The lost art of the cocktail party

I LOVE dinner parties! They give me the opportunity to make roasts, braised meats, or anything else deemed too large or time consuming for just Reno & myself. I also use dinner parties as a stage for showing off some fancier techniques and presentation. The drawback to the dinner party, though, is the number of people you can invite. Although most people have table capacity of just 6-8 people, I find my tight twelve-seater inadequate. That may seem like a lot of people to some, but if you count Reno & me, that leaves only 10 spots, which equals 5 couples, and sometimes you just want to add one more person...you see where I'm going.

The beauty part of the cocktail party, on the other hand, is that you can have way more people over than you can sit at a table. It's also a great way to host a different groups of friends together, since the layout encourages everyone to mix and mingle. I always assumed that was the grown-up way to "party." As a child, I watched tv shows and movies where adults hosted and attended cocktail parties, and they always looked so chic. Granted they were probably rife with aspic and deviled eggs, but let's stay focused on the spirit of the party. Everyone would be dressed up, suit and ties for the gents, cocktail dresses for the ladies. (I'm thrilled dresses are coming back, btw,I missed them. ) People would eat, drink and be merry while cool music played in the background.

Nowadays, so many people's idea of entertaining is to show a game on the big screen tv, while guests gobble up 6 foot subs and chug beer. A far cry from the cocktail party of yester year, n'est pas? So where did we lose our way?

I, myself, can count on one hand the number of cocktail parties I have attended in the last 10 years. I don't even hear my more fashionable city friends talk about going to cocktail parties that aren't work related. The only place I ever hear about cocktail parties are in gossip magazines, and they're hosted exclusively by and for celebrities and socialites. What about us regular folk, though? It is up to us to resurrect the cocktail party, and to bring finesse and style back to entertaining! Average Joes unite!

Like a dinner party, a cocktail party can be as relaxed or formal as you make it. And, depending on your culinary skills, the food can be as easy or complicated as you'd like too. This is a good opportunity to get creative with serving food (cake plates and silver trays would be nice), and if done right, can actually eliminate a lot of the clean-up afterwards (think non-messy foods that don't require plates).

I generally like to go the more formal route with only utensil-free finger foods, which make it easy to eat while standing and chatting. The menu is where I like to have fun and mix up fancy and casual food. I would easily do a nice pig in a blanket and a wild mushroom vol-au-vent for the same party. Even the pig in a blanket can get dressed up when you use an artisanal mini sausage wrapped in puff pastry and serve it with whole grain mustard. If you put some thought and creativity into it, many of your favorite recipes can be made finger friendly if made into bite-sized portions. Just think mom's meatloaf can be a nostalgic canape if cut into little squares or made in mini muffin tin.

My main rule, though, is to have enough food, and enough menu variety, to constitute a whole meal. Keep cooking methods in mind while menu planning as well. You don't want everything to come out of the oven or deep fryer. Cold dishes can be prepped and plated before the first guests even arrive so you can spend less time in the kitchen during the party. Everyone likes some hot food for dinner, so be sure to have some. The drinks can be simple wine (red & white), something non-alcoholic and water. And the music can be anything you like, so long as it doesn't preclude people from chatting and hearing each other, which is the whole point of the party.

The following are some easy menu ideas:

• An anti-pasta/cheese platter: The nice thing here is that you can really go all out on this one, with cheeses, salami, pate, olive, roasted peppers, cured anchovies, roasted peppers, artichokes, etc. Just don't forget the bread!

• Even salad can be make finger friendly if served on endive spears, radicchio leaves or Boston/bibb lettuce leaves


• Crudite - almost any veggie / dip combination works here.

• Mini smoked sausages, skewered with mini (pre-boiled) potatoes, then pan fried and served with nice mustard. Here you can add all sorts of veggies too.

• Smoked salmon with little toasts or blinis, served with creme fraiche, capers, mined red onion, dill, lemon, etc.

• Shrimp cocktail anyone? Yes, people still love the shrimp cocktail. Keep it from being too Vegas buffet by making your own sauce, or serving with different sauces.
  

• Chicken wings - you should at least cut them at the joint and use a not-too-messy-to-eat recipe. Or a more sophisticated option would be to do a chicken skewer. I think chunks are easier to slide off the stick than whole strips of flesh. Keep the eater in mind!
  

• "Spaghetti & meatballs" - I recently did a take on this by skewering cooked tortellini, and making tiny meatballs, and serving them with a tomato dipping sauce. Che buono!

• Lamb chops. So many stores sell the whole rack with frenched bones, that all you have to do is cut them into individual chops, and the bone acts as a natural handle. What could be more fun or tasty than gnawing on the bone??? It's not as trashy as you might think.
  

• Mini panini/grilled cheese - if you use sliced baguette for your bread, the filling options are endless, and you have neat mini sandwiches. A variation on this would be to grill the bread slices first (crostini style), then serve them topped with chopped tomato and basil, or anything else you can imagine.
  

• Cherry tomatoes are great for filling (once you remove the inside pulp & seeds, of course). You can fill it with either a bean puree (canellini beans, sage, olive oil, salt & pepper to taste), goat cheese mouse (goat cheese, olive oil, salt & pepper to taste) or smoked trout mousse (smoked trout, cream cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, pepper). And the options go on.

• Soup is ideal for serving in shot glasses or sake cups. Think small clear plastic cups (sold at party stores) if you don't want to make the investment.
  

• If you make a mean risotto, try serving bite sized portions on Asian soup spoons.

• Want an Asian flare? How about finger friendly spring rolls rolls or sushi?
  

• Chocolates & cookies - sweets are v. important. You don't want to forget dessert!


• Any cake would be nice, just don't make it too high, and pre-cut into 1" pieces. I would frost/glaze the pieces after you cut them.


• If you can find pre-made tart shells or other pastries of the likes, they would give you even more possibilities.

I could go on, but I think you have the idea. My apologies, I couldn't manage to format the few photos I did have, so I have eliminated them all together. I hope you understand.

Gobble, gobble, gobble!

(In an effort to provide full disclosure, this is not my bird. It's an epicurious.com picture)

It's that time of year, when everyone unites with loved ones to share a meal featuring that beloved bird, the turkey, which otherwise goes unnoticed for the rest of the year, with the exception of Christmas. And like anything else, there are as many different ways of preparing turkey and its fixin's as there are people, so the options really are endless.

I will admit that I won't be cooking this year. Instead, I'll be feasting on a supermarket turkey meal. Don't judge, just pray for me! And even though I won't be in the kitchen this year, I did want to pass on some pearls of wisdom about the main dish. So let's get back to the "if I were cooking" scenario...

Over the years, many a cookbook and holiday issued magazine have fine tuned certain techniques for creating a tastier bird. For one, you should try organic or even an heirloom variety if you can find it. Anyone who has ever tasted organic chicken will tell you how much more chicken-y it tastes compared to its drugged up cousin. Heirloom turkey are much like tomatoes or anything else heirloom, they are breeds that got left behind in the age of supermarket standardization. In a strange twist of fate, as the average American gets larger, they continually seek leaner (read: dry & flavorless) meats. (I guess that alone will keep them healthy, right???) As a result, farmers have been cross-breeding chicken & turkey to create ones with very large breasts (LA style), just to please all those lean white meat lovers. Heirloom breeds will provide more variety in terms of white to dark meat ratios and flavors.

Whichever bird you get, I highly recommend brining your turkey. For those of you who aren't familiar with the technique, it is a salt-sugar-spice-water solution into which you soak your meat (this works well for our very lean American pork too). It really does add moisture and flavor.

Since chicken and turkey are so darn similar, I think we can apply many of our tried-and-true chicken techniques to turkey as well. I have never basted a roasted chicken, so why bother with turkey? If you think about it, the liquid will just roll right off the skin and into the pan. Not to mention the oven temperature will drop from all that time you spent basting with the oven door open. And isn't part of the objective to obtain crispy skin? Water or juice will just make it soggy. A little fat (butter or oil) massaged into the skin, on the other hand, will expedite the cripsing process. If you really want to flavor the meat, you should stuff seasonings under the skin, so it lubricates and seasons the meat as it melts and cooks. A nice herbed butter is perfect for this task! I do this all the time for my roasted chicken.

