The Baton Rouge Eater

A Vintage Meal

2012-01-22T19:01:00.000-08:00

Vintage. Retro. Mid-century.

You know you are getting old when these are the words thatdescribe trends in fashion, interior design and architecture from your youth.

But when I think of cuisine from my childhood, which mostlyencompassed the 1960s, I don’t think of it in such glamorous terms.

As a child growing up in northern Wisconsin, I didn’t have alot of access to gourmet food and fine dining experiences. In fact, what I mostly recall are dishes withcanned soups, Jello and processed cheese.

This is not because my mother and other relatives weren’tgood cooks. They were.

But their cooking was also circumscribed by the constraintsof middle-class incomes, lots of kids and, consequently, a lack of time. This was a pre-food processor, pre-microwaveoven era.

And there was a lack of product availability. Take vegetables, for example. It’s hard for us to remember a time when eventhe local grocery store didn’t have tomatillos, celery root or eight kinds ofpeppers.

But for my mother, a child of the Depression and World WarII, canned vegetables were the norm, frozen vegetables were an expensive andrecent innovation, and fresh vegetables, other than root and seasonal, localvegetables, were hard to come by.

I can remember the first time I had fresh broccoli at afriend’s home in the early 70s. I camehome raving about the “little trees.” Broccoli is still my favorite vegetable.

So when I started planning a dinner party for friends of a “certainage,” I thought it would be fun to take some of the “swankier” dishes Iremember from my childhood and teens—some I had only read about--and re-presentthem.

My sincerest thanks to my Guinea pigs: Jan, Dennis, John, June, and Malcolm. And to my dear husband who did the grocery shoppingand listened with enthusiasm as I talked through this menu again, and again,and again.

A Vintage DinnerParty Menu

Miniature Twice-BakedPotatoes

Gougères

Roasted ShrimpCocktail & Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Deconstructed ChickenKiev

Quinoa Pilaf

Spinach Gratin with RoastedRed Peppers

Red Velvet BakedAlaska
Stinger Shooters & "Cigarettes"

The Recipes

Miniature Twice-BakedPotatoes

Twice-baked potatoeswere always a special-occasion treat when I was growing up. I’m sure my mother didn’t have time to do muchof anything TWICE.

These are a “toy”version of those tasty spuds. I wasgoing to stick a small piece of cooked bacon in each potato, but I ran out oftime. I’m sure a sprinkling of cheddarcheese either in or on the potatoes would be good, too.

Source: originalrecipe

Yield: 16 potatoes,appetizers for 6-8

Ingredients:

20 very small (about 1 to 1½-inch size) Yukon gold potatoes

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

2 T. buttermilk

4 T. sour cream, divided

4 T. snipped chives, divided.

Preheat oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with heavy duty foil (I’mtired of washing baking pans.) Place thepotatoes on the foil-lined pan and drizzle with olive oil. Mix the potatoes with the oil to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and mixagain. Roast the potatoes untilfork-tender, about 20-25 minutes. Removefrom the oven and cool until the potatoes only warm to the touch.

Cut each potato inhalf horizontally. Using the small endof a melon-baller, scoop out the cooked potato into a small bowl. (For a short "ode" to the melon-baller, see "Summer (Jazz) Brunch.") Reserve the potato “shells.” Using a fork orpotato masher, mash the potatoes. Add 1T. buttermilk and 1 T. sour cream. Mixto combine. Add more buttermilk and sourcream to achieve a “rough” mashed potato consistency. Season with salt and pepper and 2 T. chives.

Using a small spoon, fill the potato shells with the mashedpotatoes. (You will probably not be ableto fill all of the potato shells).

These can be made 2hours ahead and held at room temperature. Before serving, rewarm on the baking sheet at 350° for about 10minutes. Meanwhile, fill asandwich-sized plastic bag with the remaining 2 T. of sour cream. Cut off one of the corners of the bag to makea ¼-inch hole. When the potatoes arewarm, remove them to a platter. Squeeze a small amount of sour cream on eachpotato, and sprinkle the potatoes with the remaining chives. (I considered a caviar garnish, but I had tostop somewhere!)

