The Occasional Cook

Biscuit Brunch

2012-01-29T10:51:00.003-05:00

Since I spent the last few days in Georgia, it seems only right that I make little biscuit brunch. (And I had leftover buttermilk from a crème fraîche experiment. More on that later.) OK yes, I've made biscuits before, but that recipe called for cake flour and let's be honest, most people don't have cake flour in their cupboards. And this recipe let's you cut the biscuits into perfect circles, thereby creating the perfect sandwich shape with which to create a breakfast treat. Sadly I was out of bacon and cheddar but hello, how good does that sound? Bacon, egg and cheese on a biscuit? Yes, please!

Buttermilk Biscuits

Adapted from Martha Stewart

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk, plus more for brushing

1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and cream. Stir to combine.

2. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and pat into a 6 1/2-inch round (about 1 inch high). Using a lightly floured 2 1/2-inch cutter, cut out rounds. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing about 1 inch apart. Gather the scraps, reshape, and cut out. Brush the tops with buttermilk. Bake until the tops are golden, 22 to 24 minutes. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack, and cool. Makes about 8 biscuits.

Milk Bath

2012-01-18T12:20:00.001-05:00

Apparently I am the only person who hasn't made this Jamie Oliver chicken recipe before. Granted, my friend David did tell me about it about at least two years ago, but I was like, "Gross. I'm not roasting a chicken in milk." Then when I mentioned it to my friend Karen this past weekend she was like, "Oh, I make that all the time. I told you about it!" OK OK I have a faulty memory, obvs! (Funny though, because Karen and David know each other. Clearly a conspiracy!)

I have to say, I really like this alternative to a plain roasted chicken. The very subtle cinnamon with the lemon and sage provides a really interesting flavor profile that makes me want to serve it with a jasmine or basmati rice rather than the mashed potatoes that Jamie suggests. But that's just me. I was skeptical of the milk bath to begin with, so what do I know?

Chicken Roasted in Milk
Adapted from Jamie Oliver

1 (4 pound) organic chicken
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cinnamon stick (about a 1-inch piece)
1 handful of fresh sage leaves (about 12 - 15)
Zest of 2 lemons
10 whole garlic cloves, skin left on
2 cups whole milk

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Place a medium, heavy pot over medium heat (just large enough to fit the chicken) and add the butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the chicken generously all over with salt and pepper.

2. When the butter is melted and the pot is hot, add the chicken, breast side down, and cook until golden, about 6 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook for 6 minutes more. Remove from the pot from the heat and remove the chicken to a plate. Discard the oil and butter that is left in the pot. Keep the sticky browned bits at the bottom of the pan as they will provide additional flavor to the sauce.

3. Return the chicken to the pot with the rest of the ingredients and cook in the preheated oven for 1½ hours. Baste with the cooking juices about every 30 minutes. (Don't be alarmed if the sauce looks curdled. It's fine and tastes great.)

4. To serve, cut the meat from the bones and divide it onto plates. Spoon over plenty of juice and the little curds. Serve with wilted spinach or greens and mashed potato or basmati rice. Serves four.

I say toe-mah-toe

2012-01-10T10:42:00.004-05:00

Apparently my new year's resolution is to blog less. Not to be blogless, just to blog less. I mean, ten days have already gone by and I've already managed to watch two all-new episodes each of Mob Wives (three words: full body surgery...and Big Ang! 5 words!) and It's a Brad Brad World, not to mention countless other shows, and I haven't posted a single recipe or anecdote. I guess I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things after taking a week off from my regular work routine. Plus, with all of the holiday insanity, I had been going out like crazy (like to the Highline Ballroom and Indochine with WendyB) rather than cooking anything for myself.

Now that the holidays are over and it's time to get on a hard core austerity regime, I think I'm going to be making a lot of tofu and salad recipes. Eventually. For now, I have a superbly simple tomato soup recipe (from The Ski House Cookbook). For some reason I am reminded of a time when my mother attempted to make homemade bean with bacon soup for her unappreciative children, who responded with an irritating chorus of, "We like Campbell's better!!" I'm sure that my mom's soup was actually better, but it probably lacked the sodium content of a canned soup that we were familiar with. Well, I don't think it is possible to like Campbell's watery tomato soup better than this one (hello! heavy cream makes toe-MAH-toe soup très elegant!) and the few extra minutes that it takes to make it is well worth it.

Hopefully I'll remember that the few extra minutes (hours!) that it takes me to write future blog posts will be well worth it too. And I might just start incorporating more of my illness that is reality TV and TV watching in general. (The first step is admitting there is a problem, right Dr. Drew?) How I have the time to actually go to work is beyond me...

Creamy Tomato Soup

1 (28-ounce) can whole, peeled tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium carrot, diced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/3 cup cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1. Preheat the broiler. Strain the tomatoes, reserving the juices. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise and spread on a small, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil until the tomatoes begin to brown, about 10 minutes.

2. In a large saucepan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and carrot and cook until softened, 7 – 10 minutes. Add the roasted tomatoes, reserved juices and red pepper flakes and simmer for 15 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth. Stir in the cream. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Party Pâté

2011-12-28T17:25:00.001-05:00

I don't know about you, but I grew up eating liver and onions quite frequently (and being force fed cod liver oil - NOT in pill form). I guess having your copper and iron content so far off the charts that you bled pennies was all the rage in nutrition way back when. Whatever. I survived. And never ate liver again...Until I learned that one didn't have to only eat beef liver and that it could be blended with copious amounts of butter and spread on toast. (Probably the opposite of healthy.) Ever been to Marlow & Sons for the mound of deliciousness that they serve? Get thee to the restaurant stat! Or make it yourself. I never knew it was so easy. Simmer, puree, season, serve. That's it. But you can't be squeamish about the natural state of the chicken liver. You will have to handle it for a hot second in it's raw state. But then you'll appreciate the deliciousness that you create that much more! I made a batch for Christmas Eve dinner but was just thinking that it would be the perfect app paired with some bubbly for a New Year's Eve party. How can it already be New Year's Eve? (Almost New Year's Eve???) I'm still writing 2010 on my checks! (The 12 times a year that I write one!) OK I'm breaking into the Champagne a few days early...

Chicken Liver Pâté
Adapted from Jacques Pépin via Food & Wine

1 pound chicken livers, well-trimmed
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt
1 cup water
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon Cognac or Scotch whiskey
Freshly ground pepper
Toasted baguette slices, for serving

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the chicken livers, onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Add the water and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the livers are barely pink inside, about 10 minutes.

2. Discard the bay leaf. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the livers, onion and garlic to a food processor. Process until coarsely pureed. With the machine on, add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, until incorporated. Add the Cognac, season with salt and pepper and process until completely smooth. Scrape the pâté into 2 or 3 large ramekins. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pâté and refrigerate until firm. Serve chilled and sprinkle with sea salt, if desired.

Make Ahead: The pâté can be covered with a thin layer of melted butter, then wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 2 months.

Better Butter Cookie

2011-12-22T11:42:00.005-05:00

I finally got my tree up. I mean, between the never ending holiday parties (my soon to be scheduled liver transplant if I don't stop attending), physical therapy and getting myself to work on time, how can I be expected to decorate my home with shubbery in advance of the X to the Mas? Well, after hoisting my one foot wonder onto a cake stand and tuning in to Cameron Crowe's documentary, Pearl Jam Twenty (for the 18th time - just another holiday classic), I got to decorating. (It took more time to wrestle my stash of holiday decor out of my closet than to actually decorate.) And now I'm thinking about reneging on my previous post about not making cookies. Just this once. Sometimes you have to bring something to holiday parties other than another random bottle of 1996 Chateau Talbot Grand Cru Classé Saint - Julien. Am I right? When it comes to cookies, the more butter the better. Dori Greenspan's Sable (aka French butter cookie or Breton biscuit) recipe is the perfect butter cookie. Trust.

Dori Greenspan's Master Recipe for Sables
(from The New York Times)

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter (preferably high-fat, like Plugra), softened at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted before measuring
1/2 teaspoon salt, preferably sea salt
2 large egg yolks, preferably at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour For the decoration (optional):
1 egg yolk
Crystal or dazzle sugar

1. Working in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until it is smooth and very creamy. Add the sugars and salt and continue to beat until smooth and velvety, not fluffy and airy, about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in 2 egg yolks, again beating until well blended.

2. Turn off the mixer, pour in the flour, drape a kitchen towel over the mixer and pulse the mixer about 5 times at low speed for 1 or 2 seconds each time. Take a peek; if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of more times; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, stir for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough and the dough looks uniformly moist. If you still have some flour on the bottom of the bowl, stop mixing and use a rubber spatula to work the rest of it into the dough. (The dough will not come together in a ball -- and it shouldn't. You want to work the dough as little as possible. What you're aiming for is a soft, moist, clumpy dough. When pinched, it should feel a little like Play-Doh.)

3. Scrape the dough onto a work surface, gather it into a ball and divide it in half. Shape each piece into a smooth log about 9 inches long (it's easiest to work on a piece of plastic wrap and use the plastic to help form the log). Wrap the logs well and chill them for at least 2 hours. The dough may be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

4. When ready to bake, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and keep it at the ready.

5. To decorate the edges of the sables, whisk the egg yolk until smooth. Place one log of chilled dough on a piece of waxed paper and brush it with yolk (the glue), and then sprinkle the entire surface of the log with sugar. Trim the ends of the roll if they are ragged and slice the log into 1/3-inch-thick cookies.

6. Place the rounds on the baking sheet, leaving an inch of space between each cookie, and bake for 17 to 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet at the halfway point. When properly baked, the cookies will be light brown on the bottom, lightly golden around the edges and pale on top. Let the cookies rest 1 or 2 minutes before carefully lifting them onto a cooling rack with a wide metal spatula. Repeat with the remaining log of dough. (Make sure the sheet is cool before baking each batch.)

Variations
Lemon Sables: Before mixing the butter and sugar together, pour the sugar in a bowl with the grated zest of 1 to 1 1/2 lemons. Work the zest and sugar together with your fingertips until the mixture is moist and aromatic, then cream it with the butter in the mixer.

Parmesan Sables: Replace sugars with 3/4 cup very finely grated Parmesan added to the beaten butter. A few grains of fleur de sel may be gently pressed into the top of each sable before the baking sheet is slipped into the oven.

Coffee Cookies

2011-12-12T12:05:00.000-05:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! I've already been to my company holiday party and strung some Christmas lights (on a friend's tree - I have yet to decorate). Clearly I need to get baking! (And should probably start my holiday shopping...) Instead of making my usual 37 dozen cookies, I'm going to go the minimal route and just bake as needed which is to say...not very much. I just end up eating the cookies I don't bring to the office so why go crazy? These shortbread cookies are fab not only because they are delish but because the recipe makes so few cookies, you won't find yourself eating them for days on end or trying to pawn them off on everyone you encounter, including the not-so-subtle mail carrier who leaves a holiday note in your mailbox. (Really??) The chocolate espresso kick reminds me of my favorite candy, Pocket Coffee, the best candy invention of our time. Incidentally now is the time to stock up as they are a seasonal candy and are only shipped during cold weather months (hint hint). Maybe I should hang a stocking or two just in case.

Mocha Shortbread
Adapted from Martha Stewart

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons finely ground coffee beans, preferably espresso
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for sprinkling

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Sift together the flour, cocoa, and salt. Stir in the coffee, and set aside.

2. Beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugar, and beat well. Add the flour mixture, and beat until combined.

3. Pat the dough into an ungreased 8-inch round cake or springform pan lined with parchment paper. Bake until firm, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the shortbread from the oven, let sit for 5 minutes, then cut into wedges. Let cool completely. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Pumped up Pumpkin Bread

2011-11-28T11:11:00.006-05:00

Whooops! I forgot to post this before Thanksgiving, but I'm pretty sure that everyone still has plenty of family gatherings, holiday parties, gifts to give, breakfasts to eat, house guests you'd rather not have and all around free time to make some post-Thanksgiving pumpkin bread in the next month or so...am I right??

I tried to find the pumpkin bread recipe that I normally use, but since I couldn't find it, I combed through a ton-age of others and decided that the classic Libby's recipe made the style of bread that I like the best. Their standard pumpkin pie recipe hasn't ever failed me, so why not try the pumpkin bread? Yum. Aside from calling for pumpkin pie spice (which is just an excuse to make you buy another spice you'll never use again) I was totally pleased with the recipe. And you can make your own pumpkin pie spice blend in about 30 seconds. Seriously.

For one teaspoon of Pumpkin Pie Spice:
Measure 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1/8 teaspoon of ground allspice or ground cloves, and 1/8 teaspoon of ground nutmeg into a small bowl and stir to blend. The end.

Pumpkin Bread
Adapted from Libby's

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice**(see above)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups granulated sugar
1 (15-ounce) can 100% pure pumpkin
4 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice or water
1 cup sweetened dried, fresh or frozen cranberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans (or any variation below).

2. Combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Combine the sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil and juice in a large bowl. Beat until just blended. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Fold in the cranberries. Spoon the batter into prepared loaf pans.

3. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Alternative loaf sizes:
•For three 8 x 4-inch loaf pans:
Prepare as above. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes.
•For five or six 5 x 3-inch mini-loaf pans:
Prepare as above. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes.

On the Side

2011-11-21T11:47:00.001-05:00

Green bean casserole again? There's something to be said for tradition, I guess, but maybe you could try something new at your Thanksgiving this year. I once made roasted brussels sprouts for my family who had either never had them before, or claimed to not like them. They ate them and liked them. And no one died. You can always cover your bases by making the old standbys.

Tuscan kale (the elongated, pebbly surfaced variety) may sound way too healthy for the decadence that is the Thanksgiving meal, but there are ways to prepare it that are a little less granola than you might expect. For example, making crispy kale chips to serve with a pre-dinner drink is a healthy alternative to regular chips, yet you still get the salty-crunchy experience. Or you could make a salad for your first course that is not as filling as a soup.

Tuscan kale, like all kales, is extraordinarily nutritious. One cup provides more than 100 percent of the daily value of vitamins K and A, and 88 percent of the daily value for vitamin C. (And you can fight off colds!) OK so it is very healthy...but you will need a little greenery to offset all of the buttery mashed potatoes and gravy! And stuffing. And pie. And green bean casserole.

(They may not look cute, but they are extremely addictive!)

Tuscan Kale Chips
(From Bon Appétit)

12 large Tuscan kale leaves, rinsed, dried, cut lengthwise in half, center ribs and stems removed
1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 250°F. Toss kale with oil in large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. Arrange leaves in single layer on 2 large baking sheets. Bake until crisp, about 30 minutes for flat leaves and up to 33 minutes for wrinkled leaves. Transfer leaves to rack to cool.

Tuscan Kale Salad

4 - 6 cups Tuscan kale (such as Italian black/Lacinato/Cavolo Nero), loosely packed and sliced, stems removed
Juice of 1 lemon
3 - 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, mashed
Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste
2/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, or other flavorful grating cheese such as Asiago or Parmesan
1/2 cup freshly made bread crumbs from lightly toasted bread

1. Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and a generous pinch (or more to taste) of hot red pepper flakes. Let sit for a few minutes, then remove the garlic and discard.

2. Whisk the dressing and pour over the kale in a large serving bowl and toss well. Add 2/3 of the cheese and toss again.

3. Let kale sit for at least 5 minutes. Add the bread crumbs, toss again, and top with the remaining cheese.

Shock and Awe

2011-11-10T16:06:00.005-05:00

Hallelujah! ConEd (boo!) and my landlord (boo!) finally turned the gas back on after TWO WEEKS! Yeah! Now I know what the phrase "cooking with gas" really means! This all dovetailed with the extra annoying snowstorm of October 29. I was without gas, heat and hot water on the 28th & 29th, and have been without gas until today. It actually had nothing to do with the storm, but then again, I have yet to understand what it had to do with. I couldn't get a straight answer out of anyone! Obviously it was nothing like what the people in the state of CT have been dealing with for the past 10 days, but still. Ordering in, making salads, and cooking in the toaster oven gets old after a while! BTW: Does anybody know if I can withhold a portion of my rent? I haven't looked into that yet...

So, in light of being able to cook and bake again, I bring you...lemon pound cake! To be truthful I made this over two weeks ago, but it felt somehow wrong to blog about baking when I actually couldn't! (I am dying to bake something autumnal and pumpkin-y this weekend though, so stay tuned.) Anyway, I have been on a super hard core purge/re-organization of my apartment, and not only came across 150 food magazines hiding in the back of my closet (Relax-I threw them out!), I found a few binders full of recipes, which I similarly didn't recall hoarding, I mean, having. I did quickly flip through the recipes to pull anything that looked appealing, and this pound cake was a clear winner. It was originally a recipe for orange pound cake, but since I can't stand anything orange flavored, I changed it to lemon. Delish. I pawned it off on the folks at work not knowing that it might be the last thing I ever bake...(sniff). I think I'm going to go boil a pot of water! Because I can!

Lemon Pound Cake
Adapted from Saveur

For the Cake:
14 tablespoons softened, unsalted butter
3 tablespoons milk
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

For the Glaze:
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. For the cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 6-cup loaf pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Set aside. Put the milk, eggs, and vanilla in a bowl and beat until well combined. Set aside.

2. Sift together the flour, sugar, and baking powder into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk. Add the zest, beating on medium speed, then add remaining 13 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting until each is completely incorporated before adding more.

3. Slowly add the milk-egg mixture, beating constantly, until the batter is just mixed together. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 55-65 minutes. (Lightly cover the cake with a piece of buttered foil during baking if it begins to get too brown.) Allow the cake to cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then remove from the pan. Using a skewer, poke holes all over the top of the cake.

4. For the glaze: Combine the sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the glaze by half. Brush some of the warm glaze over the top of the cake, reapplying the glaze until cake is saturated. Serves 8.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T00:01:00.000-04:00

And Devil's Night and The Day of the Dead! (It's a big week.) What better way to start your day than with a cup of skull and crossbones iced coffee? Even if it has already snowed? I'm still an advocate of coffee ice cubes so as not to dilute one's coffee, so it might as well look cool!

Apple, Turn Over

2011-10-25T12:24:00.003-04:00

So it must be almost 6 years to the day that at my birthday party at the Pegu Club, I summoned enough liquid courage to approach Melissa Clark (who was there to celebrate her latest book launch - another long circuitous story) to tell her how much I loved her writing and her column in The NY Times. But honestly, who knows what exactly I said? All that I can recall is that she said something along the lines of, "Thank you so much," then asked me if it was my birthday and if I would prefer that she and her small group move to another table to make way for my ever expanding party. We must have been super annoying because even though I said, "No, it's no problem," she moved anyway. Or maybe I came across as scary stalker? Probably.