And lastly, the stuffing...where to begin??? I know many of you are traditionalist who like to stuff the turkey, only to remove it again once it is cooked because your mother did it that way and so did her mother, and so forth. But to me it's like setting the table with dishes, only to collect all the dishes again, so you can plate the food in the kitchen. It just doesn't make sense. But more importantly, once your stuffing has touched the raw bird, it potentially has salmonella and other bird cooties, and now needs to be cooked to a high enough temp to kill all contaminants. To get the inside of the turkey hot enough, you can image how much hotter the meat part of the turkey will need to be. To make sure we're all on the same page, the hotter the meat, the more cooked it is. The more cooked it is, the dryer and tougher it becomes. Any questions? So, the moral of the story is to cook your stuffing seperately, so it will produce a moister bird. Feel free to use the turkey neck and giblets in your stuffing, though, to give it more flavor. If you are really ambitious, a homemade turkey stock would help too.

I'm sorry I don't have oodles of pictures or recipes for you this time. I do think I have prepared you well to make a delicious main dish. I recommend keeping the menu simple. I know I usually don't, but I'm a trained professional, and you shouldn't try what I do at home. :-) All you need is some dip and nuts for people to nibble on when they arrive. Keep side dishes to a minimum, as too many won't even fit neatly on the plate anyways. You really only need stuffing (I like sausage in mine), a potato (mashed), a veggie (green bean), a sweet potato (if you must), gravy and cranberry sauce. Find a good bakery or ask someone to bring dessert. This is an occassion to create a memorable holiday, not necessarily a four-star restaurant quality meal. And if you're lucky, you'll get to enjoy it as well.

Below is the summarized recipe Alton Brown did for Bon Appetit a few years ago. Although I find Alton hard to watch on tv because he's a little too hokey for my taste, I do think his lessons and methods are quite good. Read it now, so you can procure all the necessary tools and items in time for the big feast.

Brined Roasted Turkey
Bon Appetit Nov. 2003
Serves 12

18 lb. Frozen Turkey

For the Brine:
Hot Tap Water
2/3 cup Sugar
1 lb. Salt

8 lb. Ice

16 cups (128 oz) Veggie Broth

For the Bird:
Fresh Herbs

1 Onion, roughly chopped

2 Celery Stalks, roughly chopped
2 Large Carrots, roughly chopped

½ stick of Butter

Quick - Thawing the Turkey: Place the wrapped bird in a 5-gallon cooler with a drain spout. Place the cooler in the bathtub and cover the turkey with cold water. Drain and replace the water every 2-3 hours until it has thawed (8-10 hrs).

Slow – Thawing the Turkey: Place the bird in a cooler with about an inch of ice in the bottom. Park it in a cool place, and the bird will be workable in about four days. Add more ice if the cooler’s temp >40 degrees.

To Brine: In a clean cooler, pour in the hot tap water, the sugar and salt. Stir to dissolve. Then stir in the ice and broth. Place the cleaned turkey in the brine. If the turkey floats, fill 1-gallon resealable plastic bags with water and place it on top. Set in a cool place for 8-12 hours, turning over once if possible. *Be sure to keep brine below 40 degrees, by adding ice packs if necessary.

Cooking the Bird: Remove one rack, and place the other on the second to lowest position. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Remove turkey from the brine, rinse and pat dry. Loosely pack the turkey cavity with the above herbs and veggies. Place turkey breast side up on a V-shaped raosting rack in a roasting pan.

Cut a piece of foil that when folded in half is big enough to cover the turkey’s breast. Lay this onto the breast, shiny side up, and mold it into the breastplate. Remove it, lube the underside with non-stick vegetable oil spray, and set aside. Rub the butter into the turkey.

Put turkey in the oven for 30 minutes, or until nicely browned. Remove the bird and apply the foil breast plate. Insert the thermometer’s probe directly through the foil and into the deepest part of the breast. Reduce oven temp to 350 degrees. Return turkey to the oven, and set thermometer probe to go off at 161 degrees (about 2 – 2½ hours).

Remove turkey from oven, and let rest, covered, for about ½ hour.

Apple-icious!

I took my love for fresh produce and the farmer's market a step further...by going direct to the farm. I've been wanting to go for years, but never quite got my act together. This fall, thanks to the encouragement of my friend Amy, I finally joined the masses (of city folk) and headed out to the country to pick apples. The irony of this is that I have a fruitful apple tree in my back yard, and have only recently tried picking and eating one in the 4 years I've had it. Instead I happily drive an hour and a half to pick and pay for someone else's fruit. (This is the story of my life.)

Luckily, we got there early enough to avoid the crowds. However, by 11am, the large families (read: with lots of screaming children) arrived as if on cue, and ruined the quaint "country" experience. No only do you need to go early enough in the day to avoid the swarms of people, but you need to also go early enough in the season, before the trees get picked bare. I learned this from my seasoned apple picker friends (some of the same girls from tomato day) who had gone last year but couldn't actually pick.

Our first stop was a small apple farm on the far end of Apple Valley. After a quick taste of all the available apple varieties, we armed ourselves with our specially marked bags and began picking. The picking went fast, since each of us only have families of 1 or 2 people and we can only eat so many apples. Back at the cabin, we went to pay for our crop and was lured into trying a Johnny cake and some cider to wash it down. The Johnny cake turned out to be a dry corn muffin. I'm still not convinced that was a real Johnny cake. When ordering the cider, we were asked, fresh pressed? Since we wanted the full apple country experience, we said, "Of course!" Little did we realize that we each were ordering a GALLON(!) of fresh pressed cider that we would have to press ourselves. And to think, we just wanted to try a cup. We only later found out they only sold fresh/self pressed cider by the gallon.

Did I mention that it takes 5 gallons of apples to make just 1 gallon of juice? Yeah, this was way more work than we thought we signed up for.

First, I selected from the crates of apples already picked for us.

Naturally, we had to wash all our apples first..


Then came the crushing part. Here, I'm pushing the apples down the feeder tube with a crowbar. Yeah, it's a muscle job!

Lastly, we pressed the crushed apple pulp, which extracted quite a bit of juice.

Three people were needed to operate the apple crusher contraption. One to toss apples into the feed tube, one to further push the apples down into the feed tube (my job, as photographed above), and a third person to hand crank the wheel that would actually press/crush the apples. The amount of juice produced from the first pressing was unimpressive to say the least. I was so surprised to see the bulk of the juice come out of the (second) pressing of the solids. Since we had oveflow, we got to taste a cup of the fresh cider, and it was delicious! Although, I'd probably say that about anything I spent so much time and effort making.

I do have to make one thing clear. Many of you, like me, are probably wondering, "what IS the difference between apple juice and cider?" Essentially, apple cider is what we created, an unfiltered unadulterated nectar from pressed apples, that never gets pasturized. Kind of like extra virgin olive oil. Then juice is when sugar or additives are mixed-in to the above cider and then pasturized, to extend shelf life and consumption safety. This is why cider is common during apple season (fall/early winter) when it is freshly made, and much harder to find any other time of year.

We girls had a lovely day of stocking up on apple butter, eating bbq & apple pie (of course!) for lunch. What were we going to do with all those apples, though? The idea of an apple baking day came up, but how many apple crips, cakes & pies can one eat in a week before they go bad? Me being me, I had the idea of doing an apple tasting dinner. A multicourse meal, including hors d'oeuvres, with apples present in each dish in some form. It probably sounds harder than it actually is, and just requires a little bit of creativity. That really is my idea of a good time.

We each picked a course, and got a week to plan and prepare the dish for dinner. The menu was as follows: (Sorry, I didn't get a picture or recipe of each dish, since I can be rather forgetful, but some things are best left to the imagination, right?)

Potato Pancakes with Apple Compote (by Josey - recipe below)

Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed with Chicken Apple Salad (made by Jenni)

Apple Salad with Parmesan and Prosciutto (made by Jenni)

~

Pate de Campagne (by me) with Apple and Mixed Green Salad and Apple Cider Vinaigrette (made by Jenni)

~

Butternut Squash Soup with Apples and Curry (made by Margot)

~

Braised Pork Shoulder with Mustard Spaetzle (made by me)

and Sweet Potato & Apple Gratin with Almonds (made by Kirsten)

~

Apple Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream (made by Amy)

Everything turned out delicious, and it was such a lovely evening. I was so proud of everyone for their creativity, time and effort. Now I just need to plan for the next picking season.


Celeriac Potato Pancakes with Apple Onion Compote

This recipe came from Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres Cookbook
Makes 2 dozen

¼ of a small celeriac (celery root), grated on the large holes of a box grater to yield 1 cup
1 small yellow onion, grated on the fine holes of a box grater to yield 1/3 cup
1 medium baking potato, grated on the large holes of a box grater to yield 1 ½ cups
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
Extra virgin olive oil, for frying
1 recipe Apple-Onion Compote (to follow)

In a medium bowl, combine the celeriac, onion, potato, flour, salt and pepper. Heat a medium skillet of moderate heat. Add enough extra virgin olive oil to lightly coat the bottom. Once the pan and oil are hot, use a tablespoon to drop spoonfuls of potato mixture into the pan. Be careful not to crowd the pan. Flatten the tops of the mounds with a spatula. When the bottoms have browned, flip over, and brown the other side. When ready, remove from pan and onto paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle with a little salt while still warm. Continue cooking remaining potato mixture in batches until complete. Continue to add oil as the pan dries out.

