks (muffin tin).

A Little Something Sweet

2009-03-24T10:06:00.004-04:00

This past weekend we celebrated my niece's second birthday. Continuing the tradition we started on her first birthday, Mom and I go over to my sister's a few hours early to help decorate the house and work on the cake. Because of my ankle, I didn't help with the house decorating, but when it comes to the cake it's a group effort: my sister baked the cakes, whipped up the frosting, and tinted it to her heart's content, I did the piping on the two large character cakes, and Mom did some piping (her first time!) on some small character cakes and kept the baby quiet and content (most important job of all). My sister also frosted and piped a small round cake with one of Mom's even smaller character cakes on it, specifically for the birthday girl to get into as deeply and messily as she wanted. The big character cakes took a bit of time as most of the surface area was covered with a star tip; I need to work on my speed, because I think I caused my poor sister a little bit of stress! The birthday girl has recently discovered a deep love of SpongeBob Squarepants, so that was the theme. Here is one of the two large character cakes that I did:

Here is the small round for our birthday girl, frosted and piped by my sister, with a small character cake on top by Mom.

There was also a 3 1/2 year old at the party, my niece's cousin, and he was entranced by the sight of these cakes. He insisted on being able to smell them! "I'm not gonna touch Mommy, wanna smell! [SNIFF] Mmmm." Both he and my niece were prepared to eat cake the moment the party started, and it was with some difficulty we persuaded them to wait a little while and participate in activities other than staring at cake.

It was a great party, everything turned out really well, and eventually we all got some cake. Can you ask for a better day than that?

Simple Vanilla Buttercream

This is the recipe we used for our frosting. It is stiff enough to hold intricate piping designs, but will eventually soften in your hands as you work the bag, so plan accordingly. It's not too sweet, and has great vanilla flavor thanks to the bean paste. I'm posting it in its most simplistic state, and it really couldn't be easier to scale up for bigger projects like this one was.

1 stick butter, room temperature

1 C confectioners' sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

a sprinkle of salt

Whip together with electric beaters or a stand mixer in whatever multiple amount you need!

As Promised

2009-03-19T09:33:00.003-04:00

As promised, here's a (not very good) photo of the pizza I mentioned last week. It was inspired by a recipe I have for a pizza with Sicilian flavors: Spicy Italian pork sausage, pine nuts, and raisins. I used that recipe as a jumping off point and removed the pine nuts (Hubband isn't a fan) and added onions that I first caramelized in some rendered homemade-bacon fat, upped the amount of raisins, and sprinkled on a hint of red chile flakes. Topped with fresh mozzarella, and chopped scallions after coming out of the oven, it's quickly become one of our favorites for its sweet-spicy-salty flavor.

I tried something new, born of necessity, for my pizza sauce on this pie. Out of cans of good crushed tomatoes, I searched the pantry and found I did have a small can of stewed tomatoes. I crushed them up and added them, along with juices, to a pot with minced garlic, salt, pepper, and a splash of balsamic vinegar. I added chopped fresh basil and oregano from our garden at the last minute to preserve their flavor. The vinegar was gorgeous in the sauce; it played up the sweetness of the raisins, rounded out the spice of the sausage, and lent a little acidity, along with the tomatoes, to cut through the richness. The fresh herbal flavors of the basil and oregano also helped to enliven the pizza and play off that richness. The sauce turned out so well that when we made the pizza for the second time last week, I went the stewed tomato route again! It makes a slightly chunky, rustic sauce that just works really well for these toppings.

No real recipe, as this was purely an exercise in eyeballing amounts. I hope you'll try this flavor combination, if you haven't already!

Small Changes

2009-03-11T17:23:00.002-04:00

Well, I'm becoming more and more mobile, thanks to my trusty rolling office chair, which I'm using as a substitute wheelchair. Don't laugh, it's much faster than my crutches thanks to our wood floors, and it enables me to carry things. You try getting a bowl of cereal from the counter to the table on crutches!

Anyway, I'm not back at the stove yet, but I made a couple of changes to the format here on the blog and thought I'd mention them. I've updated and expanded my blog list, as I do faithfully peek in on quite a few every day, and the list I had here was much smaller than the one in my 'favorites' folder. I also added a new widget in the left sidebar, for followers. I just have one lonely follower right now, so she's a super celebrity, all alone in the box, featured on the page! Everyone give a big hand to Liz, from What's To Eat Baltimore? ! If you would like to be notified of updates to this blog, please feel free to click on the big grey "Follow" button, and you can join Liz in the most exclusive club on the Web, or you can choose to follow privately and leave her all alone in there.

That's pretty much it for format changes, other than the little bit of juggling I did with the order to things in the sidebar. I'm off to roll into the kitchen, to attempt making pizza dough from my chair. We're having a wonderful new-ish pizza tonight, one we've only made once before. I've got pictures of our first one, so I'll post about it soon!

A Little Break (Figuratively and Semi-Literally)

2009-03-10T11:35:00.000-04:00

Once again, I find myself apologizing for things being so quiet around here. Things have been unsettled in Chez Marshmallow for a few weeks now, as we've been preparing for an upcoming event that would put me in a different position; less standing at the stove watching sizzling, bubbling, burbling pots and instead more sitting, looking at this:

Last Thursday I underwent ankle surgery, thanks to a hole in the sidewalk that I managed to find with my shoe heel last New Year's Eve. The prognosis is good; everything has been repaired, resected, and resewn, but I have two and a half more weeks of no-weight-bearing to muddle through before I can get back into the big, black, heavy walking boot that I never thought I would actually look forward to. I have a few backed-up posts that I can put up in the meantime to break the silence, and I'm really hoping to get back to the stove soon. Hubband has been keeping me well fed with lovely homey meals (although I sent him out for Thai food tonight, whee!) and taking better care of me than anyone could ask for. Many thanks to Mom as well, for running over while Hubband has been at work this week and making so many things easier.

Comfort Food

2009-03-02T09:36:00.003-05:00

Do you ever feel like you were born in the wrong decade, or the wrong area of the world? I do. I pull out the pots and pans for at least one meal every single day, whether it be breakfast or dinner, and usually both. As far as I can tell, not everyone does that these days. More evidence? Once a month I like to bring in a baked good to the place I volunteer, and I've actually had a group of (ahem) older gentlemen tell me that they were surprised I had made them, because "young women these days, they don't know how to bake anymore."

As for occasionally feeling that I was born in the wrong part of the world, it's because the food I crave isn't usually "American". Fried chicken? No. Hamburgers? No. Well, sometimes. But for real comfort, give me Asian! Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, or some sort of pseudo-version of any or all of the above. I love rice! Granted, I love bread too, but sometimes I just CRAVE some rice, the taste of soy sauce, the bite of ginger.

I know that I'm lucky to have been born when and where I was: An era when women wearing jeans isn't scandalous, access to higher education and any career path, an equal partnership with my spouse, and access to recipes and ingredients from all over the world. Sometimes though, I still wonder why things like this appeal to me so deeply:

Perhaps it's just that I appreciate anything this delicious!

Beef Shortribs braised with Chinese flavors, over (pseudo-Asian) pineapple fried rice. This recipe was adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, Simple to Spectacular by Vongerichten and Bittman. Each segment of the book gives you one master technique and follows it with four increasingly complex variations. This is the third level (I stopped short of the marrow butter version) but it is still very easy; the real complexity is the flavor. I adapted it based on my extreme dislike of cilantro and I also cut down on the star anise, as I find it can be quite strong. They recommend serving it over plain white rice, but I always use brown for its health benefits, and my pinapple fried version didn't detract from the ribs at all. The sweetness of pineapple and sharpness of scallions played very nicely with the ribs, and I used a light hand with the soy, ginger and garlic. Overall, this was a resounding success, and will absolutely be made again. I hope you try it!

Short Ribs Braised with Chinese Flavors

adapted from Simple to Spectacular, Vongerichten & Bittman

4 Tb neutral oil, such as canola

4 lbs beef shortribs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped

4 medium cloves garlic, peeled and smashed with the side of a knife

1/4 C roughly chopped, unpeeled ginger

2 TB sugar

3-5 star anise pods, depending on your preference. (I used 3)

5 dried chiles (Strangely hard to find in my area, I used red chile flakes instead)

2 TB Szechwan peppercorns

20 parsley stems, washed (They called for cilantro, but I wanted mine to be palatable. HA!)

1 C dry sherry (I used 3/4 C Spanish brandy, because that's what I had. It was tasty.)

1/2 C quality soy sauce

3 C water

2 TB peeled and finely minced ginger

Put 2 TB of the oil into a deep, heavy skillet or casserole and turn the heat to high. Season the ribs well with salt and pepper, then brown them well on all sides. This will likely cause some smoke, so turn on the vent hood or open a few windows. When all the ribs are well-browned, take them out and set them aside, then very carefully pour out the fat and wipe the pan. (I crumple up a paper towel and use tongs to run it around the pan.) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Put the pan back on medium-high heat and add 2 more Tb oil. (If you want to just save 2 TB of the previous oil/beef fat, I won't tell.) Add the onion, 1/4 C chopped ginger, and sugar to the pan and cook, stirring often, until the onion is deeply browned. Add star anise, chiles, and parsley stems and cook for a minute, then add sherry, soy sauce, and water. Add the ribs back to the pot, cover, and place in the oven. Once or twice an hour, turn the ribs in the liquid. Braise for 3-4 hours, until the meat is meltingly tender. Remove the ribs and set aside. Strain the cooking liquid, pressing hard on the vegetables to get all the goodness out, and skim off as much fat as you can. If you have the time, refrigerate the liquid to make it easier to remove the fat. Pour cooking liquid, minus fat, back into the pot and bring it to a boil until it's slightly reduced, then add meat and minced ginger. Heat the ribs through again, check seasonings, then serve with your choice of accompaniments.

A Dinner for my Valentine

2009-02-24T10:15:00.002-05:00

Valentine's Day is pretty low-key around Chez Marshmallow. We buy each other a card, I make a nice dinner, and we enjoy each other's company. With our wedding anniversary just a few weeks after, it seems silly to celebrate a 'Hallmark holiday' to excess; we'd rather splurge for the real occasion that comes soon afterward.

This year was a little different because Valentine's fell on a Saturday. Because we got to spend the whole day together instead of just the evening, we split duties: Hubband made me a lovely breakfast, and I made him a nice dinner. (Hubband made homemade pecan waffles with a banana-pecan-maple topping! If he continues this amazing cookery learning curve, I shall have to give up my spoon!)

Dinner started with a classic French Onion soup, courtesy of CI. While tasty, it was very classic, and I wished it had a little punch or twist to it. The typical crouton topping was made of a very good whole-wheat pain levain (toasted on both sides, please) and cave-aged Gruyere.

The main course was a NY Strip, seasoned generously with salt and pepper and seared in bacon fat. I paired it with sauteed green beans and a new side: dried mango braised with onion and a chile.
The new side dish was adapted from Jean Georges Vongerichten and Mark Bittman's Simple to Spectacular. Their recipe called for dried pears, which I couldn't find to save my life. I used mango instead, as Hubband and I are fans. The side was different and very tasty, but I think it could use more tinkering. Why, for example, should I soak the dried fruit, and then braise it with chicken stock? Why not just braise it directly from dried? Yes, it would take longer, but the fruit would take in more flavor from the onions, bacon, thyme, chile and stock instead of already being engorged with plain water. This is definitely worth revisiting, so if I come up with a technique I really like I'll post it in the future.

Dessert was caramel cake, this time with added coconut on top which was a delicious addition suggested by Hubband. (See? I'm going to have to retire.)

Thanks for the Idea!

2009-02-16T12:26:00.003-05:00

While perusing my blogroll a week or two ago, I checked in on Susan at Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy. I was very sorry to read that she'd had an accident, but happy to read the recipe she'd posted from her most recent issue of Gourmet magazine. January's issue was all about Italian, and included a recipe for Roast Chicken with Pancetta and Olives from Tony Oltranti. The recipe incorporated oil-cured olives, which I had on hand and needed to use up, and seemed simple, so I marked it down to try. I'm so happy I did! The chicken was wonderfully flavorful and moist, with crisp skin, the garlic became soft and sweet and perfect to spread on bread and sop up the light but intensely flavored juices. I replaced the pancetta that was called for with some of my bacon, and the smokiness added a nice dimension without overpowering any of the other flavors.

Roast Chicken with Bacon and Olives

Adapted from Tony Oltranti, Gourmet Magazine Jan 2009 via Susan Filson

6-8 Bone-in skin-on chicken breasts, cut in half width-wise

1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 Tb fresh thyme, chopped

1 Tb fresh rosemary, chopped

1 Tb fine sea salt

1/2 to 1 tsp red pepper flakes, adjust to your taste

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

10 garlic cloves, peeled

4 thick slices bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces

24 oil-cured black olives

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Place chicken pieces on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with the olive oil. Combine thyme, rosemary, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken and arrange all of the pieces skin-side up in a single layer. Scatter garlic and bacon around the chicken and roast until the chicken begins to brown, 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, drizzle the wine over the chicken and roast for 8 minutes more. After the 8 minutes, scatter the olives over the chicken and continue roasting until the skin is golden brown and the meat is cooked through, 15-20 minutes more. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Get well soon, Susan!

My First 'First Thursday'

2009-02-07T16:37:00.000-05:00

Well, the first one that worked, anyway. Well, sort of. I'm getting ahead of myself here. Remember the cheese post? It had a whole explanation of this blogging event, First Thursdays.

To recap, First Thursdays occurs the first week of every month (hence the name) and is an event which forces the participants to utilize their cookbook collections. No improvisation allowed! February's theme is "Romantic Cliches". To start my challenge, I asked Hubband to select a recipe, making things reminiscent of the ooshy-gooshy romantic telephone cliche: 'No, you hang up first! No, you!' (No, you pick the recipe. I WANT you to!) He thought chocolate was about as romantic cliche as you can get, and headed for a cookbook I have entitled, appropriately enough, 'I Want Chocolate!' by Trish Deseine. After flipping through for awhile, he selected the Triple Chocolate Brownie Crunch, depicted as a luscious, thick, fudgy brownie studded with nuts, topped with white chocolate mousse, and a warm milk chocolate sauce, sprinkled with some sort of chocolate crunchy candy.

I dutifully made out my grocery list and started the recipe. The brownie batter came together easily enough, but seemed sparse, and as it contained no leavening agent I wasn't confident that it was going to plump up anytime soon, but the point of First Thursdays is not to question, so I went ahead and put it in the oven.