Anyhoo...I am still reading her column in The Times and I've been holding onto this apple muffin recipe for just over a year waiting for...what? I dunno. Fall is officially here so it seems as good a time as any to bake! And since apples are plentiful, I might as well bake them into something extra tasty. It's so tiresome to eat them raw. Yawn. You should definitely bake and serve (and eat!) these on the same day, preferably within a few hours of making them otherwise they will be super sogged-out the next day. Not cute. But the day you bake them they are extra cute and tasty, like little mini-cakes. My only question about the recipe was that Melis tells you to distribute the apple slices among the muffin cups but doesn't tell you what to do with the extra sauce. Should I have cooked it down to a glaze? Poured it all in the muffin tins? Poured it over my pancakes? What's a girl to do?? I poured about half of it over the apples in the muffin tin and then threw the rest away. I worried about all of that liquid. Maybe I'll just ask her the next time I run into her...my birthday is coming up.

Upside Down Apple Muffins
Adapted from Melissa Clark and The New York Times

For the Apple Topping:
3 apples (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Pinch kosher salt

For the muffins:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Heat the oven to 375˚F. Generously grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, stir together the apples, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 6 tablespoons butter and pinch salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, about 15 minutes. Distribute the apple slices among the muffin cups.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

4. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the 8 tablespoons butter, eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold together until smooth. Distribute the batter on top of the apples. Bake until the muffins are slightly puffed, about 20 to 22 minutes.

5. Allow the muffins to cool for about 15 minutes in the pan. Turn onto a platter and serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 12 muffins.

Art Prize Autumn

2011-10-16T10:41:00.003-04:00

Another year another...ArtPrize! This was the third year of the ginormous art contest and my second year in attendance (and my mother's second year participating). Last year I managed to visit during the first week, so was able to participate in voting. This year I went right at the very end so wasn't able to vote, but did attend the finalist party where the winner (of the major public voting prize) was announced in addition to several juried awards. I spent the next day walking all over town looking at art with the fam for 6 hours or so, with a pit stop at Reserve to refuel. The weather was amazeballs so I basically spent the entire weekend outside, topping it all off with donuts at Robinette's (again!) and a trip to the beach. Now, after a lengthy delay (while I looked up details of everything that I took photos of!)...I present: A Fall Weekend in Western Michigan.

Mom's painting The Four Horses

Detail of Mom's painting - nail polish used in the highlights

Rain by Lynda Cole

Serial Reproduction by Meir Lobaton

The other perspective

Look and Learn, Little Girl Series by Jess Larson

Branches Unbound by Wendy Wahl

Salvaged Landscape by Catie Newell

Detail of the charred wood salvaged from a Detroit house hit by arson

A former location of Junior Achievement utilized by Site Lab as a gallery

Wall detail

Disappearances - An Eternal Journey by Shinji-Turner Yamamoto

Detail of Disappearances

View from the opposite direction

Tele-present Water by David Bowen

Glass Totems by Todd Kime

Prosciutto pit stop

Early birthday candle

Art walk at sunset

Robinette's! Donuts! Sugar!

Have you ever seen a bluer sky?

Grand Haven, MI

GH Pier

The Big Lake

Feeling like chicken tonight?

2011-10-06T10:15:00.001-04:00

Helloooo Cleveland!!! First of all I'd like to send a hearty thanks to the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport for having free wi-fi so that I could finish this post during my 2 hour layover (except for the part where it lost connection and I lost half of this post). Why every other airport seems to charge $9.95 for wi-fi access is beyond me. Anyhoo...I have been experimenting with making something other than shrimp lately. I know, cooking chicken breasts is hardly an experiment, but making it taste like something other than the shoe leather that you typically get in caesar salads IS a challenge! It's a really good base for trying out sauces and toppings if you can keep yourself from over cooking it. (A key is bringing the chicken to room temperature first so that the inside doesn't remain cold while the outside over cooks.)

Wondering about the purple chicken above? That was my experiment with using red wine in my mushroom sauce. Typically I really like reduced red wine sauces, beurre rouge and whatnot, but the color made the chicken look...weird. So I went back to the beige sauce made with stock. And in an effort to clean out my fridge before my weekend trip, I sauteed grape tomatoes and garlic and topped it all off with feta. Pretty darn tasty if I do say so myself. It would even be good on fish. Or shrimp.

Sauteed Chicken With...

Mushrooms

2 boneless chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/3 cup chicken stock (or white wine)
1 tablespoon heavy cream

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken breasts, add to the pan and cook, about 6 minutes per side, depending on the thickness. (Resist the urge to move them around the pan so that you get a nice golden crust on each side.) Remove to a plate and set aside.

2. To the same skillet, add the mushrooms and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the thyme, and stock and cook until reduced by about half. Add the cream and cook until warmed through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle the sauce over the chicken and serve. Serves 2.

Cherry Tomatoes

2 boneless chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
1/2 cup crumbled feta

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken breasts, add to the pan and cook, about 6 minutes per side, depending on the thickness. (Resist the urge to move them around the pan so that you get a nice golden crust on each side.) Remove to a plate and set aside.

2. To the same skillet, add the tomatoes and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the oregano and cook stir. Season to taste with salt and pepper and drizzle with additional olive oil. Spoon the tomatoes over the chicken, sprinkle with feta and serve. Serves 2.

Curry in a Hurry

2011-09-29T21:09:00.000-04:00

There's almost no point to making Thai food at home when you live in NYC. There are no less 18 Thai restaurants within a 10 block radius of my apartment. I took a Thai cooking class at ICE years ago and it was awesome, but I have yet to EVER make the recipes ever again! So why make a green curry at home? Because I need another way to make shrimp! Haven't you noticed how many posts I have on shrimp? They cook quickly and are tasty but I can't keep making garlic shrimp over and over again (but I do). And this green curry is not made like it was in my Thai class where we made the curry paste from scratch. I just bought the little jar o' paste at the grocery store. I don't think the addition of peas is authentic, but I like the slight sweetness paired with the spicy sauce. And the extra green looks purdy.

Shrimp Curry with Coconut Rice

Cooked basmati rice
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small jalapeño pepper, minced
1 pound medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
1 1/2 tablespoons Thai green curry paste
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped basil leaves
3 tablespoons minced cilantro
Freshly ground pepper

1. In a medium skillet, toast the coconut over moderately low heat, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool. Sprinkle over the cooked rice.

2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the jalapeño and cook for one minute. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and cook 1 minute per side. Transfer to a bowl.

3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add the onion and the ginger and cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the coconut milk, stock, and curry paste and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes, until thickened. Add the cooked shrimp, peas, 1/3 cup of the basil, 2 tablespoons of the cilantro and simmer until heated through, 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with the remaining 2 tablespoons of basil, 1 tablespoon of cilantro. Serve immediately with the coconut rice. Serves 4.

Eggplant Assemblage

2011-09-19T17:18:00.001-04:00

Holy cow. How good does that look?!? Sometimes I totally surprise myself. Thank you Melissa Clark. Thank you The New York Times. Thank you random folder of recipes that I keep even after the invention of this thing called the web. This recipe is delish.

I've been feeling super lame because I haven't been blogging regularly (get ready because that is going to change!) so this past weekend I decided that I wanted to make something simple yet seasonal and I think I hit the nail on the head with this deconstructed eggplant parm by Melissa Clark. It's fresh and flavorful and you don't have to bake it in the oven! There are more steps than I normally endorse, so takes awhile (2 hours if you are talking on the phone at the same time) but it's worth it! You cook the eggplant, cook the sauce, brown the bread crumbs, assemble, and voila...a gorgeous veggie starter.

Eggplant Parmesan Assemblage

1 large eggplant sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
Black pepper to taste
About 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
5 garlic cloves
4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
4 sprigs fresh oregano
3 sprigs fresh basil, plus 5 large leaves
5 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup ricotta
2 ounces fresh mozzarella

1. Place the eggplant slices in a colander over a bowl or in the sink. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let stand for 20 minutes. Drain and pat the slices dry with a paper towel. Season with pepper.

2. Working in batches, heat some of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat (you will need about 1/2 cup total for frying, less with a nonstick pan). Add as much eggplant to the skillet as fits comfortably in a single layer. Cook, without moving, until the undersides are dark golden, about 4 minutes; flip and cook 3 to 4 minutes more. Transfer the eggplant to a platter. Repeat with the remaining oil and eggplant.

3. Let the skillet cool for a few minutes. Return it to medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of the oil. Smash and peel 4 garlic cloves and add them to the skillet. Cook until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and oregano. Cook, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spatula, until the tomatoes start to form a sauce, 15 minutes. Add the basil sprigs and 4 tablespoons of the Parmesan. Simmer 5 minutes longer.

4. While the sauce simmers, in a small skillet over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon of the oil. Mince 1 garlic clove and add it to the skillet with the bread crumbs. Toast, stirring, until the bread crumbs are just golden, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the 1 remaining tablespoon of Parmesan and a pinch of salt.

5. Arrange the eggplant on a large platter. Spoon dollops of the ricotta over the eggplant and top with the sauce. Scatter the bread crumbs over the sauce. Top with the mozzarella and garnish with torn basil leaves. Drizzle with more oil and serve. Makes 6 to 8 side dish or appetizer servings.

Hellooo!

2011-09-14T11:17:00.011-04:00

I'm still here! My blog hasn't died a long slow death! I just got really, really, really lazy after going on vacay...check out some pics I tweeted (and some I didn't) while I was away! And now all I do is shout!!!

Backcountry Picnic Spot

Jazz Aspen Pre-Steely Dan performance

Premiere Picnic Table

Hiking

The View

Sepia Hike

View of downtown Aspen and Ajax Mountain from my hike

With fall approaching, I am ready to get back into the swing of things and cook like the wind! Fortunately I came across a cookbook, Ying's Best One-Dish Meals, that held a promise of good eats. I uncovered it when I had the good fortune to pack years and years and years of office crap to move to a new (smaller!) office space. It sucks to pack your own stuff for your own move, but let me tell you, it sucks a million times more to pack the accumulated works of other people! Who you've never even met! Now that I think about it, I've had to move at nearly every job I've ever had. Coincidence? Bad timing? Or maybe I just linger too long at these jobs...Hmmm. So between purging old magazines and outdated files, and taking home nonsense that had piled up in my office/closet/annex, I decided to keep this one particular cookbook that looked simple and healthy, and had some interesting recipes.

I first tried the shrimp in spicy garlic sauce, which was essentially a healthier version of General Tso's, but without all of the fried tastiness. It was good, but I would suggest that calling this a garlic "sauce" is a stretch. It's a stir fry. There needs to be liquid to make a dish sauce-y. I did decide to take a few extra minutes to make my own candied walnuts though. The recipe calls for a purchased version, but since they are really easy to make and super delish on salads...or to snack on while watching the Real Housewives of Anywhere, I made my own. Even if you don't make the shrimp, try making the walnuts. Trust.

Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Candied Walnuts

3 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt
1 pound medium raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 medium bell peppers, cored and cut into strips
1 small white onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 cup candied walnuts (store bought or see recipe below)

1. Whisk the garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Heat a nonstick saute pan over high heat and coat with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the shrimp, reserving the marinade. Cook until the shrimp turns pink, about 2 minutes. Remove and place on a plate.

3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the peppers, onion, salt, additional red pepper flakes if using, and the reserved marinade. Cook until the onion and peppers soften, about 5 minutes. Return the shrimp to the pan and stir to heat through. Garnish with the candied walnuts. Serve immediately with rice or quinoa. Serve 4.

Candied Walnuts

1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 ounces walnuts (about one heaping cup; try not to use pieces)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the sugar, cayenne and salt.

2. Bring a small saucepan of water to boil. Add the walnuts and blanch them for 2 minutes. Drain well and then immediately roll the walnuts in the sugar mixture until thoroughly coated. (The sugar will melt slightly.)

3. Transfer the walnuts to a baking sheet or pan and bake, stirring occasionally, until they are a deep golden brown, about 10 minutes. Watch carefully because the sugar can burn easily. Let cool completely before serving.

Vodka Sawce

2011-08-25T15:43:00.001-04:00

Yo. The fact that I have not commented on Season 4 of Jersey Shore is ca-razy. First of all: Jersey Shore as a show at all is ridic. Second of all: This group of Eye-talians being filmed in Italy, having never been there before (or any other country for that matter) is ridic. I mean, how many times have they referred to the Duomo as the Vatican or some other prominent Roman architectural location? They don't even know where they are. But who cares? Wherever they are, they manage to find gyms, spray tans, laundromats, and clubs that play house music. And I watch.

I think it is only appropriate to make an Italian-American meal to enjoy while watching the Jersey Shore, even though they are in Italy. Somehow I don't think that the kids are ready for crostini di fegato or pappardelle sulla lepre, so they're probably searching high and low for some chicken parm and sausage and peppas. I figured that penne alla vodka would be perf because they would actually be able to find canned tomatoes in the market (even without being able to speak the language) and you know that the first stop upon arriving in Florence was to the liquor store to stock up on vodka for Ron-Ron Juice. (Nevermind that J-Woww doesn't eat anymore and Snooks will probably have to run up and down the stairs about 50 times to work it all off. Check them out pretending to eat in the photo above!) But hey, I'm not on TV, so I'm going to make a plate and enjoy!

Penne Alla Vodka

Salt
One (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with their liquid
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
Crushed hot red pepper
1/3 cup vodka
1 pound penne
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2. Pour the tomatoes and their liquid into the work bowl of a food processor. Briefly process the tomatoes with a series of quick pulses just until they are finely chopped.

3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Lower the work bowl with the tomatoes close to the skillet and carefully (they will splatter) slide the tomatoes into the pan. Bring to a boil, season lightly with salt and crushed red pepper, and boil 2 minutes. Pour in the vodka, lower the heat so the sauce is at a lively simmer, and simmer about 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, stir the penne into the boiling water. Bring the water back to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook the pasta, stirring occasionally, until done, 8 to 10 minutes.

5. Just before the pasta is done, pour the cream into the tomato sauce. If the skillet is large enough to accommodate the sauce and pasta, drain the pasta from the boiling water and add it directly to the sauce in the skillet. Bring the sauce and pasta to a boil, stirring to coat the pasta with sauce. Check the seasoning, adding salt and red pepper if necessary.

6. Remove the pot from the heat, sprinkle 1/2 cup of the cheese over the pasta, and toss to mix. Serve immediately, passing additional cheese if you like.

Oh, Gratin

2011-08-17T21:10:00.004-04:00

I remember going to a restaurant called Bill Knapp's when I was growing up. We would only go after church on Sunday and I would only order the au gratin potatoes. I liked to call them "oh rotten potatoes" because I thought I was funny. Now that I think about it, they weren't all that gratinéed, but I do remember that they were one million degrees, (probably from being put under the salamander right before being served) and they were definitely bubbling, cheesy potatoes with a bruléed top.

That was the start of all things au gratin for me. I remember making an awesome leek gratin for Thanksgiving one year and now there's this tomato gratin that I made at the beach this past weekend. I actually had it for the first time a few weeks ago when I made these Cowboy Cookies, and my friend had made the recipe for the first time. It was super delish and looked EXACTLY like the photo in her cookbook. Three of us devoured the entire dish in a matter of minutes, so we decided to make it again to go with our freshly caught Montauk sea bass. My friend mentioned that it had taken a while to prep everything so I offered to help, and then ended up making the whole thing.

Grilled Montauk Striped Bass

The first go around my friend seeded all of the tomatoes. This time we decided to seed only half of them, figuring that the juices would be soaked up by the bread cubes. And they were. The recipe doesn't call for seeding the tomatoes, and it doesn't really matter if you do, but if you are using extra-ripe, end of summer tomatoes, you might want to seed at least half. After you've finished your prep work and thrown the tomatoes in the oven, pour yourself a glass of rosé and get ready for the cheesy goodness.

Tomato Gratin
(Adapted from Ina Garten)

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 cups (1/2-inch diced) bread from a French boule, crusts removed
16 plum tomatoes (or heirloom tomatoes), cut 1/2-inch dice (about 2 1/2 pounds)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup julienned fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan over medium heat. Add the bread cubes and stir to coat with the oil. Cook over medium to medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the cubes are evenly browned.

2. Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. When the bread cubes are done, add the tomato mixture and continue to cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil.

3. Pour the tomato mixture into a shallow (6 to 8 cup) baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with the Parmesan cheese and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is browned and the tomatoes are bubbly. Serve hot or warm.

Feeling Blue

2011-08-09T12:24:00.002-04:00

The end of summer can never come soon enough as far as I'm concerned. Hot, steamy subway platforms and the odiferous people that you encounter there will never convince me of the supposed pleasures of summer. I guess it's fine if you have a pool or a shore house near Karma, but otherwise it sucks. Although tasty summer treats like fresh corn, ice cream, and fruit pies sort-of, kind-of remind me of why it could be nice, it's usually September before I realize that I haven't had a single ear of corn or slice of peach pie. But hey, it's only August and I've made a pie!!

How good does that look? Making a crumble topping saves you from rolling out a second disk of pie dough and...it's crumble topping! Hello! If you're afraid of rolling out even one disk of dough, just buy it premade. Your pie will still taste better than if you bought it. Trust. (Make sure to taste the blueberries first and adjust the sugar that you add to the filling according to their ripeness. If they are a little tart, add 1/2 cup sugar. If they're really ripe, add only a 1/4 cup.) Serve it while it is still warm from the oven with a side of vanilla ice cream and even if you're in your crappy walk-up apartment on a 90+ degree day, you can pretend that you're...not.

Blueberry Crumb Pie

All-purpose flour, for dusting
Basic Pie Dough, store bought or homemade
Crumble Topping:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)
Filling:
2 pints (about 6 cups) blueberries, picked over
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out a disk of dough to a 12-inch round. With a dry pastry brush, dust off any excess flour. Fit the dough into a 9-inch glass pie plate, pressing it lightly into the edges. Trim the dough to a 1/2-inch overhang all around. Fold the edge of dough over or under, and crimp as desired. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

2. Make the crumble topping: In a medium bowl, mix the flour, light-brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt. With a pastry cutter, fork, or your hands, work in the butter until large, moist clumps form. Chill, covered, until ready to use.