Serve warm, topped with warm apple onion compote (recipe below).


Apple Onion Compote
Makes ¾ cup

1 small Granny Smith apple, peel on
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ tablespoon canola oil
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup calvados

Dice the apple into ¼” pieces and toss with the lemon juice in a small bowl. Set aside

Heat the butter and the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until the onions soften, about 4 minutes. Add the sugar and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the onions cook, stirring occasionally, until they darken slightly and become soft, about 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the apples. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring once. Add the Calvados, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated from the pan, about 30 seconds.

Can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated. To warm combine with 1 tablespoon of water in a small saucepan over low heat.

The Perfect Fall Cake

When I think of cake, the first thing that comes to mind is the cavity inducing concoctions baked, frosted and served up by most supermarkets by the sheetload. As a child I was the first in line begging for a precious colored rose. But, I was recently horrified to learn that the “buttercream” frosting was nothing more than colored, artificially flavored Crisco!!! I guess it makes sense, it IS pure white, shelf stable and holds its shape well, but still gross. Even the “whipped cream” frosting is nothing more than a NON-DAIRY corn syrup product that whips up like cream. The deceit! The sudden need to want to gag! But I digress…

As an adult, I have come to appreciate subtle sweetness as a backdrop to other flavors and textures. Instead of the sugar rush of my youth, I now crave just a sweet palate cleanser at the end of a meal or as a mid-day pick-me-up. Like all things, though, we need to mind the season if we want our food to be as tasty as possible. And, few things are as unavoidable this time of year as pumpkins, apples, pears & gingerbread (even if it is 80 degrees here in LA).

When I stumbled upon this recipe in the Feb. 2002 issue of Gourmet magazine, combining 2 very tasty seasonal delights, I knew I had to try it. Half tarte tartin, half classic upside-down pineapple cake, and all yummy. First, a caramel is made on the bottom of the pan, onto which pears are added and lightly cooked. Gingerbread cake batter is poured on top, and the whole thing is baked in the oven. Once cooked, and slightly cooled, you unmold the cake. The caramelized pears end up on top, with some of the warm caramel dripping down the sides of spiced gingerbread. This cake needs to be served with nothing more than a cup of hot cider or tea to be complete, but a scoop of vanilla ice cream wouldn’t hurt either. Since I’m still making (and now writing about) it 5 years later, means it is that good!

UPSIDE-DOWN PEAR GINGERBREAD CAKE

For topping:

2 1/2 firm pears (preferably Bosc)

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

For cake:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup molasses (preferably mild)

1 cup boiling water

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Special equipment: a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet or a 12-inch deep nonstick skillet (handle wrapped with a double layer of foil if not ovenproof)

Make topping: Peel and core pears and cut each into 8 wedges. Melt butter in skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides. Reduce heat to low, then sprinkle brown sugar over bottom of skillet and cook, undisturbed, 3 minutes (not all sugar will be melted). Arrange pears decoratively over sugar and cook, undisturbed, 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Make cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together molasses and boiling water in a small bowl. Beat together butter, brown sugar, and egg in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes, then alternately mix in flour mixture and molasses in 3 batches at low speed until smooth.

Pour batter over topping in skillet, spreading evenly and being careful not to disturb pears, and bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.

Cool cake in skillet on a rack 5 minutes. Run a thin knife around edge of skillet, then invert a large plate with a lip over skillet and, using pot holders to hold skillet and plate tightly together, invert cake onto plate. Replace any pears that stick to skillet. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Winter Salad

Salad is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of summer foods. The light, cool, crisp lettuce is the perfect refresher for a hot summer day. As the weather changes, we all crave heavier, warmer comfort food to ward off the fall chill (even in LA!). There are, however, a number of salads that benefit from autumn’s bounty, making them more weather appropriate, while providing a much needed contrast to the season’s rich dishes.

The salad I’m highlighting here has caramelized apples, blue cheese and nuts. The nice thing about this salad is that you have a lot of flexibility. If you don’t like apples, try pears. If you don’t like blue cheese (even though it marries well with the fruit), try goat cheese. If plain nuts are a too much of a bore for you, try candied nuts. I haven’t even started with the lettuce varieties, but I think you get my drift.

I like to serve a salad like this one as a starter (American style) for a stew or braised dish. Since most of those dishes are saucy (and served with starch), a soup starter just seems to be more of the same. Salads on the other hand, provide a nice change in texture and are an easy way to get in some green veggies.

The vinaigrette is from David Lieberman’s cookbook, Young & Hungry. The honey in the dressing is a subtle complement to the apples, cheese and nuts. I like his method of throwing all the ingredients into a Tupperware and shaking to combine, instead of the classic whisking technique. This is how I made whipped cream back in college, in my NYC shoebox sized kitchen. What can I say? It works!

Salad with Caramelized Apple, Gorgonzola & Walnuts with Honey Sherry Vinaigrette
Serves 8

For the dressing:
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
2 teaspoons honey
¼ cup sherry vinegar
2 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
A few pinches of salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste

For the salad:
½ pound lettuce (I used ½ arugula and ½ mixed greens)
2 apples (I used Fuji)
3 tablespoons butter
1 heaping tablespoon sugar
A wedge of gorgonzola, cut into slices or chunks
1 cup of walnuts (I used a mix of plain & candied walnuts & pecans)

To make the dressing: Mix all the ingredients in a sealable container. Shake and let stand until ready to use.

To make the salad: Wash and dry the lettuce. I highly recommend a salad spinner. There is nothing worse than soggy lettuce, or lettuce that has been crushed by the blotting paper towel.

Quarter the apple, core, and cut each wedge into 3 pieces. I like to leave the skin on, since it adds nutrients. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the apples, cut side down. Let it cook for a few minutes, then sprinkle the sugar over the apples. Once the bottoms brown, swirl the pan, to distribute the light caramel (sugar + butter). Flip the apples over, and let brown on the other side. Once both sides are brown, toss the apples in the caramel, to coat each one in the “sauce”. Remove the apples from the pan and onto a plate to cool.

Toss the lettuce with a few tablespoons of the (just shaken) dressing, adding a little bit more at a time as needed. (You may have quite a bit left over.) Divide between the salad plates. Garnish the plates with the caramelized apples, gorgonzola and nuts. I topped mine with some edible flowers I found at the farmers market. Drizzle a little dressing around the plates for those who like more sauce, and serve. But whatever you do, don’t forget the love!

‘Tis the season…to braise!

(I know he picture is a little blah, but what can I say, it's stew!)

For most people it is the season to roast, but braising is equally seasonal and sadly underappreciated. For those of you who don’t know, braising is when you gently simmer a meat in liquid, either on the stove top or in the oven. This is often done to tough (read: cheap & flavorful) cuts of meat to break down their overworked muscles and connective tissue, resulting in meltingly tender meat with a flavorful sauce. The tougher the meat, the longer you simmer. The lengthy cooking time warms up the house, while eating the saucy comfort food warms up the soul (as Nigella Lawson would say). And everyone is happy.

I usually opt for braising short ribs or veal shanks (osso buco), but this year I thought I’d kick off the season with a more basic dish, beef stew. But like most things, my idea of basic or simple is not the same standard the rest of the country uses. I found a beef stew recipe in the new Silver Palate Cookbook, which calls for cumin, one of my new favorite spices. Cumin is a relatively new spice to my cooking repertoire. It has a mildly exotic flavor, like a Mediterranean version of an Indian spice. For those of you new to Indian food, this may be a good starting point.

Like most beef stew, you can put almost any kind of vegetable inside, and eat it with almost any absorbent starch (ie - bread, egg noodles, rice). I added extra veggies and liquid to the Silver Palate version, and paired it with Davie Leiberman’s Easy Rice Pilaf (from Young & Hungry). His pilaf recipe is anything but basic because it also has veggies and tumeric. Tumeric gives the dish a bright yellow color - a nice contrast to the drab colored stew- and another subtle Indian flavor.