The white chocolate mousse was actually a whipped ganache: white chocolate and cream, whipped after it cooled for one hour. It was spread over the cooled brownie, and put into the fridge to chill for 2-3 hours, per instructions. After 2 hours, I made the milk chocolate sauce, which the cookbook said could be served hot or at room temperature. I poured it over the brownie, topped it with a little crushed Heath bar, and came out with this:

It doesn't look particularly appetizing, does it? Appearances can be deceiving, but this one wasn't. There was far too much white chocolate 'mousse', the milk chocolate sauce was more like hot chocolate milk, and the brownie itself was thin and unremarkable in flavor.

When I have used this book previously, for cookies, I found that the flavor needed bumping up. I added salt and instant coffee granules to those, and if I hadn't been making this for First Thursday, I would absolutely have done so again. I believe this brownie could be easily salvaged. The 'mousse', however, could not. I am not a big white chocolate fan in the first place, but don't call a whipped ganache a mousse, and don't ask me to chill it for 2 hours after whipping! Any subtle flavor was submerged by the chill, the texture was almost as far from mousse as possible, and it ended up just tasting like a thick layer of sugar. (For the record, this was high-quality white chocolate, so that wasn't the problem.) Blecch. The milk chocolate sauce was weak, and should have been chilled (which wasn't suggested in the recipe) for any chance at thickness.

The book has good ideas and potential, but I don't think that a book by a professional pastry chef should just have potential. It should produce real, quality results! It's enough to make me wonder if Ms. Deseine had any recipe testers. I also take offense to the fact that the beautiful food photography is obviously not a product of the recipe it purports to showcase. From the photo in the book, it is obvious that the 'mousse' was not refrigerated, the milk chocolate sauce was, and the brownie batter was at least doubled. I understand that food stylists are hired to make everything look divine, but this seems like out and out false advertising, and I dislike it.

Overall, I won't be using this book without improvisation again. It can be used as a good jumping-off point, but provides no real depth of flavor. The instructions also leave something to be desired. I vow, someday I will have a perfectly successful 'First Thursday'!

Worth The Wait, Pt. 2

2009-02-06T17:12:00.008-05:00

Whew! Now that we've all had a bit of a breather and some time to digest, let's continue with this amazing meal, shall we? (To recap, this is a recent meal at the Chef's Table of Victoria & Albert's, Disney World.)

Gentleman's Third Course: Roasted Poussin (Young Chicken) with Caramelized Cauliflower and Celery Gelee. Accompanied with a delicious jus, it was well-seasoned, tender, and moist. My brother-in-law E, who dislikes chicken, finished every last bite. Is there much higher praise?

Everyone's Fourth Course: Marcho Farms Veal Tenderloin with Hedgehog Mushrooms, English Peas, and Ricotta Gnocchi. The crispy bit balanced on top of the tenderloin is a lovely veal sweetbread. Crisp on the outside, creamy on the inside, mild and not a bit gamey, the sweetbread was an absolutely luxurious pleasure. I much prefer it to foie gras. As for the entire dish, this was ultimate comfort food to me. It warmed the soul. Rich, unctuous, flavorful but never heavy, I thought it was perfection on a plate.

Everyone's Fifth Course: Kurobota Pork Tenderloin and Belly with Baby Beets, Sherry-Bacon Vinaigrette, and 100-Year-Old Balsamic.

Pork tenderloin? Delicious. Pork Belly? Ridiculous. It was so tender, so buttery and delicious, I would eat it every day if it wouldn't guarantee complete rotundity and an early death. The sherry vinaigrette was a perfect counterpoint.

Everyone's Sixth Course: The ultimate for beef lovers. A comparison of Australian "Kobe" Beef Tenderloin (near) and true Japanese Wagyu strip loin (far). Accompanied with braised Kobe shortribs on mashed potatoes and a rich oxtail jus. Are there words? I'm not sure. Rich, (does that seem to be a recurring theme?) tender, juicy, and sublime. The Australian is great, but next to the true Waygu, it pales in comparison. The oxtail jus is good enough to drink.

The next course was cheeses: Colton Bassett Stilton, Comte Fort de Rousses, Double Gloucester, and Fouchra. Mmm.

First Dessert Course: From left, Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee, Miniature Banana Gateau with caramelized bananas, and Strawberry Dumpling with Fresh Strawberry Coulis.

Final Course: From left, Peruvian Chocolate ice cream and puff pastry with chocolate "lashes", Hawaiian Kona Chocolate Souffle, and Tanzanian Chocolate Pyramid.

Throughout the meal, various breads with butters were served, and all were delicious, but one truly stood out. It was so good, we all asked for seconds. It was so amazing, I had no time to take a picture. It was Perigord truffle brioche, with truffle butter. I've never seen an item to heavily and thoroughly truffled. Served warm, for the ultimate fragrance, this bread was absolutely, completely out of this world. If the entire meal consisted of this bread and butter, I don't think I would have complained. I dream of this bread.

That was our meal at Victoria & Albert's. I highly recommend the restaurant itself, and especially the Chef's Table. If you get reservations, recall that it seats 8, or even possibly 10, and that I live nearby!

Worth The Wait

2009-01-29T15:02:00.008-05:00

We live near a cute little theme park that you may have heard of: it's called Disney World. Living nearby is a good excuse to have an annual pass, which comes at a discounted rate for Florida residents and occasionally gets you a few perks, like previews of new rides and such. It also means that you have the option to just pop into the park to do your favorite ride and leave, without the feeling that you've just wasted a whole day's pass. Last, but not least, it also means that you have the opportunity to go in and eat at Disney restaurants, some of which you may want to pass up, (Morocco, anyone? BLECH.) but others that can be just perfect for a special occasion. We do this every now and again, and heartily enjoy having the option. Just recently we took advantage of our close proximity, and a not-so-well-known loophole to get a seat at Victoria & Albert's, the flagship restaurant at Disney's flagship resort, The Grand Floridian. A seat you might say? It's not THAT hard to get in. Ah, but we didn't want just any seat. We wanted the best table in the house: the Chef's Table. Typically one must call for a reservation first thing in the morning 6 months in advance. One seating per night, a 10-13 course meal depending on the whim of the chef, included menu upgrades that would make your bill skyrocket in the main dining room; if you can get it, it will make you never want to eat in the dining room again. Actually, I have never eaten in the main dining room; I've been to V & A twice, and both times I've eaten at the Chef's Table. Spoiled. I'm very, very spoiled.

The table itself is is set into a cozy alcove inside the kitchen. A beautiful long wood table that can seat 8 people comfortably, with built-ins along the side walls filled with beautiful china. The service, of course, is impeccable: like the main dining room, your table is served by two people, a female and a male 'Victoria' & 'Albert'. You share a champagne toast with the chef, who comes back to visit with you whenever possible and explain each course. Questions and photos are encouraged, gentlemen can remove their jackets, and no one minds some loud laughter. And the food! Oh, the food. Here is our amuse bouche:

From top left, clockwise: Smoked trout custard, baked in shell, with crispy sweet potato. Deviled Quail egg with Iranian Osetra caviar. Lobster Bisque with vanilla foam, smoked salmon roulade. Butter-poached Maine lobster, lobster sausage.

Ladies' first course: Dungeness and Blue crab cannelloni, with whole grain mustard, baby greens, radishes, and American Sturgeon caviar, accompanied by a toasty savory tuile.

Gentlemen's first course: Big Eye Tuna, 3 ways, including marinated and sesame crusted. Tat Soi salad, honey-tamari foam.

Everyone's second course, from the left: Caramelized Nantucket scallop with corn ragout and purple potato. Monterey abalone with capers and Meyer lemon. Virginia black bass with melted fennel and leeks, artichoke, and Jamon Iberico.

Ladies' third course, from left: Duck breast, spice-rubbed and slow-roasted, duck sausage with salsify and candied rind, and a roulade of duck confit, topped with blood orange. Accompanied by Sauce Bigarade and aged balsamic.

That was just the beginning; we've got several more to go, but let's all digest for awhile, shall we?

The Big Cheese

2009-01-21T08:55:00.002-05:00

There's a great blog that you may have heard of, called 'Thursday Night Smackdown'. I will let you check it out and discover the reason behind the title, but in the meantime, let's talk about her 'First Thursday' event. Every month, she gives out a theme, and you are free to make it and enter. The catch? You must use a recipe from a cookbook or magazine you already have-no improvising. The goal is to make you utilize your recipe collection. You post about it and send her a link, and she posts the round-up of photos on her blog. A fun little event. I wanted to enter for the first time this month, with her theme of "Challenge yourself". I had Hubband go through my cookbooks to find something challenging that he would like to eat, and he picked ricotta gnocchi from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook. The recipe requires fresh ricotta, not so easy to find around here, so I decided part of the challenge would be to make my own.

Milk + Buttermilk + Heat = Cheese!

The cheese-making itself was fun, but would have been considerably easier had I had a nice small-holed skimmer for getting all the tiny curds out. As it was, lacking the appropriate tool, I had to make do with other methods that didn't work so well and were rather time-consuming. Because of that, the cheese did not have enough time to drain, and wouldn't hold shape well enough to make the gnocchi. At this point, I had about a pound and a half of fresh homemade ricotta mixed with parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, gently wilted chopped spinach, and a few eggs. I couldn't waste it! I wrapped up the cheese mixture to save for the next day, ordered some mediocre take-out chinese for supper, and busted out my totally-necessary backup plan.

The next day I stopped at the store for a few supplies...
and turned my luscious ricotta into stuffed shells. I paired them with my favorite bolognese recipe, and we had one rich, flavorful dinner. Did I enter this in the First Thursday event? No. I realized that none of my cookbooks had a recipe or technique for the homemade ricotta, and the end result was mostly improvisation, so I didn't qualify. I did get to try something new, and got a great dinner out of it, but I hope to do better with February's theme.

Homemade Ricotta

from Becks & Posh

1 gallon whole milk

1 quart buttermilk

Cheesecloth

Pour the milk and buttermilk into a large non-reactive pot and clip a thermometer onto the side. Rinse the cheesecloth and fold it to line a colander in the sink. Turn the heat to high, and stir the milk with a spatula to keep it from burning on the bottom. Once the milk is warm, stop stirring and continue to heat to between 175 and 180 degrees F. Curds should begin forming. Remove from the heat and use a fine skimmer to gently lift the curds into the cheesecloth. Let the cheese drain and cool until it gets to your desired consistency.

An Apple A Day

2009-01-11T13:48:00.005-05:00

About a week ago, while sitting on the couch after dinner, Hubband asked "You know what would be perfect right now?" Me: "What?" Him: "Apple cobbler." I had no apples, so it wasn't really a possibility, but it nestled into the back of my mind with all the other detritus, like movie trivia and the number of feet in a mile.

When I decided to try something new this week, (I made my own cheese! More on that soon.) I remembered Hubband's comment about the cobbler, and decided to throw one together as a backup; even if the cheese and the dish I wanted to make with it didn't work, and we ended up with a mediocre dinner, dessert would save the day! I have made many variations on apple cobbler/crisp/crumble over the years (What's the difference, anyway?) but I think this one was my best. I played with aspects of my favorite apple pie recipe, changing proportions and adding oatmeal and nuts for the topping. The best change was the addition of tangerine zest and juice to the apples; it added complexity of flavor and a wonderful perfume that wasn't overtly citrus.

The juices thickened perfectly during baking, making for a juicy and rich but not at all runny dessert. It took several minutes for the liquid to spread this much after we dug in:
Apple Cobbler

My topping began to brown a little more than I wanted when I had 10 or so minutes left on the timer, so I laid a piece of foil on top. This created a little steam, which softened the topping, but removing the foil with 2 minutes left made sure that the topping crisped up again. The number of apples you will need depends on their size and the depth and size of your pan; adjust appropriately-but they will cook down, so be generous. I prefer the sweetness of tangerine instead of the punch of orange.

7 apples ( I like to mix varieties. I used Braeburn, Granny Smith, and Fuji.)

1 tsp tangerine zest

2-3 Tb tangerine juice

For the apple coating:

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 Tb butter, cold, cubed

1/4 C all-purpose flour

1/4 C light brown sugar

For the crumble topping:

2 tsp ground cinnamon

8 Tb butter, cold, cubed

1/2 C all-purpose flour

1/2 C old-fashioned oats

1 C brown sugar

1/3 C coarsely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Peel and core apples, then cut into 1 1/2" pieces. Place into a 9 x 13 pan, and toss with tangerine zest and juice. In a separate bowl, combine the coating ingredients with a fork or pastry cutter until the mixture looks like rough cornmeal. Toss the coating mixture with the apples. Combine the cinnamon, butter, flour, oats, and sugar for the crumble topping. Work the butter in until it is pea-sized or a little smaller, and evenly distributed. Add the pecans and mix. Liberally spread topping on apples. Place into the preheated oven and immediately turn the oven down to 350 degrees. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until apples give little to no resistance to a sharp knife. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before digging in.

Christmas Dinner

2009-01-05T08:22:00.003-05:00

This year marked the very first time that Hubband and I got to stay home in Florida and have our very own little Christmas. For the past several years we've been flying to New England to spend the holiday with family, and while it is always wonderful, this year we realized it was time to try to start our own traditions.

We decorated more than we have in the past, as this year we would actually be home to enjoy it, and I got to plan a Christmas dinner! I have cooked Christmas dinners before, but never have I had the absolute freedom that our tiny guest list (Hubband, Mom, myself) allowed me. No preconceived notions about what Christmas dinner should be. No finicky eaters, no one who is afraid to try something different, and the only traditions to respect were the ones we made up. Sound wonderful? It was! It was also rather difficult. When I'm presented with such freedom, my mind immediately goes into overdrive and takes off in multiple directions at once. Eventually we were able to narrow it down, and a five-course meal was the result.

Course #1: Homemade smoky bacon, sweet seared bay scallops, and earthy sauteed Chanterelle mushrooms, on a blanched brussels sprout leaf. Served with Charles Heidsieck Champagne, 1995 Blanc de Millenaires

Course #2: A salad that I'm currently in love with, fancied up a bit. Greens, roasted butternut squash, diced dried black mission figs, minced shallot, and sherry vinaigrette, topped with duck confit. Served with a 2005 Ramey Chardonnay, Hyde Vineyard, Carneros. (Yes, a white with duck. It was so nice with both the acidity of the dressing and the fat of the duck, I stand by our choice!)

Between courses: A little Christmas visitor! I guess that's your guarantee that the chives are organic. The little fellow warmed right up and we put him in our backyard.