Gougères

My first experience eating anything made out of a pâte à choux dough was when, as achild, I ate the delicious cream puffs at the Wisconsin State Fair held inMilwaukee, Wisconsin. Real whipped cream(it IS the “Dairy State”) oozing out of pastries the size of babies’ heads! Making the puffs is really quite easy, and Iremember making éclairswhen I was in my teens.

Theseare a savory, appetizer version. I didfind a recipe from the 1960s for these, but it called for a stick ofbutter. This more modern recipe isactually by the blogger and food writer who inspired me to start thisblog.

I thinkif I made these again, I would make them maybe half the size and adjust thecooking time. I also might sprinkle someadditional cheese on the top before baking.

Theywere a huge hit and completely devoured by my dinner guests. You will have to take my word for it that thepresentation—I piled them up in a gigantic martini glass—was perfect. In the excitement of my hungry guestsarriving, I forgot to snap a picture.

Source: Bon Appétit, April 2009 (Molly Wizenberg)

Yield: Makes 2 dozen 1 ½-inch gougères

Ingredients:
ingredients
1 c. water
3 T. unsalted butter (I used 4 T.)
¾ tsp. salt
1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, chilled
1 c. (packed) coarsely grated Gruyère cheese (about 4 ounces)
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Process:

Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 400°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

Bring 1 c. water, butter, and salt to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, whisking until butter melts. Add flour; stir rapidly with wooden spoon until flour absorbs liquid and forms ball, pulling away from sides of pan. Stir vigorously until film forms on bottom of pan and dough is no longer sticky, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove pan from heat; cool dough 2 to 3 minutes. Using an electric mixer, beat in eggs 1 at a time. Stir in cheese and pepper.

Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough onto baking sheets, spacing about 3 inches apart. Using damp fingertip, press down any peaks of dough.

Bake gougères until golden brown, about 30 minutes, reversing position of pans halfway through baking. Using small sharp knife, pry open 1 gougère to check for doneness (center should be slightly eggy and moist). Serve hot or warm.

Can be made 3 hours ahead. Transfer to racks; cool. Rewarm in 350°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes.

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

As I’ve mentioned before, I LOVE shrimp. (See Shrimply Delicious.)

But shrimp cocktail seems especially vintage and indulgent when shrimp of this size are used. So I decided to combine this classic first course with a salad. The baby arugula and julienned radishes echo the peppery flavor of the horseradish in the cocktail sauce. Roasting the shrimp makes all the difference in the flavor.

Source: Back to Basics by Ina Garten

Yield: 6-8 servings

For the shrimp:

2 pounds (12- to 15-count) shrimp (I bought 3 shrimp per guest, which was plenty.)
1 T. olive oil
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:

½ c. chili sauce (recommended: Heinz)
½ c. ketchup
3 T. prepared horseradish
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp. hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
1 hollowed out lemon half per guest for cocktail sauce, bottoms sliced so lemons will stand

Process:

Preheat oven to 400°. Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place them on a sheet pan with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread them in 1 layer. Roast for 8 to10 minutes, just until pink and firm and cooked through. Set aside to cool. For the sauce, combine the chili sauce, ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Serve as a dip with the shrimp.

Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Source for Lemon Vinaigrette: Bon Appétit, December 1998

Yield: Makes about 3/4 cup

Ingredients:

½ c. olive oil
3 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. minced shallot (I left this out)
1½ tsp. Dijon mustard
½ tsp. grated lemon peel
½ tsp. sugar

Process

Whisk all ingredients in bowl to blend. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill. Bring to room temperature before using.)

For the salad:

Source: original recipe

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

8 c. mixed greens (I uses a mix of baby spinach and baby arugula)
½ c. julienned radishes (about 4-5 radishes)

Process:

Before serving, lightly dress greens with vinaigrette. Sprinkle salad with radishes.