BEEF STEW WITH CUMIN

1 cups unbleached all-purpose flour1 tsp. salt, plus additional to taste
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus additional to taste
3 pounds beef stew meat(I like to use 7-blade chuck steak, and cut into pieces myself. This is a very tasty cut of meat, and a safer bet than the market’s random meat mix)
¼ cup olive oil
1½ cups dry red wine
2 cups beef stock, or low sodium beef broth
1½ cups canned crushed tomatoes
2 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder (quantity can vary by taste)
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
8-12 white pearl onions, or 6 cippolini onion cut in half through the root
3 large carrots, cut into 1½” pieces on the diagonal
6 red new potatoes, halved
6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
½ cup chopped fresh Italian fIat-Ieaf parsley, plus additional for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Stir the flour, the 1 tsp. salt and the ½ tsp. pepper together in a shallow bowl. Turn the cubes of stew meat in the flour to coat well, shake off the excess, and transfer to a plate.

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the beef cubes, a few at a time, and brown them well on all sides. As they are browned, transfer them to paper towels to drain.

When all the meat is browned, discard any excess oil but do not wash the pot. Add the wine, beef stock, and crushed tomatoes, and set the pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Return the beef to the pot, add the cumin, chili powder, bay leaf and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot and set it on the center rack of the oven. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and regulating the oven temperature to maintain the stew at a steady simmer.

Meanwhile, soak the pearl onions in hot tap water to facilitate peeling. Peel the onions.

After the stew has been in the oven for about 45 minutes, stir in the onions, carrots and potatoes. Continue to cook the stew. After another 30 minutes, stir in the garlic and the ½ cup parsley. Continue to cook, uncovered, until the stew is reduced and thickened to your liking and the beef is tender, another 15 to 30 minutes. Serve with Easy Rice Pilaf (recipe below) sprinkled with parsley.

Serves 6


Easy Rice Pilaf

8 medium white mushrooms (about 6 ounces)
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium shallot, finely diced (about 1 Tbsp.)
Salt
2 cups long-grain rice
1½ tsp. turmeric
One 14½ ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas (baby peas are nice)

¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp kitchen towel or paper towel. (Washing them under running water makes them soggy.) Pull off the mushroom stems and then cut the mushrooms through the caps into 8 wedges.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. When it starts to foam, add the shallot and cook until the butter starts to brown. Add the mushrooms, season lightly with salt, and give them a big stir. The mushrooms will soak up all the butter and then start to give off water. Let them cook, stirring often, until they stop giving off water and start to sizzle in the butter and brown, about 8 minutes.

Stir in the rice and cook until it absorbs the butter. Stir in the turmeric and cook until the rice turns bright yellow. Pour in the chicken broth, refill the can with water, and pour that into the pot. Bring the liquid to a boil. Add 1 tsp. of salt and taste. The liquid should be a little salty because the extra salt will season the rice. Add more salt if you think the broth needs it. Bring the broth to a boil and then turn the heat very low so the broth is barely simmering. (It needs to be very low or the rice may burn at the bottom.) Cover the pot and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Scatter the peas and parsley over the top of the rice, cover the pot, and let stand 5 minutes. The heat from the rice is all you need to cook the peas. Stir the peas and parsley into the rice with a fork, fluffing thee rice as you go.

Serves 6

Girls Gone Wild!

...on Tomato Day, of course!!! Come on, what did you really expect.

I have friends and family who have been carrying on the tradition of jarring tomatoes for years. They wait until tomatoes are at the peak of ripeness & flavor, in late August - early September. It seems silly to think of preserving your own tomatoes now, when we have supermarket shelves stocked with countless varieties of canned ones and jarred sauce. But there was a time when the only way you could insure having tomatoes in the winter was to jar them yourself in the summer. Although it is not necessary to do it in this day and age, there is something truely satisfying about being self sufficient, and NOT needing to rely on factories or someone else, much like whipping cream by hand. Aside from being self sufficient & "connecting with the land" aspect of it all, the thing I enjoy most about food in general is creating memories.

So, when my friend Amy approached me about jarring her grandmother's sauce (the same sauce grandma - aka "Nana" - herself has been jarring for decades), I thought this would be a nice way for Amy to connect with Nana, for me to connect with my Italian heritage, and for all of us girls involved to create a memory and tradition of our own. A memory, I might add, that we will recall every time we open a jar of Nana's sauce.

I've been intrigued by jarring/canning for some time now. I won't lie to you, though, my biggest fear is botulism. No, not the Botox "beauty product" injected into wrinkles and frown lines, but the lethal result of improperly sealed jars. I've always been tempted to jar my own strawberry jam or peaches in syrup, but properly sealing the jar seemed too daunting a task for me to even try. Thanks to Amy, her Nana's step-by-step instructions and little research, the process was surprisingly straightforward.

From what I've read, there are 2 ways to jar. You can either boil the contents for 20 minutes before filling the jars (called "cold canning"), or boil the filled and sealed jars for 20 minutes (called "pressure canning"), before cooling to create the vacuum. We opted for the former. The jars went into a water-bleach solution for sterilization, then kept them warm in a 180 degree oven. The sauce was simmering for hours before we jarred it. Just before we were ready to fill the jars, we boiled the lids to soften the "rubbers." Yes, that's what the 1942 version of the Joy of Cooking called the rubber ring inside the lid. That alone kept us laughing all day, as did the note to always use new "rubbers." If I've said it once...




Our assembly line would have made Ford proud. I filled the clean jars with sauce leaving 1/2" of space from the top, Amy wiped the tops clean, Sarah topped the jars with the (now boiled) rubbered disk part of the lid, and Kirsten screwed on the outer part of the lid. As the jars cooled we heard the "popping" of the lids as the air constricted inside the jars, creating the vacuum. Not all the jars "popped" though. We quickly remedied that, by putting them in a hot water bath, and baking them for 45 min. at 325 degrees. That seemed to do the trick.
















I'm not sure if we made enough jars for the winter, but we did make enough jars to last the year.

One Sunday night, not long after Tomato Day, Reno & I cracked open a jar of sauce to top some frozen ravioli for an easy supper. For me it brought back memories of the girls' day spent making the jars, and for Reno it brought back memories of eating jarred sauce growing up. Either way, we were more connected than we would be to a jar of Prego.

I didn't include Nana's recipe here, because we still need to work out a few kinks. However, I think you should make a sauce to your liking (or asking someone who does), and jar that. It may be a little late in the season for tomatoes this year, but I highly encourage you to jar something (jam or preserves perhaps?). You won't regret it!

And a special thanks goes out to Sarah (the one in the green tee), who actually took the pictures, and who had to send them to me 3 times for me to save them properly...you're the best!

She forgets to turn on the oven

A line from Billy Wilder's 1954 film "Sabrina" has been on my mind lately.* Shortly after her arrival in Paris, the very young Sabrina befriends a much older Baron St. Fontanel, with whom she attends cooking school. After an unsuccessful go in the kitchen, the Baron correctly determines by the look of her dish that Sabrina must be lovelorn. His explanation is simple: "A woman happily in love, she burns the soufflé. A woman unhappily in love, she forgets to turn on the oven." (And Sabrina's soufflé was definitely uncooked.)

You may be wondering where this post is going. I am certainly not unhappy in love, but last week someone that I love dearly -- my fabulous and feisty terrier – fell gravely ill. I am pleased to report that he is miraculously on the mend, so you can continue to read this without fear of bursting into tears. But the Baron’s quote is still rattling around in my head. From the moment I received the bad news until a day or so after the crisis was over, I simply could not go near the kitchen. Not even to make toast.

I was certainly able to eat now and then. (I am amazed, though, that the Hypocrite Police didn’t haul me off to the clink, given the amount of takeout Chinese egg drop soup I consumed last week.) I just had no desire to pick out my ingredients, set up my kitchen and get to work. And the one dish I did manage to rustle up – a goat cheese and basil omelet – was, very simply, not great work.

This reaction got me thinking about how I clearly equate meal planning and cooking with love and joy. I know some people can make mountains of food when they are upset or frustrated…somehow it takes their mind off things. But for me, there was no way I could turn my oven on until my beloved was safe and sound.

Now that he is pretty much in the clear, I find myself inching back toward my kitchen and the farmstands, where mountains of early winter squash are making their debut. I am thinking about roasting some of these lovely delicatas to start…and then I guess I will take it from there.



So, there you have it: My post for the week…supposedly about food, but really about love.


*If you have not seen the film -- and, no, the 1990's remake does not count -- the basics are this: Sabrina (Audrey Hepburn), daughter of the Larrabee family chauffeur, is head over heels "in crush" with the youngest son, David (William Holden). David is charming and handsome, but not considered good for much else. And so Sabrina is sent off to Paris to become a chef and, in theory, get over David. All sorts of predictable antics ensue, but it is rather excellent. And the charming turn by Humphrey Bogart as the older, more responsible brother, Linus Larrabee, should not be missed.