Course #3: A crab and sweet corn bisque of my own invention. I was very pleased with the result. It was rich and full-flavored, topped with king crab meat briefly sauteed in butter. Served with homemade caramelized onion focaccia and a 2005 Ramey, Hudson Vineyard.

Course #4: Seared duck breast over basmati rice. I used a fragrant brown basmati, and studded it with dried currants, apricots, pistachios, and chopped parsley. The duck was topped with a cherry-orange-red wine reduction, and served with sauteed broccolini and a 2004 Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon, Pritchard Hill.

Our last course was dessert: this ice cream, which has rapidly become a family favorite, and some simple and not-too-sweet almond financiers.

It was a great night.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

2008-12-29T07:59:00.005-05:00

When I was little, I tried to delay the Christmas season as long as possible. Having a December birthday, I wanted everything: decor, songs, gift wrap, to have to wait until AFTER my big day was celebrated. Mom did her best to comply, and for a woman who deeply loves Christmas, I'm sure it was a little bit of a downer for her. One thing I never minded getting started on, though, was the Christmas baking. Mom always put together festive trays for the neighbors, and as we got older we were allowed to help in various ways. My sister will always be famous for biting the tops off of the Hershey's Kisses after unwrapping them. Thankfully, Mom always noticed and neighbors didn't receive nibbled chocolate.

Now that I have a home of my own, and a deep love of baking, I do as much of the Christmas baking as Mom will give up. (Having some overlapping friends and neighbors means they would be flooded if we did separate trays.)

Here are a few photos from this year:

The counter on the 19th: lots of chocolate, and my Charcuterie book and mortar & pestle. The last two were for the brisket I was corning to make corned beef hash for Christmas breakfast.

The 20th: Banana breads.

Apple Frangipane tartlets. I like to put one or two new things on the tray every year; this was one of them. Delicious, not too sweet, with a perfume-y hint of local honey.

Trays in the back of my car, my work and Mom's combined, ready to be delivered. On them we have a loaf each of banana bread and zucchini bread, half a dozen peanut butter cookies, 8 gingerbread cookies, a dozen buckeyes, an apple frangipane tartlet, and a bag of homemade peppermint bark.

Yes, I know that's a lot of egg crates in the corner. They are waiting (still) to be recycled.

Birthday Girl!

2008-12-20T13:03:00.003-05:00

Some of you may know that there was a birthday this past week at Chez Marshmallow. Being the fiend for baking that I am, I requested that I get to make my own cake, but everything else was orchestrated by Hubband and Mom. I got presents throughout the day, (Thank you so much everyone! I'm so spoiled!) lazed about in my pj's as long as I wanted, and was given a wonderful dinner at Mom's house, attended by family and friends.

For the cake, I decided to try a recipe that the Daring Bakers recently used: Shuna's Caramel Cake. Many of the bloggers that I myself read daily, like this one or this one, are members of the Daring Bakers, so I had seen a lot of reviews, and I couldn't resist trying to work with a recipe that some people had hinted was a bit... finicky. (Why on earth would I pick a challenging, new recipe and make it on the actual day it was needed? Because I am wild, people. Wild.)

I did want a layer cake, but my 9-inch round pan isn't very tall, so instead I divided the batter between two 8-inch pans. They came out slightly uneven, which was a little difficult to hide, even with frosting, but those are the risks you take when you are a wild woman like myself. The frosting was also quite soft, and didn't want to hold any complex piping designs. This could have been solved with ample chilling time, but having left it to late afternoon, I was forced to just smile and tell myself no one would notice. If anyone did, they didn't mention it. Sweet.

It's obvious in the picture just how soft the frosting was; the top layer is sinking and pushing out the frosting in the gap. Do I mind? Not particularly. If the cake had been for someone else, I would have been upset, but it was only for me, and it was DELICIOUS, so I just let it go.

The cake was moist and dense, but still fluffy enough to satisfy me. It had a distinct buttery caramel flavor that I really enjoyed. The frosting was the real winner here though. T said it should be criminal, and I will take that as a ringing endorsement. I added a teaspoon of sea salt to the recipe for a salted caramel flavor, and it really came through. It cut the extreme sweetness, and added dimension. I will absolutely be adding this to the permanent recipe collection.

This recipe is a long one, so check it out here.

Round-Up!

2008-12-14T23:27:00.003-05:00

Things have been very busy around Chez Marshmallow this past week, so instead of an in-depth recipe, I think it's time for a photo round-up. These are all dishes I've made over the past few months that seemed to have blog potential, but for one reason or another didn't make it in.

First up: a pumpkin-caramel-pecan pie with whole wheat crust. A layer of soft caramel studded with chopped toasted pecans is hiding beneath the traditional pumpkin custard.

Cinnamon-sugar palmiers, gruyere-thyme gougeres, and cheddar-ham mini biscuits for Mom's book club meeting.
Chicken breast stuffed with sauteed swiss chard, on top of shallot orzo with roasted cauliflower.
A whole-wheat Linzer torte, filled with homemade strawberry rhubarb jam.

All were tasty, but all needed tweaking in some way. I'm sure I'll revisit them eventually, and hopefully spruce them up enough to make a more detailed appearance here.

Vegetarians, Avert Thine Eyes.

2008-12-10T10:35:00.003-05:00

I like vegetables. I really do. All different shapes, sizes, and colors of vegetables. You never would have known that if you peeked in my fridge last Saturday.

On the bottom, there are two half-sheet pans holding 5 slabs of cured pork belly, patiently developing a pellicle and waiting to be smoked. (Look! A bag of leftover acorn squash, next to the pork belly! See? I like vegetables!) On another half-sheet pan above them, we find 8 hand cut NY Strip steaks. How do I know they are hand cut? I own the hands that did it. Having broken down many a beef tenderloin for filet mignon in the past, I was comfortable trying my hand at the big honking piece of meat we found, and carved it into 1.5 inch thick steaks. They are sitting, uncovered, in the fridge for a bit of dry-aging. It really only takes about 15 minutes of work to butcher out the steaks, and the price is outrageously low. This is good quality meat, made even better by the dry-aging, but because I did the little bit of extra work myself the price comes out to about $5 a steak. One steak with a couple of sides is enough to feed the two of us, so that's a pretty great deal.

But what about that other giant lump of meat, you ask? Oh. That's 3 big slabs of baby back ribs, also destined for the smoker. Hey, if you've already got the thing fired up, might as well get the most out of it, right? We took the bacon, the ribs, and some applewood chips over to my brother-in-law's house on Sunday, smoked the bacon till it reached a mouth-smacking shade of juicy red-brown (and an appropriate internal temp) and sliced off a few strips, for research purposes, of course. Mmm. So much better than my first batch. I used pork from free-range Ossabaw hogs this time, and it's obvious. The meat is sweeter and much more tender, and the slabs are much easier to slice. Unfortunately, the price to overnight ship 25 lbs of meat from South Carolina is considerable.

We provided the meat, so my sister and her husband provided the sides, and whipped up pasta salad, baked beans, (which sat in the smoker beneath the ribs, to catch some goodness) and a fabulous grilled romaine salad, topped with freshly smoked bacon and chopped red onions cooked in the rendered bacon fat and then deglazed with balsamic, and sprinkled with a little parmesan. Well done, K. I should have taken a picture. It was a really nice impromptu late lunch/early dinner, and we invited K's father-in-law, sister-in-law, and our mom over to share.

Monday night the bacon was still lurking in the fridge, not yet portioned and frozen, and I couldn't resist it's siren call. "BLT", it said. "But I don't have any bread, and I haven't got time to bake any today!" I mentally wailed. "BLT!", it insisted. So I boiled up half a bag of whole wheat shells, cooled them, and tossed in some crisped bacon pieces, romaine lettuce, some great cherry tomatoes, mayo, black pepper, and celery salt. Voila, BLT pasta salad. I served it with roasted chicken breasts that I had marinated with rosemary and red jalapenos from our patio garden. Delicious.

"BLT!"

FINALLY!

2008-12-05T17:41:00.003-05:00

I'm sorry for the silence around here. We arrived home from our New England trip on Sunday afternoon, and our internet connection went down Monday morning. After numerous phone calls and an ridiculous run-around from the provider, we finally got it back about an hour ago.

Woo!

A Boston Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T10:12:00.007-05:00

I mentioned about a week ago that our Thanksgiving isn't quite the typical one. First off, I'm a food blogger who doesn't get to cook a thing (*GASP*) for the meal. Instead, we go to Boston to visit my family, and the meal is hosted by an uncle who lives there in the city. A confirmed bachelor who doesn't cook, he hosts the meal at a luxury hotel.

Thursday morning began with us meeting my father and stepmother for breakfast, and then going into Boston Common, (Boston's version of Central Park) with my brother-in-law and niece. We were trying to tire her out to ensure a good noontime nap, and thus a peaceful meal afterwards. Although most of the leaves on the beautiful old trees had already fallen, a few of the weeping willows were still looking magnificent.

The brisk 35 F air was a quick reminder that holiday time was upon us, and after about 40 minutes, we headed back inside. A few hours later, we went to my uncle's apartment to meet up with the rest of the family, have a few cocktails, and catch up on what everyone has been up to. I have a large number of cousins, most of whom were in attendance, and everyone was very happy that we had made the trip north. After a couple hours of chat, we headed to the private hotel dining room where we have the actual meal. The menu itself is very traditional and has a few amusing twists to suit our family. We always start with a choice of lobster bisque or shrimp cocktail. Seafood is a pretty traditional component to a New England Thanksgiving, and my grandfather and cousins are fiends for shrimp cocktail. Personally, I always get the bisque. It's divine. The next course is a choice of arugula salad with parmesan and vinaigrette, or iceberg wedge salad with italian dressing. The iceberg salad choice is there specifically for my grandfather, who believes it is really the only salad worth eating. None of those fancy lettuces or dressings for him, thank you. The man knows what he likes. By the way, has anyone else noticed that grocery stores have started labeling it "Western Lettuce"? Are they trying to duck iceberg's rep as the least nutritious green veg there is?

The room itself is beautifully decorated with damask, paneling, and a crystal chandelier, has a view of the Common, and the ornate place settings, candles, gourds, and floral arrangements are always impeccable.

After the first two courses, one of the many chefs employed by this fine establishment enters the room to present our turkey.

The rest of the meal is served buffet style, beginning with a carving station for the bird, and continuing with gravy, two varieties of stuffing (both with and without giblets), roasted sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, whipped butternut squash, whole berry and jellied cranberry sauce (for my cousins, who insist the only good cranberry sauce is "the kind with the lines!' Sigh.), green bean casserole (Del Monte recipe only; I told you there were some amusing conditions.), haricot verts with almonds, and creamed onions, as well as several types of bread.

Dessert is also buffet style, with pecan, pumpkin, and chocolate chiffon pies, chocolate satin cake, apple crisp, vanilla and cinnamon ice creams, and various sauces.

Individual ice cream sundaes were brought out for my niece and nephew, both under age 2. They were heartily enjoyed!

I realize that this is not everyone's Thanksgiving experience, and I'm always grateful to my uncle for arranging such a lovely and stress-free gathering. We are very lucky to be able to have it, and that is something we never forget.

Northward Bound

2008-11-26T08:18:00.001-05:00

For those of you who don't know, Hubband and I are spending Thanksgiving up north, in the New England states where we grew up. Turkey will be consumed with my extended family in Massachusetts, and then we will spend the weekend with Hubband's family in Connecticut. We are lucky to be able to fly up and spend this time with family, and we look forward to it every year.

I will take some photos of the spread this year; even though I don't get to do any Thanksgiving cookery (gasp!) I can still share a little of our experience, which is somewhat unique.

Things will be quiet here while we're gone, but I wanted to leave you with a little sampling of just a few of the things for which I'm most thankful this year.

Friends. Old ones, new ones, 'real life' and blog friends, thank you for being in our lives. You are all greatly appreciated and loved.

Family. From grandfather to young niece and everyone between, we are grateful for your presence in our lives and everything you have contributed to who we are. We are thankful for your health and happiness.

Moments and Memories. There have been so many this year: our first wedding anniversary, our amazing Alaska trip, Chicago and every day at home together. There have been so many moments this year that we were blessed to have experienced, and I'm so grateful for the opportunities.

Humphrey. It may seem silly to be so thankful for our pup, but he means the world to us. He reminds me to be patient and find to joy in little things. He's always willing to play a game or give a cuddle, and never fails to bring a smile to our faces.

Last, but never least, Hubband. He is my best friend and my love, and he has been so supportive of this blogging adventure, as well as so many other things. He makes me happier than I thought would ever be possible, and I'm grateful for him every day, not just the last Thursday in November.

Improvising

2008-11-24T08:41:00.005-05:00

I have fun with food. I enjoy reading about it, shopping for it, chopping it, measuring it, baking it, frying it, sauteing it, and stewing it. You better believe I enjoy eating it.

I hear so many people say that they "can't" cook, or that a recipe is "too difficult" or "too intimidating". It makes me a little sad to hear that, because I want everyone to have as much fun as I do. I will try to cook any recipe you put in front of me. Do I always cross my fingers that it will work and be tasty? Yes. But if it doesn't, it's just a learning experience, and next time will be better. I've had many failures and mediocre dishes, but I'm never intimidated, and I'm always having fun. I feel like I've seen people get so stressed about a recipe or a technique, and they don't understand when I tell them, 'No, I didn't have a recipe, I made this up', or that I got my idea from a recipe but then changed it to suit myself. They don't understand how I can do it.

Here's a step-by-step example of how I take a recipe, and tweak it.

The recipe itself was for a Caramelized Onion and Prosciutto Bread Pudding. I will post the original recipe and instructions, and insert my changes and reasons in parentheses, to show the process.

Caramelized Onion and Prosciutto Bread Pudding (Caramelized Onion and Bacon Bread Pudding)

Williams-Sonoma

10 oz day-old country-style bread, cut into 3/4" cubes, with crust (10 oz 3-day old mini baguettes leftover from the neighborly party earlier in the week, cubed.)

2 1/2 C milk (2 1/2 C skim milk, it's what I had)

2 C heavy cream (1 C heavy cream, 1 C half & half, because that's what I had)

3 garlic cloves, crushed with the side of a knife (3 BIG cloves, mmm garlic)

1/2 tsp Cyprus flake salt (Sorry, W & S, I used some grey sea salt. Why? Because...that's what I had! Does anyone see a pattern here?)