3. Make the filling: Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Place the blueberries in a large bowl. Add the sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Spoon the mixture into the chilled pie shell, mounding the berries slightly in the center. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the blueberry mixture.

4. Place the pie on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until the crust edges begin to turn golden, about 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350˚F. Continue baking, rotating the sheet halfway through, until the juices are bubbling and have thickened, 40 to 50 minutes more. Transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool completely.

Summer Steak House

2011-08-02T22:20:00.005-04:00

In case you were wondering what to do with the leftovers from your latest grill & chill (aside from eating the leftovers standing in the dull glow of your fridge - just me? figures!), make a big salad! Make a STEAK HOUSE salad! Puh-leeze. With a combo of grilled rib eye (or strip or flank, whatevs) and The Wedge, how can you go wrong? You can't! Except for not having bacon...that was totally my bad. How totes obvs for this salad to necessitate bacon. Doh!

The Ultimate Steakhouse Salad

Leftover grilled steak, sliced thinly against the grain
Fresh lettuce, such as romaine or butter lettuce, torn
Heirloom tomatoes, sliced or halved if miniature
Leftover roasted mushrooms, (or grilled) as desired
Several slices of cooked bacon, crumbled
Blue Cheese Dressing
Freshly ground black pepper

Assemble ingredients as desired. Serve.

Share and Share Alike

2011-07-28T11:42:00.000-04:00

Just like everybody else, last week I did all that I could to avoid dealing with the heat wave, so I took extreme measures by planning a long weekend at a friend's house in the Hamptons. (OK, I actually had planned the weekend well in advance of knowing that there would be extreme weather to avoid, but it dovetailed nicely.) Instead of standing on the subway platform with sweat pouring down my body from my neck to my shins, I read magazines in the pool. Not BY the pool. IN the pool. It was totes relaxing. And even though it was still hot out east, due to some very comfortable A/C, baking was not out of the question.

My little friends, F & A, demand that we bake EVERY time that I see them, and over this long, hot weekend we managed three recipes: peanut butter cookies, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and cowboy cookies. This was my first time making cowboy cookies, but they were a hit, particularly the name. As modern bakers, we decided to be all inclusive, so called them cowgirl cookies as well.

We left out the coconut and nuts (walnuts or pecans) that the recipe often calls for. I asked my small baker friends about the add-ins and they decided that no, they didn't like those ingredients, so chocolate chips and peanut butter chips took center stage. They were delish. And just so you know, we didn't personally eat all of the cookies that we made. Of course we tried them all, but we know how to share.

Cowboy (and GIRL!) Cookies
(Adapted from Epicurious.com)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter chips, optional
1/2 cup shredded coconut, optional
1 cup chopped, toasted walnuts or pecans, optional

1. Whisk the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend.

2. Using an electric mixer (or stand mixer or wooden spoon), beat the butter and both sugars in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla, beating to combine. Add the dry ingredients and beat until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips and peanut butter chips, coconut, and nuts, if using. It is recommended to cover the dough and chill 1 hour before baking, but can also be baked immediately. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let soften slightly before continuing.)

3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Form the dough into balls, using about 1/4 cup dough for each. Place on baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Flatten with your hand to form 3 1/2-inch rounds. Bake 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets. Bake until the cookies are golden brown around edges and firm in center, about 4 minutes longer. Cool on sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to racks to cool completely. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.) Makes about 24 cookies.

The Heat of the Moment

2011-07-18T11:30:00.003-04:00

I've been on this crazy cleaning-slash-organizing tear through my apartment. After seven years in a tiny homestead, it's become time to toss out all of the crap and to get super organized with what remains. My plan was to just go through my closets, but at the urging of a friend, I attacked ALL of my kitchen cabinets too. An episode of Hoarders could totally have been filmed...

Living in such a small space requires creative storage solutions, and unfortunately I am now one of those people who stores their over sized pots and pans in the oven. I always wondered who those crazy people were, and now I know. They're me. (Stay with me. This IS going somewhere.)

The thing is, once you store things in surprising places, you have to actually remember that you did. Like, when you turn your oven up to 400+ degrees, like, when you're making scones or something, you might not want to leave certain pans in the broiler that have been layered with rubbery/plastic like substances to protect them from scratches. Scratches won't mean much to you once the plastic has melted and glued your nice Le Creuset frying pan to your $3.99 quarter sheet pan. (Oh, yes. That happened!)

Fortunately I am crafty and figured out how to separate my pans (low heat to soften said plastic material) and how to remove a charred substance from the face of my frying pan (water/vinegar/baking soda/heat). How did I even discover this whole mess? Only when I decided to roast a bunch of yellow peppers in my broiler but found a modernist kitchen pan sculpture in the way. But all's well that ends well. I only lost the cheapie pan and still managed to make dinner.

My first pepper pasta dish was made for a True Blood post last year and used red peppers that were simply sauteed. This recipe uses yellow peppers that have been roasted,* but the recipes are pretty interchangeable. You can even use roasted peppers from a jar. But if you decide to make your own, just make sure that you haven't stashed any winter sweaters in the oven before you turn it on.

*TO ROAST: Cut the peppers in half lengthwise, remove the stems and seeds, place them cut side down on a sheet pan, and place them under the broiler until the skins turn completely black. Once cool enough to handle, remove the charred skin and cut the peppers into strips.)

Pasta With Roasted Peppers and Goat Cheese
(Adapted from Martha Rose Shulman)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup thinly sliced roasted sweet peppers (from a jar or homemade, see above)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 large basil leaves, cut in slivers (optional)
3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
3/4 pound pasta, any shape

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet. Add the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the sliced roasted peppers, and stir together for about a minute. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in the basil (if using) and the goat cheese. Remove from the heat.

2. When the water comes to a boil, cook the pasta until al dente — firm to the bite — following the recommendations on the package. Ladle about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water into the frying pan, and stir well so that the goat cheese begins to melt. Drain the pasta, and toss immediately with the pepper mixture in the pan. (You can place the pan over low heat if the pepper mixture needs to be rewarmed.) Serves four.

Advance preparation: You can make this through Step 1 several hours before you wish to serve it. Add the basil and cheese only when you reheat it.

Truly Cherry Pies

2011-07-10T18:54:00.001-04:00

Remember crazy Maryann and her hold over Tara? And when she had taken over Sookie's house, Tara and Eggs ate a bloody souffle? Season two was a while ago...yet is the inspiration for this True Blood cherry pie post. And now Eric has finally lost his memory! Out with the old, in with the new!

Sour Cherry Mini-Pies with Brown Butter Almond Crumble
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

One Basic Pie Crust for a 9-inch pie, store bought or homemade

For the Brown Butter Almond Crumble:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2/3 cup whole oats, ground to a flour in a food processor
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup unsalted whole almonds, coarsely ground in a food processor

For the Sour Cherry Filling:
2 ¼ pounds fresh sour cherries, pitted, or 2 pounds frozen sour cherries, partially thawed
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1. Roll the chilled pie dough into a 12-inch round. Cut out 6 (5-inch) circles. (You might have to re-roll some of the scraps.) Place each of the 5-inch rounds into 6 individual (4-inch) tart pans with removable bottoms. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes, or place in the freezer for bout 15 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Make the brown butter for the crumble: Heat the butter in a small, heavy skillet over medium heat until the milk solids on the bottom are dark brown, about 6 minutes. Stir while the butter is melting to encourage the browning. You will know when the butter is ready by the nutty smell and the foam starting to recede. Transfer the brown butter to a medium heat-proof bowl to cool, making sure to scrape all of the browned bits on the bottom of the pan into the bowl. Set aside.

3. Make the sour cherry filling: Combine the cherries, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl, set aside.

4. When the brown butter has cooled a bit, add all of the remaining crumble ingredients. Stir to combine, and then use your hands to encourage clumps.

5. Assemble the pie: Remove the prepared pie tins from the refrigerator or freezer. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cherries to the chilled pie crust. Spread them out and pack them down lightly with the spoon. Pour the remaining juices evenly over the cherries.

6. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the cherries. Transfer the pie tins to a baking sheet. Bake the mini pies in the oven for about 50 minutes, or until the juices are thick and bubbling up through the crumble topping. Remove to a wire rack and cool to room temperature before serving. Makes 6 mini-pies or one (9-inch) pie.

Ladies and Gentlemen

2011-06-30T18:03:00.012-04:00

It's a big weekend. It's the Wimbledon finals and the extra long 4th of July holiday weekend. And Will and Kate are nearly in SoCal. Could you just die? No? Well, fine. But it's a good enough reason to acknowledge the English/American mash-up. Too bad there weren't any Americans in the ladies' or men's (excuse me, gentlemen's) finals...

Is there a better way to enjoy breakfast at Wimbledon (not WimbleTON!) than with a plate of scones? I guess actually being there would be a start...But if you watch from your couch at home, you could make a batch for breakfast and then use the ones that you don't eat (assuming that you don't eat them all!) to make shortcakes for dessert on the 4th. Voila!

Breakfast at Wimbledon - 4th of July Strawberry Shortcakes
(Scone recipe adapted from The Best New Recipe)

Scones:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Filling:
2 pounds fresh strawberries
1/4 cup granulated white sugar, or to taste
1 cup cold heavy whipping cream

1. Make the scones: Preheat the oven to 425˚F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

2. Use two knives, a pastry blender, or your fingertips, and quickly cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few slightly larger butter lumps.

3. Stir in 1 cup of the heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until the dough begins to form.

4. Transfer the dough, and all dry flour bits, to a counter top and knead the dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, slightly sticky ball. Pat the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 3/4-inch thick circle (about 8-inches round). Cut the dough into 8 wedges (or rounds). Brush the tops with the 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Sprinkle lightly with sugar. Place the wedges on an ungreased baking sheet.

5. Bake until the scone tops are light brown, 12 - 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

6. Make the filling: Wash, hull, and slice the strawberries. Place about one third of the strawberries in a large bowl and smash them with a potato masher, pastry blender, or fork. Add the remaining sliced strawberries and about 2 tablespoons sugar and stir to combine. (The amount of sugar used will depend on how sweet the berries are.) Set aside to macerate at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

7. Make the whipped cream: Chill a large bowl and a whisk in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Place the cold cream and 2 tablespoons sugar in the bowl and whip until stiff peaks form. The whipped cream can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for a few hours.

8. To serve: Cut the scones in half (like a sandwich roll) and place the bottom half of the scone (cut side up) on a dessert plate. Top with some of the strawberries and whipped cream. Place the top half of the scone on the strawberries (cut side down). Top with additional whipped cream and a few more strawberries. If there is any juice from the strawberries, drizzle a little over the top of the scone. Serve immediately. Makes 8 shortcakes.

Cupcakes and Calzones

2011-06-27T09:50:00.006-04:00

The wait is over! True Blood is back in full effect with the premiere of season four last night. Finally! They definitely set up the eps to come by introducing [SPOILER ALERT!] witches, faeries, and mohawks, oh my! Sunday nights are back!

I, of course, had no idea what I was going to make for my viewing "party" with True Blood super fan, WendyB, who arrived wearing her I ♥ Eric t-shirt. Check her out here! I guess she's more of an Eric super fan. (Who isn't?!?) Just minutes before her arrival I finished icing my red velvet mini-cupcakes, the only blood red "food" I could think of at the time. (BTW it took an hour of pounding the pavement to find red food color!)

For some reason I thought that a bunch of gooey-oozy calzones with tomato sauce would be another perfect recipe. Big mistake. My smoke detector kept going off (sorry, Wendy!) and they really didn't go with the True Blood theme. I'll revisit them for another post...maybe in the winter. Incidentally, since I can't get my recipes together before the episodes air, consider these day after recaps prep for the next episode. I'm really just planning ahead!

Red Velvet Cupcakes
Adapted from Martha Stewart

2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self- rising), sifted
2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon red gel-paste food color, or 1 (1-ounce) bottle of liquid red food color
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line two standard muffin tins with paper liners (or several mini-muffin pans). Whisk together the cake flour, cocoa, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whisk together the sugar and oil until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in the food color and vanilla.

3. Reduce the speed to low. Add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of the buttermilk, whisking well after each. Stir together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl (it will foam); add the mixture to the batter, and mix on medium speed for 10 seconds.

4. Divide the batter evenly among the lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes (10 minutes for mini-cupcakes). Transfer the tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing the cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

5. To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting. Makes 24 standard size cupcakes or a gazillion mini-cupcakes.

Sunny Side Up

2011-06-24T04:13:00.001-04:00

Yes, I have yet another egg recipe. Normally I prefer eggs scrambled or turned into an omelette or a frittata, but I can make an exception for this fried egg and asparagus variation. I first had this as an appetizer at The Red Cat years ago, and the runny yolk didn't totally gross me out. Perhaps it's not the most overwhelming endorsement, but that's a big deal for me. I really don't like wet eggs. Ordering an omelette in a French restaurant is always a risky proposition since they are almost always raw in the center. Ew.

Anyway, here the egg yolk becomes more like a dressing for the roasted asparagus, so not so gross. Oh, and since I don't normally make fried eggs, you might notice that I don't really know how to cook them. The edges of my egg are totally overcooked while the center is very undercooked. I think my pan was too hot when I added the egg, so that's what I ended up with. And the first egg slid right off my spatula and into my silverware drawer rather than onto my plate. Be warned. Fried eggs are slippery. If you have any tips for this non fried egg making girl, let me know.

Roasted Asparagus with Fried Eggs

1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 large eggs
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste
Truffle oil, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 450˚F. Lay the asparagus on a rimmed sheet pan large enough to hold it in one layer. Add the olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss to coat. Redistribute the asparagus so that it is in one layer. Roast for 10-15 minutes then remove from oven to cool slightly. Transfer the spears to two salad plates.

2. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. When hot, carefully add the eggs to the pan and fry for 2 minutes undisturbed. Turn the heat to low, cover pan and cook an additional 1-2 minutes until the egg whites are cooked through.

3. Carefully slide one fried egg on top of the asparagus on each plate. Sprinkle with the cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle with truffle oil if using. Serves 2.

Home Brew

2011-06-17T10:10:00.002-04:00

Is it Iced Coffee Weather? Hell to the yes. But is that iced coffee worth $3? Probably not. The place I usually go for a morning iced joe suddenly decided to raise their price from $2 to $3. For the same sized serving! For the same crappy coffee! Astounding. I need to get back into making my own.

Fortunately The NY Times has convinced me that I need to buy yet another coffee making device so that I can perfect the ultimate glass of iced coffee. I've tried the cold brew method, and am really happy with adding coffee ice cubes to my iced bevies, but now I think I have to hit the MoMA to buy a Chemex just to make this version of iced coffee.

Classic Chemex

This new and hopefully improved method (once I get around to trying it I will share my experience) looks very interesting. All you do is whip up some classic pour over coffee, remembering to add ice to the vessel before brewing, and...ta-dah...instant iced coffee! I am totally down with this idea and thanks to the folks at Intelligensia, I can follow their already perfected instructions for making coffee with my soon to be purchased Chemex.

Intelligentsia Chemex Brewing Guide from Intelligentsia Coffee on Vimeo.

Iced Method Coffee
(The New York Times)

1 ounce fresh-ground coffee
7 ounces ice
8 ounces water heated to 200˚F, plus extra for rinsing the filter

1. Place a filter in a Chemex (or any filter brew system) and rinse the filter with at least four ounces of hot water. Remove the filter, discard water, place Chemex on a kitchen scale, and add 7 ounces of ice.

2. Replace the filter, add the ground coffee and slowly add 1 ounce of water heated to 200˚F, until the grounds are saturated. Let the grounds “bloom” then deflate, which might take up to 1 minute. Reset the scale to zero and add the remaining 7 ounces of water heated to 200˚F, in a slow, steady stream. Drink immediately.

The Hotness

2011-06-07T17:20:00.004-04:00

I'd like to make a suggestion. Stay away from me for the next 48 - 72 hours. Far far away. Really. Give me a WIDE girth. I am going to be cranky. Crazy. Cray-cray. Touched. Literally. I know it is super lame and uninteresting to talk about the weather (although I am obsessed), but the forecast for 97 degree highs in NYC for the next 2 days fills me with fear. And loathing. Unless you are offering me enough ice cream to bathe in or unlimited air conditioning, I'm not interested.

That also means that I won't be braising any meat, baking any cakes, or having anything to do with my oven or stove top. But I might open my fridge...just to stand in front of it. I have actually been trying to figure out what I could do with some leftover buttermilk that's been languishing in my fridge for...ever (without baking up some biscuits or coffeecake) so decided that salad dressing was the way to go, both from a calorie saving point of view and general heat avoidance.

The recipe that I stumbled upon was the best of many others that included mayo. Ummm...why would you use something low fat like buttermilk only to yuck it up with mayo? I even used low fat Greek yogurt in place of regular yogurt because it still has an amazing consistency. If you wanted to cut back on the cheese, I would either reduce the amount of buttermilk or increase the yogurt a bit until you have a nice creamy dressing. Dump it over a chopped salad filled with your fave ingredients and enjoy. Follow with a tub of ice cream. And a frozen margarita. Not necessarily together.

Buttermilk Dressing
Adapted from Martha Stewart

3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
3/4 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese
2 tablespoons plain low fat yogurt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1. Whisk together the buttermilk, cheese, yogurt, olive oil, zest, lemon juice, pepper, and salt in a medium bowl. Makes about 2 cups.

National Egg Day

2011-06-02T17:07:00.002-04:00

Friday, June 3rd is National Egg Day. Par-tay! Every day is egg day as far as I'm concerned. I don't really need another reason to blow through a carton of eggs, but if you do, try my asparagus frittata. It's perf for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. And get ready because World Egg Day follows in the fall, so consider this practice for the big day. For other random holidays that you don't really care about, check out this helpful guide.

Asparagus Frittata

1 pound asparagus, trimmed of woody ends and cut into 1-inch pieces
6 large eggs
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 ounces Fontina, shredded (about 1/2 cup)

1. Cook the asparagus in a pot of boiling water for 1 - 3 minutes, depending on the thickness of the spears. Drain. Add to a bowl of ice water to stop from cooking and to cool quickly. Drain completely and set aside.

2. Beat the eggs, salt, pepper, and thyme in a large bowl. Stir in the asparagus.

3. Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Drop a bit of egg into the pan; if it sizzles and cooks at once, the pan is ready. Pour in the egg mixture. Tilt the pan to distribute the eggs and filling evenly over the surface. Shake the pan gently, tilting it slightly with one hand while lifting up the edges of the frittata with the spatula in your other hand, to let the eggs run underneath during the first few minutes of cooking.