Calamarata Pasta with Brie & Cherry Tomatoes

I know, I thought the same thing, "pasta with brie, that's not Italian!" However, after seeing versions of this recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks (The Silver Palate) and magazines (Bon Appetit), I knew it was something I couldn't turn my nose up at any longer and need to try.

I made the dish for some friends who came over to sample my contraband salami from Italy. While making the dish, it ocurred to me that I had made a version of this dish countless times, using mozzarella instead of the brie and loved it. So why not brie! Everyone oooh-ed and aaaaah-ed over pasta. "So tasty", "what's that flavor, I can't put my finger on it," they proclaimed. I revealed the secreat ingredient, brie, that offered a tangy contrast to the sweet tomatoes.

They all wanted the recipe that night. I figured you all would want my version of it as well. Here it is...enjoy!

Calamarata Pasta with Brie & Cherry Tomatoes

1 pound calamaretti (yes, this is calamari shaped contraband pasta, but any shape would work here)

1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
1 pound wedge brie cheese, rind removed, cut into 1/2" pieces*
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup basil, chopped or torn into pieces by hand
1/2 extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta, and cook until al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, combine the tomatoes, brie, garlic, basil and olive oil in a large bowl, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Once the pasta is cooked, remove 1 cup of the pasta water (I use either a heat resistan measuring cup or coffee cup), and drain the pasta. Return the pasta to the empty pot, and add the tomato mixture along with a splash of the pasta water, and stir to coat. The heat of the pasta and the pasta water will wilt the tomatoes and melt the brie, creating a creamy sauce. Keep stirring and adding the pasta water, a splash at a time, until the pasta is coated with brie cream. Just be careful not to overdo it, otherwise you'll have a soupy pasta.

Serves 8 as a first course, 4 as a main course

*Freeze the brie for 15 minutes to make it easier to remove the rind.

The Chicken Farm

Late last summer, good friends of ours invited us to dinner and chicken was on the menu. Before you think “eh, chicken”, this was not just any chicken. We were having *Iacono* chicken. Those of you unfamiliar with the world of Ina Garten might not know of the Iacono chicken. But these chickens (and the farm itself) are kind of a thing out here. To date, I had never had one, and here was my chance.

The cooking half of this most excellent couple likes to mix things up, so we began with the roasted chicken itself. It was so “chicken-y” (as Julia Child liked to say) that I have no memory of what else was served during that part of the meal. I do, however, vividly recall the course that followed: the clearest, most concentrated broth that I have ever tasted. Served with just a few slivers of fresh green onion floating on top, it was bliss in a bowl. And I needed to learn more.

I was told that the Iacono Chicken Farm has been in operation for decades. (Since 1948, to be exact.) Their chickens run freely about a large penned-in area, and are raised without antibiotics or hormones. To achieve chicken nirvana, all you need to do is enter the small storefront, tell Mr. Iacono what you would like to buy and it will be yours.

In spite of my transcendent experience over a year ago, I had yet to actually visit the Iacono’s farm. It seems that no matter how much I want to know where my food comes from, I am still awfully squeamish about the some of the details. I feared that the sight of all those chickens running around, having a good time, might put this one-time vegetarian off meat for good.

Still, I was determined to have that “chicken-y” taste in my own kitchen. And so, after our run to the greenmarket this morning -- where we found this lovely, rich green kale and these insanely blue potatoes -- I got up my nerve and proclaimed to my husband: “I am ready. Let’s get us a chicken.” And off we went to the farm.





As we pulled up the Iaconos' driveway, the area where the chickens roamed was in full view. (So far, so good, I noted to myself.) A goat perched upon a wooden table presided over the area...I don’t know why. But everyone seemed very calm and happy, so I didn’t ask about the arrangement.

Inside, it was strictly no-frills in the best possible way: USO music gently piped through the gray room, where a large wall calendar reminded us that it was September. A few remaining cartons of the day’s eggs were neatly stacked on a nearby table and on the counter itself, a basket of the most exquisite, tiny brown eggs quietly begged me to buy a few. (By now, I was completely in love with the place.)

Behind the counter, the affable Mr. Iacono himself greeted us and asked what we would like today. We agreed that one small chicken would do, and within minutes, another gentleman came out to present us with our bird. It was all going swimmingly…until I noticed that the head and feet were still attached. (Yowzer!!) Upon reflection, it seems only reasonable that I let out a slight shriek and hid behind my husband. I was simply unprepared for this part of the transaction. Next time, I will be totally cool. I am sure of it.

Moments later, our chicken was prepared (read: heat, feet and innards removed), wrapped in paper and we were sent on our way with best wishes for a delicious dinner.

My bravery was rewarded. We roasted the small bird with as few additional ingredients as possible, so that we could really taste the meat. The flavor was just as I had remembered: intense, slightly sweet, a touch gamey (in the good way), and quite unlike any other chicken I’ve had in the States. We served it with our roasted blue potatoes and the kale cooked down with some red onion, salt and pepper. Simple and delicious!






The Iacono Chicken Farm is located at 106 Long Lane, East Hampton, NY. Tel: 631.324.1107 If you are in the area, don’t miss out!

Basil & Balsamic Vinegar for Dessert - You Bet!

Yep, you heard me right, a dessert with balsamic vinegar and basil - not to mention black pepper. Crossing the savory sweet line for both dessert and dinner isn't anything new. If you look back, you'll see people have been doing it for hundreds of years, even if I've been doing it for less.

In Italy, strawberries macerated with balsamic vinegar and ground pepper is a classic dessert. Of course, they don't use the super light and vinegary (aka - cheap) versions we are inundated with here, though. There, they use balsamic vinegar from Modena, that has been aged in barrels for many, many years which transforms the vinegar to a sweet, syrupy nectar of the

Last week, it seemed as if everywhere I went I saw and heard about this dish, and took it as a sign that I should finally try it out for myself. Coming at the end of summer, it also felt like a farewell to the season's sweetest treat. It felt too extravagant to use just the expensive balsamic, so I altered the recipe a bit. Instead of adding sugar to a mediocre balsamic to take the edge off, I just reduced (by boiling it away) that same mediocre balsamic down to a syrup, to accentuate the vinegar's natural sweetness. I like to buy large bottles of the stuff, and reduce it with herbs, then use the glaze to garnish countless dishes. Because my dear friend, Kirsten, gave me a luxurious, perfume-sized bottle of juniper-scented balsamic, I did add a dash of it at the end for a note of acidity.

The perfect accompaniments were no problem at all. Since strawberries go with mint (like most fruit), and since mint is a cousin to basil, I figured why not finally make that basil ice cream I've been wanting to try. And served with simple langue de chat (thin vanilla wafers) cookies, it makes for a light and summery dessert. I did not inlcudd my cookie recipe here, though, since I wasn't pleased with the outcome and because you would do better buying those rolled, cigarette cookies instead.

I hope you are bold enough to try it and enjoy it as much as I did.


Strawberries in Balsamic Vinegar

1 cup not too expensive balsamic vinegar

1 sprig rosemary (or any other herbs)

3 1/2 cups strawberries, trimmed, hulled and halved

freshly ground pepper

a dash of v. good balsamic, if you have, otherwise, the one above will do

Place balsamic vinegar into a small saucpan along with the rosemary (or other herb of choice) and bring to a boil. Continue boiling over medium high heat until vinegar has reduced to a syrup, about 20 min. Set aside to cool.

About 1 hour before serving, place strawberries in a non-reactive bowl and add about 3-4 tablespoons of the balsamic syrup, a few grindings of the black pepper and toss to coat. (The remaining syrup, if any, can be saved for other uses.) More or less syrup can be added depending on how "saucey" you like it. Cover with plastic and toss occassionally, allowing the flavors to develop. When ready to serve I add a dash of very good balsamic for a touch of acidity.

In the photo above, I served the berries topped with ice cream, but the sauce from the berries is so good, you may want to top your ice cream with the berries.

Serves 6


Basil Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 very large bunch of basil

6 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

splash of pure vanilla extract

Combine milk, cream and basil (stems and all) in a medium saucepan, and bring to barely a boil (when you see tiny bubbles surfacing around the edges). Cover, remove from heat and let steep for 20-30 minutes.

Toward the end of the steep time, whisk the yolks and sugar together in a medium (heat resistant) bowl, until pale and fluffy. Strain about a cup of the milk mixture directly into the yolk mixture and whisk to combine. Then strain the rest of the milk mixture into the yolk bowl, and whisk until thoroughly combined. At this point, throw out the "cooked" basil, wash out your saucepan, and put back on the stove (no need to even dry it!). Also prepare a large bowl of ice, for an ice bath.

