A Seasoned Kitchen

Magical Peanut Butter

2010-07-01T15:14:00.000-07:00

The Culprits

The most recent couple of times I noticed that peanut butter was making something taste better, I chalked it up to coincidence and the fact that it had the term butter in the title. Butter pretty much makes everything better. Then is started to notice that things I didn’t necessarily enjoy on their own were made incredibly tasty with the addition of some kind of peanut butter. Could this be mere chance? After a mild deliberation with my culinary memory, I made the eureka-like epiphany that peanut butter has actual magical powers and should be revered amongst all staple pantry ingredients. Think about the logistics of this statement. Celery and apples are quite boring on their own but smear them with peanut butter and you have a tasty snack that even kids love. A piece of whole grain toast is made delectable with peanut butter spread on it. Chocolate cupcakes are good on their own, but really they are just a vehicle for peanut butter frosting. The list goes on and on, its official; peanut butter is magical.

So now it’s time to apply it to a more substantial dish. Summer is here and summer vegetables are abounding at every market and begging to be eaten. Eggplant, bell peppers, broccoli, summer squash and tomatoes are all incredibly good for you, require little preparation (if any at all, I usually just stand at the counter and eat the entire carton of baby tomatoes) and make a great one dish meal, especially with the addition of a little protein. And here is where the magical peanut butter comes in. When dealing with kids, and even many adults (who are we kidding here), a dish composed entirely of vegetables is not often the most appealing dinner meal. Eureka moment alert: pour a peanut butter based dressing over said vegetables and suddenly it’s a rush for seconds at the dinner table. Another great quality about this dish is that you can easily swap out ingredients for whatever you prefer. I love it with blanched asparagus when the season is right.

So there it is, my quasi argument for the supernatural nature of peanut butter. And bear in mind, my choice of peanut butter is the super healthy, all natural, and no sugar or additives kind. Imagine what a jar of skippy would bring to the recipe…

Mixed Vegetables with Asian Peanut Dressing

2 bone in skin on chicken breasts
1 tbs olive oil
1 medium summer squash, halved lengthwise and cut into half moons
1 small Japanese eggplant, halved lengthwise and cut into half moons
1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets
1 red pepper, cut into strips
1 cup fresh snap peas
¼ cup diced scallions
1 cup cherry tomatoes

Dressing:

¼ cup smooth peanut butter
1 tbs honey
½ cup vegetable or canola oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
3 tbs low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbs apple cider or apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay chicken breasts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake approximately 35 minutes, until cooked through. Set aside to cool.

To make dressing, microwave the peanut butter and honey in a heatproof bowl for 10-20 second, until easy to stir. Add remaining ingredients and whisk to combine.

In a non stick skillet over medium low heat, cook the eggplant and squash in the olive oil until soft and starting to brown, about 10 minutes, turning heat up towards the end to caramelize the vegetables. Pour into a large bowl and add peppers, snap peas, tomatoes and scallions. Add an inch of water to the skillet and bring to a bowl. Add the broccoli florets, cover and cook 2-3 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to stop cooking process. Add to bowl with other veggies. Remove skin from chicken and shred into bite size pieces. Discard bones and skin. Add to bowl and pour dressing over to moisten. Wonderful served over brown rice. Makes 4 dinner portions.

Crusty Around the Edges

2010-06-10T16:19:00.000-07:00

I am such a slacker. I know it’s been a ridiculously long time since I’ve posted anything. Sometimes a girl just gets a little busy. What with a relaxing vacation to Hawaii, an engagement, keeping up with client demands and wedding planning, how dare I not post anything for Almost Two Whole Months! So sorry. To make it up to you, I shall give you the crostata! My favorite food season is beginning and peaches, nectarines and apricots have commenced as being my entire diet. As in I buy a pound from my guy at the farmers market at 3 pm on Tuesday, and by 10 am Wednesday, the entire lot is in my tummy. I am ridiculous with fruit.

So it’s time to start making summer fruit desserts. The jams are on deck, especially since they are going to be favors at my nuptials (awwww, how sweet, homemade jam as gifts!) and the summer pudding is begging to be made, but the crostata is a huge guest and client impresser so I’ve been turning em out like it’s going out of style. This dessert has the added bonus of making extra crust to be used at a further time. And I have yet to meet a crust I didn’t like.

For the Crust:

2 cups all purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, diced and frozen for 20 minutes
¼ cup ice water

For the Filling:

1 ½ pounds peeled and pitted/cored fruit (apples, pears, peaches, plums, nectarines, etc)
¼ cup flour
¼ cup brown sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
¼ tsp cinnamon (if using apples or pears)
½ stick unsalted butter, diced

To make the crust:

Place the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse a couple of times. Add the cold butter and pulse 10 to 15 times, until the butter is crumbly and in small pieces. With the motor running, add the ice water and then pulse until the dough almost comes together in a ball. Dump onto a floured surface and form two balls. Flatten into a disk and wrap each one in plastic wrap. Freeze one for another time and put the other one in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll the crust into an 11 inch circle on a floured surface and place on the baking sheet.

Cut the fruit in half and then into large chunks and pour onto the tart dough, leaving a 1 ½ inch border around the edges. Combine the flour, sugar and cinnamon, if using in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Spread evenly over the fruit mixture and gently fold the dough up over the fruit, pleating where necessary to make a circle. Don’t worry about it being perfect, the point is for it to look rustic and homemade. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until dough is golden brown, let rest 5 minutes, and then carefully remove to flat surface. Serve warm, yields 8-10 servings.

It's a Salmon Smorgasbord

2010-04-28T17:04:00.000-07:00

I adore the word smorgasbord and so rarely do I find an opportunity to use it in a sentence. In april and may I find myself describing the onslaught of salmon in my diet the perfect opportunity to use it. These months mark the beginning of wild king salmon season, one of my favorite times a year. When I say I love salmon, I mean I Love salmon. Love it like I love foot massages and half price designer jeans. However, I don’t eat farmed salmon, for reasons that hopefully don’t sound too preachy when I (gently) explain why you shouldn’t eat it either. While I stand by my moral salmon issues, I find the months between the seasons very sad.

So when the first beautiful pink fillets start appearing at my trusty fish monger’s stand, the weekly meals become pretty salmon heavy. I am of the belief that salmon needs very little to make it delicious; a smoking hot pan, a splash of olive oil, a sprinkling of kosher salt and a nice hot sear on both sides. I can usually get away with this for a month or so before my household starts kindly requesting a new form of salmon delivery. And by kindly request, I mean begs for another form of protein besides the scaly, gilly kind that swim upstream to spawn.

Enter the salmon cake. Much like a crab cake in method, it’s a great way to use salmon in creating new flavors and textures. The integrity of the fish still comes through, but the potent salmon flavor is tempered by the other ingredients, few as they may be. It’s also a great way to use leftover fish of any kind, snapper, cod and halibut are all great substitutions. I will stick with salmon for now, as I simply can’t stand to part with my beloved fish. Thank goodness for the invention of the caked form of fish. It allows me to keep using my star ingredient without causing those I love to sprout gills.

Salmon Cakes

1 pound fresh wild salmon, skin on
1 Tbs heavy cream (optional)
1 cup of panko (Japanese style breadcrumbs)
1/3 cup good mayonnaise
½ cup thinly slice scallions
½ cup chopped celery
1 large egg
Kosher salt
Canola oil for cooking

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a small baking sheet with foil. Place whole salmon fillet on foil and rub with heavy cream, if using. Sprinkle with kosher salt and bake approximately 10 minutes, until salmon is almost cooked through (it will continue to cook as it sits). Set aside to cool slightly.

Mix ¾ cup of panko, mayonnaise, scallions, celery the egg and ½ tsp kosher salt in a large bowl. Once fish is cool, flake it into the bowl, discarding the skin. Mix gently, trying not to break up the salmon too much. Form the mixture into 8 patties, about 1 inch thick. Spread the remaining panko on a large plate and press the cakes into the bread crumbs until all sides are coated.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tbs of the oil over medium high heat. Fry the salmon cakes in two batches until golden brown on both sides, about 8 to 10 minutes total. Remove to a paper towel, heat 2 more tbs of the oil and repeat with the remaining cakes, adding a bit more oil if needed. Drain on paper towels and serve hot. Serves 4.

Don't Hate on the Fava Bean

2010-04-07T14:11:00.000-07:00

As juvenile as it may seem, I still cannot think of a fava bean and not associate it with Hannibal Lector and a nice chianti. That doesn’t mean that I don’t love a good fava bean, because I do. And they do go very nicely with chianti. The liver I’m not so sold on. Fava beans are relatively underused and I understand why. They are a lot of work. First you have to shell them, this takes a nice commitment of time, and you still aren’t even done. Then you have to blanch them for a couple minutes, and you’re Still not done! They must now be peeled out of their shells. It’s a lot of work, and about 2 pounds of whole beans will yield less than a half cup of prepared beans. It’s hard to justify that, I get it. Yet, I am still drawn to them, hard work and all.

I find they are best used in a dish with few other ingredients so that the strong flavor of the bean really comes through. Lately I’ve been really into adding a punch of something salty to my dishes and this is how the bones of this dish came together. Green beans are one of my favorite green veggies, but are often bland and redundant, especially as a menu option to my clients. So I added fava beans to them and the dish was so much better. And since I was on a roll, I fried up some nice prosciutto and threw it in. Wow, what a delish flavor combination. I stared serving it to clients and so far 4 people have declared it their new favorite of my side dishes and requested it once a week. I guess I did good.

A note for those who are a bit hesitant to undertake the process of fava bean extraction; frozen beans work perfectly.