Coarsely ground tellicherry pepper, to taste

1 Tbs unsalted butter (unnecessary, due to later pork substitutions and their accompanying fat.)

1 red onion, thinly sliced (This is what I used, but next time, I'll do a coarse dice for ease of eating.)

2 Tbs balsamic vinegar (2 Tbs sherry vinegar, because I'm mildly obsessed with it lately, and it's delicious with bacon.)

8 eggs

2 C grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (Holy expensive cheese Batman! I subbed in a mix of aged gruyere and some plain Chevre. Mmm, tangy and economical.)

2 oz thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 2 x 1/4 " strips (4 slices thick cut smoky bacon, plus 2 oz homemade pancetta, because I'm on a mission to clean out my freezer.)

2 Tbs chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (Picked from our patio garden, supplemented with 1 tsp fresh thyme, because thyme is one of my favorites, and is delicious with pork products.)

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 2 qt rectangular baking dish. (Nonstick spray, you make life easier.) Have a pot of boiling water ready. (I spent too much time reading blogs that day, and was mildly rushed. I skipped over the boiling water step as I read. More on this later.) Put the bread cubes in a large bowl and set aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine milk, cream, garlic, salt, and pepper and heat until bubbles form around the edges of the pan. (Combine the hodgepodge of dairy that was already in your fridge with garlic, salt and pepper.) Remove from heat and let stand for 30 minutes. (Think to yourself: Hmm, I'm steeping garlic in milk, like tea. I'm making a garlic-milk tea. Ha. Ew. Garlic-milk-tea.) Meanwhile, in a saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter. (Instead, place the bacon into a medium saute pan and cook until browned and crisp, then remove to paper towels, reserving the fat in the pan. Place finely chopped pancetta in the reserved fat, brown, then remove to paper towels, reserving the fat in the pan. Use this fat in place of butter.) Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown and caramelize, about 10 minutes. (Think about nominating onions-cooking-in-bacon-fat for best smell in the world.) Add the vinegar and cook for 5 minutes more. (Stirring often.) Remove from the heat. Return the milk mixture to medium heat and warm until bubbles form around the edge of the pan. (Or completely miss this step until you re-read the recipe while typing it. The milk was still plenty hot, trust me.) In a bowl, lightly whisk the 8 eggs. Slowly add the hot milk mixture, whisking constantly. Set a fine mesh strainer over the bowl filled with bread cubes, and pour the milk mixture through it, onto the bread. Stir to combine. Let stand for 10 minutes, then fold in the cheese, prosciutto, parsley, and caramelized onion. Transfer to prepared baking dish. (Greet your Hubband, who has come home during this 10 minutes. Feel rushed, because you want to show him the new patio furniture that arrived that day, so mix the parsley, thyme, chopped bacon, pancetta, and onions in with the bread quickly, and transfer to the dish. Go outside to ooh and ahh over patio furniture. Come back in and realize you forgot to put in the cheese. Use your clean fingers to push cheese chunks in at random spots and depths around the baking dish.) Set the baking dish in a roasting pan. Add the boiling water to fill the roasting pan halfway up the sides of the baking dish. (Ask your Hubband to put the baking dish in the oven because your hands are now covered in eggy-cheesy-parsley bits from your non-traditional method of adding cheese. Neglect to remember the whole water-bath thing until you're eating. There was no pot of boiling water to remind you anyway*. *See beginning of recipe.) Bake until the center of the pudding is firm and the top is golden, about 50 minutes. Transfer to a wire baking rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This is what we ended up with:

It was SO good. Even with all of my substitutions and technique mistakes, dinner was delicious. Crusty on top and soft in the middle, savory and delicate in flavor, the bread pudding was so satisfying with a green salad. This wouldn't be out of place on a holiday table, in my opinion.

A note: This was a particularly egregious example of me not reading the instructions very closely. When I'm baking, I do read more closely because of the precision needed for proper results, but savory cooking is a little more forgiving. As far as playing with the ingredients, there was nothing wrong with the recipe as written, but everything I substituted with was already in my fridge, freezer, pantry, or patio garden, and thus I saved myself a trip to the store.

Making Whoopie

2008-11-17T10:07:00.006-05:00

Saturday afternoon Mom hosted an impromptu get-together at her house, attended by her neighbors T & P, my neighbors B & W, neighborhood friend A, myself, and Hubband. The original reason was to show her back yard to B & W, who have an interest in gardening, and drink a little wine, but of course Mom and I decided that we should have some little things to nibble. We then realized that late afternoon was getting close to dinner, so maybe we should just throw together a few things and make a casual party out of it. (Funny how we can turn any little visit into a reason to cook!)

We got through planning an easy menu that could be put together in advance, and then we got to dessert. Mom wanted to make apple pie, and I wanted to try a recipe I've had tucked away for almost a year now: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies! Of course, we made both.

I found this recipe on CI's website about a year ago, as I browsed around for something else. Originally submitted by Robin Smith, of Berryville, VA, it won CI's 2005 Holiday Cookie Contest. I tweaked the dough part of the recipe just a little, and used a variation of my favorite cream cheese frosting to fill them.

They turned out great! The cakes were incredibly moist and airy, with a good crumb. The tang of the not-too-sweet frosting really played well with the pumpkin, and they were a big hit with everyone who tried them. These are definitely going "in the book"*.
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

adapted from Robin Smith

Makes 16-18 whoopie pies.

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix)

2 large eggs

3/4 C vegetable oil

1 C granulated sugar

1 C light brown sugar

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

4 C all-purpose flour

1 Tb + 1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Filling:

4 Tb unsalted butter, softened

5 oz cream cheese, room temperature

3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

8 oz confectioner's sugar

2 tsp heavy cream

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets (preferably without sides) with parchment paper or silicone mats. In a large bowl, stir together the pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg until incorporated. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt). Add the dry ingredients to the wet mix and stir until well combined.

Using a tablespoon measure, drop two tablespoons of dough, one on top of the other, onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread the dough out gently, using the back of a spoon, into a round about 2 inches across. Try to create an even thickness. Repeat until baking sheet is full with dough rounds spaced about 2 inches apart. Bake until the cookies are just set and the bottoms are lightly browned, 10-14 minutes. Halfway through the baking time, rotate the baking sheets back to front and top to bottom for even cooking. Slide cookies, still on parchment, off of the baking sheet and onto a cooling rack. Repeat process with remaining dough.

Filling: In a stand mixer, combine the butter and cream cheese and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment. Scrape down the sides and add the vanilla and confectioner's sugar. Continue to mix, scraping down sides as necessary, until the frosting is well blended. Remove the paddle attachment, scraping it clean into the bowl, and add the whisk attachment. Whip the frosting until it is light and some air is incorporated, about 3 minutes on medium speed. As you whip, add one teaspoon of heavy cream to thin the frosting slightly. Try spreading some of the frosting on a cookie, and add the remaining teaspoon of heavy cream if you feel the frosting is too thick. Spread the frosting on half of the cookies, and top each with another.

*When a recipe goes "in the book" it gets permanently added to my bound collection. Written on a large index card, placed in a plastic sleeve, and put in a large binder, where it patiently sits and waits to be called upon, recipes in the book are those we have tried and loved.

Planning, Shmanning.

2008-11-13T09:49:00.005-05:00

Do you ever look around and wonder "Where did today go?" You realize that while it would be nice to have dinner ready in the next hour or so, you haven't been to the store, and haven't taken anything out of the freezer? I know this has happened to you. It has, right? I can't be the only one! Just lie to me! Tell me it's happened to you too!

Ok, I'm calm. This was one of those meals. A few weeks ago, I had one of those time-warp days, and I began to rummage in the freezer. The thought process went something like this: "Ah-hah! A pork tenderloin. A little quick-defrost and we'll be in business. Flavors? Hmmm." At this point the tenderloin gets put in to defrost while I scan the kitchen. "Ooh, got an apple. Apples are good with pork. Apple and onion...and that lonely-looking orange, I can use that too." A quick dive back into the freezer for a slice of home-cured pancetta, and I was beginning to feel like I could pull this off.

I diced the pancetta (after another quick defrost) and relieved it of much of its precious, delicious, herb-tinged fat. Into this translucent goodness went a sliced yellow onion, and after the onions had turned golden and a little sweet, a cored, quartered, and sliced apple joined the party. Mustard seeds, pepper, and the juice of the lonely orange also jumped in the pool and happily simmered away as I sliced the pork tenderloin into medallions and seasoned them with salt and pepper. I poured the apple-onion mix into a bowl and set it aside, then seared the pork in the same pan. After both sides were browned, the apple-onion mixture was poured back in and the whole pan went in the oven for about 15 minutes, until my trusty meat thermometer said all was well. A splash of apple cider vinegar to balance the acidity, a side of broiled asapragus, and dinner was served.

Not bad for a meal thrown together in a hurry.

Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Onions

This dish reminds me of some sort of German or Alsatian food, and would be nice with a Riesling or other gentle white wine. If you're going to pair them, you might as well put a little of the wine into the apple-onion mix as it's cooking. Mmm. Fresh herbs like thyme or sage would also be nice additions. I use an electric oven, so change the oven technique as necessary if yours is gas.

1 pork tenderloin, sliced into medallions, 2 1/2 " thick

1 thick slice of pancetta, about 2 oz

1 large apple (I used a Johnagold), cored, quartered, and sliced

1 medium onion, sliced

1 orange, juiced. (Feel free to add in a little of the zest as well.)

1/2 tsp yellow mustard seeds (Caraway seeds would be nice here as well, substitute as you see fit)

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 Tb apple cider vinegar

Dice the pancetta and place in a large cold skillet, then place skillet over medium heat. Render the fat and cook the pancetta until it is golden, then remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Set aside. Place the sliced onion in the skillet with the reserved pancetta fat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and beginning to turn golden. Add the apple and continue to cook. The apple will release quite a bit of juice; use this to scrape up the tasty browned fond on the bottom of the pan. As the apples are getting softer, add the mustard seeds, pepper, and orange juice (and zest, if using). Simmer for about 3 minutes, or until the apples begin to get tender. We don't want them falling apart or dissolving. Pour this mixture into a bowl and set aside. Season the pork with salt and pepper, bring the skillet up to temperature and spray with non-stick spray. Turn on the broiler in your oven. Add the pork and sear until it takes on a nice browned color, then flip and repeat. After the pork has been seared, pour the apple-onion mixture back in the pan with it and place on a rack in the lower third of the oven. We want the hot temperature of the broiler, but don't want the food to be too close to the heating element. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until a meat thermometer registers around 155 F. The meat will continue to cook after you pull it out of the oven. Add the apple cider vinegar and reserved pancetta, stir, carefully taste, and add salt or pepper if you deem necessary.

Headlong into Fall

2008-11-09T12:58:00.006-05:00

I feel I've been remiss in posting suitably autumnal recipes here. Nothing pumpkin so far, except for our jack-o-lanterns. No squashes, no chestnuts. What have I been thinking? Well, I have been cooking with these ingredients, but can you blame a girl for not posting before she thinks the recipes are really ready? I'm hoping to put up some very fall-inspired food in the coming weeks, and here's a nice pumpkin recipe to start us off. Ready? I thought so.

This morning I was in the mood for pumpkin, so I looked around for a recipe and tweaked it a bit, and Hubband and I made some whole-grain pumpkin pancakes for breakfast.

They turned out perfectly. Incredibly moist, soft, and fluffy, with great texture from the added grains. Filling, but not heavy, they were a fantastic way to start our morning. I hope you'll try them, because they really were a nice twist on Sunday morning pancakes.

Whole Grain Pumpkin Pancakes

adapted from Burp! Recipes

1 C Whole wheat pastry flour (available from Bob's Red Mill, I got it at Whole Foods)

1/4 C oatmeal (I used Old Fashioned, not instant)

2 Tb yellow cornmeal

2 Tb brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp Baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg OR cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 C whole milk (I used 3/4 C half & half and 3/4 C skim milk, because that's what I had.)

2/3 C pumpkin puree

1 Tb olive oil

1 large egg

Butter (for griddle)

Heat the griddle. Measure all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and whisk to combine. In a medium bowl, place the milk, pumpkin, olive oil, and egg, and whisk to combine. Add the wet mix to the dry ingredients, and stir just until blended. Grease a hot griddle with butter, then place batter on, by 1/4 or 1/3 cupfuls depending on how large you want your pancakes. Wait until the pancakes have bubbles on them and the edges look dry, and then flip and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side. Serve with butter, syrup, spiced whipped cream, candied nuts, ice cream, or whatever your heart desires.

Simple Things

2008-11-04T09:16:00.002-05:00

There's too much controversy right now. This election has brought out the best, and the worst, in so many people. The best, because voter turnout is expected to be the highest it's been in years. The worst, because of the mud-slinging, the confrontations... even in my friendly little town, political yard signs are being ripped out and tossed around in the night. I am not a confrontational person. I like it when the course is smooth, when everyone can come to a compromise. These turbulent times tire me. Do I have a candidate? Yes. Do I plan on voting this afternoon? Yes. Do I feel the need to share my political views and reasonings with you and argue if yours aren't the same? No.

I can't wait for this election to be over. Why? Is it because I want to know if my candidate will win? No. Well, yes, but that's not the real reason. I want this election to be over because I am tired of all the repetition! I'm tired of seeing the same election commercials over and over. (Thank goodness for DVR's!) I'm tired of seeing the predictions on my homepage when all I want is my email. I'm tired of the fliers (waste of paper and postage), the radio ads and opinions, the analysis, the t-shirts, the celebrity endorsements...I'm tired of hearing and seeing the same things every day, all day. Repetition is bad for me. I don't like repeating myself more than twice, I don't like being told something more than once, and I don't like seeing the same two faces/slogans plastered on every media outlet, lawn sign, and chest that I pass. I'm so done.

In this mildly grumpy spirit, I made myself a breakfast that I AM willing to repeat, even though it is nothing fancy. Warm, tasty, blanketed with cheese and crunchy with broccoli, it's my old homey standby, eggs, again.

Pretty? No. But today, when I'm preparing myself to wait in line for two hours to vote, when the sky is grey and cheerless outside, I wanted something good in my tummy.

Crisp but tender sauteed broccoli, sweet cherry tomatoes, and pungent green onions, scrambled with two eggs and gently draped in Muenster cheese, topped with fresh black pepper and crunchy crystals of grey salt. I love the different textures, the fresh flavors of the vegetables with the mild cheese (a childhood deli favorite).