Place the ice cream mixture into the sauce pan, and wash out your bowl (this is where the cooked custard will go - yes, ice cream is essentially a frozen custard). Place your saucepan over medium heat. Stir the custard constantly with a wooden spoon, being careful to get the corners of the pot too. DO NOT LEAVE THE CUSTARD UNATTENDED! The custard can quickly go from smooth and silky to a scrambled mess in seconds. I suggest novice ice cream / custard makers to reduce the heat to medium-low (to delay the process). The seasoned pros can be a bit more agressive and use medium-high heat. You will know when it is done when you pull out the spoon, run your finger across the back, and the custard stays put. This is what they mean by "coating the back of a spoon." I encourage you to do the test frequently, so you see the transformation first hand.

Once the custard does coat the back of a spoon, pour it into your clean & empty bowl. Fill the ice bowl with water, then place the custard bowl inside it. Stir the custard often. This should expidite the cooling process.

Once cool, stir the vanilla extract into the custard, then pour into your ice cream machine, following the manufacturer's instructions.

Makes about 1 quart

Croxetti with Pesto

I know it has been awhile since I have posted, but as some of you know I was in Italy. No, no, it wasn’t a whirlwind tour of the country or a romantic getaway to the coast, it was to visit family in a small town near Naples. “At least you got a chance to roam the local markets and eat authentic Italian food prepared by relatives,” you say? Ah, no! I was put on chef duty for the duration of my stay. My only culinary inspiration came from the local supermarket, one of the few places still open during the infamous August holiday, where the entire country closes and heads off to the beach...not my ideal vacation.

What I did get was a box full of culinary delights from my cousin, Teresa, who lives in northern Italy. Included in the box was an assortment of pastas, pasta makers, salami, grappa, homemade limoncello, cookbooks, etc. Teresa gave me a guided tour of everything, telling me which pastas should be served with which sauces, how to eat each of the salami (some were soft and could be spread) and how to make particular shaped pasta. Thanks to my packing skills and bravado in the face of customs agents, my friends and family back home will be able to enjoy and savor the regional specialties of Italy. Is there such thing as a salami mule? What does jail time look like for them? I digress…

My first contraband meal of smuggled products included croxetti (pronounced - crow-set-eee) with pesto. The pasta itself looks like it had shaped by a penny press machine, you know the ones that create an image of a tourist attraction (ie -Empire State Building) on the flattened penny and costs about $5. Each one was oval and flat with an embossed image. This pasta shape originated in Liguria, and is surprisingly impossible to find anywhere else in Italy. The pasta is traditionally served with a basil pesto, a sauce that also originated in this region (what a coincidence!). They say the basil there has a different (read: better) flavor than any other because of the soil and climate, but it is tasty with even domestic basil.

Croxetti with Pesto

1 pound croxetti pasta (almost any other pasta can be substituted here)

1 clove garlic, cut into chunks
½ cup toasted pine nuts (toast in a dry frying pan over medium heat, tossing/stirring continually)
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil, or more
1 large bunch of fresh basil (about 2 cups of leaves)
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted boiling water to a boil. Don’t be afraid to generously salt the water here, it gives the pasta flavor. Add pasta and cook until al dente.

While the pasta cooks, add the garlic, pine nuts and ¼ cup of the olive oil to a blender and blend until finely chopped. Add the basil, parmesan and another ¼ cup of the olive oil, and continue to blend. While the machine is running, drizzle in the remaining oil until it reaches the desired consistency. Tastes vary, but I’d say the consistency of maple syrup. Once you get more expert at it, you can play with the quantities of the other ingredients to totally customize it to your liking. Season with salt and pepper.

Drain pasta and put into a large bowl. Top with enough pesto to coat, tossing well to combine. A lower calorie version of this, would be to add less oil to the pesto, but save some of the pasta water to thin out the sauce when tossing with the pasta.

Extra sauce can be stored in the fridge for a few weeks, just top with a layer of olive oil to avoid darkening.

Serves 4 -6 main dish portions or 8 appetizer portions

Don't Let This Nightshade Scare You

The image shown above is eggplant. Really! I just picked up these cuties this morning and look forward to cooking them over the weekend. Until recently, though, I would have never been excited about cooking eggplant. In fact, if asked to free associate on eggplant, my list of words would have probably been something like: "bitter", "stringy", "parmigiana", "Moosewood"

I may have added "useless" to the list, if it weren't for the parmigiana. (I simply love the dish, but have wondered if it could be made with thinly sliced sponges and still taste the same.)

How quickly things can change. Over the last four weeks or so, I've been running across all these gorgeous little eggplants that are now in season out here. I’ve seen white ones, orange ones, striped ones, thin ones, round ones and even a few of the big, dark purple ones that put me off the fruit -- yes, it is a fruit -- for years. So, early last month I broke a pattern and purchased a few of the mauve, Japanese variety. They were so darn pretty! How could I not?



While unpacking the day’s loot, it occurred to me that I probably hadn’t prepared an eggplant since 1994. No matter. During a call to Josey later that evening, I casually mentioned my purchase and she had some input. Her Grandma said that steam was the only way to go. You can eat them right after steaming, or fry them afterwards. (Apparently steaming eggplant first keeps them from soaking up too much oil.) “Steam them whole” I was told and I vowed to do just that.

The next night, I promptly sautéed my mauve lovelies -- I like to go my own way sometimes -- in olive oil spiked with a small amount of red pepper flakes and garlic that I didn’t allow to brown. (I also added some water rather than more oil to the pan when needed. This produced a nice, light result.) Served with thinly sliced chicken cooked with fresh ginger and some brown rice, the result forever changed my list: "creamy", "delicate", "clean", "satisfying"

Subsequent preparations allowed me to add “versatile” and “husband friendly” to the list and I am now officially a fan. (I highly recommend the purple-and-white striped ones…but I’ve always been a sucker for a nice print.)



So, what insights can I now offer Eggplant Avoiders? Well, first off, don’t be afraid of this nightshade. Eggplant can be much more than a meat replacement or something to bread, fry and cover with cheese. As always, buy them in season, which means August and September in the Northeast, and look for small ones with thin skins.

Keep the preparations simple to let the true flavor and wonderful texture really shine through. Should you come across some impossibly pretty variety, just go for it – you won’t be disappointed. And finally, if you wouldn’t mind, try steaming them whole and report back to me. Thanks a bunch!

Life on the Outside

It's been a little while since I've posted, mostly on account of weekly overnight trips to my office in the city. I love, love, love New York, but this week's trip was a little longer than usual: Four days in total, without a kitchen and not quite enough time to be overly picky about where and what I was eating. And so my story begins…

All was fine on day one: An organic hot dog with all the fixings for lunch was a little naughty -- but “everything in moderation” I say. The penne all’arrabiata and arugula salad I had for dinner that evening was lovely, as is almost everything at Via Quadronno on 73rd off Madison. (Stop in if you are nearby!)

Day two's breakfast bakery basket with way too much coffee was not fine, and by lunchtime I knew I needed to clean up my act. So I ordered a salad of rather nice looking red and yellow beets (an excellent source of folate, potassium and vitamin C) from a place I’ve eaten at many times before. From the first bite I sensed a problem. I couldn't seem to taste the beets. Additional nibbles confirmed my initial assessment: the beets had no flavor. I chalked it up to bad ordering and proceeded with my busy day.

But like a string of first dates when you are single and still hopeful, more disappointments followed: sautéed spinach that could have doubled for cooked rope, a thin crust pizza I am certain contained frozen vegetables and tomato paste in place of sauce, flavorless curried (!) cauliflower, and then the nagging feeling that the multigrain toast I'd been ordering for breakfast since day two’s sugar-fest may have been loaded with chemicals.

And then it hit me. After six weeks of eating almost exclusively local foods cooked in my own kitchen, I was having trouble adjusting to life outside my new little bubble. I had been institutionalized!

I didn’t see this as a bad thing at first. I was mostly eager to get home, where my very loving husband was busy making dinner. But then I realized what a fine point my trip put on this sad fact: most of the foods available to us simply don’t taste very good and we are slowly being conditioned to not notice.

I was no exception but I guess I am finding my way. To that end, I leave you with our lunch and dinner menus for today, all purchased at the local Farmer’s Market we have here every Saturday. Both menus generally take less than 45 minutes to prepare, exclusive of shopping time.