Fava and Green Bean salad with Prosciutto

1 cup shelled fava beans (from about 2 pounds whole beans)
1 pound of trimmed green beans
2 oz good quality prosciutto, diced
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Add the fava beans and cook two minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook 3-4 minutes, until crisp tender. Pour into colander and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Add beans to a large mixing bowl. When the fava beans are cool enough to handle, peel back the outer shells and add the inner beans to the bowl with the green beans. Stir in the olive oil, pine nuts and a small pinch of salt.

In a non stick skillet over medium high heat, cook the prosciutto 5-7 minutes until nicely browned and crisp. Add to bean mixture and taste for seasoning. Keep in mind prosciutto is quite salty so be careful when seasoning. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm. Yields 4-6 side dish portions.

An Ode to the Chickpea

2010-03-25T17:26:00.000-07:00

I adore the chickpea. I would give the chickpea hugs if I could. I would sing it lullabies and tuck it in at night if there were a chance I wouldn’t be looked upon in horror. It is a wonderful and underused ingredient, full of fiber, protein and vitamins, and delicious to boot. It is incredibly versatile and a great substitute for meat should you want to cut back on carnivorous activities. I love my meat, but lately I have been trying, for economical reasons, to scale back on our meat purchases and include at least two vegetarian dishes each week. The chickpea comes in quite handy for this. I recently made chickpea and black bean burgers with a mango avocado salsa and believe me, the meat was not missed by anyone.

My main adulation for the chickpea comes from its versatility. Hummus is a household favorite and chickpeas are the base for any hummus. I also often replace all purpose flour with chickpea flour, which is how this recipe came about. Chickpea flour has a rich nutty flavor that adds a bit of substance to a dish that might not come from all purpose flour. It does not have the same baking quality though, and I wouldn’t recommend making a batch of cupcakes with it, but for savory dishes, I greatly enjoy the flavor imparted by chickpea, or garbanzo bean flour. Try using it when making a roux or white sauce, it gives the dish a little something extra without throwing off the original flavors of the dish.

The back story to this recipe is the time I made cheese puffs with chickpea flour replacing the ap flour in the dough for the puffs. A cheese puff is basically made from cooking flour butter and water together then mixing in eggs. When I cooked the flour, water and butter together, I thought it might make a nice batter for other items as well. Enter the chickpea fry. Once the batter is made, the dough is chilled and cut into fry-like sticks then shallow fried in oil. Yummy. The nuttiness of the flour gives the “fries” a hearty, substantial taste and they are a great accompaniment to a flaky white fish or grilled pork tenderloin. I think they do justice to the chickpea. It would be proud of me.

Chickpea Fries

2 cups chickpea flour
2 Tbs minced fresh parsley
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tsp salt
2 ¼ cups water
½ cup vegetable or canola oil, for frying

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients except oil and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil and whisk constantly for 1 to 2 minutes, until it forms a thick paste. Pour the dough onto a small rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spread evenly with a spatula to form a smooth surface. Refrigerate 1 hour. Remove from fridge and lay on a large cutting board. Cut dough into ½ inch wide sticks, about 4 inches long, or whatever size is to your fry liking. Prefer matchstick fries? No problem, cut them smaller.

In a large heavy skillet, heat several Tbs of the oil over high heat. Add ¼ of the fries and cook on all sides until golden brown. Repeat with remaining fries, adding oil as needed. Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with more salt, if desired, and serve hot. Serves 4-6 large portions.

A Tasty Way to Ruin Your Clothes

2010-03-16T15:40:00.000-07:00

That age old saying that your grandparents taught you about some lessons in life being learned the hard way is in fact a true statement. Like that you should Never wear any articles of white clothing while prepping or cooking beets. Yep, I learned that today, when my (favorite) white pants were irretrievably marred with pink splatter marks when I got a little too excited peeling the beets. Maybe that is my punishment for wearing white before labor day. Whatever the reasoning, lesson learned. Although in the back of my mind there is a little voice asking, “you didn’t know that already?”

Ruined pants aside, I am now relishing in the fruit of my sacrifice. This delicious little appetizer is something I first made when I was working at the academy awards a few years ago. Hundreds upon hundreds of mini beet and goat cheese napoleons were passed around on silver platters that night, and it was me that made at least 150 of them. It is such a simple idea, requiring just two lovely ingredients. It’s one of those dishes that made me wonder why in the world I hadn’t thought of it before. I love beets and goat cheese in salads, so why not make a dish out of those two items alone? And while we’re at it, let’s make it incredibly pretty with a striking presentation.

A few words of wisdom on making the napoleons; use dental floss to cut the goat cheese and be sure to wipe the knife blade between cuts. I know it sounds strange to use teeth paraphernalia in the kitchen, but I assure you, nothing works better to slice through soft cheese.

Beet and Goat Cheese Napoleons

1 lb fresh beets, any color you like
1 log of goat cheese
Sea salt for serving (optional)

Bring a large pan of water to a boil over high heat. Chop the greens off the beets (if you are feeling experimental, save these and try cooking them, they are Delicious! Like swiss chard, only without all the bitterness and with all the health benefits.) Trim the tail off the beets too, if they have one and place in the boiling water. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 to 50 minutes, until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain and set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, remove the skins by rubbing with your fingers. They should come right off. Slice the beets horizontally into ¼ inch slices and set on papers towels to absorb some of the redness.

Place the goat cheese in the freezer for 20 minutes before you slice it to help it firm up a bit.

Lay the log of goat cheese on a cutting board and using a long piece of dental floss, slide the floss underneath the log and pull up on the two ends, about a ¼ inch from the end. You want to end up with similar size slices as the beets. Repeat with remaining cheese. If you are using large beets, flatten slices slightly with your palm so they reach the edge of the beet slices. Lay a goat cheese slice on top of a beet and then top with another beet slice. You can make them two layers for a more dramatic presentation, but I like to stick with one layer. Slice in half, rinse the knife and then slice into quarters. Sprinkle with a bit of sea salt for a nice finish and serve.

My first attempt to be cool like Daniel Boulud.

2010-02-25T10:02:00.000-08:00

For as big of a foodie as I consider myself, I am a bit behind the times on the new up and coming chefs in the industry. I’m sure it is partly because I’m not a restaurant chef, but also because I don’t really eat out and try new places. I read as much as I can and am always interested in new culinary flavors and trends, I just couldn’t tell you much about the It chefs of the previous years. On the flip side, chefs like Eric Ripert, Thomas Keller and Daniel Boulud are legends in my mind. True pioneers of the culinary world and as revered to me as Frank Gehry is to my architect boyfriend.

Daniel Boulud is my subject of interest today, and the aforementioned boyfriend recently gave me an article about one of the chef’s most famous dishes, sea bass paupiette, or sea bass wrapped in potatoes. It is a classic at Le Cirque in New York and still made by special request at his restaurant Daniel. I’ve always wanted to try it and looking over the recipe, thought that I could easily bang it out in a night’s work. It’s basically a fillet of sea bass encased in long strips of very thin potato, then cooked in clarified butter to a crisp golden brown with perfect, meltingly tender fish on the inside. Doesn’t sound too challenging right?

My first step afoul was the potato I choose. Granted, it was the largest one I could find, but it still wasn’t long enough to wrap the entire fillet. So I had to double up on the strips, which of course wouldn’t allow me to create an enclosed package of potato goodness. I figured I would just wing it, and try my best to hold them shut over a pan of sizzling butter. That would be step 2 afoul, and the nice oil burn on the inside of my left wrist can attest to that. Step 3 afoul was something I cannot fix, that being that I have an electric stove, and I think this recipe really is only made for the even heat of a gas flame. And last step afoul was the fact that my non stick pan, while top notch, is a circulon and has a spiral patter on the bottom to promote even heat. This has the side effect of producing a spiral pattern on the potato layer. So all in all, the experiment proved slightly more difficult then I was imagining, but that being said, the end result was freaking delicious. I decided to share the recipe just in case there are any others out there who feel like emulating a legend. Plus, you will Really impress with this dish. I served it with a slight variation of the sauteed leeks that usually accompany the dish, and made creamed leeks.

Next time around, I will search high and low for a potato that is long enough, conduct the experiment with a gas flame and succeed! I am a determined lady, and one day I will be able to produce sea bass paupiette, and therefore be cool, like Daniel Boulud.

Sea Bass Paupiette, by Daniel Boulud

4 skinless sea bass fillets, no belly meat and each around 6-7 ounces and rectangular
2 Very long Idaho baking potatoes, peeled
4 Tbs clarified butter (instructions below)
Kosher salt

Using a mandolin, slice each potato into very thin slices. Do not rinse them, the starch is supposed to help them stay on the fish. Place one slice on the cutting board and overlap it slightly on one side with another slice. Repeat until you have reached the length of the fillet and then repeat with remaining potatoes until you have four potato packets. Season each fillet liberally with kosher salt and lay perpendicularly on each potato packet. Fold the edges of the potatoes over to enclose and brush the entire thing with 1 tsp clarified butter.

Pour the remaining clarified butter into a large non-stick pan set over high medium heat. Sauté the paupiettes until golden brown on all sides, about 2-3 minutes on each of the four sides.

How to clarify butter:

In a small saucepan over very low heat, add one stick on unsalted butter. Heat for around 10 minutes, until butter has melted and the white solids have sank to the bottom and a layer has formed on the surface. Carefully remove from heat and spoon off layer from surface. Pour the golden liquid into a separate pan, being careful not to pour the white solids as well. I have found using a damp coffee filter to strain works well, or just stop pouring before the milky solids are reached. Ta Da, clarified butter.

Using up the Zucchini

2010-02-19T15:00:00.000-08:00

Even though we’re still only in February, every time I visit the local market, there are zucchini abounding. Zucchini is one of those summer vegetables that simply procreate to the point where you cannot give them away. When I was growing up, if you took a drive along the old farm roads, there would be bushels of zucchini sitting at the end of driveways, free for the taking. Unfortunately, everyone else was in the same position, so more often than not, they would simply rot away. Many a hog was fattened on summer squash.