Do you need a recipe? No. You probably already make something similar, but I wanted to share my comfort with you on a turbulent day.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T08:59:00.004-04:00

In honor of the holiday, I'd like to share pictures of the pumpkins we carved this year. We decided to go with a theme near and dear to us here at Chez Marshmallow: Nintendo.

Boo the Ghost

The man himself: Mario!

Happy Halloween everyone!

A Last Grab at Summer

2008-10-30T12:44:00.006-04:00

Summer is over. I have to admit it, even here in sunny Florida. It was less than 40 degrees when Hubband left for work this morning, and that's probably the third day in a row. It's time for squashes, pumpkins, mushrooms and apples, and gone are the days of melons and berries.

Just two weeks ago, though, I made one last stand for summer's bounty, and it was wonderful.

T & J were coming over for dinner, and I decided it was a perfect opportunity to try making some ice cream. I've had my eye on a recipe of Brilynn's for quite a while now: a Balsamic-Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream. Mmmm! I love drizzling fresh berries with a little aged balsamic for dessert, so when she posted the recipe back in June, I was immediately intrigued. I rearranged it just a bit, and I must say, it came out fabulously. I used a mix of sugars to macerate the berries before roasting, and followed Shirley Corriher's advice about letting scalded milk rest, even after cooling. The ice cream churned up beautifully, with a super-creamy texture and no over-crystallization. It was so flavorful that I didn't even drizzle the reserved berry juice on top; we saved it to slather onto french toast the next morning.

The picture isn't great, but that may be because I was too impatient; taking pictures is a fiddly business when all you want to do is eat your new favorite ice cream!

Balsamic-Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream

Adapted from Brilynn of JumboEmpanadas

I personally think that brown sugar is much better with strawberries than white, for depth of flavor. Next time I will most likely use 100% brown sugar in this. This makes about 1 1/2 quarts.

2 lbs strawberries

2 1/2 Tb granulated sugar

3 Tb brown sugar

3 Tb balsamic vinegar

Preheat your oven to 350 F. While it warms, wash and pat dry the strawberries and remove the green hulls. Cut any very large berries in half. Place the berries on a baking sheet with sides (half sheet pan) to keep all the juices in, and then toss them with the two kinds of sugar. Let the berries macerate in the sugar for half an hour, then toss them with the vinegar. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the berries are completely squishy and there is lots of juice in the pan. Let cool completely.

Custard Base

3 egg yolks

1 C heavy cream

1 C whole milk

2/3 C granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp table salt

Combine the milk and cream in a heavy saucepan and heat to a scald, or around 175 F on a candy thermometer. While the milk is heating, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in another bowl until they are pale and airy. Slowly add a large spoonful of hot milk to the egg/sugar mix, and whisk to temper. Add two more large spoonfuls, whisking after each, and then pour all of the tempered egg mixture into the saucepan with the rest of the hot milk/cream. Continue heating and stirring until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla and salt, stir, then pour through a fine sieve to remove any egg protein that may have clung to the yolks. Place in a bowl and let cool. Once cooled, cover and chill for at least 4-12 hours to allow the scalded milk proteins to rest.

Once both berries and custard are cooled and rested sufficiently, strain the strawberries over a bowl to catch the juices, and combine the juices with the custard base. Reserve the berries. (You can also reserve a few spoonfuls of berries with juice at this point for topping, if you're so inclined.) Pour the custard into your ice cream machine and churn according to their instructions. 3-5 minutes before the ice cream is finished churning, add the berries to incorporate them into the custard. When finished churning, the ice cream will be more like a soft-serve consistency. I recommend freezing it in an airtight container for a few hours to firm it up, but it will be delicious either way.

House Guests

2008-10-27T08:28:00.003-04:00

Things have been very busy in the Marshmallow household for the past two weeks, and that has meant not blogging as frequently as I had hoped. I'm sorry! We've had house guests for the last two weekends, and being as nit-picky as I am, that means that I want everything to be just so...of course, it never is, but I do try.

This past weekend our house guests were Hubband's parents, so I (attempted to) pull out all the stops. I tried something new with my go-to apple pie recipe, baked scones, made cannelloni with homemade pasta, and whipped up some of Jude's Honey-Whole Wheat bread to go with my chicken salad. That was before they even got here on Thursday night. During the weekend, I also made a big batch of shirred eggs, Hubband grilled rainbow trout and corn on the grill, and I put together some light and fluffy buckwheat pancakes. We also took advantage of Orlando's large selection of restaurants and dined out two nights.

Back to the baking: I made scones on Thursday morning, both because I know my guests enjoy them and because there is a scone recipe in my Tartine cookbook that I've been eyeing for some time. It is the recipe for their much-touted buttermilk scones, with Zante currants. I decided to rearrange things just a little, and used dried unsweetened Bing cherries instead, as well as replaced half of the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat pastry flour.

The scones baked up moist with a wonderful texture and some flaky layers. It's a little hard to describe these scones; they were dense and substantial, but didn't sit in the belly like a rock the way so many often do. I really liked the addition of the whole-wheat flour, both for nutrition and flavor, and am curious how they would turn out using 100% whole-wheat pastry flour. Next time I would add more citrus zest, and would maybe try orange instead of lemon.

Buttermilk Scones

Adapted from Tartine

The original recipe calls for Zante currants. I used cherries, but these could easily be made with blueberries, raspberries, apricots, or raisins. If you fresh fruit, freeze it before adding it to the dough so the pieces don't leak juice and dye the dough as you mix. I think that next time, I will increase the amount of citrus zest, but I am listing the original amount here. I find it much faster to place a bowl on my kitchen scale and weigh out all of my ingredients, so those are the measurements I've included here.

100g (3 1/2 oz) Dried unsweetened Bing Cherries

340g (12 oz) All-purpose flour

340g (12 oz) Whole-wheat pastry flour

15 mL (1 Tb) Baking powder

3 3/4mL (3/4 tsp) Baking soda

100g (3 1/2 oz) Granulated sugar

6 1/4 mL (1 1/4 tsp) salt

255g (9 oz) Unsalted butter, very cold

375 mL (12 oz) Buttermilk

5 mL (1 tsp) Grated citrus zest

Topping:

45 mL (3 Tb) Unsalted butter, melted

Large crystal sugar such as Demerara for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment. If using dried fruit, plump it by placing it in a bowl and adding enough warm water to cover, then let it sit for ten minutes. Sift together the flours, baking powder, and baking soda into the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Add the sugar and salt and mix, then cut the butter into small cubes and scatter them over the dry ingredients. Pulse the mixer on and off until you have pea-sized lumps of butter throughout the flour. You don't want to break up the butter too much, so keep an eye on it. Add the buttermilk, zest, and fruit all at once and mix gently on low speed until you just have a dough that will hold together. You should still have some visible bits of butter in the dough. Dust a work surface lightly with whole-wheat flour and turn the dough out onto it. Use your hands to gently shape the dough into a rectangle that is 18" long, 5" wide and about 1 1/2" thick. Brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar, then using a dough scraper or long chef's knife, cut the dough into 12 triangles. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake 25-35 minutes, or until the tops are lightly browned.

Birthday Baking

2008-10-19T15:03:00.003-04:00

Last week was a busy baking one for me. I made several different nibbles for Mom's Book Club meeting, and then it was my sister's birthday. After I pestered K a few times about what kind of cake she would like, (having silently and unofficially declared myself 'birthday cake maker' for everyone, including myself) she finally gave me ultimate leeway, saying only "Surprise me. Make whatever you want....but...I do like chocolate..." As if I could somehow forget.

I originally planned on devil's food cake with a meringue frosting, but decided to keep looking around for ideas. I came across chockylit's Cupcake Bakeshop (now, sadly, 'closed') and began to browse, just looking for tips on meringue frosting. Instead, I came across a recipe for Samoas Cupcakes, based on the classic Girl Scout Cookie Samoas, which also just happen to be K's absolute favorite. After wavering for a minute, I realized that I had to make them for her.

A brown sugar butter cake base, with a teaspoon of homemade caramel tucked inside, topped with dark chocolate ganache, a soft thick layer of toasted coconut and condensed milk, and then drizzled with more caramel and ganache; they are an intricate and rich treat best eaten with a fork and a cup of coffee.

They were tasty. Real tasty. I think they would have been even better had we not all been incredibly full after a fabulous brunch at La Coquina, touted as the best brunch in the Orlando area.

Happy birthday K! I hope you enjoyed the cupcakes as much as I enjoyed making them for you.

I followed chockylit's recipe pretty closely, so I will just link to it here.

More Chicago Eats

2008-10-14T10:58:00.003-04:00

Well, after our little intermission of homey goodness, it's time to get back to this backlog of travel food.

Imagine yourself transported to the Midwest, to a historic, blue-collar city that loves teams sports and neon green relish. Imagine yourself in Chicago.

You get up one morning while you are there, and because you have done some research before leaving home, you know there is good breakfast to be had at a place called the Southport Grocery & Cafe. You hightail it there and find friendly folks, good coffee, and a happy little store.

You then glance at the menu, and are blown away by choices. Cupcake pancakes, made from their award-winning cupcake batter. Stuffed French toast, great-looking hash, delectable sounding omelets, breakfast bruschetta, Mexican-influenced steak & eggs, baked oatmeal, and something called a Grown-Up Pop-Tart.

You decide to go big, and between yourself and your spouse, order Cupcake Pancakes, a Rosemary Ham, Gruyere, Mushroom, & Leek Omelet, a piece of griddled Coffee Cake, and the mysterious Pop-Tart.

The Pop-Tart is a warm piece of folded bread-like pastry, filled with mascarpone cheese, berry preserves, and vanilla walnuts. Mmm. You are shocked that no one has thought of this before. You then consider the fact that maybe someone has, and somehow neglected to give some to you. This thought is equally shocking.
You then move on to some griddled sour cream and walnut coffee cake, which has been sliced in half, slathered with cream cheese, put back together, and slapped on the griddle until a warm layer of caramelized crustiness forms on the bottom. Spicy with cinnamon, and with cream cheese that is wisely left unsweetened, this is absolute comfort food. The rosemary ham omelet is good, but not quite as bold as the baked goods, although it provides a much-needed savory counterpoint. The cupcake pancakes are exactly that: cupcake batter slapped on a griddle. They are sweet and cakey and fun, and don't need any syrup, although it is provided.

At some point you manage to roll yourself out of Southport, thinking that if you lived nearby, you'd hang out there all the time. You go check out an aquarium and a museum, and highly enjoy your nerdy self.

Eventually, some hours or days later, or perhaps it was the day before, (the lingering effects of sugar coma make it all blend together) you decide you cannot leave the Windy City without having consumed a hot dog. Because you love television, and have wasted many hours of your life watching it, you remember an interesting place called Hot Doug's: The Sausage Superstore and Encased Meat Emporium, located in this same city. You decide to make your way there, and on arriving only 40 minutes before closing time, find a line that winds out the door and halfway down the block. You feel secure in the knowledge that it's got to be good, and you wait. Service is fast, and you are ordering only 15 minutes later. You order a Dog, char-grilled, with everything, which translates to a Chicago-style hot dog, poppy-seed bun, neon relish, and all.
Your spouse nearly has a fit trying to decide, (in their defense, the menu is huge, and there are always at least 5 specials) and eventually goes big again, ordering a Jamaican Jerk pork sausage with passionfruit mustard and fried plantains, a Kobe dog with Cinci-style chili, mustard, and cheddar, and a Wild Boar sausage with spicy mustard and cheese-stuffed peppers. You decide to pass on the duck-fat fries, although they are tempting.
The dogs are all excellent. The Chicago-style is classic, with the wedge of pickle and a touch of celery salt. The Cinci-style chili on the Kobe dog has the requisite hint of cinnamon, and the spice of the wild boar sausage toppings is good; hot, but with great flavor. Your spouse also vouches for the deliciousness of the Jerk dog, which you pass on trying.

You again manage to roll yourself outside and return to your hotel, where you nap before heading to a late dinner reservation...

To be continued!

Samgyeopsal...Sounds Good to Me!

2008-10-10T11:42:00.004-04:00

I was perusing Andy & Loey's Only Planet blog last week, on a day that I happened to be trying to plan the week's menu, and came across their posts about Korea. (If you've never checked out Only Planet, go for it. It's a blog all about doing that thing I could never do, selling it all and going around the world.) In their posts, they mentioned enjoying a dish called Samgyeopsal, which I (of course) proceeded to look up. It happens to be a popular Korean dinner dish involving slices of grilled pork belly, served in lettuce leaves with rice and a dipping sauce. I decided that it sounded like a novel use for my homemade bacon, and penciled it in.

A few nights later, Hubband grilled thick slices of bacon and wedges of onions while I boiled some long-grain brown jasmine rice and sauteed mushrooms with ginger, garlic, and sesame oil. We bundled the bacon, onions, and mushrooms into lettuce leaves along with sliced scallions and bean sprouts, and served with the rice and some (very) hot chili sauce for dipping.

Delicious! It was a great, fast dinner for a weeknight, and a nice departure from typical dinner fare. I've made lettuce wraps before with a chopped or ground chicken filling, never bacon. Traditional Samqyeopsal is made with unmarinated, uncured pork belly, but I really liked the smoky flavor of the bacon with with crisp veggies and spicy sauce.

Samgyeopsal

This recipe is highly adaptable depending on how many mouths you're feeding, so I'm not going to give many concrete measurements. This is simple, delicious food.

Thick-sliced bacon or uncured pork belly

Onion

Mushrooms, e.g button or cremini

Ginger

Garlic

Sesame Oil

Scallions

Mung Bean Sprouts

Lettuce leaves (Boston/Butter is my favorite for wraps, but Iceberg works too)

Hot Sauce/Sriracha/Gochujang

Cut onion into wedges through the root, which will help them stay together on the grill. Brush them lightly with olive oil, then place them on a preheated grill over indirect heat. After a few minutes, add the strips of bacon, and cook until bacon is heated through and onions are softened and have nice char marks. If using uncured pork belly, be sure pork is completely cooked. Remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Saute sliced mushrooms in a hot skillet until shrunken and golden, using a little cooking spray if necessary to keep them from sticking. When close to finished, add minced garlic and ginger. (I used about 1 1/2 tsp of each for a pint of mushrooms.) Add toasted sesame oil to taste. (I used about 1/2 tsp.) Place bacon/pork belly, onions, mushroom mixture, sliced scallions, and bean sprouts in lettuce wraps, and serve with rice and hot sauce.