4. Turn the heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes, shaking the pan gently every once in a while. From time to time, remove the lid, tilt the pan and loosen the bottom of the frittata with a spatula so that it doesn’t burn. The bottom should have a golden color. The eggs should be just about set. Cook a few minutes longer if they’re not.

5. Meanwhile, heat the broiler. Uncover the pan, sprinkle the frittata with the cheese, and place under the broiler, not too close to the heat, for one to three minutes, watching very carefully to make sure the top doesn’t burn (at most, it should brown very slightly and puff under the broiler). Remove from the heat, and shake the pan to make sure the frittata isn’t sticking. Allow it to cool for at least five minutes and then loosen the edges with a spatula. Carefully slide the frittata from the pan onto a large round platter. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. Makes four servings.

Shrimp in a pig's blanket

2011-05-30T19:08:00.003-04:00

So while you were grillin' and chillin' this weekend I...wasn't. However, despite my weekend commitments, I managed to throw together a tasty snack that would have totally worked on the grill (skewered!). Since I was at home, I made it on the stove top in a skillet. Like the pig and fig, the pork and shrimp combo was super delish, if not as rhyme worthy. Dig it!

Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp

12 (16/20) shrimp, peeled and de-veined, tails on
6 slices (2 - 3.5 ounces) thinly sliced prosciutto
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, cut into wedges

1. Preheat the oven to broil. In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp in the olive oil, salt, and pepper.

2. Cut each piece of prosciutto in half lengthwise. Wrap each shrimp in a 1/2 slice of prosciutto. Place in an oven safe pan. Broil for 3 minutes and then turn the shrimp to cook on the other side until crisp. Alternatively, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp is pink and firm, and until the prosciutto is crisp, 3 minutes per side. Serve with lemon wedges. Serves 4 as an appetizer.

Weekend Update

2011-05-27T12:18:00.001-04:00

I suppose that most of you are counting down the minutes until you can leave the office today. (157!) Unless you left last night? Lucky! I had the opportunity to spend the weekend at the beach, but I've squandered it to be locked up in my apartment reading and memorizing everything there is to know about sparkling wine. It would be better if I was also sampling everything I needed to know about sparkling wine, but I'm not sure about the quality of my information retention if I did. Maybe I could give it a try...

Anyway...since I won't be doing anything exciting this holiday weekend, all I have are memories of the past weekend spent tromping through the woods with Carmeliza and friends. (The mosquitos are already out BT dubs!) Since we spent ample time hiking and working up an appetite, we hit up a local butcher for provisions so that we could hang out at the house to grill and chill.

We started by sampling four sparkling wines. (There were four of us and I had to study!) Luckily the rain held off, so we grilled up a ton o' meat products starting with some hunks of pork belly cooked up with fresh figs. Can't go wrong with some pig & fig! We followed up the pig with some cow and grilled up some super tasty rib eyes that were drizzled with the rendered pork fat from the cooked pork belly. Oh yes we did! What will you be grilling this weekend??

Drink Up!

2011-05-25T17:02:00.003-04:00

It's only National Wine Day for a few more hours. (You don't have to ask me twice.)

Pipeline

2011-05-17T10:12:00.000-04:00

In spite of my efforts to be shredded by summer, I offered to make cupcakes for a baby shower this past weekend. What does one thing have to do with the other? Nothing unless one eats all of the 48 cupcakes one makes. OK I did have one, but only to make sure that they were edible. They were. The cupcakes were happily consumed at the party (by others!) and I even managed to give away all of the leftovers. Success!

I went with chocolate (obvs!) and yellow cake varieties to please the masses. To simplify, I made one frosting recipe for all of the cupcakes: Cream Cheese. So delish. I considered adding some cocoa to half of the frosting so that the chocolate cupcakes looked slightly different, but that just sounded like another bowl to wash and I already had dishpan hands.

This was also my first time piping frosting onto anything. The biggest problem was not piping the frosting directly into my mouth...but I also found that working with the frosting at the right temperature was a bit of a challenge since I had made it the day before, so was working with it straight from the fridge. If it's too cool, the pastry bag is too hard to squeeze and if it's too warm, the frosting gets all mushy, technically speaking.

There are tons of great sources for decorating supplies. For the glitter and sprinkles I ordered from The Party Works and for some additional baby-esque decorations I used Lucks Dec-Ons, which The Party Works also sells. All in all I think that they would have stood up to what I could have purchased from a bakery. In my mind.

Lemon Cupcakes
(Adapted from Martha Stewart)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened slightly
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 cup milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line twenty-four muffin cups (standard size) with paper or foil liners, and set aside. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, and set aside.

2. Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer). Beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then add the lemon zest. Mix in the flour mixture and milk in three alternating batches, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. After each addition, beat until just combined, scraping down sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.

3. Fill the prepared muffin cups with about 1/4 cup batter. Bake, rotating the pans once, until the cupcakes are just golden brown and spring back to the touch, 18 to 20 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the tins, about 5 minutes, then remove them to wire racks. Repeat with any remaining batter. Let cool completely before frosting. (See recipe below.) Makes about 24 cupcakes.

Double Chocolate Cupcakes
(Adapted from Gourmet)

3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line thirty-six muffin cups (standard size) with paper or foil liners, and set aside.

2. Finely chop the chocolate and combine with the hot coffee in a medium bowl. Let the mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

3. In a large bowl sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl use an electric (or stand) mixer to beat the eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add the oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to the eggs, beating until well combined. Add the sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.

4. Fill the prepared muffin cups with about 1/4 cup batter. (If you are only making 2 dozen cupcakes, fill a 9-inch round cake pan with the leftover batter.) Bake, rotating the pans once, until a cake tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

5. Let the cupcakes cool completely in the tins, then remove them to wire racks to frost. (See recipe below.) The cupcakes can be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature. Makes about 36 cupcakes (or 24 cupcakes plus one 9-inch cake).

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 pounds (about 6 cups) confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Beat the butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low. Add the sugar, about 1 cup at a time, and then add the vanilla. Mix until smooth. Makes about 6 cups.

NOTE: This should be enough for both batches of cupcakes, but it depends on your frosting to cupcake ratio! If you need a little more, I sometimes make cream cheese frosting by this simple ratio: 1 stick butter, 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, 1 box (16 oz) powdered sugar. Dash vanilla. Mix. It's a little sweeter but doesn't require any measuring.

Getting Toasted

2011-05-10T21:41:00.003-04:00

I used to eat salmon that I made in my toaster oven at least twice a week. (Like Sonja!) That little Betty Crocker oven has since been demoted due to lack of counter space, but it might explain my off the chart HDL cholesterol levels. 50 - 60mg/dL is desirable in women to help protect against heart disease. I clocked in at over 100. Yay Omega-3s! Or genes. Or something.

Anyway, I haven't been eating quite as much salmon as I used to, but then I came across a recipe for grilled salmon infused with Indian spices that I couldn't pass up. I learned early on that grilling is a really bad idea unless I want the fire department to show up (maybe!) or prefer that my apartment smells like a restaurant kitchen for over a week. My solution in this scenario was to broil the salmon. I coated a fillet in the spicy paste and then t̶h̶r̶e̶w̶ ̶i̶t̶ gently placed it under the flame to cook and to develop a nice crunchy crust. It was SO good that I am tempted to give my toaster oven another chance...except that it is buried behind (several) bottles of wine. I'll have to get through those first.

Indian Spiced Salmon with Raita (Grilled OR Broiled)
Adapted from Bon Appétit

1/2 cup coarsely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1/4 cup vegetable oil (plus more as needed)
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon garam masala
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 (2-pound) center-cut piece of boneless salmon fillet, skin on
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
3/4 cup finely chopped peeled, seeded cucumber
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1. Prepare a grill (medium-high heat) or broiler. Purée the ginger, 1/4 cup oil, 1 tablespoon garam masala, garlic, coriander, and cumin in a blender or food processor until a coarse purée forms. Put the salmon into a baking dish or broiler pan and season with salt and pepper. Coat salmon with ginger pureé. Let marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, stir the yogurt, cucumber, cilantro, lime juice, and remaining 1 teaspoon garam masala in a medium bowl. Season the raita to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Brush the grill rack with oil if using. Brush off the marinade for easier grilling, or leave it on for a better crust and for broiling. Grill the salmon, turning once, until it just begins to flake in center, 4 - 5 minutes per side. OR broil the salmon, skin side down, for about 7 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillet) until it flakes when tested with a fork. Transfer the salmon to a platter. Garnish with cilantro and serve with the raita. Serves 4.

Double Magnum

2011-05-06T01:10:00.005-04:00

Attention: The most amazing frozen food on a stick that you will EVER enjoy has arrived on US soil! Many thanks to the people at Magnum for airing the Rachel Bilson commercial during Gossip Girl (don't judge!) and bringing me this breaking news. Watch for yourself below. (Should Rach appear on GG as Blair's new brunette arch rival? Me thinks...Totes!)

I thought for a moment that I was seeing things. This is my favorite ice cream snack of ALL TIME. I first discovered it in Portugal in 2001 and have waited 10 long years to see it in my very own city. (I haven't actually seen it yet...though I haven't really looked...I'm currently off fun food, but that's another story...) Check out the photo (below) that I took of the awesome ad for it while I was in Portugal. Since then, I did manage to thoroughly enjoy a double chocolate Magnum while in Italy last summer, but it just wasn't the same as the caramel version which is SOOOOO GOOOOOODDDD!!!!

Lifesize Magnum in Portugal

In case you still aren't convinced that you need to chow down on this tasty treat ASAP, what other branded ice cream treat (on a stick no less!) could get Karl Lagerfeld to direct a couple of promotional spots for it. NONE, that's who! (Thanks to Megan for pointing this out to me.) He must love it as much as me! Check out the first of his films below.

Originally premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, (and now here) you can see more of the Karl Lagerfeld directed, Bilson starring, original film series here. See you in the frozen food aisle!

Cuatro de Mayo

2011-05-04T13:18:00.015-04:00

OMG!!! I can't believe that I completely forgot that tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo! This is my holiday! I mean, I've thrown some pretty mean Cinco de Mayo parties in my day, but then I got tired of the prep and clean up. I'm old.

Guacamole

The Wrinkly Slut

I have a really great margarita recipe to share as well, but since I forgot about the holiday, I forgot to make it! Maybe I will remember on diez de Mayo. Don't worry. It will be perfect all summer long! In the meantime, check out these recipes from The New York Times and peruse some of my themed recipes below (and above!). From good old guacamole to my blog originator, The Wrinkly Slut, I have some tasty treats for mañana. Or, if you're planning to go out to sample one of the many margarita options, be sure to stop by the Eater/The Little Owl pop-up taco extravaganza. I need to get myself over there...

Potato, Pepper & Chorizo Empanadas

Black Bean Dip

Shrimp & Jalapeño Quesadillas

Early to bed

2011-04-28T21:29:00.005-04:00

Need a last minute scone recipe to whip up at 4:00 in the morning? (West coasters, you are definitely at an advantage with the 1:00 am kickoff .) I'll be asleep, but perhaps you will be getting up at the crack to see just what the hell Kate will be wearing to the wedding of the century! I'm guessing a wedding dress. But in the meantime, you'll need loads of coffee (or tea if you're trying to be more authentic) and a scone (or three). Try my classic cream scone (or chocolate!) recipe that you can totally throw together during commercial breaks, or, whilst Giuliana or Meredith (or whoever) is trying to fill airtime whilst nothing else is happening. Enjoy!

Cream Scones
(Adapted from The Best New Recipe)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup dried sour cherries, (or chocolate) roughly chopped
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 425˚F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

2. Use two knives, a pastry blender, or your fingertips, and quickly cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few slightly larger butter lumps. Add the dried cherries (if using) and mix just to combine.

3. Stir in 1 cup of the heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until the dough begins to form.

4. Transfer the dough, and all dry flour bits, to a counter top and knead the dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, slightly sticky ball. Pat the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 3/4-inch thick circle (about 8-inches round). Cut the dough into 8 wedges. Brush the tops with the 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Sprinkle lightly with sugar. Place the wedges on an ungreased baking sheet.

5. Bake until the scone tops are light brown, 12 - 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 8 scones.

Or make Chocolate Scones

A Perfect Pair

2011-04-25T17:45:00.008-04:00

One of my all time favorite salads is a frisée aux lardons salad, mostly because of the lardons. Well, to be honest, only because of the lardons. The more the better, obvs. I recently discovered that frisée aux lardons is also known as Salade Lyonnaise. Who knew? (French people, I suppose.) The base is a pile of frisée that is tossed with a warm shallot-red wine vinegar dressing and cooked bacon, and then is topped off with a poached egg. Some may add croutons, I add blue cheese. I'm sure it's some form of sacrilege, but I totally dig blue cheese and bacon...on burgers and in my salads. Cobb salad, anyone?

I don't particularly love poached eggs (and I suck at making them too - evidenced by me dropping the first one I made on the kitchen floor), but can somehow get beyond the runny yolk by adding extra lardons to my salad. I mean, it hardly qualifies as a salad. It's breakfast in disguise! Which reminds me of a joke: Bacon and Eggs walk into a bar. They try and try and try to order a drink, to no avail. Finally, the bartender walks over and says, "Sorry, we don't serve breakfast."

You're welcome.

Frisée aux Lardons

1/2 pound frisée (French curly endive) about 4 cups torn
6 - 8 ounces slab bacon, pancetta, or thick-cut bacon slices
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons chopped shallot
3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
Bleu cheese (such as Stilton), crumbled (optional)

1. Tear the frisée into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl. If using slab bacon (or pancetta), cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut bacon slices crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick sticks (lardons).

2. In a heavy skillet cook the bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 8 minutes, and then remove the skillet from the heat.

3. Meanwhile, half-fill a 4-quart saucepan with water and stir in the white vinegar. Bring the liquid to a bare simmer. Break each egg into a teacup or small bowl. Slide the eggs, one at a time, into the simmering liquid. Cook the eggs for about 2 minutes for runny yolks to about 4 minutes for firm yolks. Remove each egg with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on paper towel then set aside. (The cooked eggs can be rewarmed briefly in simmering water if desired.)

4. Reheat the bacon in its skillet over moderate heat, if necessary. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the red-wine vinegar and boil 10 seconds. Immediately pour the hot dressing over the frisée and toss with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Divide the salad among 4 plates and top with the drained poached eggs (and blue cheese if using). Season the eggs with salt and pepper and serve the salad immediately. Serves 4.

French Onion Dip

2011-04-21T18:32:00.004-04:00

Just because you enjoy Champagne you don't have to stick to oysters and caviar as your only snack, though it's a pretty effing fab combo. Thing is, I'm pretty sure that I would shuck my thumb right out of its socket if I attempted to prep my own oysters, and I'm also pretty sure that there are better ways for me to spend my caviar money. Like on Champagne. And potato chips.

Hold the phone. Did I just say potato chips?? Why, yes, I did. Fatty, salty snacks are way better with an extra brut or brut style sparkler (which contain a very, very little amount of sugar) than...say...wedding cake. Trust. Have a cup of coffee with that cake and have some Champs with your snacks! And furthermore, by Champagne I mean, THE sparkling wine from the Champagne region in France. Similar style sparkling wines from anywhere else in the world, including France, are simply: sparkling wine. By law. Whether a cava from Spain or a sparkler from Cali or a Franciacorta from Italy, it's all sparkling wine, people. Not that there's anything wrong with that. My budget is more Prosecco than Champagne anyway.

But I digress. Back to my dip. As much as I hate sour cream and similarly gloppy substances, I've always been a sucker for that dried onion soup mix stirred into sour cream and scooped up onto a nice salty chip. Oh. Yeah. That screams summer BBQ to me. Lately the rage has been to make the dip using caramelized onions (if making a dip can be called a rage). And let me tell you, it's worth the hour spent cooking those babies down to their essence because the result is super fantabulous. Coupled with a glass of bubbly, that's a memorable Wednesday night (along with good friends like Wendy, Stacy, Jen, and Alyssa)! Stop saving your Champagne for special occasions, peeps. It becomes a special occasion when you pop open that bottle (watch your eye!). And a bag of chips.

Caramelized Onion Dip

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 medium onions, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream (1 cup)
4-ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
Potato chips, for serving

1. Melt the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and ½ teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally to loosen any onions that may be stuck to the bottom of the pan, until the onions are deep golden brown, about 30 minutes more. Remove from the heat and let cool.

2. In a medium bowl mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper until smooth. Stir in the cooked onions, reserving a tablespoon for garnish, if desired. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with the chips. Makes about 2 cups.

Baking 101

2011-04-17T12:00:00.002-04:00

The other day I held a mini-baking class for my friend, Lisa. I didn't think to take photos because I was more worried about the tower of baking pots and pans crashing onto us (an empty oven is prime storage real estate) while we were trying to prep our recipe. We managed to bake without any major organizational disasters and made basic cream scones from the recipe that I posted here.

It was interesting to see the process through the eyes of someone who doesn't normally bake. I discovered that the most challenging parts of the scone recipe were cutting the butter into the flour mixture (because why would anyone ever do that otherwise) and shaping the dough into one giant scone in order to cut it into individual pieces (the dough has a tendency to be a little crumbly until it is gathered together). Both steps could worry the novice baker that they might not be doing something right.

All's well that ends well. I think that Lisa was surprised at how quickly it all came together and that she owned all of the necessary tools to make the scones, except for a pastry blender which you can pick up for a few bucks. The one pictured below is from Williams-Sonoma and sells for 10 bucks, but you can find one for a little less.

From Williams-Sonoma

I decided to try out this chocolate scone alternative because a.) I had never had a chocolate scone before and b.) there can never be enough chocolate at breakfast. They turned out to be quite delicious though, dare I say, they could stand to be MORE chocolatey! I do love the idea of wrapping and freezing the scones individually for baking in future weeks. I think I might do that in the future when I make my regular scone recipe. Also, I think that I would cut these square scones into triangles so that you get 12 scones rather than only 6. They are pretty massive and must be about a million calories each. That's just my unprofessional opinion. Off to the gym!

Chocolate Scones
From Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
½ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
5 ounces (1 cup) semisweet chocolate, chopped into ½-inch pieces
1 large whole egg + 1 large egg yolk
½ cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Sanding (or demerara) sugar, for sprinkling

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few larger clumps remaining. Fold in the chocolate.