It’s always a fun challenge to create new recipes in efforts to use up all the zucchini. A while ago, I read about a chocolate chip cookie recipe that has shredded zucchini in them, and I plan on giving those a try in a couple months. And even though this recipe is slightly ahead of the normal zucchini season, I was making them for a cocktail party tonight and couldn’t help writing about them. They are the perfect little mouthful. Just one bite of zucchini goodness, in the shape of a mini muffin, which makes them fun as well.

Zucchini Fritters

2 Tbs unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbs heavy cream
2 Eggs
3 Tbs whole grain mustard
1 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbs minced garlic
1 medium onion, diced
1 Tbs chopped fresh basil or parsley
1 cup all purpose flour
¼ cup cornmeal
½ tsp baking powder
3 medium zucchini, grated
6 oz gruyere or swiss cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray 2 mini muffin pans with non stick spray.

In a large bowl, combine first 8 ingredients (through basil or parsley) and whisk to combine. Mix in flour, cornmeal and baking powder and mix gently. Add grated zucchini and cheese and stir with a spatula to evenly distribute all ingredients. Spoon heaping tablespoons into each mini muffin cup and place trays in oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until deeply browned on top. Let cool in pans for 2 minutes, then invert onto a large plate. There should be enough batter to repeat the process once more. Serve warm or let cool completely, then package in airtight containers and store in fridge. Reheat in microwave or on a sheet tray in a 300 degree oven for 10 minutes. Makes approximately 40-50 mini fritters.

Circumventing the Anger

2010-02-10T19:54:00.000-08:00

Granola bars make me angry. It is constantly hammered into our brains that eating oats is ideal as part of a healthy diet, making kids, and the grownups who force them, eat bowl after bowl of yummy gruel-like porridge as our breakfast. I happen to not be one of those who feels forced, I actually really enjoy my oatmeal breakfast, but it can be said that a fair amount of people consider a bowl of oatmeal to start the day as a good meal; for a horse. Yet, they endure, forcing the slop between their reluctantly parted lips, saying to themselves, healthy healthy healthy!

When the invention of granola and granola bars came along, shoppers flocked to their nearest store, in hopes of obtaining the oat health factor in a package that tasted like dessert. Now that there was a way to eat oats without having to bribe your child, or force it down in gulpfuls, chased by sugared coffee or orange juice, everyone forgot about the virtue of a bowl of oatmeal to start your day. But we all forgot to read the labels now, didn’t we? An average granola bar contains sugar, high fructose corn syrup and more high fructose corn syrup. Yes, it still has the oats which we all need in our diet, but they are completely overshadowed by the artificial ingredients that make up the majority of the product. So an average person is possibly under the impression that they are making a smart food choice by consuming granola bars, when in fact they may not know the hidden ingredients that aren’t such a good choice. Hence, my anger.

Homemade granola bars were my way of venting my frustration with commercial products. I made them out of spite and discovered that they were so delicious and easy to make, there was no way I could be angry with the granola bar any longer. As long as I made them my way. The Barefoot Contessa gave me the basic idea; from there I expanded to make it my own. These bars are full of yummy dried fruit, heart healthy oats, almonds and flax and local honey in place of corn syrup. They still have sugar in them, don’t get me wrong, but I tried to keep in minimal, and they really don’t need much. Store bought granola bars; eat your heart out.

Granola Bars That Don't Make Me Angry

1 ½ cup old-fashioned oats
¾ cup sliced or slivered almonds
¾ cup shredded coconut
¼ cup flax meal
2 Tbs unsalted butter
½ cup plus 2 Tbs honey
2 Tbs canola oil
¼ cup brown sugar
Kosher salt
½ cup chopped dried apricots
½ cup chopped dried cherries
½ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup cocoa nibs (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350. Lay a piece of parchment into a 8x8 baking dish and press into corners.

Combine the oats, almonds and coconut and spread onto the baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, shaking the pan once, until light golden in color. Remove from oven, pour into a large bowl and mix in the flax meal. Set aside.

Lower oven to 300 degrees. In a small sauce pan, combine butter, honey, canola oil and brown sugar and bring to a low boil. Cook a minute or two then pour over the oat mixture and stir to combine. Add the fruits, cocoa nibs and a pinch of salt and mix well. Pour into prepared pan and using your hands, press the mixture down into the pan so that it is evenly distributed. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool in pan for 2 hours, and then remove using parchment as handles. Cut into bars or crumble to make granola. Store in an airtight container for several days. Makes around 10-12 bars.

Note- this recipe is easily double, simply use a large rimmed baking sheet instead of an 8x8 dish.

A Healthy Way to Catch the Sauce

2010-02-03T14:14:00.000-08:00

I am a true believer that one of the best parts of a meal is the sauce. I don’t make a lot of food with sauces, but when I do, it is far and away the best part. I once had a client offer me $100 for the recipe to a port reduction sauce I had made for a dinner party at her house. After a quick giggle, I gave it to her for free. That's how I roll. A thick, rich sauce swimming around a plate, soaking it’s wonderfulness into anything that dares block its path; heaven. The best vessels for catching stray sauce, beyond the meat it was designed for, are mashed potatoes and polenta. Relatively neutral and textural perfect to take on whatever flavor the sauce carries. However, as delicious as these side dishes are, there is not a lot of nutritional value in them. I wouldn’t go as far as to say they are unhealthy, for that is not the case, but I thought there had to be healthier options that delivered the same. Cauliflower puree was a great substitution, but cauliflower is one of those vegetables that many people are adverse to, so I wanted to find something else that would work.

Enter the celery root and the parsnip. Celery root, or celeriac, is the extremely odd looking, knobby vegetable you may have seen and pondered next to the carrots and celery. It has a sweet subtle flavor that is something between a potato and celery, with hints of fennel. Parsnips are the long white vegetables masquerading as albino carrots. Both are root vegetables that have the texture of a potato, but each more flavorful and packing more nutritional value than one. I didn’t stop there either; I added golden delicious apples and then added a potato for a thickening agent. Cooking in water didn’t quite do it for me, so I cooked them in apple juice instead. Yum. Finishing the dish with cream added a bit of a splurge, but gave the puree the creaminess that a great mashed potato would have, so I figured it was worth it. The finished product impressed two meat-and-potato guys, so I figure that is always a good sign. I have to admit I was pretty proud of myself with this one, and in the end it didn’t even need a sauce to be a new favorite of mine.

Celery Root, Parsnip and Apple Puree

1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1Tbs unsalted butter
1 pound of celery root, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 pound of parsnips, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 golden delicious, peeled, cored and cut into large chunks
1 medium yukon gold potato, peeled and cut into large chunks
½ cup good apple juice
½ water
½ heavy cream
Kosher salt

Add oil and butter to a heavy bottomed sauce pan set over medium heat. Add all vegetables, a pinch of salt and cook for about 5 minutes. Add apple juice, cover and lower heat to maintain a simmer. Cook approximately 30 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Check occasionally to make sure there is still liquid in the pot. If not, add some more apple juice or water. Remove from heat, stir in cream, and process with an immersion blender or in a food processor. Return to pan and add a bit of liquid of choice if too thick. It should be texturally similar to mashed potatoes. Season to taste. Serves 4 large side portions.

Take That Bill Cosby

2010-01-29T12:29:00.000-08:00

I am a sucker for nostalgia. I had a pretty cool childhood, especially in retrospect, and I enjoy partaking in foods that bring me back to that time. Cooking the chicken and dumplings that my mom use to make us, or spending hours making gnocchi, just like my Nona used to do, puts me back to a time where the days were lazy, I would ride my horse for hours in the mountains, and modern technology was all of 3 channels, if we moved the bunny ears just right.

Chocolate pudding is one of those memory-inducing foods, not so much for its ingenuity, but because it was and is a dish that is incredibly easy, requires few ingredients (box of pudding mix, milk) and satisfies those intense chocolate cravings I must satiate from time to time. We always had a box of Jell-O pudding mix around the house, and on those occasions when there was no milk, we would use water. It works fine. When I starting working in the food industry, there were times when I would make pudding out of the box and silently berate myself for taking the easy route. I mean, didn’t I spend a small fortune on culinary school? Shouldn’t I be able to make pudding from scratch?

I finally did come around, but admittedly, it was a client that made me a convert. I had a request for something rich and chocolaty, and they are mostly gluten free, so that eliminates many options that would require flour. I realized that my opportunity was there, and I must, against my own resistance, make pudding that didn’t come out of a box. They are not paying me to make things out of a box. So I took the plunge, borrowing a basic outline from my good friend, the Barefoot Contessa. I expanded on a basic chocolate pudding recipe and made it a bit more unique with the addition of orange, but the pudding is wonderful on its own as well, without flavorings.

There really is no comparison to the real deal, it is so wonderfully smooth and rich and decadent, without being heavy or dense. And even though it certainly isn’t as easy as adding milk to a powder and stirring, the whole process takes about 20 minutes and there are few ingredients. But, while this recipe is altogether very simple, it does take a bit of patience, since it is important to constantly stir the mixture over low heat, until it begins to thicken. I put on the Glee soundtrack and dance around at the stovetop, it’s ridiculously amusing to see, I imagine. I can just picture my neighbors glancing through the dining room window and seeing me in my sweatpants, rocking out to Don’t Stop Believing, and stirring a pot on the stove.

Chocolate Orange Pudding

2 cups 2% milk
6 large egg yolks, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder (I use Ghirardelli)
¼ cup corn starch
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ cup chopped, high cacao, bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
2 tbs unsalted butter
1 tbs grand Marnier, triple sec (optional)
2 tbs heavy cream
½ tsp grated orange zest

Bring the milk to a low simmer in a medium saucepan. Take care to heat the milk slowly to avoid scorching.

Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until light in color and tripled in volume, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on low, add the cocoa powder, corn starch and salt and mix to combine. Carefully pour the hot milk into the mixer, combine thoroughly and the pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
Over low heat, cook the mixture, stirring constantly until thickened to pudding texture. It takes 10-12 minutes (or about 4 songs on the aforementioned soundtrack) for the mixture to thicken. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients, stirring until the chocolate has melted.

Pour into individual serving containers and cover with plastic wrap. Press the plastic wrap directly on the top of the pudding (this prevents it from forming a “skin”). Chill at least 2 hours. Serves 4.

The Importance of Salt

2010-01-20T14:07:00.000-08:00

Salt is a tricky substance. Often hailed as a pariah of the culinary world, the cause of all things bad and unhealthy, the mastermind behind hypertension and high blood pressure, and marketed to avoid at all costs. Overuse it and food becomes instantly unpalatable. Underuse it and food is often bland and not very enjoyable. After working in the culinary industry and knowing just how much salt (and butter and fat) is used, especially in restaurants, I definitely had moments when I debated the health benefits of what my sodium intake was. But salt is a necessity. It brings out the flavor of everything and makes food taste delicious.

I have found that the key is, as with most things, balance and moderation. There is no need to shy away from using salt to season your meals. In contrast, it is actually more conducive to use a good amount to properly season your food, because I have found that when something is under seasoned, I tend to eat more of it, trying to quench my palate’s need for taste. If an item is seasoned properly, I eat smaller portions, therefore reducing my sodium intake in the long run. A great trick is to season and taste as you go, eliminating the need for a huge addition of salt at the end to bring out the taste of the food. I always recommend using kosher salt over table. Kosher salt has more flavor and the grains are bigger, which means they are covering more surface area of the product being seasoned and you can use less with the same result as table salt. There are also wonderful specialty salts available at most grocers, which are fabulous as “finishers”. These are the ingredients I use right at the end of a dish, when it is about to be plated and just needs a dash of something (lemon juice, parmesan) to complete it. A pinch of fleur de sel, deliciously potent French sea salt, adds a great punch of flavor to a dish.

A huge topic of sodium-worthy note is the use of prepackaged goods. Unfortunately, these items tend to be laden with salt and even small amounts can add up to equal your daily recommended sodium intake very quickly. It is advised that no more than 1 teaspoon, or around 1300 to 1500 mg, be consumed per day, which can be easily exceeded if only premade goods are incorporated in daily meals. I believe these items are a huge factor in how we view salt and it’s bad reputation. It is important to check labels, especially when buying low fat items, which can have much higher levels of sodium and sugar to add flavor. Again, everything in moderation, and I realize the impracticality of eliminating premade goods. Using whole foods when possible is the best way to control sodium intake, and always allows you to know exactly how much salt is going into a meal.

So when all is said and done, fear not the flaky white substance. As long as premade items are kept to a minimum, you really have no need to worry about salt intake. If store bought goods are a large part of your life, simply try to read the nutrition labels and adjust portions accordingly. If you are a big home cook, feel free to season your food liberally, remembering that the taste of something is an important, if not The most important, part of the culinary experience. Steamed green beans with no salt will not likely be a memorable dish, and you won’t want to eat them again. But adding a pinch of kosher salt and bringing out all the flavor that a bean has to offer will make a huge difference to your palate and you will most likely remember it tasting delicious and want to eat it over and over

What To Do With Superfluous Beer

2010-01-10T12:20:00.000-08:00

I have the luxury (and occasional downfall) of living with a man who works for Budweiser. While this ensures that we will always have plenty of beer in our fridge, this also means we always have plenty of beer in our fridge. Taking up valuable space in our fridge more accurately. I am certainly not one to complain about always having a beer to offer guests, or to enjoy during a Sunday football game, however, we always have more than we can possibly drink, and I just don’t seem to have enough willing participants to take it off my hands. I thought it would be easier to give away premium lager, but it just comes in faster than we can give it out. Enter my opportunity to be creative in the kitchen and find new ways to incorporate beer into dinner, only on the plate instead of in the glass.

I have used beer in many recipes before, my favorite being a beer braised cabbage. I have used it as a simmering liquid to poach chicken, and I even tried it in place of wine in risotto once. That one didn’t turn out so great. Another way I have been known to use it, and listen up here curly-haired sister friends, is to wash my hair. Yes it sounds weird, but it was recommended to me in my teens and it actually does help with the frizz factor. But I digress; this is a cooking blog, not a hair care blog. Back to the kitchen. This recipe was inspired by a cooking competition I saw on food network years ago. I put a whole bunch of kitchen staples in a pot together with a bottle of beer and let it cook down into a lovely thick syrupy glaze, then added some shredded chicken. This is not a recipe that needs to be followed to a T either, some of the ingredients are specialized, so don’t feel pressure to go out and buy pomegranate molasses. Tweak as you see fit.

Beer BBQ pulled chicken

2 bone-in skin-on chicken breasts
1 tsp olive oil
1 bottle of good quality beer, not mexican (I prefer German lagers, pale ales, or Belgian wheats,)
¾ cup ketchup
2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs BBQ sauce
2 Tbs cider vinegar
2 Tbs pomegranate molasses (optional or you can substitute cherry preserves)
¼ hoisin sauce
½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder (a bit of cinnamon, cloves and ginger can replace this)
¼ cup orange juice
Juice from 1 large lime
1 minced garlic clove
½ tsp ground ginger
2 Tbs brown sugar
2 Tbs honey
Kosher salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Place chicken breasts on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 35 minutes and then set aside to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin then shred the chicken with your fingers. Set aside.

Place remaining ingredients in a medium sauce pan and bring to a low boil over medium heat. Cook for around 30-40 minutes, until mixture is quick thick. It should coat a wooden spoon or spatula and a line should remain when you run your finger down it. Season to taste, add chicken and stir to combine. Serve on buns or better yet, with sweet potato biscuits, which you can find the recipe for here.

An experiment gone awright

2010-01-05T20:33:00.000-08:00

I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to sneak in the kitschy title here simply because over the years I have had so many experiments gone awry. This time however, something quite magical came about. It all started because of the need, as many of us have, for dessert. A dinner party for one of my regular clients was looking like it was going to be a culinary success. Smoked salmon blinis and zucchini fritters; check. Butternut squash soup; check. Roasted fillet of beef with port reduction; check. And then, all of a sudden, 4 more guests arrived and those coconut macaroons I had made earlier were just not going to be substantial enough for the mood of the dinner party. With no form of chocolate anywhere to be found, I couldn’t do a nice soufflé or cake. What to do? Well, my first thought went to berries, I have a go-to cobbler recipe that is fool proof and doesn’t require much that isn’t in most pantries. However, since this was a fancy dinner party, we decided that a rustic cobbler wouldn’t be quite as appropriate as other options. Don’t get me wrong, a giant heap of cobbler dumped in a bowl, perhaps with a scoop of vanilla gelato, is top of my dessert list. We needed something a little more presentable for this instance though.

Bars were the next thing that came to mind, lemon to be specific. But alas, I had less than two hours until dinner with still quite a bit of work to do and lemon bars take a considerable amount of time and detail. Since the client can only eat blueberries, and there just so happened to be a Costco sized container of fresh blueberries in the fridge, I knew I had to go with that. I decided to make a blueberry bar, something I had never done before. I went with my standard lemon bar crust since it is 3 ingredients and takes about 2 minutes to prepare and get cooking. The berries I knew I would have to cook, so I threw most of the container into a sauce pan with sugar and some sliced lemons. Since I didn’t have time to let the berries cool enough for them to thicken properly, I threw in some flour and then added the remainder of the whole berries. Then I simply poured the whole thing over the crust, threw on a crumble topping and popped it in the oven, able to do nothing more than cross my fingers, and toes, that this would be an edible product. The tray was picked clean by the end of the evening, I guess I did alright.

Blueberry bars

For crust:
1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
Pinch of kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 x 9 baking dish by either spraying thoroughly with non stick spray or laying foil to lift out. This makes for easy removal from pan and is highly recommended. To do this, take a long piece of foil and lay it lengthwise in the pan. Then take another piece and lay it crosswise in pan, then spray with non stick spray. This allows gripping the foil and simply lifting the entire concoction from the pan to let cool and then easily cut. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse about 10 times, until ingredients come together and mixture turns pale yellow. Dump into prepared pan and using the bottom of a glass or a measuring cup, pat mixture evenly over pan, pushing into corners and slightly up the sides. Bake for 20 minutes, until just starting to brown. Set aside until ready to use

For Filling and Crumble Topping

1 lb fresh blueberries
¾ cup sugar
2 whole lemons cut in half, seeds removed as best as possible
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 cup 3 Tbs all purpose flour, divided
¾ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
½ stick unsalted butter, cut into small chunks and softened

Place ¾ of the blueberries, the sugar, salt, 3 Tbs flour and lemons in a medium saucepan and add ¼ of water. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until blueberries are broken down and sauce starts to thicken. Remove from heat and add the remaining blueberries, stirring to combine. Let cool 30 minutes. Combine remaining flour, brown sugar and butter in bowl and combine with fingers until ingredients start to come together and look crumbly. Pour blueberry mixture over crust and sprinkle crumble evenly over entire surface. Bake 30-40 minutes, until blueberries start to bubble and topping in browned. Remove from pan if using foil bed, or place pan on cooling rack. Let rest 15 minutes, then cut into squares and serve. Makes approximately 16 two inch squares.