A Taste of Home

2008-10-06T08:55:00.006-04:00

As much as I love to travel, to explore new places and find the best of their cuisine (or at least attempt it), I love coming home again even more. I could never be one of those people that sell everything and go around the world for a year; I need the safety and the calm of a home base, somewhere to retreat and recharge my batteries. Traveling makes me a bit anxious no matter how much I plan, and too much traveling in a short time really wears me out.

In that spirit, let's take a break from these posts documenting all of our recent travel, and talk about something homey and comforting. How about eggs?

I made these eggs a few weeks ago, between two of our trips, and I think it's time to make them again. They are technically called shirred eggs; "an egg baked or broiled in a buttered cocotte, or small dish, until the white is set and the yolk is liquid". In this case, they are baked atop a bed of creamy spinach, scented with a little nutmeg and parmesan, and after baking are topped with some garlicky breadcrumbs for crunch. They were warm and soft, homey and comforting, and just the thing to recharge the batteries.

Shirred Eggs with Spinach

adapted from Williams-Sonoma Breakfast

The spinach could be prepared in advance and refrigerated, but baking it while still well-chilled would increase baking time. This could be gotten around by just blanching, squeezing, and chopping the spinach in advance, so the next step would warm the chopped spinach back up before baking. I used individual cocottes simply because I had them. Baking in an 8 1/2" round gratin dish or similar shallow container should take about 18-20 minutes. Adding lardons of bacon to the spinach mixture would be nice as well.

1 1/2 lbs spinach, well rinsed and stemmed

1 small onion or 2 medium shallots, finely diced

1 Tbs unsalted butter

1/2 C heavy cream

1/2 C freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

4 extra-large eggs

Garlicky Bread Crumbs

Fill a large saucepan 3/4 full with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lightly salt the boiling water and then add the spinach, cooking until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Immediately drain in a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much water as possible, then chop coarsely. Preheat the oven to 350 F and butter your chosen baking dish. Place the empty saucepan back on medium heat and add the butter, then the diced onions. Cook until the onions are translucent. Add the chopped, drained spinach to the onions and cook until any excess moisture has evaporated. Stir in the cream, cheese, a pinch of salt, freshly ground pepper, and nutmeg. Cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and place the spinach in the prepared baking dish or portion evenly among 4 cocottes. Smooth the top of the spinach mixture, use the back of a large spoon to create 4 depressions in the spinach, then crack an egg into each. Carefully transfer the dish or dishes to the oven and bake until whites are almost set and yolk is runny, 8-20 minutes depending on baking dish size. Remove while the whites are still a little jiggly, as they will continue cooking outside the oven. Top with a few tablespoons of breadcrumbs.

Garlicky Breadcrumbs

This is a recipe to play with. I used whole-wheat dry breadcrumbs, but you could just as easily use white or sourdough, and fresh breadcrumbs would work perfectly too.

1 Tbs unsalted butter

2 medium cloves garlic

3/4 C breadcumbs

Mince garlic very finely. Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, and when melted, add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add breadcrumbs and stir to combine. Stir often to prevent garlic from over-browning, and cook until breadcrumbs are crisp and golden brown. Use immediately or cool and store in an airtight container at room temp for up to 24 hours.

An Evening at Alinea

2008-10-01T11:44:00.007-04:00

Last weekend, Hubband and I took a trip to Chicago for food and football. He is a longtime Bears fan, and has always wanted to watch a game at Soldier Field.

We started planning this trip more than 6 months ago, and I can't really remember what came first, the food or the football. Did we talk about Alinea first, and decide to go to a game while we were in Chicago, or was it the other way around? I actually think it may have been food first. We originally read about Alinea in some magazine article detailing the cruel irony of Chef Grant Achatz's battle with tongue cancer, as well as his innovative molecular-gastronomy cuisine. Eventually we heard more and more about the restaurant, (on the list of Top 50 restaurants in the world, James Beard Award winner) and decided we should go at some point, and then this trip came into being. We knew we wanted to go in late September to catch a Bears game before it became too cold (I get cold very easily, and tend to shiver in a very conspicuous and uncontrollable fashion) and Hubband called in June to find out when the reservation books for September would be open. He was told to call July 1st, 10 am central time, to try for a booking for last weekend. He called July 1st at about 10:04 am, and an 8:45pm booking was all they had left. Needless to say, we were stoked about getting it.

We got into Chicago around 2 on Friday, went to our hotel, took a little nap as it was going to be a late night, freshened up, and got a cab to the restaurant. Happily, we were aware in advance that there is really not much of a sign for the restaurant, which is accessed through a set on nondescript matte black doors in a brick building. The door was opened for us, and we found ourselves looking down a very interesting hallway. The left wall was normal and painted grey, but the right-hand wall was painted white, softly lit with pink, and was an undulating shape that gradually brought the hall to a narrow dead end. As we slowly walked, and gawked, an automatic stainless steel set of doors inset in the left hand wall opened, and we were inside. We were a few minutes early, so we gladly chose some seats near the kitchen in which to wait. I, of course, peeked as much as possible without making a fool of myself. (Hopefully.) I think my favorite part of the kitchen was the wall on which Chef's sketches of each course were taped. Those rough sketches, done with a Sharpie marker, were translated into some of the most whimsical, elegant, and thought-provoking food I've ever experienced.

Within just a few minutes, we were led up a lovely stainless steel and glass staircase to a softly lit room decorated in shades of black and pale green. We sat at a large table of black wood, on a black velvet banquette that was very comfortable, as you would hope to find in a restaurant where your meal may take 4-5 hours.

There are only two dinner choices at Alinea: a 12-course tasting or a 24-course tour. About 70% of their guests do the 12-course, and if you would like the 24, you are asked to notify them when you make the reservation. I'm sure you can guess which one we went with. We also decided to do the wine pairing with the meal, which Chef had added a few things to, so in the end, we had 26 courses, 11 wines, and 5 types of bread.

I couldn't resist bringing a camera, but I also couldn't find the courage to bring the big SLR (which I should have, someone at another table had one, AND a tabletop tripod!) so it was back to the old point-and-shoot. I also didn't want to use any flash. I apologize for any dim photos, as well as any that are less than crystal clear. The room, as I mentioned earlier, was softly lit; bright enough to enjoy what you are eating and be totally comfortable, but not perfect for photos. A photo of each course, with explanation, can be found by clicking on the flickr icon that's now in the left sidebar and navigating to the Alinea set.

Some of my favorites:

Course #2: Aromatic eating utensil-lemongrass. Topped with a tiny, briny Kumamoto oyster, chive, seaweed, yuzu, and sesame. A one-bite wonder.
Course #4: Cauliflower with multiple coatings, 3 gels, and apple soup. Divine. I could eat this every day, and be completely happy.
Course #5: Yuba bean curd, fried, wrapped with tender butterflied shrimp and a tiny bit of citrus peel and chive, sprinkled with sesame, and accented with a miso dipping sauce. FANTASTIC. I loved this course. Crunchy and salty, with sweet tender shrimp and a hint of spice in the sauce, it was just perfect. These should be served everywhere, in giant baskets like breadsticks.
Course #9: Beef, Beer, and Peanuts. Braised beef short rib under a translucent sheet of Guinness beer, with broccoli puree, fried broccoli, shaved broccoli stalks, fried peanuts, mustard, and pink peppercorn. So good. Hubband really enjoyed this course. It may sound like an awful lot of broccoli, but no preparation of it was overpowering. The peanuts added great textural contrast.
Course #17: Wagyu beef over maitake mushrooms and smoked dates, drizzled with Blis extra-aged sherry vinegar, finished with fennel pollen. So nice. Tender, buttery beef, paired with the earthy, powerful mushrooms and sweet dates, it was soft and luxurious.

Every course was precisely thought out, and each presented us with something to think and talk about. Although some courses were not necessarily to our taste (pine ice cream!) we enjoyed the experience and the conversation that they stimulated. Our 26-course meal took about 4 hours, and I can't find praise high enough for the food, the service, or the company. It seemed every detail in this restaurant was given the same attention as the food. Even the air-conditioning vents were covered with diffusers, so no chair was in the path of a cold breeze. (If you recall the earlier note about my uncontrollable shivering tendencies, you understand why I notice these things.)

(My one quibble? The coffee. This was an expensive meal, as I'm sure many of you already know. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most of the guests who go there, and if someone is paying that much for a meal, I think coffee after dinner should be included or complimentary, not $6.00.)

Dessert Day

2008-09-28T08:11:00.002-04:00

With our guest here last week, I felt free to indulge in some extra baking; after all, there was another mouth to feed, so there was less likelihood that I would be eating 50% of everything I made. 33% is much better for me, right?

I had a marathon baking day involving 7-layer bars, (crust requires slight tweaking, hopefully there will be a recipe in future) small almond cakes aka friands, and some buckeyes.

Now I am not from Ohio, I did not attend The Ohio State University, and I do not pledge allegiance to college football. However, I do think that a nice bit of peanut butter candy enrobed in chocolate deserves to be enjoyed regardless of sports or state affiliation. We are equal-opportunity confectionary consumers in this household. This recipe is very easy, although a bit time-consuming, and making the centers can, and probably should, be done a few days ahead of when you want them. We found that they were delicious the day they were made, but after sitting for a few days in the fridge, the confectioners' sugar really hydrated and the centers became creamier.

Buckeyes

Having a chocolate dipping set (a little fork with two tines and a hollow spoon) helps tremendously, and they're only a few dollars at your nearest big craft store. Dipping takes a little bit of practice to get the exposed circle of peanut butter nice and even...I need more practice myself, as you can see. Is that just an excuse to make more? Of course not.

1 1/2 C peanut butter (Jif or Skippy or your preferred brand, not the natural kind)

1/2 C softened butter

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

3/4 tsp salt

1 lb box of confectioners' sugar

12 oz dark chocolate ( I used 60% cacao Ghiradelli chips)

1 Tb vegetable shortening or margarine

Beat peanut butter, butter, extracts, and salt until smooth. Stir in the confectioners' sugar. The dough will be very crumbly. Take 1 - 1 1/2 tsp of the dough and roll into a ball. You will probably have to squeeze and work the dough in your hands to warm it up a little before the ball will hold together nicely. Place balls on a tray or sheet pan lined with parchment or a Silpat. Chill the peanut butter balls in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or up to 4 days.

Melt the chocolate with the shortening in a double boiler or in the microwave. Place each peanut butter ball in the chocolate with your dipping spoon or fork, and let a small circle of peanut butter show, uncovered at the top. Place dipped peanut butter ball back onto the parchment to cool and set.

**Update: I find Skippy brand peanut butter is a bit more oily than my usual preferred brand, and this means the balls are easier to roll and don't need the few days in the fridge to hydrate.**

Hubband proclaimed he would rather eat these than any other candy he could think of, so I deem them a success!

Home Again, Part 4

2008-09-25T08:46:00.010-04:00

After Seattle, Glacier Bay, and Juneau, we continued down the Inside Passage and arrived at Sitka, AK. Sitka gets only about 1/4 of the visitors in a year that Juneau does, due to a slightly rougher passage and a shallow harbor that forces everyone to use small boats to tender from the large cruise ships to the pier. We went on two excursions in Sitka: a hike through Tongass Rainforest, and a Marine Life photo safari. Tongass in Sitka was just as amazing as its northern end in Juneau had been, but with more ecosystems. Our hike took us through the forest itself, (sometimes through a tree itself)to tiny coves, an estuary where the pink salmon run was going on, and to the muskeg. Muskeg is a really interesting acidic ecosystem, similar to a peat bog. The soil can hold 15-30 times its weight in water, so stepping on it isn't a good idea...it would feel like a sponge, and then you would sink. The soil is so acidic that the few shore pines that can grow in it gain only 5-15 feet in height in 400 years. We have few pictures of the forest, unfortunately, because while we were there it was accumulating some of the more than 200 inches of rain it gets per year. I feared for the camera's safety. Also, if you ever risk being out in the rain for 3 1/2 hours, double check to be sure your coat is waterproof, not just water-resistant...not that I would know anything about that situation...

Eventually we had to leave that amazing forest and head to our next activity, a Marine Life Photo Safari, which was incredibly fruitful. We headed out on a covered catamaran, (protected from the wind, which I was very grateful for) and very soon we saw a group of harbor seals sunning on rocks. Just a little further out, we came across a lone humpback whale feeding in shallow water, surprisingly close to another grouping of rocks. We watched it for a while, and moved on to find a cove that provided the opening to an estuary, where pink salmon were continuing their run, and where a large number of bald eagles were getting their fill. I'd never seen so many eagles in one place before, even in my time working with exotic animals. It was breathtaking. We eventually continued out in the bay, seeing large numbers of various birds on the way, and saw two sea otters wrestling in the water. I was very excited, having been hoping to see an otter or two, so imagine how I felt when the captain announced that we were slowing down to try to creep up on a raft of otters! A raft is a large grouping of sea otters who are just floating together, and I had never even seen a photo of one. They very kindly stayed put for us, and there must have been about 60 otters in the raft, just floating together, interacting, with a few breaking off every now and again to wrestle or swim a bit more energetically. Here are two that were a little separated from the raft, which you can see a little bit of in the top right corner. Look at the belly on the otter on the left!

After marveling at the otters for at least half an hour (I myself would have been happy to stare at them all day) we moved even further out in the bay, and found ourselves with humpback whales on every side. There were probably 4 or 5 out there, casually feeding, ignoring us. Hubband ran up onto the top deck to be sure the photos wouldn't be obscured by the windows, as some earlier shots had been, and caught these two amazing photos:

The whales were beautiful, and brought back memories for me, as every New England schoolchild goes on at least one whale-watching field trip. I hadn't seen a humpback in person in about 15 years, and I was thrilled to see so many. As we moved around, we also saw Steller sea lions, just barely poking their faces out of the water.

It was a great time, but it had to end, and the catamaran brought us directly back to our cruise ship, where some silly person who was still utterly soaked to the skin finally got to take a hot, hot shower and warm up from that 39 degree air.

The Morning-Time Dilemma

2008-09-22T15:42:00.007-04:00

I love brunch. It's not so much that I enjoy the later time frame; it's the combination of sweet and savory foods. My main breakfast dilemma is sweet vs savory, and it's always difficult. If we go out for breakfast, I won't know what I'm ordering until the last second, when the server comes over, everyone else has ordered, and I've narrowed it to two selections, one sweet, one savory. Whichever I blurt out under pressure becomes my breakfast. At brunch, though, everyone expects a bit of both, and my indecision becomes a non-issue (for the moment).