2. In a small bowl whisk together the whole egg and ½ cup + 1 tablespoon heavy cream. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. Using a rubber spatula, fold in, working in all directions and incorporating crumbs at the bottom of the bowl, until the dough just comes together.

3. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, and gently pat into a 18-by-3 inch rectangle about 1-inch thick. Using a sharp knife or a pastry wheel, cut the rectangle into six 3-inch squares (you may cut these squares in half into triangles to make 12). Place the squares about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until the dough is very firm, at least 1 hour or overnight. (At this point you can freeze the unbaked scones in a resealable plastic bag until ready to bake, up to 3 weeks. I wrapped each individually in plastic wrap and placed in the plastic bag in order to bake one at a time at a later date. You can then place the frozen scones directly into a preheated oven.)

4. Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg yolk with the remaining tablespoon heavy cream; brush over the tops of the scones and sprinkle generously with sanding sugar. Bake, rotating the sheet halfway through, until the sugar on top of the scones turns golden all over, or a cake tester inserted in the center of a scone comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. They are best eaten the day they are baked. Makes six to twelve.

Lighten Up

2011-04-10T19:22:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow it's supposed to be 75 degrees, about 20 degrees warmer than its been lately. This coming heat wave is a gentle reminder that summer is just around the corner and its almost time to break out the sundresses. Time to stop eating! I mean, time to stop eating crap. I've been making this shrimp salad for years. It's kind of my go-to healthy dinner, especially when it's 90 degrees. (Which it will be soon enough...Oy!) Can't wait for those subway platforms in August. All of you people who have been complaining about the cold weather...get back to me then.

Shrimp, Endive and Avocado Salad
(From Gourmet)

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 lb large shrimp in shells (18 to 20), peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 firm-ripe California avocados (preferably Hass)
1 lb Belgian endive (4 heads), cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces

1. Bring 2 quarts water, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil in a 3-quart saucepan, then poach the shrimp at a bare simmer, uncovered, until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. Let shrimp chill in water 2 minutes, then drain and pat dry.

2. Whisk together the tarragon, mustard, pepper, and the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a serving bowl. Add the oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified.

3. Quarter the avocados lengthwise, then pit, peel, and cut into bite-size pieces. Add the shrimp, avocados, and endive to the dressing and toss. Serves 4 as an appetizer.

Caramel, Oh!

2011-04-07T12:03:00.004-04:00

Nope. I'm not writing about the latest Knicks addition. I've fallen off the blog wagon again, but I'm picking myself back up. Caramel sauce is calling.

This is one of those recipes that might sound scary at first. (Look out! The mixture bubbles furiously!) But it's really not. And you don't need a candy thermometer to make it. If anything, it just takes a little practice to know when you've achieved the right color of thickened, boiling, sugar water so that you can turn off the heat and whisk up one tasty sauce.

When I made the sauce for this post, I actually turned off the heat before the sauce had turned a deep amber because it was strangely only turning amber around the edges of my pan. I was suspicious...and slightly freaking out that I was going to ruin it. But once I added the cream and vanilla it turned into the perfect caramel color. And I decided to add a little sea salt this time because...it's so trendy! The trend works though. Just try this caramel sauce. On ice cream. On toast. On your finger. (Sometimes a spoon is just too far away.)

Caramel Sauce

1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Fleur de sel, optional

1. Add the sugar and water to a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue to cook, uncovered and without stirring, until the mixture thickens and begins to turn a deep gold/amber color, (occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush if sugar crystals begin to develop) about 10 minutes. (Watch carefully, especially at the end, as it can turn from a nice golden caramel to a pot of burnt sugar very quickly.) Turn off the heat.

2. Gradually add the cream, taking care to not get splattered as the mixture will bubble vigorously. (Using a large enough pot keeps the mixture from boiling over.) Whisk until the sauce is smooth and thick. Whisk in the vanilla, butter, and about 1/2 teaspoon of salt, if using. Serve warm or at room temperature with additional salt as desired. Makes about 2 cups. (The sauce will keep tightly covered in the refrigerator for about a week. Gently reheat before serving.)

When Life Gives You Lemons

2011-03-31T14:56:00.006-04:00

So it appears that my "week of asparagus" is not winning over any big time fans. In fact, it seems as though the whole thing has gone over like a lead brick. Rest assured, people. I am finishing this week up with a...dessert! No, not asparagus gelato. Lemon bars!

When it comes to little square dessert treats, brownies really take the cake, but a good lemon bar is hard to pass up. I mashed up a few recipes to come up with my bakery style version of a lemon bar. There is a substantial crust (adapted from Cook's Illustrated) and a significant amount lemon filling, (no wimpy layers!), from a Family Circle recipe that was meant for a 9 x 13-inch pan. The result is a pretty intense square of lemony goodness.

And I can't forget to mention the most spectacular pan ever that I discovered thanks to The Catskill Kiwi. Brownie and cake sheet pans with...removable bottoms! Dude, it will totes change your life. Forget lining your pans with foil or parchment. This is genius.

Lemon Bars

Crust:
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more to decorate the finished bars
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool, cut into 1-inch pieces
Filling:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 eggs
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. If you don't have a 9 x 9-inch pan with a removable bottom (see photo below), then fold two 16-inch pieces of foil or parchment paper lengthwise to measure 9 inches wide. Fit one sheet in the bottom of the pan, pushing it into the corners and up the sides of the pan (the overhang will help in the removal of the baked bars). Fit the second sheet in the pan in the same manner, perpendicular to the first sheet. Spray the sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Place the flour, confectioners sugar, and salt in a food processor and process briefly. Add the butter and process to blend, 8 to 10 seconds, then process until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse meal, about three 1-second pulses. (Alternatively, mix the flour, confectioners sugar, and salt in a medium bowl, then add the butter, mixing it in with a pastry blender until the butter is well incorporated.) Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared pan and press firmly with your fingers, or the bottom of a sturdy glass or measuring cup, into an even layer. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Bake the crust for 20 minutes or until it is light golden brown.

4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the granulated sugar, flour, eggs and lemon juice until completely smooth. Immediately pour over the warm crust. (The filling must be added to the crust while it is still very warm.)

5. Bake for about 20 minutes or until no imprint remains in the filling when lightly touched in the center. Remove from the oven to a wire rack and cool completely. Dust lightly with confectioners sugar. Run a thin knife around the edges, remove from the pan, then cut into 16 bars and serve.

In the Raw

2011-03-30T16:05:00.005-04:00

I'll bet that you've never considered eating asparagus raw. I know that I've never intentionally done it. But as I was flipping through my new Mario Batali cookbook, Molto Gusto, I ran across a photo of a raw asparagus salad and realized that I've had it at Otto. Actually, if you are a fan of that restaurant, Molto Gusto is the definitive Otto cookbook. (I'll have to move on to the pizzas next!) Anyhoo, this simple salad is certainly a new way to enjoy the spring veggie and chock full o'flavor as well. The cheese is a really nice counterpoint to the fresh asparagus and the tart vinaigrette (and the salad is otherwise so healthy) so feel free to add some more!

Shaved Asparagus Salad

1 pound large asparagus, thick ends trimmed off
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup coarsely grated pecorino romano

1. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the asparagus into long, thin strips and transfer to a medium bowl.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, zest, and olive oil. Add about half of the vinaigrette to the asparagus, season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss to coat. Top with the cheese and additional pepper. Serve with the remaining vinaigrette on the side. Serves 4.

Note: I realized that I have never mentioned how to decide where to trim the woody ends on a bunch of asparagus. Take one piece of asparagus and hold the ends between your thumbs and forefingers. Slowly bend the stalk until it snaps. Discard the woody end piece and lay trimmed asparagus spear next to the remaining bunch on a cutting board. Line up all of the tips and trim all of the ends where the single stalk snapped. There's no need to do it one by one...well, you could, but this is faster!

Asparagus Risotto

2011-03-29T17:21:00.000-04:00

On day two of my personal asparagus week, I bring you...asparagus risotto! (You're psyched, I can tell.) Actually it is just a basic Parmesan risotto with some asparagus tossed in for good measure, but it qualifies as an asparagus recipe in my opinion.

Risotto does require a bit of patience and attentiveness, but the good people at Cook's Illustrated discovered that you could reduce some of the stir time by adding about half of the stock at once. "Blasphemy!" some may scream, but...it works! After the initial addition of stock has been absorbed, you continue with small additions the way every other recipe requires, and then, boom, you're done. Top it all off with some grilled or sauteed shrimp and it's a perfect spring dinner that will impress your friends. Or if they can't tell the difference between a good meal and a great one, just enjoy it yourself and invite them over for take out.

Asparagus Risotto
(Adapted from The New Best Recipe)

3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 cups water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
Salt
2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
1 pound asparagus, trimmed, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring the broth and water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low and keep the broth warm.

2. Melt the butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Once the foaming subsides, add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the onion is soft and transparent, about 8 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until it is well coated with the butter and the edges of the grains begin to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring frequently, until all the liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add 3 cups of the warm broth and, stirring infrequently (about every 3 minutes), simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the bottom of the pan is dry, 10 - 12 minutes.

3. Add more of the broth, 1/2 cup at a time, as needed to keep the pan bottom from becoming dry (about every 3 minutes). After the second addition of broth, stir in the asparagus and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is cooked through but still slightly firm in the center, 15 to 20 minutes total.

4. Stir in the cheese and zest and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, topping with additional Parmesan. Serves 6.

Asparagus Week

2011-03-28T05:16:00.001-04:00

I've decided that it's "Asparagus Week" for no other reason other than the fact that I am trying to get back into my regular blogging schedule. And because this first week of spring has acted more like winter, maybe we can trick ourselves into thinking it's warmer by eating a ton of spring veggies. It's worth a try!

It may be too early in the season for local asparagus, but I've started to see it cropping up in stores from a variety of locations. The season typically runs from February to June, so depending on where you live (Hawaii!), you may be able to find a local variety. (In Michigan for example, asparagus is harvested for a six - seven week period from late April/early May through mid to late June.) Fun facts: The asparagus plant is a member of the lily family, which also includes onions, leeks, and garlic. It's also super healthy as it's high in folic acid and is a good source of potassium, fiber, vitamin B6, vitamins A and C, and thiamin. Plenty of reasons to eat asparagus this spring! And so is this (almost not a recipe) recipe for an asparagus tart. It's more of an assemblage. All you need is puff pastry, cheese, and asparagus. And an oven.

Asparagus Tart
(adapted from Martha Stewart Living)

Flour, for work surface
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
2 cups Gruyere cheese, shredded
1 - 1 1/2 pounds asparagus
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 16-by-10-inch rectangle. Trim any uneven edges. Place the pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score the pastry dough 1 inch in from the edges to mark a rectangle. (See photo below.) Using a fork, pierce the dough inside the markings at 1/2-inch intervals. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.

2. Remove the pastry shell from the oven, and sprinkle with the Gruyere. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise inside the tart shell. Arrange in a single layer over the Gruyere, alternating ends and tips. Brush the asparagus with the oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until the spears are tender, about 15 minutes. Makes 8 appetizer servings.

International Waffle Day!

2011-03-24T16:47:00.007-04:00

Friday, March 25 marks a momentous day for waffle lovers near and far. International Waffle Day, which originated in Sweden where it's called Våffeldagen, is a great excuse for a big breakfast. And to make it even better, according to Midtown Lunch, you're entitled to a free waffle from Wafles and Dinges if you dress in your Belgian finest...colors that is. That's black, yellow, and red, HEAD TO TOE my friends...a baseball cap will not do. (Send me pics if you go!) According to the W&D website, you'll be able to find the truck in Manhattan on Friday at 52nd Street between 6th and 7th Aves from 10:00 am - 4:30 pm and at 7th Ave & Christopher Street from 6pm- 1am. If you can't make it for the freebie, hit up your favorite breakfast joint or make your own with the recipe I posted here. Enjoy!

Happy Spring!

2011-03-20T18:45:00.004-04:00

I'm baaack! Did you miss me? Even notice that I was gone? Well, I was. In Mexico. For work. My plan was to come back and make something fabulous to celebrate spring, but then a particular Mexico malaise set in and I spent the weekend in bed rather than enjoying the sun. Maybe it was the pull of the Super Moon (which incidentally woke me up because it was shining into my eyes through my shades). I don't know. But I really can't stand the four walls of my apartment right now, or how hungry I am. Note to self: Do not watch the Cooking Channel while starving. Watching Jamie galavanting around Stockholm and Mario tasting pizza from coast to coast is torturous after days of broth, plain rice, and Haterade, I mean, Gatorade. (Yet I can't look away.) I want gravlax! I want pizza! Oh, well. Enjoy a few of my pics while I continue to recover and get ready to cook again!

TV Debut!

2011-03-04T15:58:00.003-05:00

The Ski House Cookbook is ready for it's close-up! Thanks to ye olde Google alerts, I discovered that TSHC will be featured on an episode of Anna & Kristina's Grocery Bag on March 9th, a really fun (and funny!) cooking show that originated in Canada in 2008 and is still going strong in 2011. As a result, TSHC has it's very own IMDB page! Who's fancy now?

Anna & Kristina's Grocery Bag features the hosts, Anna & Kristina, testing 5 - 7 recipes from a cookbook of their choosing, shot either on location (like a ski house! see photographic evidence below!) or in one of their home kitchens depending on the content of the cookbook. They also test kitchen gadgets and food items that could prove helpful to the specific recipes that they are testing (i.e. sushi knives or salad spinners, organic or non-organic pork), all while their successes and foibles are caught on tape...er, pixels.

Whistler, BC. Borrowed from Anna & Kristina's Grocery Bag Facebook page

A guest chef ultimately tastes A&K's featured recipes with them and gives feedback on the success of the results, including the good, the bad, and the ugly. This chef is also interviewed in advance of meeting A&K in order to cut in comments like, "They will NEVER be able to master that," or, "They will NEVER have time to get everything done!" (They're very optimistic.) Forgotten ingredients and burnt brulees are not excluded.

The final decision is whether to buy or pass on the book. If both Anna & Kristina decide it's worth a buy, then the cookbook receives their A&K Stamp of Approval. Let's hope TSHC gets one!!!

Don't forget to set your DVRs for March 9th! (Or watch in person in real time.) You'll have to double check your local listings as I have seen a variety of times slotted for the program ranging from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm to 8:30 pm depending on your location, but you'll be able to find it in Canada on the W Network and OWN and in the USA exclusively on OWN (channel 115 in NYC).

UPDATE: It's possible that The Ski House Cookbook episode will air in Canada first, then air at a later date in the US on OWN. (The show isn't coming up in my DVR feed!) If anyone happens to catch the episode, please leave a comment below!!!

Wintry Mix

2011-03-01T19:56:00.006-05:00

Now that awards season is officially over and I skipped the obvious occasional party post (I won my Oscar pool at work, yo! not that we bet any actual money...) we are that much closer to Sunday night episodes of True Blood and further away from favorite meteorological catch phrases such as: Storm of the Century, Snowmageddon 2010, and the commuter arch nemesis, the Wintry Mix. In honor of the Wintry Mix, I made a salad of the typical mixed greens of winter. Now that I think about it, it's a also a really good name for a cocktail...

Aside from the greenery, I thought that some roasted mushrooms (and bacon if I had it!) would be the perfect addition. The cool thing about roasting mushrooms rather than cooking them in a skillet on top of the stove top is that you don't have to baby sit them, worry about overcrowding, or have a bunch of excess liquid leeching into your pan o' 'shrooms, creating a jacuzzi style cooking sitch. Check out the before and after:

Before

After

In a perfect world, one would roast identical mushrooms together for a specific amount of time: one pan of shitake, one pan of cremini, etc. But since I have no time for specificity, I roasted everything together and simply compensated for the larger, longer cooking mushrooms by placing them on the outside edges of the pan and by placing the smaller and more delicate in the center of the pan. It totally works.

Bacon would have been the perfect foil for this salad, but because I ate an entire package in one sitting, I just pretended that it was there, and it was magnificent. In my mind. You should try it though! (The dried cherries you might see in the photo didn't really work as a replacement.) Several cheeses would work in this salad, so I am giving you the option to choose your fave. Isn't that nice of me??

Wintry Mix(ed) Green Salad With Roasted Mushrooms

Roasted Mushrooms:
1 1/2 pounds wild mushrooms (such as shitake, oyster, cremini, chanterelle)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 - 6 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium Belgian endive, chopped
1 medium head radicchio, chopped
2 ounces baby arugula
1/4 pound goat cheese, crumbled (or Gorgonzola or Parmesan)
1/4 cup pecans, toasted
Cooked bacon, crumbled, as desired

1. Preheat the oven to 450˚F. Remove stems from the mushrooms. Wipe the caps clean. Add the mushrooms to a baking sheet and toss with the oil and thyme and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place particularly large mushrooms to the outside edge of the baking sheet. Roast for 7 minutes, rotate the pan and roast for about 8 minutes more. Remove from the oven to cool.

2. In a medium bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar, and mustard. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Add the endive, radicchio, and arugula to the dressing and toss to coat. Plate the salad and sprinkle the cheese, nuts, and bacon over the top. Serve with freshly ground black pepper. Serves about 2.

Better Bacon

2011-02-24T08:44:00.003-05:00

I know. I think the picture says it all. Who needs an actual blog post? Is it weird that I made a sheet tray full of bacon for dinner? I think not. And I fully recommend cooking in the oven vs. the stove top. It contains the bacon grease splatters so that they don't fly all over your kitchen (or you) and I think that the smell that permeates one's home is also slightly lessened. Unless you prefer that heady aromatic quality that frying bacon lends to your home for weeks on end...

I will have to revisit this technique of placing the bacon in a cold oven vs. preheating it first. I've never made it that way before, but found a tip on the internet suggesting that it is the preferred method. Maybe the fat renders more gradually? Next time I will conduct a very scientific test by cooking my bacon both ways, tasting, and then taking photos...if there is anything left after the first batch.

Roasted Bacon

Bacon slices

1. Arrange the bacon slices on a rimmed sheet pan (do not crowd) and place on the center rack of a cold oven. Close oven door and turn the oven on to 400°F.

2. Cook the bacon for 14 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bacon, how crispy you like it, and how long it takes your oven to reach temperature.

3. Remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the bacon to another sheet pan lined with paper towels to absorb the excess fat. You can pour the liquid fat into a heat-resistant container to save for other uses, or discard. Enjoy.