Lunch

• Fresh arugula with the heirloom tomatoes pictured above, red onions and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette
• Sautéed zucchini blossoms (see Chez Panisse Cooking by Paul Bertolli)
• Walter Hansel 2004 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir (OK, this we got at the local wine shop)


Dinner

• Fluke fillets broiled oh-so-quickly with a very light coating of brown sugar, red pepper flakes and soy sauce
• Baby bok choy sautéed with garlic and the gorgeous blue oyster mushrooms shown below.
• Brown basmati rice (It cooks faster than traditional brown rice but has that nutty flavor that stands up well to the bok choy.)
• Wine to be determined by my husband, probably while we are cooking our meal
• Dessert: fresh yellow watermelon (this I need to research, but it is awfully tasty)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Red Velvet Cake with Berries

Those of you NOT from the South probably never grew up eating red velvet cake. However, now with the advent of cupcake cafes & bakeries, the red velvet has become a mainstay. If you've ever had one, you'll know why. It is light and airy with a slight chocolate taste. Yes, the unnatural red color is a little unnerving, but you forget all about that after the first bite.

To keep the frosting white, you can use clear immitation vanilla instead of the pure stuff (sad, I know). Also, this is the best time of year to find amazing berries to top the cake. In addition to the usual blueberries & raspberries, I also used yellow raspberries and wild strawberries. You could also cut regular strawberries into quarters and garnish with a little mint for green. Either way, the frosting really makes the crimson color of the berries pop against the coordinating red cake.

For the Cake:

2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour (sifted, then measured)

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 oz bottle red food coloring

1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 large eggs

For the Frosting:

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 1/2-pint baskets fresh raspberries

3 1/2-pint baskets fresh blueberries

For cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Sift sifted flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla in small bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Beat in dry ingredients in 4 additions alternately with buttermilk mixture in 3 additions.

Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 27 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks; cool completely.

For frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Place 1 cake layer, flat side up, on platter. Spread 1 cup frosting over top of cake. Arrange 1 basket raspberries and 1/2 basket blueberries atop frosting, pressing lightly to adhere. Top with second cake layer, flat side down. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Arrange remaining berries decoratively over top of cake. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.)

Makes 12 servings or about 2 dozen cupcakes

This is a slight variation of the recipe that appeared in Bon Appétit June 2003, which was adapted from B. Smith.

TONY’S BIRTHDAY

Every now and again, depending on my time and energy, I will gift friends or family a dinner (of my choosing, of course!) at my house for their birthday. I don’t just throw a party for them, with mutual friends. I let them invite their friends, while I plan the menu and cook, and Reno serves and pours. My latest recipient is our good friend, Tony, who is not only a foodie with fine taste, but a restaurant food supplier, so it takes a little extra creativity to impress him.

Developing a menu for any dinner party is not always easy. I like to use seasonal ingredients and am a regular at my farmer’s market, so that is always my first inspiration. Then there is always the tastes and food constraints of the guests to keep in mind. In LA this can be particularly challenging. With fad diets coming and going, you never know when someone may not be able to eat carbs, red meat or dairy. I also have to keep in mind the oppressive summer heat, which encourages cool dishes (literally) and light meals.

One of the most overlooked things to keep in mind when planning a dinner party is prepping, which can determine whether your dinner is a success. Can the dish, or any of its components, be prepared ahead of time? Will you have the time to properly prepare all the intended items? Are you an organized enough person to be able to prepare efficiently? Have you varied cooking methods so you don’t have to squeeze everything into the oven or deep fryer? If you are honest with yourself, you can generally work around any time, space or ability constraints. The last thing you want is for guest to have to wait 2 hours before getting even a morsel of food. On the same token, you don’t want to cook everything so far in advance that the flavor/texture is off when reheating or being served cold.

Keeping all that in mind, I came up with the following menu:
(scroll further down for recipes)

Canapes

Cucumber Gazpacho shots
Tuna Tartar on water crackers
Crab Cakes with Tartar Sauce

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Zucchini Blossom Fritters with Frisee and Celery Leaf Salad

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Garganelli with Prawns, Zucchini & Cherry Tomatoes and Lemon Thyme Sauce

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Pan Roasted Lamb Chops with Minted Spring Vegetable Cassarole & Merlot Sauce

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Madelines

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Chocolate Cherry Shortcakes with Vanilla Ice Cream


**Don’t forget to have enough drinks on hand. The more alcohol people drink, the better they will think your food is.

I know the menu is long and doesn’t look so light. But, let me assure you with the right portions it is! I encourage everyone to make at least some, if not all, the recipes below.

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THE RECIPES

Cucumber Gazpacho
LA Times 8/9/06
Serves 6

Note: Dark, thin-peel Persian cucumbers are best for this recipe. You can use other thin-peel cucumbers, but the color won't be as pretty. If you use regular slicing cucumbers, peel them and remove the seeds.

8 (½” thick) slices stale baguette
2 pounds cucumbers
1 ½ ounces sorrel leaves, stems removed 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups lowfat yogurt, plus more for garnish

1. Tear the baguette into rough pieces and put the pieces in a bowl with water to cover. Soak for at least 15 minutes.

2. Coarsely chop the cucumbers and place them in a blender in batches. Chop most of the sorrel leaves, reserving two for garnish. Add the sorrel leaves to the blender with the garlic, salt and yogurt, and puree until smooth.

3. Remove the bread from the water and squeeze dry. Add the bread to the blender and puree the mixture until perfectly smooth. Pour it through a strainer into a deep bowl, discarding any bits of bread caught in the strainer. The soup should be slightly thickened, about the texture of heavy cream. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

4. To serve, season the soup to taste with more salt if necessary and ladle it into wide bowls. Use a large spoon to swirl in a streak of yogurt. Thinly slice the reserved sorrel leaves and scatter a few slices across the top of the soup.

Josey’s Note: tastes like cold cucumber juice. It’s nice and refreshing during the hot summer, but not a great recipe overall.

Tuna Tartare
Barefoot Contessa Parties by Ina Garten
Serves 6 to 8

3/4 pound very fresh tuna steak
4 tablespoons olive oil
Grated zest of I lime
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
½ teaspoon wasabi powder
½ teaspoons soy sauce 6 dashes Tabasco sauce
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
I teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¼ cup minced scallions, white and green parts (2 scallions) 2 teaspoons minced fresh jalapeno pepper, seeds removed
1 ripe Hass avocado
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Cut the tuna into ¼ -inch dice and place it in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, wasabi, soy sauce, Tabasco, salt, and pepper. Pour over the tuna, add the scallions and jalapeno, and mix well. Cut the avocado in half, remove the seed, and peel. Cut the avocado into ¼ -inch dice. Carefully mix the avocado into the tuna mixture. Add the toasted sesame seeds if using and season to taste. Allow the mixture to sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour for the flavors to blend. Serve on crackers.

Josey’s Note: This is really delicious, like all of Ina Garten’s recipes. The way the creaminess of the avocado coats the tuna, may even convert people who don’t like raw fish.

Crab Cakes
The Best Recipe by Cooks Illustrated
Makes about 20 mini crab cakes or 4 large ones

1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over to remove cartilage or shell
4 scallions, green part only, minced (about ½ cup) 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herb, such as cilantro, dill, basil, or parsley
1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
2-4 tablespoons plain dry bread crumbs
¼ cup mayonnaise
Salt and ground white pepper
1 large egg
¼ cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons vegetable oil

1. Gently mix crabmeat, scallions, herb, Old Bay, 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs, and mayonnaise in medium bowl, being careful not to break up crab lumps. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Carefully fold in egg with rubber spatula until mixture just clings together. Add more crumbs if necessary to bind.

2. Use tablespoon sized portions of crabmeat mixture and shape into miniature patties. Alternatively, divide into four portions and shape each into a fat, round cake, about 3 inches across and 1 ½ inches high. Arrange on baking sheet lined with waxed paper; cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes. Can be refrigerated up to 24 hours.)
3. Put flour on plate or in pie tin. Lightly dredge crab cakes. Heat oil in large, preferably nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Gently lay chilled crab cakes in skillet; pan-fry until outsides are crisp and browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Serve hot, with Tartar Sauce (recipe follows).

Tartar Sauce
Makes generous ¾ cup

¾ cup mayonnaise
1 ½ tablespoons minced cornichons (about 3 large), plus I teaspoon cornichon juice
1 tablespoon minced scallion
1 tablespoon minced red onion
1 tablespoon capers, minced

Mix all ingredients together in small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until flavors blend, at least 30 minutes. (Can be refrigerated for several days.)