Recently browsing Dorie Greenspan's blog, I came across a post about an article she had written for Bon Appetit Magazine involving a Bacon-Cheddar quick bread. "Mmm", I thought. "Cheesy porky bread." Then I noted that the recipe also included dried pears. "Wait... cheesy, porky bread... with sweet bits?! An integrated sweet/savory breakfast option!"

I normally wouldn't just have something like that around the house, but we had a guest coming to stay, and I decided he would be an excellent excuse. I mean guinea pig. Oh wait, I mean test subject. CRAP! I mean, uh... I thought he might enjoy some freshly baked breakfast bread. Yeah, that sounds better.

I of course decided to play with the recipe a little bit, and used my homemade bacon, some Comte cheese, thyme, and dried unsulphured Turkish apricots.

The bread was lovely. Dense, very flavorful, decidedly savory but studded with sweet, soft chunks of apricot, it was a wonderful departure from run-of-the-mill breakfast. It was especially delicious when topped with poached or over-easy eggs.

Thank you Dorie!

Bacon-Comte Quick Bread

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan and Bon Appetit Magazine

The original recipe calls for cheddar cheese, walnuts, minced sage, and dried pears. I changed them to Comte, thyme, and apricots just for my own preferences, leaving out the nuts. If you want to add nuts, she recommended 1/3 C of walnuts, toasted and chopped. I made a second loaf with bacon, Keen's Cheddar, sage, and dried apples, and it just wasn't as tasty. Keen's cheddar is a very strong, tangy cheese, almost with a hint of 'Blue' flavor which overpowered the other ingredients, and the apples soaked up too much liquid from the batter, making the finished bread dry. Stick with a moist dried fruit like apricots or pears.

5 slices bacon, chopped

1 C coarsely grated Comte cheese

1/2 C Comte cheese, cut into 1/4" cubes (Between shredded & cubed, about 6 oz total cheese)

1 C diced moist dried apricots, preferably unsulphured

1 Tb fresh thyme leaves

1 3/4 C all-purpose flour

1 Tb baking powder

1/2 Tsp salt

1/4 Tsp freshly ground black pepper

3 large eggs

1/3 C whole milk

1/3 C extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" metal loaf pan and set aside. Cook sliced bacon in a large skillet until lightly browned and crisp, then transfer to paper towels to drain. In a medium bowl or on your cutting board, combine bacon, all of the cheese, the apricots, and the thyme. In another, larger bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Whisk together eggs, milk and olive oil, then pour over the flour mix and stir until just moistened. Batter will still be lumpy. Add bacon-cheese mix and stir until incorporated. The batter will be sticky and ugly and lumpy, but ignore that. Pour into the prepared loaf pan, smooth evenly, and bake for 55-65 minutes, or until golden on top and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

Home Again, Part 3

2008-09-19T15:16:00.006-04:00

After our time in Glacier bay, the ship moved on to the state capital, Juneau. Fortunately, our room faced the port so we woke in the morning to a view of the city:

Hubband, T, and A were booked to go on a float trip down the Mendenhall River, near Mendenhall Glacier. Being prone to motion sickness, I opted to go on a hike through the temperate rainforest on Douglas Island, just across the channel from Juneau. We decided that it would probably be better if the camera came with me. There were about 24 of us on the excursion, and we split into two groups to go through the forest. It was beautiful there.

It was very different from the forests I knew growing up in New England; there were far more lichens and mosses, and fallen trees decompose very slowly due to the cold, leading to a very wild, almost overgrown look. Some on the walk expressed the thought that the forest looked 'jumbled' or 'messy', but I just saw it as renewal. There were still berries out, even though we were there at the beginning of fall.

We walked a few miles through the forest and eventually came out on the shore of the Pacific, on the far side of Douglas Island. There is really no dirt here on the island, just rock topped with volcanic ash and the composted remains of old plant life. There was a very sharp delineation between forest and shore, because the shore really didn't have that compost layer. There were some tenacious rye grasses growing among all the rocks and bits of shell but the rest of the vegetation was mostly sea weed brought up by the tide. While at the shore, we watched a pair of Harbor Porpoise feed, a pair of bald eagles defend their territory from another, and a porcupine strip bark off a hemlock tree.

After we walked back through the forest and were transported to the pier, I waited for Hubband, T, and A so that we could go on our next excursion. Unbeknownst to me, they had returned much earlier than I had, and much wetter and colder, so they had already reboarded the ship to change into drier clothes. They did have a good time, but also learned just how cold glacier run-off can be. (If you're curious, it's about 34 F.) Eventually we found each other and headed off to the mine, where we heard about the founding of Juneau, mining techniques, went inside a mine shaft, and saw an equipment demonstration. The view from just outside the mine shaft entrance was amazing:

After panning for gold and garnets in the old tracings from the mine (cheesy, I know, but still kind of fun) we went back to downtown Juneau looking for a snack. One of my rainforest guides had mentioned a little hut near a parking garage that sold king crab, so Hubband, A, and I headed there while T stopped at a different hut making crepes. Hubband and I each got a cup of steaming hot king crab bisque, while A got an order of legs. Both came with delicious garlic rolls. The bisque was unlike any other I've ever had; there was definitely a mustard flavor to it, and while it was thick and rich, it didn't sit in our bellies like a brick the way some will. There was a ridiculous number of enormous chunks of crab in each cup. Fabulous. A, who doesn't particularly like seafood, ordered the crab legs in a fit of adventurousness, and reaped the dividends. Steamed freshly to order, caught that day, he was shocked by how much he loved them. T caught up with us, carrying an enormous crepe folded in 4 and filled with chocolate, strawberries, and bananas. Perhaps not as authentically Alaskan as king crab, but delicious. The young woman making those crepes loved her job, and it showed. Everyone we met in town seemed to share that quality of love; mostly it was a love for their home, and an eagerness to share the reasons why. I think the reasons were pretty obvious.

ARGH!

2008-09-17T10:09:00.004-04:00

Blogger has been refusing to load my photos for the last two days! Sorry for the delay; I'll post as soon as I can!

Foodie Friends

2008-09-14T13:37:00.011-04:00

Last night Hubband and I were treated to a Florida Foodies dinner at a restaurant we love, bluezoo, by Foodbuzz as part of their Dine On Us program. The goal of Dine On Us is to bring together food bloggers beyond the internet, to eat together and share our common love of food and story-telling. We were lucky enough to meet Chris of Pickles and Cake, Judy of No Fear Entertaining, Ingar of Taste Memory, Susan of Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy, Jenn The Leftover Queen, Erin & Chris of the olive notes, Lys of Cooking in Stilettos, Christey and Peter of FotoCuisine, and Bryan The Tattooed Gourmet. Also in attendance was Ryan, the director and managing editor of the Foodbuzz Publisher Community. She flew all the way from San Francisco to join us, and I'm very grateful to her and Foodbuzz for sponsoring this gathering. Many thanks are also due to Jenn and Judy who have spent many hours over the last few months organizing this dinner, which was the first to be suggested and organized by bloggers themselves, and not initiated by Foodbuzz.

We were treated to a six-course meal, including amuse-bouche and dessert, with wine and cocktails, in a private dining room. This was the amuse:

a littleneck clam with bacon ragout and white wine reduction. It was followed by the first course: shrimp cocktail steamrollers, which I do not have a great picture of, but I'm sure many will be posted in the next few days on some of the blogs listed above. Both the amuse and the first course were delicious, with the shrimp cocktail having a very modern presentation and amusing way of eating it that served as a great ice-breaker.

The salad was our second course: mixed greens with roasted red beets and yellow beet ribbon, candied walnuts, walnut powder, brioche crouton, and goat cheese fondue. Delicious. The earthiness and subtle sweetness of beets, with the tang of goat cheese and the buttery walnuts, a great and classic combination with a new twist. Third course was Arctic char, curried beluga lentils, zhataar-spiced carrots, and a yogurt-harissa spill. This was my least favorite course, as my arch-nemesis, cilantro, was found in every component. The fish was perfectly cooked, however, and I wish I could have eaten it.

The fourth course was chicken, cooked sous-vide style (vacuum-sealed and put in a temperature-controlled water bath, 66 degrees C for quite a while). The chicken was then warmed in the oven and seared quickly to crisp the skin, served with tomato sauce and parmesan polenta, and picholine olive gel. This course was good, but not amazing. The flavors were too familiar, and all the novelty lay in the cooking technique. It was, however, the best polenta I've had.

Dessert was a warm chocolate cake, surrounded by maracaibo chocolate pudding and caramel sauce, topped with peanut ice cream. A decadent and lovely ending to a very fun meal.

Some of the lovely ladies in attendance:

It was a fantastic night, with good food and great company. All of these bloggers (and their supportive spouses!) were warm, funny, friendly people with whom I would be happy to spend many more such evenings.

Thank you again to Jenn, Judy, Ryan, and Foodbuzz for organizing and sponsoring this event!

Popeye Would Be Proud

2008-09-11T08:15:00.000-04:00

Recently I was debating on what to make for dinner when I randomly remembered a restaurant of my youth: The Ground Round. Why anyone might want to name a restaurant that is beyond me, (the restaurant itself was actually quite nice) but when I was young we loved to go there, and I often ordered the spinach salad, before it was cruelly removed from the menu. It was a wonderful salad, with hard-boiled eggs, bits of bacon, and a warm dressing, and it was often amusing to see the face of the server when a child ordered raw spinach with no prompting. They were much less surprised when my sister and I wanted to order cinnamon dippers, bits of deep-fried dough rolled in cinnamon-sugar and served with fudge and strawberry dipping sauces, for dessert.

In the spirit of The Ground Round, I made this salad with warm dressing, using my homemade pancetta.

Incidentally, the pancetta turned out fabulously. I know it's rude to toot one's own horn when it comes to achievements, but...toot toot! I'm very proud of it and I will absolutely be making more when I run out. It has way more flavor than anything I've found in a store. Hooray!

Warm Spinach Salad

This salad was great as a dinner, with two eggs per plate and some rotisserie chicken. It would also be a wonderful side dish with no chicken and less egg, just divided into more servings. I'm leaving the amount of spinach open, after all, only you know how much salad you want, and you can always save any extra dressing. Use regular bacon if you don't have pancetta.

Baby spinach leaves, washed and dried

Hard-boiled eggs

Shredded cooked chicken (optional)

2 oz thick pancetta, cut into small cubes

1 C red onion, thinly sliced

1/3 C balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 Tb grainy dijon mustard

3 Tb olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Fill plates with your desired amounts of spinach, egg, and chicken (if using).

Place cubed pancetta in a cold saute pan and turn the heat to medium. Cook, stirring as needed, until the fat renders out and the pancetta is browned. Using a slotted spoon, remove pancetta to a paper towel and set aside. Reserve the fat in the pan, and add the red onion. Saute until the onions are softened and lightly browned. Turn off the heat. Add vinegar and mustard and whisk to combine. Let reduce for a minute or two in the residual heat of the pan, then add olive oil and some black pepper. Taste dressing and adjust seasonings to taste (extra vinegar to add zing, extra oil to mellow). Spoon dressing over spinach, egg, and chicken, and top with reserved pancetta.

Home Again, Part 2

2008-09-08T12:23:00.004-04:00

Earlier I posted about the first leg of our vacation, Seattle. Although the trip went on for a further 8 days, Seattle was the highlight as far as food was concerned, although later destinations won the prize for being scenic. This blog was originally meant to be about both food and life, but has definitely tended toward the food end, so I have decided to have posts about our vacation interspersed with posts about food that I'm making now that I'm back home.

As mentioned earlier, we flew to Seattle on a Saturday, wandered, ate, slept, wandered, ate, and then boarded a very large ship. We took a cruise out of Seattle, and our first day and a half were at sea. By the way, just because you're on a big ship doesn't mean you don't feel the motion, no matter what people say. Fortunately, some hard-core wooziness and general "I just don't feel right" were the worst that I suffered, and Hubband...well, nothing bothers him. Except when he looked over the side of our balcony; he finally admitted that looking down 8 stories off a ship was much more disconcerting than looking down 8 stories off a building, although he couldn't put his finger on why. Here's a candid shot I took just before that confession:

He seems a little suspicious, of what I'm not sure.

After that first day and a half, we entered Glacier Bay, Alaska for some scenic cruising. Scenic? I'd say so.

There was also wildlife in the area, happily for me. (You assumed my nerdiness ended at food? Oh how wrong you are, dear grasshopper.) We saw Minke Whales, Bald Eagles, Sea Otters, many types of gulls, Common Murres, and these little fellows, Tufted Puffins.

Really, you have to click on the photo and make it bigger. Don't they just make you smile?

As we continued up the bay, we went out on deck to see the mountains and eventually the glaciers, and as you might expect in a place known for giant moving walls of ice, it was a tad nippy out. The ship began serving their "signature pea soup" to make everyone feel a little warmer, and our friend A. decided to try it. Pea soup? With 'ham' apparently:
The glaciers were beautiful: majestic, awe-inspiring, and enormous. Really, the size was almost impossible to grasp. We were 10 stories up at this point, and the ice was taller. Some of these glaciers were 10 and 12 miles wide, and extended back for many more.
This is a zoom photo of the glacier extended far into the distance, going higher and higher into the mountains. No, glaciers are not pristine white ice, they are shades of electric blue, an effect produced by the light absorption of the varying densities of the ice. The black is all dirt and rock they've picked up over time as they scrape against the landscape. It was almost surreal. These were, without doubt, some of the most amazing, humbling, awe-inspiring, wow-inducing, unforgettable hours of my life, for which I am so thankful.

If you ever have an opportunity to go, do it. If you don't have an opportunity, try to make one. It is so worth it.

A Thank You

2008-09-05T13:14:00.004-04:00

I know that I'm a lucky girl. I have a great life in many ways, but what truly makes me lucky is Hubband. I'm blessed to have found someone who is as adventurous and unafraid of food as I am, and who is so supportive of all of my endeavors. He is exceedingly proud of this little blog, and loves to direct people's attention to it, including his coworkers. They, in turn, have been kind enough not only to read it, but to leave very sweet and encouraging comments for me.

Back in August, before we left for our trip, I decided it was time to send them a little thank-you in the form of baked goods. Being the over-analyzer that I am, I had trouble deciding what to make. It had to be easy to transport, both in the car and through the city as Hubband went from parking garage to office, nothing so incredibly fragrant that the whole office smelled of it, interesting but not wacky, etc. Eventually, I decided on cookies. Specifically, pecan shortbread cookies sandwiched with dulce de leche. It just sounded like something that would be tasty with morning coffee.