The Max for the Minimum

2011-02-21T12:14:00.009-05:00

Most Indian dishes, like Thai, are best left to the professionals, especially when one lives in NYC where you can order anything for delivery. I have actually taken a Thai cooking class where I learned to make all sorts of things, including a homemade red curry paste, but I have yet to ever make anything from that class...EVER AGAIN. I think the long ingredient lists that are common for both cuisines tend to be a little off putting, even for the more adventurous cooks among us, that we are more than happy to let someone else handle the cooking.

But then I saw what appeared to be a quite abbreviated recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala and I shockingly had most everything in my pantry. It was a long weekend so I figured, why not? Amazingly all I had to buy was the chicken and the yogurt. The recipe is pretty straightforward but should come with a warning: The chicken has to marinate OVERNIGHT. So start this recipe the DAY BEFORE you hope to eat it. (One point for ordering in!) Oh, and regarding the chicken which is meant to be broiled: If you have a tiny stove with a tiny broiler which requires a tiny pan, try TJ Maxx. I stopped into Williams-Sonoma to buy a quarter sheet pan and then turned right around when I saw that they wanted $30 for it. I walked across the street to TJ Maxx where I found the perfect sized pan, though perhaps not as high quality, for $3.99! Yeah! So that's my shopping tip of the day. I also picked up a really good quality "spoonula" for another $3.99. Boom.

Now I don't know how traditional this recipe is because I didn't bother to compare it to any others, but it was pretty darn tasty. And it might not be on the same level as the chicken tikka masala at some of my favorite Indian restaurants, but it was my first time and I think I did pretty well! Next time I think I might pick up some naan to go along with it...but then I'd probably just lazily pick up the rest of the meal while I was at it.

Chicken Tikka Masala
Adapted from Food & Wine

Masala Marinade
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, fat trimmed

Masala Sauce
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds
1 large onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons pure chile powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup heavy cream

Basmati rice or naan, if desired

1. Make the marinade: In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cayenne, and turmeric. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Prepare the chicken: Using a sharp knife, make a few shallow slashes in each piece of chicken. Add the chicken to the marinade, toss to coat and refrigerate overnight.

3. Preheat the broiler and position a rack about 8 inches from the heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade; scrape off as much of the marinade as possible. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and spread the pieces on a baking sheet. Broil the chicken, turning once or twice, until just cooked through and browned in spots, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board to cool and cut it into 1-inch pieces.

4. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil. Add the almonds and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer the almonds to a plate and let cool completely. In a food processor, pulse the almonds until finely ground.

5. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garam masala, chile powder, and cayenne and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes with their juices and the sugar and season with salt and pepper. Cover partially and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree the sauce to desired consistency.

6. Stir in the cream and ground almonds and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes longer. Stir in the chicken; simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, and serve. Serves about 6.

Make Ahead: The Chicken Tikka Masala can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat gently before serving.

Variation: The marinade and sauce can also be prepared with shrimp, lamb, or vegetables.

Heart Shaped Box

2011-02-15T11:16:00.002-05:00

OK so maybe I got caught up watching the Grammys and never bothered to post the actual recipe for my cutesy heart shaped brownies. (I HAD to see what Gaga was wearing in that egg!) But I ate the heart shaped brownies while watching the Grammys. That must count for something, right?

Normally I make cocoa brownies because cocoa is something that I will keep on hand for chocolate emergencies. Bittersweet chocolate has no shelf life when I'm around, and unsweetened chocolate just seems like a tragedy. However, I was getting low on cocoa and found a random hunk of unsweetened chocolate in the back of my cupboard. Fortunately it was actually labeled 'unsweetened' because let me tell you, the only other way to tell is to taste, and that wouldn't have been pretty.

Since I am a hoarder, I was able to find a fabulous brownie recipe in one of my gazillion cookbooks. Bittersweet by Alice Medrich is one of my faves for chocolate. This recipe uses unsweetened chocolate and is not unlike my recipe for cocoa brownies, except that it uses only one bowl. Bonus! The ice water bath at the end seems a bit much for your average brownie, and could probably be skipped, but it does cool them down to an appropriate eating temperature post haste! (Sorry, it just felt right.)

Once cool, I ordinarily start cutting one little brownie square off after the other until my little brownie 'taste' has turned into one gigantic brownie meal. But just for yucks I used a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out holiday appropriate shapes. (Little brownie hearts are kinda sorta edgy, no?) You could do that too, or just cut them into little squares and try to stuff them into a heart shaped box. From Duane Reade. Gossip Girl? Nirvana? Anyone?

One Bowl Classic Chocolate Brownies
Adapted from Alice Medrich's Bittersweet

8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cold large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup lightly toasted walnuts or pecans (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Line an 8-inch-square metal baking pan with foil or parchment paper so that it extends beyond the pan. (See photo above and below.) In the top of a double boiler (or large non-reactive mixing bowl) set over barely simmering water, or on low power in a microwave, melt the butter and chocolate together. Stir often, and remove from the heat when a few lumps remain. Stir until smooth.

2. Stir in the sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring thoroughly with each addition. Add the flour and stir until very smooth, about 1 minute, until the mixture pulls away from sides of bowl. Add the nuts, if using. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, prepare a water bath. Pour ice water into a large roasting pan to a depth of just less than 1-inch. Remove the pan from the oven and place it in the water bath, being careful not to splash water on the brownies. Let cool completely, then lift out by the foil or parchment, and cut into 1-inch squares (or hearts!). Makes 16 brownies.

Happy Mondays

2011-02-14T05:49:00.002-05:00

Celery Side Salad

2011-02-10T09:43:00.000-05:00

I am not the biggest fan of celery, never have been, and the fact that it's commonly served as a kids snack smothered in peanut butter astounds me. (Blue cheese dressing? OK.) Kids refuse to eat broccoli but they'll eat celery? Really? Maybe we should be smearing peanut butter on broccoli...Anyhoo, I often have to purchase celery in order to use a single stalk to saute along with a chopped carrot and onion. What's a girl to do with all of the leftovers? Have a side salad!

Now, I generally think of side salads and salads in general as an obvious summer snack, but after an amazing dinner at Maialino where I consumed the maialino al forno (roast suckling pig) among other calorie dense delicacies, the celery salad sounded like the right dish to cut through all of the fat. At Maialino the celery salad is called insalata di sedano and is made with celery, fennel, hazelnuts, and pecorino. I had the celery, hazelnuts, and grana padano at home, so I just made the salad with what I had and I was quite pleased with the results. It's tart yet refreshing and the hazelnuts and cheese make it surprisingly satisfying. It's a side salad I'd like to keep around.

Celery Salad

1/3 cup hazelnuts
4 celery ribs, trimmed and sliced thinly crosswise, delicate leaves reserved
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, more to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Freshly shaved Pecorino, Parmesan, or Grana Padano

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake for 10 - 15 minutes, until fragrant and lightly toasted. Cool and then roughly cop the nuts, discarding excess brown skins.

2. Add the sliced celery to a large bowl and drizzle with the olive oil and lemon juice. Season generously with salt and pepper, add the toasted nuts and toss gently to combine. Top with the cheese and chopped celery leaves if desired. Makes 2 salads.

Souper Bowl Sunday

2011-02-06T14:28:00.000-05:00

Today is officially the unofficial day for eating buffalo wings, 25-foot long subs, pizza, potato skins, nachos, and chili. All at once. I love how simply watching professional athletes somehow excuses force feeding ourselves 80,000 calories of cheesy goodness. Sign me up.

I posted a chili recipe recently that I thought was going to be the delicious porkiness that I had over Thanksgiving weekend, until I made it and realized I had it all wrong. Well, I have the actual recipe now (Thanks, Eva!) just in time for watching highlarious Super Bowl commercials and a special episode of Glee. Oh, and for watching all of those dudes running around in tight black, gold, green, and white pants. Whatever.

This chili doesn't pretend to be healthy. It's not made with turkey sausages or white beans. It's not chock full of vegetables. It's chock full of pork. That's it. Eat it and weep.

Sausage Chili
(Adapted from Laurent Tourondel's Corn and Sausage Chili)

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 pounds sweet or hot Italian pork sausages (about 12 links), casings removed
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 bay leaf
Pinch cayenne
1 can (28-ounces) whole peeled tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil and cook the onion, pepper, and garlic over medium-low heat until they are soft but not browned, about 8 minutes.

2. In a large pot over medium heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and cook the sausage, stirring occasionally and breaking up with a wooden spoon, until it is cooked through and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Spoon off and discard any excess fat that accumulates. Stir in the cooked vegetables, chili powder, cumin, oregano, bay leaf, and cayenne. Cook for 1 minute.

3 . In a blender or food processor, puree the tomatoes with their juices (do not strain) until smooth. Add the pureed tomatoes and chicken stock to the pot. Add the Tabasco and season with salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, until thickened. Remove the bay leaf and serve with warm corn bread, chopped jalapeno, shredded cheddar, and sour cream. Serves 6-ish.

Pot Head

2011-02-02T07:13:00.008-05:00

WARNING: This recipe requires you to use every pot and pan that you own.
I'm still doing dishes.

Not that that's over with, this is a delicious lasagna recipe that you should totally try! Because my clever local wine store emails me updates on weekly wine specials, I (obvs!) have to buy whatever they are selling. Last week they were promoting a pinot noir that was mentioned in the NY Times weekly tasting report on 2008 Oregon pinots. I like pinots, this one happened to be a good buy, so I decided to make the suggested pairing recipe to go along with it. I didn't realize when I was shopping for mushrooms that I would have to use 18 different pots to make it.

According to Florence Fabricant:

Like pinot noir, mushrooms are Oregon’s pride, another gift of terroir. The complex flavors in those wines and their bright acidity make them a dandy foil for a sumptuous lasagna.

Listen, this is a sumptuous lasagna and I'm glad that I made it, but honestly if I am going to destroy my kitchen for a recipe I would have hoped that it would have made double the amount in order to get the most out of my sweat equity. So, that is my suggestion to you. Double up. And then make it for someone who actually cares about mushrooms and wine pairings. Otherwise, just saute some 'shrooms, toss them with some pasta and cream, and call it a day. Two pots and you're dunzo.

Mushroom Lasagna
(Adapted from Florence Fabricant)

1/4 pound pancetta, finely chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 pound mixed mushrooms, sliced
12 sage leaves, slivered
Salt and pepper
2 1/4 cups milk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (or black truffle butter)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 pound pasta for lasagna, preferably fresh, parboiled if dry (Pot #1)
3 ounces Grana Padano, grated
1 ounce Parmesan, grated

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Cook the pancetta in a large skillet (Pot #2) over medium-low heat, stirring, until the fat starts to render. Increase the heat and cook a few minutes more, until the pancetta begins to brown and crisp. Transfer it to a dish (Pot #3). Add the oil to the pan along with the onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Stir in the mushrooms and cook over medium heat until they soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the sage. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat the milk in a medium saucepan (Pot #4) until just beginning to simmer. Melt the butter (or truffle butter) over low heat in a large saucepan (Pot #5). Whisk the flour into the melted butter. Cook about 1 minute, then gradually whisk in the warm milk. Continue whisking and cooking until the sauce is thick and smooth, about 1 minute more. Season generously with salt and pepper. (Taste the sauce to make sure that it's seasoned well since it is the base of the lasagna.)

3. Cover the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish (Pot #6) with a thin layer of the sauce, then cover it with a layer of pasta. Spread with half the mushrooms, scatter half the pancetta on top, and sprinkle with a third of the cheese. Spread a third of the sauce on the cheese. Repeat the layers. Cover with the remaining pasta, spread with the remaining sauce, and scatter the remaining Grana Padano and the Parmesan on top.

4. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is lightly browned. Makes about 8 servings as a first course or 4 to 6 as a main course.

Golden Granola Bars

2011-01-30T19:35:00.005-05:00

I know that I've posted about making my own granola and granola bars before, but I swear I'm not slacking (well, today anyway) by just cobbling together old posts. The cool thing about making your own granola/bars is that you can customize the recipes according to your tastes. Don't like almonds? Use cashews. Want more coconut? Add it. It's not an exact science. I made these granola bars today for a healthy snack at work (don't ask) and I have to say that I got 100% positive feedback. Some people are even hoarding the extras for tomorrow's breakfast. But I guess it's not really considered hoarding if you're actually going to consume what you're hoarding, right? I mean, that's probably another show altogether...

Golden Granola Bars
(adapted from The Ski House Cookbook)

1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F. Combine the sugar, honey, and oil in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat just until the sugar has dissolved.

2. Combine the oats, wheat germ, coconut, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and salt in large bowl. Pour the sugar mixture over the oat mixture and stir to combine. Spread in a 9 x 13-inch pan and press evenly.

3. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting into bars. Cool completely before removing the bars from the pan. Makes about 20 bars.

Beyond Thundersnow

2011-01-27T09:58:00.010-05:00

Weather seems to be all that anyone can talk about anywhere. We may have actually had some accumulation last night (and thundersnow!) but it's winter. That happens. Personally I don't mind because I don't have to shovel the end of my driveway where the incessant pass of snowplows makes the whole effort futile, like Sisyphus and his endless rock and rolling. Oh, and I don't have a driveway. But since it is cold outside, baby, you might as well make a cozy chili to keep you warm. Or wrap yourself up in a Snuggie. Whatever works for you.

Everyone seems to have a favorite chili recipe, but I'm not one of them. I mean, I enjoy the occasional crock for the most part, whether a beef, white chicken, or even vegetarian variation. Eh. But I finally sampled one over Thanksgiving weekend that I thought was fantabulous and proceeded to comb the internet to find the recipe. And, guess what? The interwebs failed me.

I found what I assumed was the correct recipe based on the Thanksgiving chili maker's description, but there were some essential differences that were lacking in the final result. I am sharing this mistaken recipe with you anyway so that you will be able to see the difference when I get to make the perfected super delicious version...because I have just now managed to get my dirty mitts on the real recipe! In the meantime if you are snowed in, stop shoveling, make a snow fort, watch some bad daytime TV, and give this recipe a whirl.

BLT Chili
(Adapted from Laurent Tourondel)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds pork sausage, casings removed
2 medium onions, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
2 (16-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
2 cups water
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped onion, pickled jalapeños and hot sauce, for serving

1. In an enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the oil. Add the sausage and cook over high heat, breaking it up, until browned, about 15 minutes.

2. Add the onions, bell pepper and garlic. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the onion is translucent, 8 minutes.

3. Add the tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin and oregano and cook for 1 minute.

4. Add the tomatoes, beans, and water and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the chili with cheddar, sour cream, onion, jalapeños, and hot sauce as desired. Serves about 8.

Hail Caesar!

2011-01-19T11:18:00.009-05:00

I have a friend who almost always (at least 95% of the time) orders a Caesar salad to start any meal out. I've got to think that of those salads, at least 95% of them have to be terrible. When I order a Caesar salad from a place I've never been, I wind up with an overdressed salad that's been tossed with crappy bottled dressing. Great Caesar's ghost! Who could eat that garbage? The restaurants that actually make their own Caesar dressing seem to be few and far between, and making a Caesar salad table side seems to have gone out with Prohibition.

The origin of the Caesar salad is up for some debate, but supposedly was invented by restaurateur Caesar Cardini on the fourth of July in 1924 when due to a rush, his restaurant became low on supplies. In order to keep serving his customers he just started throwing things together on the fly, tossing the historic salad table side for dramatic effect. What an innovator!

Fortunately (for me!) the food geeks at Cook's Illustrated decided to break down a classic Caesar salad recipe in the latest issue. My only attempt has been to make a faux Caesar dressing out of tofu. (I know!) My favorite discovery in the Cook's recipe is that they make garlic "paste" by grating a clove on a rasp style grater. Amazing! The pieces just disappear. Why didn't I think of that before? Anyway, this recipe is for diehards since it includes raw egg yolks and anchovy fillets in the dressing. It's what makes a Caesar a Caesar...though supposedly Cardini didn't use anchovies, but then again, he isn't available for questioning.

Caesar Salad
(Adapted from Cook's Illustrated January/February 2011)

Croutons
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic paste (from 1 clove grated on a rasp)
1/2 - 3/4 loaf ciabatta cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Dressing & Salad
3/4 teaspoon garlic paste (from 1 clove grated on a rasp)
2 - 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
6 anchovy fillets, minced fine and mashed to a paste with a fork
2 large egg yolks
5 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
2 - 3 romaine hearts, cut crosswise into 3/4-inch pieces, rinsed and dried very well

1. For the Croutons: Combine 1 tablespoon oil and garlic paste in a small bowl and set aside. Place the bread cubes in a large bowl and sprinkle with water and salt. Toss, squeezing gently so that the bread absorbs the water. Place the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil and soaked bread cubes in a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until browned and crisp, 7 - 10 minutes.

2. Remove the skillet from the heat and push the croutons to the sides of the skillet to clear the center of the pan. Add the garlic/oil mixture and cook with the residual heat of the pan, 10 seconds. Sprinkle the croutons with Parmesan and toss until the garlic an cheese are evenly distributes. Set aside.

3. For the Salad: Whisk the garlic paste and 2 tablespoons lemon juice together in a large bowl. Let stand 10 minutes.

4. Whisk the Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, and egg yolks into the garlic/lemon juice mixture. While whisking constantly, drizzle the canola oil and olive oil into the bowl in a slow steady stream until it fully emulsifies. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan and pepper to taste. Whisk until incorporated.

5. Add the romaine to the dressing and toss to coat. Add the croutons and mix gently until evenly distributed. Taste and season with up to 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Serve immediately, with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Serves about 4.

Mayo. Yo.

2011-01-10T16:40:00.001-05:00

I've never been a fan of mayo. Or sour cream. Or yogurt. Blech. So why did I decide to make homemade aioli (that's garlic mayo, y'all)? It must be because all of the healthy veggies that I've been eating. That's so not meant to last. And...I did happen to come home with a couple of heads of smoked garlic. Totally random. I had never seen it before, but it just seemed like the perfect ingredient for a smoked garlic aioli with patatas bravas...aka Spanish fries. Oh. Yeah. And aioli just sounds so much better than mayo.

Apparently smoked garlic is popular in France where it is known as Ail Fumé. In all of the days (!) that I've been there, I never noticed it in markets or on menus. (Francophiles? Any insight?) Anyhoo, it evidently exists in New York grocery stores and I am it's happy recipient. It smells a lot more smokey than it tastes, but proves the perfect partner for my aioli. Well, after I made it a second time. The first one kind of broke. Whoops!

Broken.

Fixed.