To assemble shrimp cocktail and salad:

Fill the hollowed out lemon halves with about 2 T. of the cocktail sauce. Place a filled lemon half and 3 shrimp on each plate. Place some of the salad on each plate.

Deconstructed Chicken Kiev

O.K. the name of this recipe is very tongue-in-cheek. In fact, I thought about calling it “Plan B Chicken.” I had intended to make Chicken Kiev, a quintessential “vintage” dish and one I actually made in my early cooking days in the mid-70s.

But breasts are bigger than they used to be in the 70s—including the breasts of chickens

Chicken Kiev is made of very thin pieces of chicken that are wrapped around chilled butter and then pan-fried. It’s important that the chicken completely encase the butter.

However, even though I gently pounded the huge chicken breasts my husband had purchased, I couldn’t get them thin enough to roll around the chilled butter to make Chicken Kiev. In retrospect, I might have had the butcher cut scaloppini, or I might have cut the breasts horizontally myself.

Anyway, I didn’t, and I was left with uneven and too-small pieces of chicken.

So, having already made the compound butter—truffle butter was my plan to “modernize” the dish—I decided to “schnitzel” the chicken and use the butter in a sauce.

Schnitzel is not really a make-ahead kind of dish, so frying the chicken while my guests were in the living room made me a little nervous. But it worked! I think my German mother-in-law would have been proud.

Source: original recipe

Yield: 8 servings

8 skinless boneless chicken breast halves, pounded to 3/4-inch thickness (about 2 ½ pounds total)

Salt & pepper

1 c. flour

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 c. panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

vegetable oil

2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 stick (8 T.) truffle butter (recipe follows)

1 c. dry white wine

Lemon wedges for serving

Between two sheets of plastic wrap, pound each breast to ½-¾-inch thickness. Blot the chicken with paper towels. Lightly season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the flour, eggs and panko in 3 different pie plates or shallow bowls. In two large frying pans, pour enough vegetable oil to reach about ½-inch high. Heat oil until smoking and then add 1 T. of the truffle butter to each pan. Working quickly, coat both sides of each chicken breast with flour, then egg and then panko. Cook chicken in the butter-oil until browned, crisp, and cooked through, turning once, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to platter. Tent loosely with foil.

Drain one of the frying pans of most of the oil, leaving brown bits on bottom. Over medium-high heat, deglaze the pan with the wine and lemon juice, whisking and cooking until reduced by about half. Whisk in at least 4 T.of the truffle butter, one tablespoon at a time. To serve, drizzle the butter sauce on the chicken.

Truffle Butter

1/2 cup butter, softened

4 tsp. truffle oil

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

In a small bowl combine the ingredients with a fork until blended. Chill until almost firm. Using plastic wrap, form the butter into a log about the size of a stick of butter. Chill until ready to use. (Leftovers can be frozen.)

Quinoa Pilaf

Source: Foodnetwork. Com

Yield: 4-6 servings (in parentheses are my modifications for 8 servings)

Ingredients:

1 T. olive oil (1 T + 1½ tsp.)

1 med. onion, peeled and chopped (1 lg.)

½ cup crimini mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced (3/4 c. I chopped them for a finer texture)

1½ c. quinoa, rinsed well and drained (2 c.)

½ tsp. fresh thyme leaves removed from their stems (3/4 tsp.)

11/2 tsp. kosher salt (2 tsp.)

Pepper, freshly ground

3 c. chicken broth (4 c.)

Process:

Place a saucepan on high heat and get it hot. Add the olive oil and swirl it around to make sure the entire surface is covered with oil. Add the shallot and sweat (cook until translucent but not brown). Add the crimini mushrooms and cook until brown. Add the quinoa, thyme leaves, bay leaf, kosher salt and black pepper to the pan and stir. Let the ingredients heat up and roast a little to bring out all their fullest flavors. The steam coming up should be very aromatic. Slowly and carefully add the vegetable stock (it will spatter because the pan and ingredients are hot). When it comes to full boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover and allow to steam for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat, remove lid and fluff the quinoa and then replace the lid and allow to sit for about 10 minutes.