Carrot Double Duty

2009-12-30T10:38:00.000-08:00

I am all for multi tasking and I still can't resist a recipe that does double duty. This time of year especially, when friends and family have time off from work and I can see the people I love again. Since for the most part, I work evenings and weekends, my schedule often doesn't coincide with my friends' schedule and I relish in these opportunities to spend time with everyone while they have time off from work. This is when the cooking ahead and making double batches of recipes comes in handy. More time I can save on cooking, more time I can play. The catch is that since I cook for a living, everyone wants to come over for dinner. Fine with me, being the hostess floats my boat, I just have to be creative in time management so that I can still spend quality time conversing and not standing over the stove the entire time. I make a double batch of the glazed carrot recipe, serve the glazed carrots for dinner, and make soup the next day. And by make soup, I mean take the remaining carrots and puree them. Dinner, done.

This soup is simple and delicious, with the added bonus of being very good for you. Kids have been known to ask for it, boyfriends will scarf it down and ask for seconds and it is an excellent starter course for a nice dinner. Because it won’t fill you up, it pairs beautifully with a coursed meal, yet it’s also a fantastic light lunch when paired with a tasty salad. Smashing the ginger as opposed to grating it releases just enough flavor to enhance the soup without overpowering the carrot’s essence.

For Glazed Carrots

3 lbs peeled carrots, cut into large chunks
2 Tbs unsalted butter
2 tsp granulated sugar
¼ cup chicken stock
1 inch chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and smashed with back of knife
Kosher salt

For Soup
3-4 cups chicken stock

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add sugar, carrots, stock and ginger, place lid on pot and cook for about 10 minutes over medium low heat. Carrots should be almost fork tender, but still have a little resistance to them. Take lid off pot and cook over medium heat until reduced to a glaze, approximately 5 minutes longer. Season to taste. This is a delicious side dish on its own, especially with chicken or pork. To make into a soup, add 2 cups of the stock and puree with an immersion blender or in a standing blender, adding stock as needed to thin. Strain through a fine mesh sieve if desired, although it’s more rustic left unstrained. Pour back into pot if necessary and season to taste with kosher salt. Serve hot. Makes 4 large servings.

Ambivalence and Stew

2009-12-26T10:04:00.000-08:00

The day after christmas brings us all sorts of emotions. There is sadness because the present giving, and more importantly the present receiving, is over. There is joy from all the post holiday endorphins still coursing through everyone. There is courage, from those of us who dare to brave the post holiday crowds at the nearest mall, in the hunt for holiday bargains. There is relief for many because they are going or coming home and perhaps they no longer have to deal with relatives that, um, test their patience. The emotion I experience most on december 26th is ambivalence. I am still with my mom and sister, enjoying our rare time together and not looking forward to heading back home and missing the days of relaxing by the fire and wallowing in the array of wonderful gifts I have been given. I rarely have the desire to go holiday bargain hunting, as my mom has usually gone overboard with the presents and I have no need to add any new possessions to my already strained suitcase. I simply Am, and that is a wonderful way to be. I have new toe socks on my feet, family that I love around me, no need to change out of my pajamas and plenty of delicious food to experiment with in the kitchen.

Which brings me to the relevance of this blog, the day after christmas culinary creations. Since our christmas feast usually consists of a large roast of either pork or beef provenance, it is inevitable that there will be leftovers for many days. Since no one wants to eat the same thing over and over, I like to save some of said cow or pork product to make into stew the following day. Stew is easy, it requires ingredients that are most often already in the vegetable drawer and cupboard and it is incredibly comforting, especially when the mercury level is in the 20's, which it has been here in Portland recently. For us California ladies, that is practically death weather and clutching a steaming bowl of stew while testing Just how close I can stand to the fireplace is my idea of a perfect post-christmas, emotion-free day.

Chile con Carne

1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 lb of boneless pork shoulder, or boneless beef, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 inch chunks
Kosher salt
4 slices of thick cut bacon, diced
1 sweet or yellow onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, halved, seeded and finely chopped
3 Tbs chili powder
1 Tbs cumin
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained
4 cups water or chicken stock
1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup sour cream

This dish is even better the second day, so feel free to make a double batch and reheat the extra in saucepan over medium heat.

Pat meat dry and sprinkle with ½ salt. In a large, heavy saucepan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add meat and cook on each side until well browned, in two batches if pan gets crowded. Remove from pan and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and add bacon, stirring often, until crisp and brown. Add onions and pepper and cook 5 minutes, until softened. Add chili powder and cumin, stirring to evenly distribute and cook 1 minute. Return meat to pan with any accumulate juices, add tomatoes with their juice and water or stock. Bring to a simmer, partially cover and cook 2 to 2 ½ hours, until meat is fork tender. If liquid level gets low, add another ½ cup of water or stock. Add kidney beans and cook 10 minutes. Season to taste, ladle into bowls and top with a generous spoonful of sour cream. Serves 2-4 main portions.

The Sweetest Biscuits

2009-12-18T15:36:00.000-08:00

I must admit; I don’t particularly care for biscuits. Yes, let the hate mail commence. I know they are as American as apple pie and that no stew is quite right without them. I have just never found them all that special. They always taste chemically to me and the baking soda that is so necessary for them to rise always taste so strong and off-putting. Plus, more often than not they come out dense and heavy and I would much rather take up valuable stomach space with something that doesn’t remind me of a hockey puck, thank you very much. Considering my unabashed love for all things bread, this has never boded well that I can’t seem to enjoy a good old fashioned biscuit.

Then I discovered the sweet potato biscuit. Oh my how I came around to the biscuit party after my first taste of one of these. Light, fluffy melt on your tongue sweet potato goodness masquerading as my long time nemesis. I was sold. Over the years, I have tried my fair share of sweet potato biscuit recipes, eventually creating one I thought trumped all about a year ago. Then this past summer when I was working for America’s Test Kitchen, I tested recipes for sweet potato biscuits and a new one emerged that far surpassed my previous winner. A perfect companion for any soup or stew, or for simply smothering with apple butter or strawberry preserves, which is pretty much how I end up eating the entire batch over a period of a couple hours. Hey, they are made with sweet potatoes after all, so they’re good for you.

Sweet Potato Biscuits
Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen, Cook’s Country Magazine

5 medium sweet potatoes
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
3 ¼ cups cake flour
¼ packed brown sugar
5 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
8 Tbs cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces
4 Tbs cold vegetable shortening

Prick potatoes all over with fork. Microwave on large plate until potatoes are soft and surface is wet, 15 to 20 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes. Cut slit in potatoes to release the steam. When cool enough to handle, scoop flesh into bowl and mash until smooth. Reserve 2 cups worth and save leftover for another use. Stir in vinegar and refrigerate until cool, about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, chilled butter, and shortening in food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer to bowl with cooled potatoes and fold with rubber spatula until incorporated.

Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead until smooth, 8 to 10 times. Pat dough into 9-inch circle, about 1 inch thick. Using 2¼-inch biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut out biscuits and arrange on prepared baking sheet. Pat remaining dough into 1-inch-thick circle and cut out remaining biscuits. Bake until golden brown, 18 to 22 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes. Makes 16 biscuits.

A Trip South of the Border

2009-12-18T15:29:00.000-08:00

When I originally sat down at the computer to type my recipe for tortilla soup, it was quite chilly in the Los Angeles area, a term that I realize is somewhat vague, especially for my friends living in Chicago and Boston. Chilly to me is 50 degrees, and the mercury actually dropped to below 40 a few nights ago. Over that blessed few days where it actually felt like December, I went soup crazy. My kitchen was a little nest of warmth from which it was hard to pry myself away from. Quart containers were filled with a veritable smorgasbord of tasty winter treats and the freezer is now too full to put the ice trays back in. I couldn’t help myself. Days off and cold temperatures are too tempting, and I get a little Monica with the cooking.
In honoring the month of soups, I knew that tortilla soup would have to be one of the recipes, considering my love of all things south of the border. The right blend of rich dried chilies and fresh tomatoes cooked together and topped with whatever is around the kitchen is a wonderful way to end a day, in my humble opinion. The best thing about a soup like this is that it is totally adjustable. Very little of the outcome requires precise measuring, and if you like things a little spicier, more potent chilies are easily substituted.

Roasted Chili and Tomato Tortilla soup

2 dried pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 dried California chiles, stemmed and seeded
4 large ripe tomatoes, halved
1 large onion, sliced into 8 wedges
2 garlic cloves
½ tsp chopped fresh cilantro, plus sprigs for garnishing
6 cups of chicken stock.
½ tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sugar
4 corn tortillas, cut into ¼ inch strips
Cooking spray
Kosher salt as needed
For garnishes: 1 large avocado, cut into ½ inch chunks; sour cream

Preheat broiler to high. Place a large sheet of foil on a rimmed baking sheet. Place tomatoes, cut side down on foil, along with onions and garlic. Broil for approximately 10 minutes, until tomatoes start to blacken on top, checking to prevent burning. For last 30 seconds, place chiles on baking sheet. Remove from oven and add to food processor, along with accumulated juices. Remove foil from pan and sprinkle tortilla strips evenly on pan. Spray with cooking spray to coat and broil for 5 minutes, until they start to brown and crisp. Remove from oven and set aside.

Add cilantro to chili/tomato mix and process until well combine, pulsing often to break up chiles. This should take a minute or two. Season with ½ tsp of salt. Add puree to large saucepan and cook over medium heat until reduced by half, around 10-15minutes. Pour in stock, oregano and sugar and cook over medium low heat for 30 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding another ½ tsp if needed. Ladle into bowls and garnish with tortilla strips, avocado, sour cream and cilantro sprigs as desired. Serves 4.

Avocado Anomaly

2009-12-13T17:45:00.000-08:00

I have to admit; I love products with defects. Odd shaped tomatoes, mine. Gnarly potatoes, sold. If something has gone awry in a product I use on a regular basis, I must have it, use it, and talk about it. So when I halved an avocado the other day for my salad and discovered that it had two pits, I was ecstatic. This avocado was meant for greatness, not just another bowl of rabbit food for a basic lunch. I had been curious about making an avocado based soup for a while and figured since it was soup month for the blog, what could possibly be a better time for experimentation?