When you make your own mayo BY HAND, you have to be patient and initially only add a few drops of oil at a time so that it thickens gradually without breaking. I guess my arm was getting tired of whisking (it was about to fall off!) so I added the oil too quickly. Don't despair. There is a way to bring it back! Add a single room temperature egg yolk to a medium bowl, then slowly whisk the separated aioli into it. The additional yolk re-emulsifies the sauce. Boom.

I didn't deep fry my potatoes because all of that hot oil kind of scares me, but I did recall that my mom used to saute sliced potatoes for a dinner side dish sometimes. They look super tasty, right? They were! Even though they weren't deep fried. Just add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a frying pan, heat, then add sliced potatoes in a single layer. Cook for 4 minutes then flip and cook about 4 minutes more until golden. Toss with salt. Eat.

As good as this crispy potato-smoked garlic aioli combo is, I'm still not down with mayo. Or sour cream. Or yogurt. Or pudding...

Smoked Garlic Aioli

2 smoked garlic cloves
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1. Mince the garlic and then mash to a paste with a pinch of salt using a large heavy knife. (Or, use my new technique and grate the garlic cloves on a microplane.) Whisk together the yolk and mashed garlic in a bowl. Combine the oils and initially add just a few drops at a time to the yolk mixture, whisking constantly, until the aioli begins to thicken. Then add the oil slowly in a very thin stream (whisking constantly!) until all the oil is incorporated and the mixture is emulsified. (If the mixture separates (see photo of my broken aioli!), stop adding the oil and continue whisking until the mixture comes together, then resume adding oil.)

2. Whisk in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. If aïoli is too thick, whisk in 1 or 2 drops of water. Chill, covered, until ready to use.

Resolution Revolution

2011-01-05T12:04:00.004-05:00

I'm shockingly still on my veggie kick. It's been 3 whole days! Zucchini on Monday, French Fries on Tuesday (that counts, right?), and Cauliflower on Wednesday. (No, it's not a resolution. Maybe a revolution?) I've found some great veg recipes in The NY Times in the last couple of weeks and I'm totally psyched to have found this salad recipe since I can't ever think of anything to do with cauliflower. This salad is super delicious and filling, not necessarily your typical salad description. Just wait until tomorrow when I combine jicama, parsnips, and celeriac! Or not.

Roasted Cauliflower Salad
(Adapted from The New York Times)

1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
2/3 cup walnuts
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
5 ounces baby arugula, spinach, or watercress
1/4 pound Gruyere, Manchego or Sharp Cheddar, diced or grated (about 1 cup)

1. Heat the oven to 425˚F. In a large bowl, toss together the cauliflower, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread the cauliflower on a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast, tossing occasionally, until tender and dark golden, 20 minutes. Add the walnuts to the cauliflower and roast together 5 minutes more. Let cool for 10 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar with the remaining salt and pepper, and then whisk in the remaining oil.

3. In a salad bowl, toss the greens, cheese, nuts, and warm cauliflower. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss until well combined. Serves 4.

Buffalo Stance

2011-01-03T19:41:00.006-05:00

I have no resolve, so there'll be no resolutions. Just because I'm trying to eat a few vegetables and it coincides with the new year, it doesn't mean anything...except that I'm trying to offset all of the buffalo and bison that I ate while in Aspen over the holidays. I'm just going to take a little time out from big game...and red meat in general. And maybe some carbs while I'm at it. That's my buffalo stance.

I ran across a roasted zucchini recipe in Food & Wine and it sounded like a pretty good place to start. Even though zucchini isn't a winter vegetable it is available year round, so I figured that I'd try treating it like a winter vegetable by roasting it. Even though zucchini can be cooked quickly in a saute pan without turning on the oven, I discovered that roasting helps it to dry out and brown more quickly...and you don't have to hover over it, moving it around the pan to help the liquid evaporate. Throw on a glob of ricotta and call it a day. Or, if that's too side-dishy for you, boil some pasta and toss it all together and serve with some Parm on top. Not everyone is calorie counting in the new year...I finished off my veg fest with a hunk of dark chocolate.

Roasted Zucchini with Ricotta
(Adapted from Food & Wine)

6 medium zucchini (2 pounds), diced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 whole garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Fresh ricotta, for serving
Chopped parsley, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. On a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle the diced zucchini with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil, season with salt and black pepper, and toss with the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Spread out evenly on the baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes, until the zucchini pieces are browned around the edges.

2. Transfer the cooked zucchini to a bowl. Toss with the lemon juice and season with salt to taste. Serve with the ricotta, a drizzle of olive oil, and garnish with the parsley. Serves 4.

She's Crafty

2010-12-20T21:25:00.003-05:00

Just in case you haven't been plied with enough sweets yet (there are still 5 more days until Christmas!) I have another cookie recipe for you. I've been making these little macaroons for a couple of years now, and even though I'm not a coconut über fan, there's something light and elegant about these cookies. The chocolate is optional but...C'mon. I also like that they look like tiny snow covered mountains. If you squint. Really. Hard. And you're super stoked to spend your holiday in Aspen skiing and enjoying aprés-ski merriment so everything you see resembles a ski town...

OK this recipe is really easy. Really. Really. Easy. With only five ingredients all you need is a spoon and a bowl. Actually, you don't even need a spoon. You can mix everything with your hands if you feel like it. And if you think shaping my little pyramid shapes is way too complicated and crafty, then just roll the coconut mixture into little balls. Whatevs. Then bake, crush the sugar cookie competition, and enjoy!

Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons (aka Snowy Peaks)
(From The Ski House Cookbook)

4 large egg whites
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Salt
1 (14-ounce) package shredded sweetened coconut (about 5 1/3 cups)
1 (3.5-ounce) bittersweet chocolate bar, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy. Add the sugar, vanilla, and pinch of salt and stir to combine. Add the coconut and mix well.

2. Dampen your hands with cold water. Form a rounded tablespoon of the mixture into a haystack shape and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining mixture, spacing the stacks about 1-inch apart. Bake until golden brown, about 18 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through baking. Remove the cookies from the pan while still warm to cool completely on racks. Repeat with remaining coconut batter.

3. Fill a small saucepan with 1-inch of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and place a medium heat proof bowl on top so that the bottom is resting just above the simmering water. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until completely melted.

4. Turn off the heat and dip the bottom of each macaroon into the melted chocolate and place on wax paper to cool and harden. The macaroons can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Makes about 24 cookies.

Peace in Procrastination

2010-12-14T19:47:00.005-05:00

I'm really good at procrastinating. Instead of studying I've cleaned my apartment, gone to the gym a few times, checked email, and spent time talking on the phone about how I should really be studying. I also made a batch of super chocolaty goodness otherwise known as World Peace Cookies. This recipe made the food blog rounds a few years ago and, even though I'm a little late to the party, they still rock. I made them for a work friend's birthday today so hope that they will be put to good use later tonight when the munchies set in. These would also be fantabulous holiday cookies for any of you who may have found yourself coerced into a cookie exchange. You'll be the belle of the cookie ball.

World Peace Cookies
(from Dorie Greenspan)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
11 tablespoons (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70 - 85% cacao), chopped (no pieces bigger than 1/3 inch)

1. Sift the flour, cocoa, and baking soda into medium bowl. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth but not fluffy. Add both sugars, vanilla, and sea salt. Beat until fluffy, 2 minutes more.

2. Turn off the mixer. Add the flour mixture, cover to protect from flying flour, and beat on low speed just until blended. (The flour will just be incorporated and the mixture may be crumbly.) Add the chopped chocolate and mix just to distribute.

3. Divide the dough in half. Place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap. Form each half into 1 1/2-inch-diameter logs. Wrap each in plastic. Chill until firm, about 3 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.

4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a thin sharp knife, cut the logs crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Space 1-inch apart on the prepared sheets. Bake 1 sheet at a time until the cookies appear dry (cookies will not be firm or golden at edges), 11 to 12 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and let the cookies rest until they are just warm. Remove from the baking sheet and serve or allow to come to room temperature.

Did Somebody Say Delivery?

2010-12-05T16:03:00.006-05:00

It might seem crazy to make homemade pizza in New York City where you can get everything from a 99 cent slice, to a quintissential NYC pie, to an artisanal pizza from one the newly annointed pizzaiolos. I decided to give it a whirl anyway because somebody (Holla, Michael!) gave me a packet of Fleischmann's "pizza crust yeast" to try (and I just might be a little cray-cray). How is it any different from regular yeast you might ask? If you care? Well, at first I assumed that it was simply a marketing ploy to get you to buy it over regular old yeast packets, until Michael pointed out that it doesn't require any rising time. You just mix it up and roll it out. In the past I've used frozen pizza dough to make pizza, so at least I didn't have to plan ahead to defrost the dough.

I made a mozzarella, tomato, and basil pizza with all-purpose flour in the dough, and a mushroom and fontina pizza (no sauce) with whole wheat flour in the dough. Both versions of the dough mixed up and rolled out easily. My conclusion about the texture, however, left a little something to be desired. In both instances my pizza crust had a slightly bready consistency, so it kind of reminded me of a cheap frozen pizza you might have last had in college. I think I just prefer a little thinner, crunchier crust. I like the idea of having these little packets on hand, but I think I like calling 1-800 pizza delivery more.

Homemade Pizza with Pizza Crust Yeast

1 1/2 to 2 cups all-purpose flour
1 envelope Fleischmann's Pizza Crust Yeast
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup very warm water (120 to 130°F)
3 tablespoons oil
1/2 to 1 cup tomato sauce, if desired
Other toppings as desired

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

2. Combine 1 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add very warm water and the oil. Mix until well blended, about 1 minute. Gradually add 1/2 cup flour to make a soft dough. The dough should form a ball and will be slightly sticky. Knead* on a floured surface, adding additional flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes.

3. Pat the dough with floured hands to fill a greased pizza pan or baking sheet, or roll the dough on a floured counter to a 12-inch circle. Place on greased pizza pan or baking sheet. Form a rim by pinching the edge of the dough.

4. Top with desired toppings and bake on the lowest oven rack for 12 to 15 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and crust is browned.

*To knead the dough, add just enough flour to the dough and your hands to keep the dough from sticking. Flatten dough and fold it toward you.Using the heels of your hands, push the dough away with a rolling motion. Rotate dough a quarter turn and repeat the "fold, push and turn" steps. Keep kneading dough until it is smooth and elastic. Use a little more flour if dough becomes too sticky, always working the flour into the ball of dough.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T14:43:00.002-05:00

Red Red Wine Ragu

2010-11-22T11:47:00.006-05:00

Each time that I go to Philly for a visit, it's a total food fest. Whether it's checking out the latest Garces opening, or stocking up on supplies at the Italian Market or Reading Terminal, it's pretty much non-stop eating.

This past weekend was no different. Because it was so chilly, it felt like the perfect weather for making short ribs. Instead of serving them straight up, they got shredded into a sauce to serve over fresh pasta. DE-lish!

I used a braised short rib recipe from Mario Batali as a base for this pasta sauce. When the short ribs were done, I removed them from the braise, reduced the sauce, pureed it, shredded the meat, and put it back into the sauce. Voila! Short rib ragu! It may sound like a lot of work, but most of the work happens unattended so you can have a drink and spend a few hours playing tennis, bowling, and golf on your Wii. Not that I know anything about that.

Red red wine. For drinking.

Short Rib Ragu
(Adapted from Mario Batali)

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds boneless beef short ribs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large Spanish onions, diced
1 medium carrot, sliced
2 ribs celery, chopped
3 garlic cloves
4 ounces pancetta, diced
2 cups Barolo or other hearty red wine
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes (or 2 cups prepared tomato sauce)
Parmesan cheese, for serving

1. In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over high heat. Season the meat generously with salt and pepper. Working in batches, cook the meat on each side until deep brown all on sides, about 12 minutes per batch. Remove the short ribs to a plate and set aside.

2. Remove any excess oil and then add the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, and pancetta to the pan and cook over medium-high heat until beginning to brown and starting to soften, about 6 minutes. Add the wine and the tomatoes and juices and bring the mixture to a boil.

3. Return the meat to the pot and bring back to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook until the meat is very tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

4. Transfer the meat to a plate. Bring the cooking liquid to a boil and cook for 30 minutes to reduce to about 2 1/2 cups. Once reduced, use an immersion blender to puree the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning.

5. Meanwhile, shred the cooked meat, discarding any excess fat. Return the shredded meat to the sauce and stir. Serve over pasta, such as pappardelle or rigatoni, with cheese if desired. Serves 4 - 6.

Chocolate Chip Childhood

2010-11-15T16:14:00.000-05:00

When I was little, my sister and I use to craft our own candy bars by filling a plastic sandwich bag with chocolate chips, placing it in a sun patch on the living room floor to melt, and then putting it in the freezer to harden (more or less) into a candy bar shape. Sometimes I would add nuts if I was feeling fancy. Candy making safe for kids! It could be all the rage.

Eventually I upgraded to filling Pillsbury Crescent dinner rolls with chocolate chips to bake my own chocolate croissants. (There were always chocolate chips in the house thanks to my family of chocoholics.) I don't remember ever having a chocolate croissant as a kid so have no idea how I came up with that masterpiece. Maybe it was from watching a Bugs Bunny episode with Pepé Le Pew...

Anyway, I've upgraded my childhood chocolate croissant experiment by using frozen puff pastry and really excellent chocolate. It's closer to the real thing but still super simple. (The day I actually make my own puff pastry, someone please tell me that I'm out of my mind. I live in New York and can just go to Balthazar, or other fabulous French bakery to buy my croissants!) I suggest splurging on the good puff pastry if you can find it, otherwise ye olde grocery store brand will work if you're desperate. I made mine by folding the dough in a triangular shape around the chocolate (just like I used to fold the American flag back when I was the Safety Captain in the sixth grade) but you can just roll them up for ease. King Arthur Flour sells chocolate batons just for this use. Hmmm...what if baton twirlers twirled chocolate batons? Now that would take talent!

Quick Chocolate Croissants
(Adapted from The Ski House Cookbook)

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed and cut into 8 squares
1 large egg
2 teaspoons water
1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate, or 8 chocolate batons
Sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Whisk the egg and water in a small bowl. Brush one edge of a puff pastry square with the egg wash. Place 1 tablespoon chocolate (or baton) on the opposite edge of the pastry square and roll up the dough tightly. Press the edge with the egg wash into the dough to close. Place the pastry roll seam side down on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pastry squares and chocolate.

2. Brush the tops of the pastry rolls with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake until the pastries are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 8 pastries.

Dessert First

2010-11-09T17:19:00.010-05:00

Photo by Kate Mathis

Guess what I'm having for dinner? Totes. (Thank god summer is over the way I eat.) Full disclosure: I didn't make these tarts. I got lucky at work today, reaping the benefits of birthday desserts and the good fortune that certain peeps know that salted caramel chocolate tarts are one of my faves. I don't have a recipe for them as these tarts are actually a combo of a few different recipes, but you could always take a look at this recipe as well as this one for reference. Thanks so much to Megan for the delicious treats! And thanks to Kate for the photos and Scott for the hawt shiny tray!

Photo by Kate Mathis

You Don't Know Jacques

2010-11-07T21:20:00.005-05:00

I just got back from a quick work trip to LA where it was an unseasonable 90˚F. It was a nice respite from the chilly fall days of the northeast, but it made me think about how I'm totally over summer clothes. Now that I'm back in NYC I'm ready to put away my sundresses, cook a bunch of cozy comfort meals...and to finally drag all of my winter clothes out of the bowels of my closet.

I've posted a whole roast chicken recipe before, and since it's so easy to make, there's really no reason to revisit it...except that I really like this super fast method that I found by Jacques Pépin. He has you butterfly the chicken by removing the backbone (which isn't as hard as it might seem because it really doesn't matter if you kind of hack it up a bit) so that it cuts the roasting time in half. (The garlicky-mustard mixture makes the chicken super tasty too.) Throw these fantabulous brussels sprouts into the oven with the bird and then whip up some mashed potatoes while you're waiting with a glass (or two) of wine while wearing your favorite leggings and T. That's pretty comfortable food.

Quick Roast Chicken
(Adapted from Food & Wine)

One 4-pound whole chicken
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons dry white wine
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Using poultry shears, cut along each side of the chicken backbone and remove it. Turn the chicken breast side up and press on the breast bone to flatten the chicken. Using a sharp knife, cut partway through both sides of the joint between the thighs and the drumsticks. Cut partway through the joint between the wings and the breast.

2. In a small bowl, mix all of the remaining ingredients. Turn the chicken breast down and spread it with half of the mustard mixture. Set the chicken in a large skillet breast side up and spread with the remaining mixture.

3. Set the skillet over high heat and cook the chicken until it starts to brown, 5 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the chicken for 30 minutes, until the skin is browned and the chicken is cooked through. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, cut it into 8 pieces, and serve. Serves four. (The chicken can be prepared through Step 2 and refrigerated overnight.)

Cheese Balls

2010-11-02T16:40:00.006-04:00

Now that Halloween is over and it's officially Dia de los Muertos (buy my Juana necklace here), I hope that you've got your New Year's Eve outfit picked out because I'm pretty sure that I just saw some Valentine's Day crap in the stores. Forget about Christmas. I think they've been playing holiday tunes since August. But in case you are planning a few parties between now and next year, there is nothing more deliciously satisfying than some fresh out of the oven cheesy gougères. A cheese puff made from a dough not unlike that of cream puffs or profiteroles, gougères are the perfect savory snack with a glass of wine or cocktail before dinner. Chad and I actually made them on Halloween before we served an eight pound pork butt, but that's another post. Yes, it would be best to make these à la minute, but you can bake them off and then just quickly reheat as your guests are arriving. You're welcome.

Gougères
(From Terrance Brennan)

4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup milk plus extra for brushing
1/2 teaspoon each salt and ground white pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated Gruyère plus extra for garnish
Coarse sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F.

2. Bring the butter, milk, 1/4 cup water, salt, and pepper to a boil in a medium pot. Remove from the heat and add the sifted flour and baking powder. Stir well, and return to medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball, about 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Place the cheese and the mixture in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle, and beat until just warm. Add the eggs slowly as the mixer runs, until the dough is smooth and shiny. (Alternatively, stir to cool by hand and beat in eggs with a wooden spoon.) Transfer to a pastry bag, and pipe in 1-inch mounds using a No. 4 tip, or drop with a teaspoon, on a sheet pan lined with parchment. (At this stage, the gougères can be frozen and then stored in a plastic bag. They do not have to be thawed before baking, but 11/2 to 2 minutes should be added to the cooking time.) Brush with milk, and sprinkle with cheese and sea salt.