Spinach Gratin with Roasted Red Peppers

When I asked my husband what vegetable dish he remembered most fondly from his childhood, he didn’t hesitate a second before replying, “Creamed spinach.” This is Ina Garten’s recipe.

Although she’s known as the “Barefoot Contessa,” I think of her as “The Food Queen.” And if she says frozen spinach is acceptable, it is!

But with apologies to Her Highness, I added roasted peppers to this dish. The flavor and color of the peppers put this over the top. This would be a great make-ahead Christmas dish.

Source: Parties! by Ina Garten

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

4 T. (½ stick) unsalted butter

4 c. chopped yellow onions (2 large)

¼ c. flour

¼ tsp. nutmeg grated nutmeg

1 c. heavy cream

2 c. milk

3 lbs. frozen chopped spinach, defrosted (5 (10-ounce) packages)

3 red bell peppers, roasted, charred skin removed, cut into strips (can be omitted)

1 c. freshly grated Parmesan chees

1 T. kosher salt

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

½ c. grated Gruyère cheese

Process:

Preheat oven to 425°. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the flour and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Add the cream and milk and cook until thickened. Squeeze as much liquid as possible from the spinach and add the spinach to the sauce. Add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and mix well. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Transfer the spinach to a baking dish. (I used a fairly large gratin dish.) Stir in the peppers, if using. (At this point, I refrigerated the gratin. The next day I brought it to room temperature before proceeding.) Sprinkle the remaining ½ c. Parmesan and the Gruyère on top. Bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve hot.

Red Velvet Baked Alaska

A quick glance at Wikipedia (I’m sorry!) tells me that this show-stopping dessert has been around for a very long time, but that it was given the name “Baked Alaska” in 1876 at Delmonico's Restaurant to celebrate the acquisition of the territory of Alaska.

It’s a dessert that, to me, screams 1960s indulgence and exhibition.

Another dessert that reminds me of the 60s and 70s is Red Velvet Cake, also known as Waldorf Astoria Cake. I first had this luscious cake at the home of my BFF, Patti, when I was in high school. Her mother, Gloria Juetten, iced it with a great cream cheese frosting. I’ll admit I mostly think of cake as a “frosting deliverer,” but, oh, what a delivery!

So my idea was to combine all these food memories in this dessert. It was, if I do say so myself, amazing.

This is my ice cream maker--it's a non-electric "chill chamber."

Cream Cheese Ice Cream

My family members shake their heads in disbelief that I, a Wisconsin native, don’t really like ice cream.

Maybe it was all that un-homogenized milk I was forced to drink as a child. I hated those “clunks” on the top of a newly-opened bottle of milk. This milk, by the way, was delivered in glass bottles twice-weekly and placed by the milkman in the insulated milk box outside our back door.

So here’s a “double diary” ice cream recipe, and it, surprisingly, might just be my favorite ice cream ever.

Source: Gourmet, April 2003

Yield: Makes about 1 quart

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3/4 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup heavy cream

Process:

Blend cream cheese, milk, lemon juice, sugar, and salt in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, then stir in cream. Freeze cream cheese mixture in ice cream maker. Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, at least 2 hours.

To make the Baked Alaska, line a 9” X 5” loaf pan with plastic wrap. Spoon the soft ice cream into the pan. Freeze.

Even uncooked this red batter looks so yummy!

Waldorf Astoria Cake

Source: Gloria Juetten, mother of my dear friend Patti Seaman

Yield: 2 8-inch layers (measurements for one layer are in parentheses)

Ingredients:

½ c. shortening (¼ c.)

1 ½ c. sugar (¾ c.)

2 eggs (1)

¼ c. red food coloring (2 T.)