After some interesting concoctions, I discovered the most delicious result came from letting the avocado stand on its own without too many additional flavor profiles. I original made it using guacamole as my jumping off point, creating a puree of cooked tomatoes, red onion and cilantro and pureeing in the avocado. The result was unattractive to look at and it was strange to be eating guacamole with a spoon and no tortilla chips. Since I wanted a creamy soup full of avocado flavor, I used only what was necessary to enhance that and to create a thick and luxurious soup.
Note: As they love to do, the avocado base in this soup will discolor if left standing for a while. Best to serve promptly.

Avocado Soup

1 large ripe avocado
2 Tbs fresh lime juice
½ cup crème fraiche or sour cream
2 cups chicken stock
Kosher salt
2 tbs fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish

Halve and pit the avocado and coarsely chop in a food processor. Add the lime juice, a pinch of salt and 3 Tbs of the crème fraiche and puree until smooth. Heat the stock in a large saucepan until almost simmering and stir in the remaining crème fraiche. Add the avocado puree to the stock and heat gently for five minute, being careful not to bring to a boil. Ladle into bowls, season to taste and sprinkle with cilantro. Serves two for a hearty lunch, but easily doubled.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

2009-12-08T09:59:00.000-08:00

Fall has always been my favorite season. Even living in Los Angeles for the past 8 years, where “fall” is 75 and sunny, hasn’t sullies my memories of autumn. I grew up in the boonies and the leaves on our 20 acres of property would become a kaleidoscope of colors which I could stare at for hours on end. Riding my horse on our endless trails during fall season will always be in my top ten list of favorite things. Fall was harvest time for us and even though our garden of irises would be just ending, and the tomatoes would be finishing as well, all my favorite vegetables would be coming into season. Butternut squash is at the top of that list and it seems only appropriate that I kick off soup month with my absolute favorite go to recipe for butternut squash soup.

When I first started experimenting with this soup, I tried numerous variations of flavors and methods which to cook the squash. I found simmering it in the pan with the onions and apples didn’t bring out the deep flavor of the squash and it became overpowered by the apple flavor. Roasting any kind of vegetable at high heat is, in my opinion, is the most effective way to bring out the most flavor in vegetables. The high heat causes caramelization and brings out the sweetness of the product. I also tried a few different spices in the soup, cumin, curry powder and I once added roasted garlic as well. While these additions were not bad at all, I found the simpler I kept it, the more flavorful it was, concentrating all the taste buds on the power of the squash. Simplicity always wins, it seems.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into large chunks
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and cut into small chunks
¼ cup dry white wine
1-2 cups of chicken stock
¼ cup of heavy cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place squash on rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tbs olive oil and ½ tsp salt. Toss to evenly coat. Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes, until squash is fork tender and browned on bottom side. Set aside.
In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, set over medium heat, add remaining tbs olive oil, onion and apple. Stir occasionally, until onions just start to brown. Add wine and stir, using a wooden spoon to scrape the bits from the bottom of the pan. Turn heat to low, cover and cook until apples are softened, about 15 minutes. Add 1 cup of stock and squash to pan and cook 1 minute longer. Using either an immersion blender if you have it, or a regular blender, puree soup, adding stock as needed to achieve desired consistency. Return to pot, season to taste and stir in cream, reserving a Tbs to drizzle over the top. Serves 4.

The Base for Everything

2009-12-08T09:57:00.000-08:00

I have found over the years of recipe testing and experimentation that homemade chicken stock really does win over store bought. The gelatin that comes from simmering chicken bones creates a thicker stock with richer flavor than any that can be found in a store. It takes a bit of time, but relatively little work and ingredients. Whenever I make a roast chicken, I freeze the carcass and that goes into the stockpot the next time in make stock. I always make a huge stock pot and then simply freeze it by the quart for later use. To make this you will need a large stockpot, but if you don’t have one that will fit 10 quarts of water, simply cut the recipe in half and make it in your largest saucepan. Obviously not everyone has the time or resources to make home made so store bought stock may be substituted when necessary. My recommendations are the free range, low sodium brands from Trader Joe’s or the low sodium Wolfgang Puck brands

Home made chicken stock

4-5 pound of chicken (wings, backs, whole, legs)
2 large onions, quartered
1 whole garlic clove, left unpeeled and cut in half
2 large carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced

Combine all ingredient in a large stock pot and add 10 quarts of cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered 4-6 hours, skimming foam occasionally. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, discarding solids. Pour into quart containers or large Tupperware and refrigerate overnight. The fat will rise to the top and solidify, remove the following day. Will keep in fridge for one week or in freezer up to six months.

Specialized Kitchen Equipment; some good investments

2009-11-08T14:16:00.000-08:00

As is hopefully obvious from this blog, I love cooking. Since I have been a lover of all things food for quite a fair amount of years, I have accrued a good deal of kitchen equipment, both from purchasing items myself and from fabulous friends and family who support my career. There are some items that I couldn’t bear to part with, but also a great many that I find somewhat unnecessary and perhaps not the smartest investment. I thought I would share what my personal opinions are on specialized kitchen equipment and some suggestions on what may benefit you personally for your individual needs. Some larger standard items that I consider basic and absolutely necessary are a food processor, a kitchen aid standing mixer, and a good cast iron skillet. A blender is also great, but the food processor can stand in many times for recipes that call for a blender. My recommendation if you don’t have a blender (and even if you do) is to invest in an immersion blender. This is my second most used piece of equipment in the kitchen and works on everything from making smoothies to pureeing soups and vegetables. My immersion blender is a Braun Multiquick and it cost me $29 when I purchased it approximately 6 years ago. I have never had a problem with it, you can run the main part through the dishwasher, and it packs nicely into small storage spaces. Here are a few more suggestions for products that I have found to be imperative to my cooking life.

A Micro Plane/Rasp- Used almost daily in my house, this $12 purchase should last you years before it dulls and is a piece of equipment that eases some difficult tasks. Best for zesting citrus fruits, grating hard cheeses like parmesan, and finely grating ginger, I have used mine for grating zucchini, onions and other vegetables. I call this The Finisher, as the uses I engage it in usually are for finishing a dish, as with a final grate of parmesan over a bowl of pasta, or a final sprinkle of lemon zest to vinaigrette.

A Food Mill- A bit more specialized than other pieces of equipment, I still have to recommend this, if only for making mashed potatoes. Since mashed potatoes will become starchy and gluey if put in a food processor, and sometimes hand mashing (no matter what your muscle strength) can leave lumps, running them through a food mill produces perfectly mashed potatoes that are light and fluffy. Also wonderful for pureeing soups and vegetables and reasonable priced as well. The model I have is from Sur La Table and is $29.99.

A Mandolin- This was a hard sell for me originally since I enjoy finely chopping and slicing my produce and never found the need to have a piece of equipment that would do it for me. I was recently given a mandolin as a gift and realized just what I was missing. The ease of having uniform cuts and the mandolin’s ability to produce paper thin results instantly made me a believer. The first thing I did was make apple and sweet potato chips, which took a total of around 2 minutes to cut using the mandolin. Sprinkle with sugar or salt, pop them in a 200 degree oven for an hour or two, let them cool on a baking rack and you have fresh chips that are even more delicious than you can purchase. Just be careful, the blade in incredibly sharp, as my thumb can attest after I gave it a nice deep cut 30 seconds in!

A good quality, extremely sharp, Chef’s Knife- As ironic as it sounds, most cuts come from dull knives. The harder you have to press down on a knife, the more likely it is that there will be a slip and a finger will be a victim. The sharper the knife, the truer the cut, and you won’t need to put pressure to get the job done, ensuring that losing control is highly unlikely and no boo boos will occur. I recommend using honing steel before each use and having your knife professionally sharpened twice a year or so, depending on the level of use. This will be the investment part, as a good knife will likely set you back triple digits. However, a good knife should last at least 25 years if properly maintained and most likely you will have it for life. My recommendations are a Shun 8-10 inch chef’s knife and a Wusthof Classic 8 inch chef’s knife.

Leftover Rice

2009-11-02T14:53:00.000-08:00

It seems that whenever I make a batch of rice, no matter how large or small, there are always leftovers. The amount of white rice that comes with an order or Chinese takeout is usually quite large and I can never finish it, even with a guy in the house who has a substantial appetite. Rice doesn’t hold up well for more than a day or two in the fridge and not too many people would consider a bowl of leftover rice a significant meal anyways. However, since it will complete a meal when served with a deliciously sauce-laden entrée, I wouldn’t ever give that up, despite the leftover conundrum. What to do? I say when life gives you leftovers, make pudding. Same principle I apply when I have leftover bread that is going stale; yummy bread pudding. Rice pudding is quick, requires few ingredients and is a hearty and delicious dessert that you can tweak with many different ingredients to add subtle flavors. For those faint of heart who think you can’t bake, in the words of a certain public figurehead, “yes you can”. Rice pudding is a great segue way into the baking world, and one of those rare baking finds where the ingredient measurements don’t have to be precise. Like lemon flavored rice? Add a tsp of grated lemon zest to the final product. What is so attractive to me about this recipe is the ability to substitute and eliminate ingredients as you see fit. Throw in dried apricots instead of raisins, leave out the cinnamon, add cardamom, it’s all up to you. Once you have the basic method down, the flavorings can be changed without limit, an aspect of baking that I have always wished were more prevalent. So go ahead and order that large side of rice to go with the sweet and sour chicken, and then get busy making this yummy dessert for the next night.