Although I had made the cookies before, I'd never made (or eaten) dulce de leche. It's really just sweetened condensed milk, cooked until the sugars caramelize, and is really very easy. You can do it on the stovetop or in the microwave, and all it takes is patience.

The cookies turned out well and Hubband's coworkers seemed to like them, so I'm happy.

Thank you again for all of your comments and support!

Pecan Shortbread

adapted from Ina Garten

This recipe is simple and very good. I've toyed with the idea of replacing a little of the granulated sugar with light brown sugar to deepen the flavor, but I haven't tried it yet. Let me know the results if you do! Try sprinkling turbinado or raw sugar crystals on the dough before baking for an added sweet crunch.

3 sticks of butter, at room temperature

1 C granulated sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

3 1/4 C all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 C pecans, chopped into small pieces

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together butter and sugar until they are just combined and crumbly. Do not cream them together, as this will ruin the texture. Add in the vanilla and almond extracts. Sift together the flour and salt and add them, along with the pecans, to the mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until the dough just starts to come together. Dump out the dough onto a floured surface and shape it carefully into a flat disk. It will be a little crumbly at first, but don't worry about it. Just work it as little as possible. Wrap the disk in plastic and chill for 30 minutes. While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 350F. After the dough has chilled, roll it out between two sheets of plastic, or inside a large zip-top bag, to 1/2" thick. Remove the top layer of plastic, or cut down the seams of the zip-top bag and fold back the top, and cut the dough into whatever shapes you'd like. Place the cookies carefully onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 20-25 minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown.

Dulce de Leche

1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk

Pour the milk into the top bowl of a double boiler. Add water to the lower pot and bring to a boil, then place the bowl on top. Cook over low heat, stirring every now and again, for about 45-55 minutes, or until the milk thickens and becomes light caramel in color. Whisk until smooth.

Alternately, pour the milk into a microwave-safe container and cook on 50% power for about 4 minutes, stirring halfway through. Cook for 10-12 minutes more on 30% power, whisking every few minutes, or until thick and light caramel-colored. Do not walk away from the microwave, as the milk will sometimes begin to bubble up, and you don't want a Mt. Vesuvius situation with boiling hot milk and sugar.

Home Again

2008-09-02T12:34:00.008-04:00

Many of you know that Hubband and I were gone last week on a wonderful vacation with friends T & A, of Memorial Day fame. Yes, I pre-wrote the pancetta and cookie posts and scheduled them to go up while we were gone. Why? Because I knew that my hard-core readers (ha ha!) needed their fix. Also, because I'm sneaky like that.

Anyway, last Saturday morning, August 23rd, we headed to the airport and began our journey. After one layover and a few time zones, we ended up in Seattle. Once established in a hotel, we met up with our friends and went for a walk to explore and find dinner. We ate at Etta's Seafood on Western Ave, after ogling Pike Place Market.

I tried their Manila clams with Washington Chardonnay; the description is so simple and unassuming that you might pass it up, but you would be missing out. The bowl is heaped with beautiful tiny clams, and the broth below them...wow. Not just Chardonnay. Butter, salt, garlic, and a wonderful hit of chile pepper lent great depth and flavor. Bread for dunking: an absolute must. The cornbread pudding was also interesting. Everyone enjoyed their dinner, and we continued with our explorations.

The next morning, Hubband and I woke up early (darn you, time zones!) and were incredibly hungry, so very unwisely we went back to the Market. It had been near to closing time the day before, so we hadn't gotten to see everything, which was our justification. Our growling bellies prompted us to look at everything with favor, and when we got back to the hotel, this is what we found ourselves carrying:

Ok, so that's kind of alot for just two people. And no, it's not a complete carb fest...there is spinach, egg, and cheese in that piroshsky (top right corner) and there is BBQ pork in the hambow (bottom right corner). And surely there must be some eggs in the custard of the rhubarb tart (central wedge). Other players were (clockwise from top left) a cinnamon palmier, a blueberry scone, fresh strawberries, pain du chocolat, a cinnamon-cardamom-walnut braid, orange-honey bread, almond-filled croissant, almond friand, and fresh raspberries, along with great coffee for me and ice tea for Hubband. Everything was good, but of course we had favorites: the piroshky and the hambow. Both had incredible savory fillings, and I could happily devour one of each just about every day. If you ever find yourself near Pike Place Market, do yourself a favor and pop into Piroshky Piroshky and Mee Sum Pastries. I will be dreaming about that hambow for the rest of my life. We also loved the rhubarb tart and the friand, both from Le Panier. Don't get me wrong, everything was great, but those were the standouts.

It's probably a really, really good thing I don't live anywhere near that market, as I would be there every day buying fresh vegetables and flowers.

As tempting as all the beautiful bouquets were, Seattle was only the beginning.

The Ubiquitous Cookies

2008-08-29T08:51:00.000-04:00

These cookies are everywhere. It seems like everyone in the food-blog-iverse has tried out these cookies recently, and with good reason. David Leite basically proclaimed them to be THE definitive chocolate chip cookie in The New York Times. That's a pretty big statement. True, he did go through a fair amount of trial and error, research and tasting, and he called in some big star-power to help him out (Jacques Torres, French confectionary god), but that's still a pretty big statement. People everywhere have taken the bait and tried his cookie. Who am I to fight the tide?

Four things of note in this recipe: It calls for 24-36 hours of chilling time, to allow flavors to develop in the dough. It lists two types of flour, neither of which is all-purpose. It also calls for sea salt to be sprinkled on top of the cookie before baking. As a big fan of sweet/salty combos, I'm fine with that. Lastly, it requires bittersweet chocolate feves to be used. Feves are (expensive) oval disks of high-quality chocolate. They can be difficult to find, and for many, a lot more than you might want to spend to make a cookie.

I made the dough on a Tuesday afternoon, and decided to do a little research of my own. I would bake off a few cookies after the dough had sat for 3 hours, then a few more 24 hours after that, and the rest after the full 36 hours. I also varied the timing of the salt topping. All in all, I discovered that while delicious soon after making the dough, it does benefit from the chilling time specified in the recipe. The freshly made dough is a little salty, before the sea salt even gets sprinkled on, and the rest time allows that saltiness to disperse and round out the other flavors. I also found that I preferred sprinkling the cookies with sea salt about 3/4 of the way through the cooking process, instead of on the dough before it goes into the oven.

Conclusions? These are great cookies. They have crisp buttery edges, but maintain a soft chewy center. Hubband thinks they should replace the standard recipe in my repertoire. Mom loves them, including the salt topping, which is a little surprising considering she doesn't eat much salt. And my niece? Well, let's just say these cookies are:

"Blogger tested, niece approved."

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from The New York Times, David Leite, and Jacques Torres

The original recipe calls for cake flour and bread flour. I actually had cake flour, but not bread. Bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour, and thus makes things a little chewier. I think it would be worth trying the bread flour another time, but I didn't feel like making a trip to the store just for that. I used all-purpose instead, and the texture was still very nice. I also didn't want to go looking for chocolate feves, so I used some dark Ghiradelli chips I had on hand.

8.5 oz cake flour (2 C minus 2 Tb)

8.5 oz all-purpose flour (1 2/3 C)

1 1/4 Tsp baking soda

1 1/2 Tsp baking powder

1 1/2 Tsp kosher salt

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

10 oz light brown sugar (1 1/4 C)

8 oz granulated sugar (1 C + 2 Tb)

2 large eggs

2 Tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 lbs dark chocolate chips or chunks

Combine dry ingredients (flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt) in a bowl, mix, and set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until it is lighter in color and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula, add dry ingredients, and mix on low until just combined. Add the chocolate, and mix just until incorporated. Press plastic wrap on the surface of the dough and refrigerate as long as you can resist the oven's siren call, hopefully 24-36 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and remove the bowl of dough from the fridge to slightly soften. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or some parchment paper. I used an ice cream scoop to portion the dough; mine holds about 2.5 Tb. Scoop 6 balls of dough onto the baking sheet, evenly spacing them. Roll between your hands for a smoother looking cookie. Bake for about 15 minutes, then sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake for 4 more minutes, or until golden brown but still soft. Let sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes to firm up, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Repeat with remaining dough.

Makin' Bacon, Part 2

2008-08-25T08:40:00.000-04:00

Those of you familiar with this blog know that I made my own bacon a few weeks ago for the first time. You may also remember that one of the mini-slabs that I cured was destined to become pancetta, the unsmoked Italian form of bacon. After being steeped in a flavorful cure of salt, sugar, garlic, thyme, juniper berries, bay leaves, black pepper and nutmeg for a week, then rinsed and dried, I rolled the slab into as tight a cylinder as I could muster, and tied it with cotton twine. I hung it up in an old beverage fridge that maintains a constant 58 degrees, no matter what, for 2 weeks, and Voila!

My very own pancetta! Hanging it up for the two weeks dried and firmed it a little, and will supposedly deepen the flavor. I haven't had an opportunity to use it yet, but I couldn't wait to share with you.

'Pig'ging Out

2008-08-21T08:15:00.001-04:00

As much as I love to cook, I also deeply enjoy going out to great restaurants, and last Saturday Hubband and I tried a new one: The Ravenous Pig. After having read great reviews in various magazines several months ago, we'd put it on our list of places to try. We still hadn't gotten around to it until we found out that Bottle Shock (a movie about the headline-grabbing 1976 California wine victory) was in limited release and playing in Winter Park, just down the street from The Ravenous Pig. It seemed serendipitous.

We arrived just after 5:30, opening time, and were seated right away without a reservation, although typically I would recommend one; this is a popular place. The decor was warm and cozy, and we immediately felt comfortable. The restaurant, which prefers to be known as an "American Gastropub", has an ever-changing seasonal menu, sourced locally and organically as much as possible. We started with a house-made Salumi platter, which included traditional prosciutto, fennel salumi, chorizo-mole salumi, duck breast prosciutto, and tallegio cheese, along with garnishes of toasted bread, pickled okra, and arugula salad. All delicious, and of high-quality. We followed with salads; the Gatherer for me and the Gardener for him, but of course we shared. Sharing is caring, people. The Gatherer consisted of greens tossed with beets, goat cheese, pistachios, avocado and an herb vinaigrette. Absolutely delicious. The Gardener, however, was a totally different animal. It was more of a tart: a thin round of crisp, buttery dough topped with soft onions and oven-dried tomatoes. The tart itself was then topped with a small salad of greens, fennel, almonds, roasted garlic, and a sherry vinaigrette. The tomatoes though...oh my heaven those tomatoes. Obviously of perfect quality to begin with, they had been slowly oven-dried for hours, resulting in dense, sweet, RICH tomato flavor. They were closer to the flavor of tomato paste than fresh tomatoes. Hubband immediately asked that I experiment with that technique at home. That tart/salad was so good, I could eat one for lunch every day, no problem.

Our entrees followed, and didn't disappoint. I had seared diver scallops with pork cheek hash and charred corn relish. But honestly, how could I be anything but happy? So many of my favorite things on one plate! And done so well! The scallops were seared to perfection, the hash was tender and and deeply porky, with the body to stand up to those buttery scallops, and the smokiness of the charred corn pulled it all together. Hubband had black grouper, with a saffron-chorizo broth, clams, and fingerling potatoes. It was just as great. Tender clams, moist fish, and a rich, lip-smacking broth. The fingerling potatoes were drizzled with a tiny bit of lemon aioli, which added a really nice acidic contrast. We of course perused the wine list as we made our way through the meal, and it was a very interesting one. They prefer organic and biodynamic wineries, and our server was very knowledgeable. He had great recommendations, and very generous pours. As we wanted to be sure we were going to make our movie, we skipped dessert, but I have absolutely no doubt we will be back again and we will be sure to make time for it.

The Ravenous Pig, overall, was great. Cozy and friendly, with smart staff, imaginative food, and an eclectic wine list. It's a little pricey, but in my view, it's worth it.

I do apologize for the lack of photos, and I hate to leave a post so unadorned, so here's a little one to make up for it:

"Did you bring home a Doggy Bag?"

Keeping It Cool

2008-08-18T08:15:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago we went to dinner at a local Greek restaurant with good friends T. and J. The restaurant was insane; the loudest place I have ever tried to eat in, with servers throwing napkins everywhere and belly dancers sidling up to, and sometimes on top of, tables. Needless to say, it was a good time. Another plus? The sangria was excellent. We had hummus, Tzatziki, and Saginaki, a flaming dish of broiled salty cheese, for starters. We followed with various entrees, mine being a lamb kebob. I enjoyed the oregano and lemon on the meat, and put it on my mental list of flavors to play with at home. The Tzatziki, a combination of thick yogurt, cucumber, and dill, reminded me of a simple cucumber salad I used to make, which was just sliced cucumbers, sour cream, and dill. I added it to my mental list as well.

Florida is hot in August. I may have mentioned this before. It's most likely something you could have guessed on your own. Still, it provides motivation to look for meals that aren't going to completely negate the effects of air conditioning. On a scorcher of a day recently, I decided not to turn on the stove at all, and turned to those refreshing Greek flavors to make a simple grilled dinner a little more interesting. I mixed chopped oregano with lemon zest, minced garlic, salt, and pepper and rubbed it beneath the skin of a chicken, letting it marinate for an hour or so. I made a simple oregano-infused oil to brush on the vegetables, and mixed up some Tzatziki for dipping. The chicken went on the rotisserie attachment to the grill, the veggies beneath, and the Tzatziki came together in about 5 minutes. It was a great summer evening dinner.

Tzatziki

Greek yogurt is getting easier to find, but if you can't, it is possible to use regular yogurt. Be sure it doesn't have any added stabilizers like food starch, gelatin, or gums. Line a strainer with a few coffee filters and put 2 cups of regular yogurt in it. Set the strainer into a deep bowl that will allow drained liquid to sit without touching the strainer. Cover the setup tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate 10-12 hours, or until about a cup of liquid has drained out of the yogurt.

Feel free to add more or less dill to your taste. I find it to be a very strong herb.

I use 'English' cucumbers, which have fewer seeds and thinner skins. If you have a regular cucumber, you may wish to peel the thick waxy skin.

1 medium cucumber, halved and seeded

1 C plain whole-milk Greek or Greek-style yogurt

2 Tb olive oil

1 Tb + 1 Tsp chopped dill leaves (try mint for a change)

2 Tb lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt and pepper, to taste

Shred the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater. Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, dill, lemon juice, garlic, and salt and pepper. Mix in cucumbers. Check for seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, dill, or lemon as you like. Serve chilled.