Josey’s Note: This is hands down my favorite crab cake recipe and is always met with rave reviews. You too will never need another crab cake recipe again. The tartare sauce is the perfect (& classic) choice of sauces. I usually only make 1/3 of a recipe of sauce, and have some leftover

Zucchini Blossom Fritters

For recipe, see Stuffed Zucchini Blossom Fritters post below. I added 1/4 cup grated parmesan to the batter, and did not stuff the blossoms.

Frisee and Celery Leaf Salad

Sorry, no real recipe here. I just combine the pale green & white parts of the frisee lettuce, with the pale inner leaves of celery. For a dressing I made a simple vinaigrette with champagne vineagar, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. It was tasty in its simplicity.

Garganelli Pasta with Spot Prawns and a Lemon and Thyme Butter Sauce

Lumiere by Rob Feenie

Serves 4

PASTA
2 ½ cups garganelli pasta olive oil

SAUCE
¼ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup dry white wine
4 sprigs thyme, plus 2 sprigs with leaves removed
1 tsp. heavy cream (optional) ¼ Ib. unsalted butter (1/2 cup)
1 tsp. lemon juice 1 tsp. fine lemon zest

PASTA GLAZE
1 cup chicken stock
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tomato, peeled, seeded and finely chopped 1 Tbsp. chopped chives
2 Tbsp. julienned flat-Ieaf parsley
1 tsp. fine lemon zest

PRAWNS
12 large prawns, peeled 1 Tbsp. grapeseed oil 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter ¼ tsp. minced garlic
1 small shallot, minced

TO PREPARE: In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta to al dente stage. Strain without rinsing the pasta. Toss with a small amount of olive oil. Spread on a flat baking sheet to air dry-this step allows the starch to remain on the pasta, which makes sauces cling better. You can do this ahead of time and store the pasta in resealable plastic bags.

SAUCE: In a small pot, combine vinegar, wine and the 4 sprigs thyme. Reduce to a syrupy consistency. Remove thyme sprigs. Whisk in cream-this step will prevent the sauce from separating. Remove from heat and whisk in butter a bit at a time. If sauce cools too much, return to low heat, but do not let it boil. When butter is incorporated, add lemon juice and zest along with thyme leaves to mixture. Season with salt. Keep warm.

PASTA GLAZE: In a large saute pan over medium heat, reduce stock by half. Whisk in butter. Add the pasta and toss to warm through. Add tomato, chives, parsley and lemon zest, and season to taste with salt and freshly ground white pepper.

PRAWNS: Season prawns with salt. In a nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When the pan is lightly smoking, add the prawns and quickly saute. When prawns are pink on one side, add butter, garlic and shallot. Turn prawns and continue sauteing until cooked through. Remove from pan and keep warm.

TO ASSEMBLE: Over low heat, add the pasta and ¼ cup of the lemon and thyme sauce to the prawn juices. Toss until thoroughly warmed. Divide among 4 large bowls. Place 3 prawns on top of the pasta. Drizzle warm sauce on top of the prawns and around the plate.

Josey’s Note: Long, but easy, this was a tasty recipe. The sauce & glaze combo gave the dish a more nuanced flavor. I also added some sautéed zucchini to the pasta for an added summer touch. If you can’t find garganelli, try fresh fettucini or penne rigate pasta instead.

Lamb Chops

Sorry, no recipe here. I just seasoned and pan roasted chops.

Minted Spring Vegetable Cassarole

Sorry, no official recipe here either. I just blanched all the beans & legumes I could find at the market. Then I sauteed them with some spring onions, and finished it with a touch of cream and julienned mint.

Merlot Sauce (for the lamb)
Gotham by Alfred Portale
Makes about 1 ½ cups of sauce

Reserved meat and bone trimmings from 2 racks of lamb 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more as needed
2 medium shallots, sliced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
¾ cup Merlot wine
1 teaspoon coarsely crushed whole black peppercorns
1 sprig rosemary
1 sprig thyme
1 ½ quarts White Chicken Stock

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. In batches, if necessary, brown the lamb meat and bone trimmings for about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the shallots and cook, stirring often, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Return the browned trimmings and bones to the pan. Add the red wine, peppercorns, rosemary, and thyme. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the wine is reduced to 1/4 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer very slowly until the stock is reduced to about 1 quart, about 3 hours.

Strain through a fine sieve into a large bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes, then skim off the fat that rises to the surface. Return the stock to the cleaned saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until richly flavored and reduced to about 1 ½ cups, 15 to 20 minutes.

Josey’s Note: I always use low-sodium (store bought) chicken stock in my recipes, but it is most important here when reducing it. Also I’d reduce the sauce a bit more than suggested so to give it more body.

Chocolate Cherry Shortcakes with Cherries Jubilee and Vanilla Ice Cream
Boulevard by Oakes, Mazzola, and Weiss

SERVES 8

CHOCOLATE CHERRY BISCUITS
2 cups self-rising flour
½ Cup Valrhona or other Dutch-processed cocoa powder ½ cup sugar, plus additional for dipping
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup dried Bing cherries or dried sour cherries
1 cup Valrhona (or other premium) bittersweet chocolate chips 2 cups heavy cream
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

CHERRIES JUBILEE
3 cups fresh Bing cherries, halved and pitted 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons kirsch ½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup brandy
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Premium Vanilla Ice Cream

FOR THE BISCUITS: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Stir the flour, cocoa, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl until well combined, then stir in the dried cherries and chocolate chips. Add the cream and stir until the mixture comes together into a somewhat stiff dough. Turn out onto a clean cutting board and, with your hands, press the dough into a 6-inch square about 2 inches thick. With a long, thin knife, cut the dough into 9 (2-inch) squares. {Yes, you will have 1 extra} Dip the tops of the biscuits into the melted butter and then into sugar, pressing lightly so it adheres. Place the biscuits 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until they're light gold and spring back when pressed lightly. Set aside at room temperature for up to 4 hours. ­

FOR THE CHERRIES JUBILEE: Combine the cherries and the 1/3 cup kirsch in a bowl and let macerate for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Put half of the cherries, the sugar, and lemon juice into a saucepan und simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the liquid begins to thicken. Remove from the heat, add the brandy and, averting your face, carefully ignite the brandy with a long match. Let burn for about 1 minute to burn off the alcohol, then extinguish the flame by covering the pan. Remove the lid and continue to simmer the cherry mixture until it reduces to a syrup. With a slotted spoon, transfer the cherries to a bowl and reserve Add the remaining 2 tablespoons kirsch to the syrup and set aside or refrigerate for up to 2 days (along with the reserved cherries in a separate container).

TO SERVE: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Split the biscuits and put into the oven for about 5 minutes, or until warmed through. Heat the cherry syrup in a small skillet over medium heat, add the reserved cherries and the butter, and swirl the pan until the butter has melted and combined with the syrup. Center a warm biscuit bottom on 8 dessert plates or shallow bowls and put equal spoonfuls of the cherries and their syrup on each, reserving a cup or so. Place on a biscuit top, followed by a scoop of ice cream. Dollop the remaining cherries and syrup around or to the side of the biscuits.

Josey’s Note: This recipe is pretty good if you like not very rich chocolate desserts. Personally, I could have had a black forest cake instead (using the same chocolate/cherry combo), and been a lot more satisfied. Also, the original recipe has you making your own vanilla ice cream. Even though I love making ice cream, I feel like there is no point when there are plenty of good ones out there.

Madeleines
by Alain Giraud of 4 Star Private Cuisine, recipe was printed in LA Times
Makes enough for 15-25 people

3.5 oz. flour
3.5 oz. almond meal 8 oz. powdered sugar
1 cup egg white
8 oz. unsalted butter
grated zest from 1 orange ½ tsp. baking powder
1 oz. lavender honey*
1 vanilla bean

In a mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients.

Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Cook the butter in a saucepan with the split vanilla bean until golden brown, then reserve.

Add the egg whites to the dry ingredients and combine well. Add the honey. Add the brown butter after removing the vanilla beans. Add orange zest and mix slowly. Reserve and chill for a minimum of two hours.

Use a special non-stick madeleine mold, greased with cooking spray. Pipe the mixture just under the edge and bake for 10 minutes at 350°F. (If using a convection oven, bake at 325°F) Let rest one minute and unmold the madeleines. Be sure to store them separately, as they are delicate and will stick to each other.

*The lavender honey can be substituted with another type of honey.

Josey’s Note: This recipe is from the chef I work with out here in LA. These madeleines are DELISH! And I’m not just saying that because he’s my chef, they really are good, and the dough is really easy to work with. At first the dough may seem a bit slimy (like pate a choux), but stick with it, that’s how it should be. If served warm, you'll have none of these babies left!