Rice Pudding

1 cup of cooked white rice (long grain, short grain, it’s all good)
2 cups milk
¾ cup heavy cream
2 Tbs sugar
½ tsp salt
½ cup raisins
½ tsp cinnamon
1 egg, beaten

Combine rice, milk, cream, sugar and salt in medium heavy bottom saucepan and bring to a low boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once at a boil, reduce to keep a low simmer going and cook about 20 minutes, stirring often. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, stir frequently and watch to prevent rice from over reducing. It should look fairly creamy at the end, similar to cream of wheat or soft polenta. Remove from heat, stir in raisins, cinnamon and egg and stir for 30 seconds to cook the egg. Makes 4 servings.

Nathan's Chocolate Souffle

2009-10-28T10:02:00.000-07:00

I’m sure that some people find the idea of a guy making dessert to be something of an oddity, which is unfortunate for those guys whose talents for producing deliciously tantalizing and succulent sugar creations are not being procured simply because no guy wants to admit to being a fabulous baker. Cupcakes know no gender boundaries, and my sweet tooth is an equal opportunity employer. Thank goodness for people like my brother in law, Nathan. Now, Nathan isn’t a pastry chef, far from it in fact. He is the best pizza slinger in the Pacific Northwest; a scooter driving, video game loving, rear-wheel-drive car coveting guy’s guy who carried a sword when he married my sister, you know, to keep the zombies at bay. He also happens to make the best flipping desserts this lady has had in a long while.

My first taste of his incredible concoctions was on a trip to Hawaii three years ago, when he and my sister joined me and my boyfriend for a week of sun and fun. Never having known just what magic he could produce with some chocolate, butter and sugar, I was oh so pleasantly stunned to silence by my first bite of his chocolate soufflé, whipped up in about 10 minutes in our vacation rental ‘s “kitchen.” That is the beauty of this recipe; it is fast and easy, has few ingredients and could very well bribe government officials with its rich cakelike shell and velvety molten center. Once I crack into the top of the soufflé, and the molten center starts to flow out, all I want to do is take the plate and tip the warm, melting chocolate into my mouth. It is sweet without being sickly, due to the rich dark chocolate used, and somehow it is both hearty and light, leaving you satisfied without feeling licentious. In fact, if you currently aren’t salivating like a pavlovian dog who hears a bell, there just might be something wrong with you.

Nathan’s Chocolate Soufflé

1 stick of unsalted butter, plus 2 Tbs, softened, for ramekins
8 oz. good quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
½ tsp instant coffee granules (optional)
4 whole eggs, plus 4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
Cocoa powder for dusting ramekins
Confectioners sugar (optional for dusting)
1 pint of fresh raspberries (optional, for garnish)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Liberally rub the insides of 8 individual ramekins with the 2 Tbs of butter and sprinkle with cocoa powder. Tap all sides to evenly coat the inside.
In a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt the butter, coffee (if using) and the chocolate. Set aside to cool slightly. In a mixer, beat the whole eggs, egg whites and sugar on high speed until doubled in volume and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Gently stir the flour into the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula, slowly fold the egg mixture into chocolate mix until just combined, being careful not to over mix. Divide mixture between ramekins and place on rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to 20 minutes, then place in oven. Bake approximately 12-15 minutes, until sides are set and center of top is just a tiny bit jiggly. Cool 2 minutes and then invert each ramekin onto serving plates, gently tapping sides and lifting ramekins off. If desired, dust with confectioners sugar and garnish with fresh raspberries. Makes 8 individual servings.

Note: This recipe is easily cut in half for 4 servings.

Sausage Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

2009-10-25T19:38:00.000-07:00

As I have stated previously, I adore stuffing things and eating them. When you can get your entire food nutritional requirements into one dish, what’s not to like? These rolls have your vegetable group, your protein group and your grain group, and it’s all in one tasty bite. When I first started cooking, I’m sure I would have found these rolls somewhat intimidating, but rest assured that while there are a couple steps, the whole process is performed with relative ease and you can do the steps at your leisure throughout the day. You can even steam the cabbage leaves a day ahead, and you can prepare the rolls up to the final stage before cooking and refrigerate them all day if you want to make them ahead. The only thing you need is a vegetable steamer to go inside a large pot. I make my own sausage meat for this recipe, but if you don’t have the ingredients, feel free to substitute one pound of hot or sweet Italian sausage, removed from its casing and crumbled.

For the Sausage

½ lb ground pork
½ lb ground beef
½ tsp garlic salt
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed with a rolling pin
¼ tsp kosher salt
Combine all ingredients together and mix well. Refrigerate one hour

Sausage Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

1 ½ cups of water
½ cup of pearl barley, rinsed
½ tsp kosher salt
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
½ cup diced celery
½ cup diced carrot
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp chopped fresh or dried sage (otional)
½ tsp kosher salt
1 lb sausage of choice
12 large Savoy cabbage leaves

Combine water, salt and barley and simmer for 40-50 minutes, until cooked through and water is absorbed. Set aside.
In a large pot, bring I inch of water to boil and set vegetable steamer inside. Place cabbage leaves inside, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Rinse leaves under cold water and place on paper towels to dry slightly. Leave water and steamer in pan and keep water simmering.
Heat olive oil in large pan over high medium-heat. Add onion, celery and carrot and cook 5 -7 minutes or lightly browned. Add garlic and sage and cook additional 30 seconds. Season with ½ tsp kosher salt. Add barley to vegetable mix and add in sausage. Mix well to combine. Working with one leaf at a time, place about ½ cup of sausage mixture into center of leaf, then fold in the sides and roll fairly tightly up. Place seam side down onto vegetable steamer and repeat steps until all the leaves have been rolled and stacked into the steamer. There may be leftover sausage mix, think yummy breakfast. Bring water back to a boil, cover and steam for 30 minutes. Check to make sure there is still water in the pan halfway through and add water as needed. Remove from pan (carefully!) and serve. Makes 4-6 servings.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Sage Gnocchi

2009-10-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

Every time I sit down to a meal of gnocchi, I think of my Nonna. Italian through and through, my Nonna makes the most amazing ricotta gnocchi I have ever eaten. It is so good, that for me to even attempt to make ricotta based gnocchi would be blasphemous and downright ridiculous. I have vivid memories of sitting at her kitchen table, staring incredulously with my young eyes, watching her make and strain the fresh ricotta, laboriously knead the dough together, and roll each and every little ball of deliciousness down the back of her fork. She would call me over from time to time to help her press the ricotta into the cheesecloth, or hold the fork steady for her. Sometimes, I would even get the honor of actually rolling the dough myself, oh the simplicity of pleasing a child! Hand her a ball of ricotta and egg to roll and she will have no need for a new bike or doll.

But oh how I have digressed. Since I can’t compete with my Nonna, I make my gnocchi with other ingredients. As much as I enjoy a light and pillowy potato based gnocchi, I like to experiment with other starchy vegetables and see what the outcome is. The best results I have found come from butternut squash and sweet potato, but if you’re feeling adventurous, try using parsnips or sunchokes. The butternut squash puree in this recipe is extremely versatile; I use it for ravioli, mix it into finished risotto and there have even been a few instances where I have been caught eating it off a spoon. Gnocchi sometimes get a bad rep and it’s true that at times the results are dense and unappetizing, but you just have to live and learn. Everyone has made culinary errors, even those of us who have been trained to avoid doing so. I find the best results come from dough that is Just at the point of no longer being sticky, and it just takes a little trial and error to find that balance. Since butternut squash is abounding right now at local markets (69 cents per pound, oh my!), go out and grab one and give this recipe a try. You will be so pleased with yourself and your friends and family will be so impressed that you know how to make the ever-elusive gnocchi.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Sage Gnocchi

For the butternut squash puree:
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into large chunks
2 tbls extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
4 sprigs of fresh sage, stems discarded

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place butternut squash chunks on rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tbs olive oil and sprinkle with ½ tsp salt. Place on middle rack and cook for about 45 minutes, or until bottoms are browned and squash is fork tender. Let cool for 10 minutes. Place squash, sage and remaining tbs olive oil in food processor and blend until squash is pureed, adding a tiny bit of water if needed. Season to taste. It’s important for the squash to stay as dry as possible here. You should have about 2 cups of puree, set one aside and save the other for another use. In an airtight container, it will last a week in the fridge or several months in the freezer.

For Gnocchi:
1 cup butternut squash and sage puree
1-1 ½ cups of all purpose flour, plus more if needed for sprinkling
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 tbs unsalted butter
2 sprigs of fresh sage, leaves removed and chopped
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Place puree and salt in a medium bowl and add flour, ½ cup at a time, mixing gently until flour is Just incorporated. Depending on the tesxture of the squash you may need less flour then called for. Once you get to 1 cup of flour, place the dough on a floured flat surface and knead gently, feeling for stickiness. The dough should be just barely sticky, almost to the point of smoothness. Divide dough into three portions and gently roll into 8 inch long logs, sprinkling with flour if needed. Cut each log into 1 inch pieces, dipping ends into flour if sticky. If you have a gnocchi paddle, roll each piece down to create the ridged shape. If no gnocchi paddle, have no fear! I don't have a lot of specialized equipment and I learned how to roll gnocchi with a fork. Using back of fork, roll gnocchi down, using your thumb to press lightly in the middle and then roll ends together. Place gnocchi on rimmed baking sheet sprinkled with flour and place in freezer for at least ½ hour.

Bring large pot of water to boil over high heat and remove gnocchi from freezer. Drop gnocchi into boiling water, in two batches if the pot is too small to hold all of them without crowding. While gnocchi cook, prepare sauce. In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, add butter and melt. Once foaming subsides and butter starts to brown, add chopped sage and cook another minute. Remove from heat to prevent butter from burning. Once the gnocchi rise to the top of the water, allow to cook for two more minutes, then remove with slotted spoon to sauce, and swirl to coat evenly. Distribute among bowls or plates and sprinkle with parmesan. Serves 4 side dish portions or 2 main dish portions.