4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes; when puffs are golden brown, reduce to 375˚F and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Serve hot or at room temperature. Makes about 32. (The gougères may be reheated.)

Nudie Gnudi

2010-10-27T12:17:00.007-04:00

Nudie Gnudi

Not Nudie Gnudi

Unlike never nudes, I've had gnudi experiences. My first was at Picholine. It was restaurant week years ago (not my normal lunch destination obvs) and I had never tried gnudi before. That is just so sad because I had to wait so long to discover how delicious they are, in a way that gnocchi (it's little potato cousin) often aren't. Instead of being little pillows of heaven, if they aren't made well, gnocchi can be little starch grenades. However, the Picholine gnudi were light and fluffy and amazing. Fast forward to the opening of The Spotted Pig and the crazy delicious sheep's milk ricotta gnudi that are served there. Whoa. There's no reason to order anything else. Except the burger. Check please! Valet, bring my ambulance around.

It's not like I was obsessing over gnudi last week out of the blue, which wouldn't be unlike me, but it was while reading my weekly Food & Wine e-newsletter that I spied a recipe for a batch of spinach gnudi. And that was it. I bought my ingredients and got to work! While I may not be able to exactly replicate the perfection that I've had in restaurants (yet!), this rendition is pretty darn good...and super tasty and easy to make. I think some fresh basil might be a nice addition, or a lathering in a simple brown butter. And just to show how on trend I am, check out this article in the NY Times today!

Spinach & Ricotta Gnudi
(Adapted from Food & Wine)

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups spinach, stems discarded
2 pounds fresh ricotta
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, optional
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
2 cups all-purpose flour

All-purpose tomato sauce
4 tablespoons butter, optional

1. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the spinach, a handful at a time, and stir over until wilted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a colander and let cool. Squeeze the spinach dry and finely chop it.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a stand mixer, combine the spinach with the ricotta, eggs, nutmeg, and the 1/2 cup of Parmesan and mix on medium-low speed until blended. Add the flour in 3 batches, mixing on low between additions, until just incorporated.

3. Add about one-fourth of the gnudi dough to a large, resealable plastic bag. With scissors, cut a 1/2-inch corner from the bag. Working over the boiling water, squeeze the dough through the corner opening and use a knife to cut it into 1-inch pieces as it is squeezed out. Cook the gnudi over moderately high heat until firm, about 3 minutes. (They will drop to the bottom of the pot and then float to the surface as they cook.) With a slotted spoon or wire skimmer, transfer the gnudi to a platter. Repeat with the remaining dough.

4. Heat the tomato sauce and stir in the butter, if desired. Carefully transfer the gnudi to the tomato sauce and stir lightly to heat through. Spoon into shallow bowls and serve at once, passing more Parmesan at the table. Serves 6 - 8. This recipe can be halved and works perfectly.

Lock, Stock, and Barrels

2010-10-25T12:55:00.016-04:00

This past weekend I made my maiden voyage to the North Fork of Long Island while on a field trip with my wine class, or rather a couple of peeps from my wine class. (I could have brought friends!) The educational emphasis was on viticulture and vitification because that is the unit that we are currently studying, but let's face it, it was also about tasting and buying wine.

We started out at Paumanok Winery, then moved on to Lenz Winery, both smallish but quite well established wineries making delicious wine in Long Island. (No, it's not an oxymoron, though it certainly could be.) We ended up capping off the day with a trip to a goat cheese farm called Catapano Dairy Farm to buy some delicious goat cheese and then finally ended up at Briermere Farms where several peeps stood in line to buy one of their abundant pie selections. I just bought some beets to roast up to go with my bevy of goat cheese (lavender-honey and plain chevre). All in all it was a pretty fabulous day.

Yep. With 30-some-odd wineries (vs. just a couple in the South Fork) the North Fork is synonymous with wine country.

An example of the trellising/pruning technique called replacement cane pruning. I won't bore you with the details that I have to know about this. Gnarly. Harvest was just completed a few days ago, hence, no grapes.

Hello, Cabernet Franc.

Extra barrels just waiting to be used.

A Lenz Gerwürztraminer just after fermentation. Cloudy yet delicious, but not quite as Gerwzy (my word) or clear as it has yet to become.

Paumanok Winery on a lazy October afternoon.

Warm Goat Cheese Salad

Here's a recipe from The Ski House Cookbook in case you ever have an excess of goat cheese, and eating it with a spoon just won't do.

2/3 cup bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
6 ounces goat cheese
6 - 9 ounces baby greens

Dijon Balsamic Vinaigrette
Whisk together:
3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Extra virgin olive oil

1. In a small bowl mix the bread crumbs, pepper, thyme, and parsley. In another small bowl whisk the egg with the salt and mustard.

2. Cut the goat cheese into 4 equal pieces and form into disks about 3/4” thick. Roll the disks in the egg wash and then in the bread crumb mixture, pressing the crumbs gently into the cheese to coat. Place the disks on a small baking sheet and transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a large bowl toss the greens with the vinaigrette. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove the cheese from the freezer and brush the tops lightly with the oil. Transfer to the oven and bake until golden, about 10 minutes.

4. Divide the salad among 4 plates and top each with a goat cheese round. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Rosemary + Chocolate + Olive Oil = Dessert

2010-10-17T15:38:00.000-04:00

It must be the chill in the air that makes me want to bake everyday, at least that's my excuse. Even after my trip to Eataly, land of savory goodness, I managed to find a way to bake with my new olive oil. I've been reading about using olive oil for baking for quite a while, but had never actually made an attempt. It was time. This rosemary-chocolate tea cake recipe is the perfect vehicle for venturing into the world of sweet and savory all at once. I don't particularly love super sweet desserts, but thought that this recipe could use a tiny touch more sugar, and maybe a touch more chocolate (everything tastes better with more chocolate, obvs). I also substituted whole wheat flour for spelt flour...because I didn't have any and was too lazy to go out and buy some. Since this cake is not overly sweet, you could consider it more of a breakfast treat than dessert, perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. Hey, they say that olive oil and dark chocolate are good for you so this is my new breakfast of champions.

Rosemary & Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
via The Catskill Kiwi via The Wednesday Chef via Good to the Grain

Olive oil, for the pan
3/4 cup spelt flour (or whole wheat flour)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup plus 2 tablspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 eggs
1 cup olive oil
3/4 cup whole milk
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
5 - 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (about 70% cacao), chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Rub a 9 1/2-inch fluted tart pan (or regular round cake pan) with olive oil.

2. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Set aside.

3. In another large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the olive oil, milk, and rosemary and whisk again. Using a spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry, gently mixing until just combined. Stir in the chocolate. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly and smoothing the top.

4. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. The cake can be eaten warm or cool. Once cooled the cake can be wrapped tightly in plastic and kept for up to 2 days.

Carbon Dating

2010-10-12T15:40:00.000-04:00

After a week of the world's worst cold I made a date with two of my besties, Chad and Ken, (Holla!) to enjoy a food extravaganza. The foodie destinations we visited have already been reviewed 80 million times (I've never said that I was cutting edge) so I was hoping our late showing would make for a more mellow experience since I can't stand crowds or lines or...people.

We brunched at The Breslin where I had the most amazing lamb burger with a side of thrice baked chips. Hello...you had me at thrice. (Oh, THAT'S why my jeans don't fit! Interesting.) We had some issues with the front of house but excused their general inadequacy after we ate.

Then we made our way over to Eataly. Yes, the original food and wine market is in Italy, but the way the lines formed around the block you'd think that Mario invented the place. Since I don't do lines, I took one look and got ready to run the other way. Fortunately I was with friends who aren't quite as fazed by such things. (Tip: If there's a line when you go, wait at the 23rd street entrance where it will be shorter. The Broadway entrance is bananas. Also, it only takes about 5 minutes to get in.) The place is pretty cool, though I can't imagine having an enjoyable meal there because it's loud and frenetic, not exactly the way I like to enjoy a glass of wine. I did manage to find some relative bargains hidden among the more upscale items. I bought some ground espresso for 6 bucks and a really nice bottle of olive oil for about 12. Plus the array of dried pasta is dizzying. At least now I know where to find those more unusual shapes.

A big motivating factor for our visit to Eataly was to pick up some guanciale, which is basically an unsmoked Italian bacon made from the jowls of the pig rather than the belly. It's a little harder to find than pancetta, so when we scored it we knew that carbonara was in our immediate future. This basic pasta is essentially a bacon, egg, and cheese (and pepper!) mixed into pasta rather than served fried on a roll. It's SO GOOD. There is some discrepancy about whether the name, carbonara, refers to a meal served to Italian coal workers (coal miner's spaghetti), or that it was originally made over charcoal grills, or that the abundance of black pepper simply resembles charcoal. Whatevs. It's delish. More importantly, I am suddenly realizing that this post is coinciding with the long awaited rescue of the trapped Chilean coal miners. Can you imagine being trapped underground for 69 days??? I certainly can not. And I can't believe their ability to keep it together and not go all Lord of the Flies on each other. They better get compensated for all of the book/screenplay/movie deals that most likely have been in the works for the past 52 days. That's it. Spaghetti alla Carbonara absolutely means Coal Miner's Spaghetti!

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

1 pound dry spaghetti
Salt
1/2 pound guanciale (or pancetta or good bacon)
1 cup Pecorino Romano, grated, plus more for serving
5 large egg yolks
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti, according to package directions until tender yet al dente.

2. Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, cook the guanciale until it is crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan.

3. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the cooked spaghetti and add to the bowl, along with the guanciale, reserved fat, grated cheese, and a very generous amount of black pepper and toss until fully incorporated. Add the reserved pasta water as needed to thin the sauce to the desired consistency. Season with more freshly ground black pepper, salt to taste, and grate additional cheese over the top. Serve immediately. Serves 4 generously.

Don't Speak

2010-10-07T12:48:00.007-04:00

Since I've had laryngitis for the past few days you'd think that I could at least write a blog post...but you'd be wrong! I haven't been cooking OR going out to eat. I have nothing to say. Literally. But while I try to mend by ordering takeout and eating super spicy Thai soups like Tom Yum Goong, I figured that I could at least share my latest discovery: THE BEST COFFEE ON PLANET EARTH.

Macaron Cafe is an unassuming fabulous little place on a crappy block on West 36th street. (Actually I think there might be another location uptown too.) I discovered it when I needed to find some macarons for a photo shoot for work. Since my assistant and I trekked all the way over there from our office, we decided to treat ourselves to an iced coffee for the walk back. Now iced coffee may not be the best predictor of the quality of coffee, but it was outstanding nonetheless. And fully loaded. We were bouncing off the walls for the next 12 hours.

After that unexpected experience, I dragged another co-worker to Macaron Cafe after a recent photo shoot in the neighborhood. This time I ordered a cappuccino, and it was 5:00 pm. I thought that I should have some caffeine before my 3 hour wine class, naively thinking that my last experience with hyperactivity was a fluke. My friend had a sip, deemed it the best coffee she ever had, and agreed that she too would never sleep again when I called her after my class at 10:30 pm. Aha!

I'm not saying that this coffee is the best ever simply because of the caffeine. It's because of the flavor, the freshness, the preparation...total perfection. The heightened alertness is simply a by-product. By the way, Macaron Cafe sells macarons too and they are delish, and super cute. (Don't they look like adorable little hamburgers??) My current fave is the caramel fleur de sel. Can't wait until I get better to actually taste food again!

Photos from macaroncafe.com

Caramel Fleur de Sel

Cassis

Cappuccino

Donut Haus

2010-09-28T22:34:00.006-04:00

Aside from looking at loads of art last weekend, the other priority turned out to be obtaining apple cider, donuts, and apples from Robinette's Apple Haus. (How can you not want to go anywhere with haus in the title?) Some people (i.e. my sister, Erin) had claimed that I had been there before. Um, that must have been your other sister. Who doesn't exist. This was my maiden voyage to the land of manna. Growing up in Michigan you go to apple orchards, like, every other day in autumn, but I had never been to THIS particular orchard.

Bananas. That's what I have to say about them apples. The donuts were so freaking good that I don't know how I could possibly ever eat another donut not from Robinette's. And they're only 65 cents. What else can you buy for less than a dollar? Here's the deal. They have two (very important) flavors: pumpkin spice and cinnamon sugar. I ate one of each trying to figure out which was superior and could have eaten 10 more in my quest for answers. I'm not kidding. THEY ARE SO GOOD. They melt in your mouth. Did I mention that they were warm? Fresh out of the deep fryer? The outside had a slight crunch and the inside a soft, tender crumb. Even my dad's and aunt's apple-orchard-non-traditional chocolate covered cake donuts were ah-mazing.

Robinette's will send gift boxes...of apples (but not to Arizona, sorry). Dear Robinette's: Can you please make a gift box of donuts??? That would be awesome. Sincerely, Tina

Say Yes to Michigan!

2010-09-28T17:54:00.007-04:00

I used to be called "The Hub"...back when I actually knew what everyone was up to and no one else did. I think I'm out of the loop now so thank goodness that there's a building that now claims all of my knowledge. (I feel so much less pressure.) Here's a brief rundown (there are over 1200 artists so this is but the tiniest sliver) of the ArtPrize extravaganza that I attended in Grand Rapids, MI last weekend.

FREDERIK MEIJER GARDENS AND SCULPTURE PARK

A Chihuly sculpture...completely separate from the ArtPrize competition...but still totally rad.

Vessel by Amanda Katz

I'm a sucker for anything typographic.

Conductivity by Julia Rogers

DOWNTOWN GR

The artists' reception at Bethlehem Lutheran Church. My mom in the foreground right, my sis in the background right. My one-dimensional self in the center background: Tina by Char Anderson.

More of the artists' reception.

DOWNTOWN GR: AH-NAB-AWEN PARK

Burial Mounds by Flinten Sackett. Read about it here.

More Burial Mounds

Detail of Burial Mounds

Dream Big by Pete Fecteau made of 4242 Rubik's Cubes.

Detail of Dream Big.

Art break: Reserve, the all new GR wine bar/art viewing-pit stop slice of fabulosity, the perfect downtown destination in which to sample over 100 wines by the glass. (Not all at the same time!) While sipping a Cremant D'Alsace I also sampled a Michigan sparkler. Not bad! There are also some tasty prosciutto/jamon/queso/formaggio options (I was so busy eating that I forgot to take photos) as well as other sorted snacks. You really can't go wrong. Wine and cheese is the perfect meal!

GRAM

Chroma Passage by Janice Arnold

Baby Calder: La Petite Vitesse

Dreamscape by Kathy Stecko

INTERSECTION

Extremely random ArtPrize festivity: The Shaolin comes to GR. GZA at Intersection. For realz.

GZA up close and personal. I'm pretty sure that he and I were the oldest people there.

The winning ArtPrize entry from last year (Open Water No. 24) gracing the bar at the brand spanking new wine bar/small plate eatery extravagana: Reserve. The end.

Go (mid) West!

2010-09-22T23:06:00.007-04:00

So I'm heading off to the fair city of Grand Rapids, MI where I will be visiting the fam as well as looking at a bunch of art and...voting on my mother's entry in ArtPrize! (ATTENTION GReeps: My madre's fabulous painting above is on display at Bethlehem Lutheran Church downtown, mere blocks away from some of the other big art viewing and voting destinations!)

What is ArtPrize you ask? Why it's "a radically open competition. Open to any artist in the world who can find space. Open to anybody in Grand Rapids, Michigan who wants to create a venue. Open to a vote from anyone who attends - Part arts festival, part social experiment--this international contest is decided solely by public vote." (By the way, that orange squiggly thing in the ArtPrize logo is a graphic depiction of the most iconic piece of sculptural art in Grand Rapids by Alexander Calder, just turned on it's side.)

I'm also planning to check out the über-recently opened restaurant, Reserve, the latest to join the ranks of wine bars serving small plates and locally sourced menu items like Lake Superior whitefish, smoked steelhead roe, and Evergreen Lane Farm Chevre to name a few (according to the website). The wine list looks pretty straightforward but the draw will be the over 100 wines available by the glass as they have employed ye olde tap...well, more or less. I'm thinking it will be like this but I'll be sure to visit and report back!

Sometimes I Feel Like a Nut

2010-09-19T19:19:00.005-04:00

Now that it's starting to cool off, I'm veering onto the edge of a baking binge. (Friends and coworkers are about to benefit immensely.) Most quick breads are sweet like pumpkin bread, banana bread, cranberry bread...but this savory walnut bread that I found in the Recipes for Health section of the NY Times is a great alternative that can be served toasted at breakfast or topped with a goat cheese, aged cheddar, or triple cream followed by a nice glass of wine. I think it would also be tasty with a chopped herb like thyme or rosemary. But no matter what, you gotta like nuts since this is a super nutty bread. Not feeling nutty? Stick to corn bread...and stay away from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Quick Walnut Bread
(Adapted from Martha Rose Shulman)

1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons walnut oil
1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Butter or oil a loaf pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in the buttermilk or yogurt and the oils. Whisk in the flour mixture and fold in the walnuts. Scrape into the prepared loaf pan.

3. Bake the bread on a rack in the middle of the oven for 50 minutes to one hour, until nicely browned and a tester comes out clean. Remove from the heat, allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then reverse onto a rack and allow to cool. Makes one loaf. The bread will keep for a couple of days wrapped airtight. It also freezes well.

The Ultimate Swirly

2010-09-14T15:48:00.000-04:00

For chocoholics like me, (perfectly made) brownies are the ultimate chocolate treat. And for some people, cheesecake is the ultimate indulgence. And for others...well, who cares? Everyone needs to make this ASAP!

Cheesecake Brownies

For the brownie batter:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour

For the cheesecake batter:
8 ounces cream cheese, well softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

2. Make the brownie batter: In a small saucepan over low heat, gently melt the butter. Add the cocoa, whisking until thoroughly combined. Set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, and vanilla, stirring until the mixture is well blended and pale yellow in color. Stir in the chocolate mixture. Add the flour and salt and stir just to combine. Pour the batter into a non-stick 8-inch square baking pan. Set aside.

3. Make the cheesecake batter: Whisk together the 4 cheesecake ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.

4. Dollop the cheesecake batter over the brownie batter, then swirl in with a knife or spatula. Bake until the center is just set, 30 - 35 minutes. Makes sixteen (2-inch) squares.