Tomatoes With a Twist

2009-10-11T16:25:00.000-07:00

One thing I love about living in LA (Probably one of the only things in fact) is that the moderate climate causes a blurring of the lines in seasonality. Since i love using ingredients that are local and seasonal, it is a huge advantage for me living in a place where you can get fresh tomatoes for a considerably longer period than in other regions. Tomatoes bring me great joy, but only if they are right. And by right, I mean they smell like a tomato and taste like a tomato, not like a mealy, plastic flavored substance that is perhaps a tomato's second cousin, twice removed. You know, like the ones you sometimes find in the grocery store. I like tomatoes in every form; raw, crushed, soup, sauteed, and slow roasted. I know it may sound like a strange thing to do, roast a tomato, but the heat concentrates all the deliciousness of the tomato into this juicy bite of sweet and tangy glory in your mouth. It takes a bit of time since they cook at a lower temperature, but it's set it and forget it, no work involved once it's in the oven time.

To momentarily digress, I feel the need to tell a little story about crazy farmers market lady from a few weeks ago. I am minding my own business, chatting with vendors and inspecting produce when I pick up a tomato and give in a nice whiff. This lady next to me gives me a look of contempt and declares how disgusting she thinks it is that I have smelled the tomato. Oh dear heavens, how could I have had the balls to actually Smell the tomato! So I turn to her and ask cordially how she tells if a tomato is ripe, and she replies, in her saccharine voice" Everybody knows, you squeeze it to tell if it's ready." So I start laughing and tell her she's off her rocker and squeezing it causes it to bruise and turn mushy and know this because my profession is a freaking chef. She just goes off on a rant about how gross it is that I have smelled it, as though perhaps I sneezed on the darn thing, or licked it while her back was turned. Yeah lady, because you man handling it in your grubby palm is sanitation nation. People are strange.

So enjoy the roasted tomatoes, and please don't squeeze them.

Slow roasted tomatoes

2 lbs of tomatoes (use whatever kind strikes your fancy, heirloom, plum, vine ripened, just steer clear of cherry), halved and seeds removed
2 Tbls extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbls balsamic vinegar
pinch of kosher salt
pinch of sugar
Lay the tomatoes cut side up on a baking sheet and drizzle olive oil, vinegar, salt and sugar evenly amongst them. Place baking sheet in preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, then lower the temp to 300 and roast for another 20 to 30 minutes, until starting to brown on top and looking kind of shriveled and wrinkly. Let cool for 10 minutes, then start popping them in your mouth.

Delicious Peaches in January

2009-09-30T11:19:00.000-07:00

When I decided to spend the summer working in Boston as a recipe tester, I knew that I would likely be foregoing one of my favorite summer activities: peach picking. I wasn't due home until late august, when there is a chance you may still get a crop of peaches, but no assurance. Lucky for me, summer was a late season this year and I was able to relish in an afternoon at my favorite orchard: Yingst Ranch in Littlerock. Yes, you read that right, Littlerock, as in way the heck out in the middle of nowhere Littlerock off the 14 freeway. It is a trek and certainly a commitment to do, but I also happen to have family in Palmdale, so I do the requisite visit in the same trip and not only do I have my lovely peaches, but I have done my familial duty for the month! And not to overly toot the pick-your-own method, but they cost 95 cents a pound if you do the grunt work. Um, yes please and thank you for your business.

I happened to get extremely lucky this year, and Yingst also had a september snow peach that just came to fruition on the trees, so this past weekend, I headed out to spend some time with relatives and visit my orchard. I picked to my heart's content and came home with 10 pounds of luciousness to do with what I will. And I am going to freeze them, so that when my peach hankering starts emerging in mid january, all I have to do is defrost (slowly, in the fridge) and voila, sumptious summer peaches at my fingertips. There is a way to freeze peaches that prevents them from breaking down and aquiring that frozen taste, and it's actually quite simple and takes only a bit of time to do. It's a wonderful treat to be able to have the orchard peach taste out of season, hopefully this method will be used far and wide.

2 pounds of ripe peaches
4 cups of either simple syrup (recipe below) or any of the following: white grape juice, peach nectar diluted to 50% with water, apple juice.

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil over high heat.
Fill a large bowl with water and ice.
Score bottoms of peaches with an X using a small paring knife.
Drop peaches (carefully) into boiling water and submerge for 1 minute. Remove peaches and plunge into ice water bath to stop them from cooking.
Peel off the peach skins (ahhhh, now you see what the quick boiling was for)
Cut peaches in half, remove pits and slice each half into 4 slices.
Using either 1 large ziplock bag: Pour liquid of choice into bag and add peach slices. Zip up tight and freeze on side.
Or 4 sandwich size zip lock bags: Pour 1 cup of liquid into each bag and divide peach slices evenly among bags. Freeze on sides.

Simple syrup:Bring 3 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar to a boil over high heat, stirring often. Turn off heat and let sit for 20 minutes. Cool completely. Should yield approximately 4 cups.

Getting Stuffed

2009-09-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

I’m a huge fan of stuffed food, peppers, squash blossoms, chicken, fish, the list goes on. I think the pleasure of eating stuffed food comes from the fact that you are eating two different things in one delicious bite. Jalapeno poppers, Yummmmmy. Frankly, anything stuffed with cheese and fried is good by me, but since I like to keep things healthy around my house, I stuff squash, and have been doing so since I was a teenager and the zucchini was flourishing in the garden. Summer squash, namely zucchini, is one of those plentiful summer vegetables that eventually you can’t give away, it is just extremely prolific. Trying to find inventive and delicious ways to use it is a challenge I am always up for and have made zucchini pasta noodles, zucchini chocolate chip cookies, zucchini chips and the ever crowd-pleasing stuffed zucchini.

This is a great recipe that is only mildly time-consuming, and holds up extremely well in the fridge both before and after being baked. You can prepare it up to the last step and then refrigerate it for a day or two and cook it off without the slightest difference in flavor from it being baked immediately. The use of round squash makes for a beautiful presentation, and I have found even picky, “I refuse to eat vegetable” kids have been known to gobble theirs down and ask emphatically if they may have another. The best thing about this recipe is that it can be easily altered. Don’t like parmesan? Use pecorino or any other kind of cheese. Saute some chopped mushrooms or peppers and add them to the mix. Think of this as a template, any substitutions will most likely have a delish result.

Stuffed Summer Squash
8 round summer squash
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
3 large garlic cloves, minced
½ cup grated parmesan
½ cup breadcrumbs (you can use any kind here, fresh, seasoned or I use panko)
1 extra large egg
¼ chopped fresh basil
Kosher salt

Cut the top part off the squash, and scoop out the flesh, using a melon baller or a small spoon. Reserve the tops (for decoration, optional) and finely chop the flesh. In a large pot, bring ½ inch of water to a boil and add squash shells, upside down so the cut end is on bottom. Cover and steam for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and place in an 8x10 baking dish. Pour 1 tbs of water into bottom of baking dish (this prevents the squash from sticking and helps them steam further in the oven).
In a non-stick sautee pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and chopped squash and cook for about 10 minutes, until the liquid has evaporated and the squash just starts to brown. Add the garlic, cook for one minute more and remove from heat to cool slightly. Season with ½ tsp of salt, add bread crumbs, parmesan, egg, basil and stir to combine. Divide filling evenly amongst the squash shells and drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the top of each one. Place in preheated 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until just starting to brown on top. Let cool slightly before serving. Serves 4.

Watermelon Whale Watching

2009-09-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

Since there are currently a plethora of watermelons available at farmer's markets and grocery stores, i thought it appropriate to demonstrate how to make a very popular item in my house growing up, a watermelon whale. People think it is incredibley creative, and in all truth, it's a very easy way to add a little punch and humor to a piece of fruit most people adore. I fill my whale with fruit salad and have included a simple recipe for a delicious one. A note to selecting a good watermelon: Go knock on your door. Hear that sound? Tap tap tap, hollow wood. The more hollow a watermelon sounds when you knock on it, the sweeter it will be. Check the bottom for color, a pale yellow, you are good to go. This means it has been sitting in the sun for a while, incubating.

The general idea behind creation of the whale is to take the whole watermelon, carve off a top in the shape of a whale's back and tail, scoop out the flesh and fill with something fantastic. Step 1 is to slice a very small piece off the bottom of the watermelon to prevent the thing from tipping. This provides a flat and stable base. Stabbing yourself with a sharp knife because the watermelon rolled; very bad. Step two is to wrangle up a sharpie and draw the outline of the whale tail and the body. You need not be blessed with art skills to do this, it's a whale shaped watermelon! It will look great no matter how straight your lines are. Step three is to cut off the top using the sharpie marks as guidelines. I find a small paring knife is best for this, as a long blade has less control on the corners. Step 4 is to remove the top. If you have cut all the way through, it should come off easily. Any troubles simply run a long knife through the flesh all the way across and free the top. Ta Da, you have a whale! I use a standard ice cream scoop to remove all the yummy flesh, or a spoon will do the trick as well. Lastly, and this is the most important part of the process, give your whale a face! It is a happy whale, it's about to have fruit salad in it, yummy

I Shall Call her Eloisa!

Fruit Salad

1 bunch of green or red grapes
3 apples, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 bananas, peeled and cut into 1/2 in slices
2 pears, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 pint of strawberries, hulled and sliced1 cup of watermelon, cut into 1 inch chunks
1/2 cup of heavy cream, whipped with 2 tbls of sugar to form stiff peaks
1/2 cup low fat plain yogurt1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Mix all fruit in a large bowl. Add yogurt and vanilla to whipped cream and stir to combine. Mix into fruit and pour into watermelon whale.

9/26/09
by Kendra
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