2 T. cocoa (1 T.)

2 ¼ c. sifted flour (1 c. + 2 T.)

1 t. baking soda (½ tsp.)

1 t. salt (½ tsp.)

1 c. buttermilk (½ c.)

1 tsp. vanilla (½ tsp.)

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour 2 8-inch round cake pans. In a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and food coloring until well mixed. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the dry ingredients, sift the dry ingredients together. In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, mix the buttermilk and vanilla with a fork. At low speed, mix in 1/3 the dry ingredients until well mixed and then mix in ½ of the buttermilk mixture until well mixed. Continue with 1/3 of the dry mixture, ½ of the buttermilk mixture and ending with the remaining 1/3 of the dry mixture.

Pour the batter in the prepared cake pans and bake on the center rack for approximately 30 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester comes clean.

For the Baked Alaska: Prepare one-half of the recipe, using measurements in parentheses. Pour batter into 8”X8” lined with parchment paper, greased and floured. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in the pan and then remove to completely cool on a wire rack. Cut the cake to fit on top of the ice cream in the loaf pan. You will have to cut a strip to fit the end of the loaf pan, and you will have some cake left over--darn!

Wrap the loaf pan with the ice cream and cake in plastic wrap and freeze. (Make ahead: this can be done several days ahead of serving.)

Meringue

Ingredients:

4 egg whites, room temperature

½ tsp. lemon juice

Pinch cream of tartar

1/3 c. sugar

Process:

With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites, lemon juice and cream of tartar until frothy. Gradually beat in the sugar until stiff peaks form.

To assemble and finish:

Remove the ice cream and cake from the pan and plastic wrap and place on a baking dish. Using an off-set spatula, spread the meringue over the ice cream loaf completely encasing it and finishing with little “peaks.” (Make ahead: The meringue can be prepared and spread on the cake several hours before serving. Place in freezer before continuing.) Preheat oven to 500°. Bake dessert for 3 minutes until the peaks of the meringue are browned. Slice and serve.

Stinger Shooters

If this were truly a 1960s meal, we would have started out with serious cocktails—Martinis, Manhattans, Old Fashioneds and the like. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think we have the drinking stamina we used to have.

But I thought I’d present, more as an after-dinner liqueur, shot-sized Stingers. These remind me of my step-father, Ron Douglas, who introduced me to Dr. McGillicuddy’s Mentholmint Schnapps in a Stinger at the Fireside Restaurant in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. I served these with Pepperidge Farm Pirouette rolled cookies to stand in for cigarettes.

Yield: 6-8 shot-sized servings

Ingredients:

½ c. brandy

½ c. white crème de menthe (which is actually colorless)

1-2 shots water

This is a make-ahead recipe. Combine all the ingredients in a small pitcher jar. Chill. (If making to serve immediately, skip adding the water and shake or stir with cracked ice. Strain and serve.)

Tweaking Christmas Tradition: Lefse & Meatballs

2011-12-28T08:24:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if it’s because I’m rebellious or just lazy or both, but when it comes to holiday traditions, I’m not very traditional.

Don’t misunderstand. I believe in giving thanks (and not just once a year) and rejoice in celebrating the birth of Christ at Christmas and His death and resurrection at Easter.

But some of the "add-ons" to holidays seem a bit, well, added on.

I'm all for family customs, but I resist ones that require an inordinate amount of effort (usually for the women of the family) and result in less family time rather than more.

Take Thanksgiving, for example. I haven’t cooked a Thanksgiving turkey in about 15 years preferring instead, if we are celebrating by ourselves, that my husband, our adult daughter, and I dine at one of the near-by plantations with restaurants that serve wonderful, if pricey, holiday buffets. No shopping, no prep, no clean-up--just our small family giving thanks and being together.

This Thanksgiving, my personally-selected meal from the offerings at Houmas House consisted of boiled shrimp, marinated crab claws and smoked salmon. That suited me fine since I’ve always found turkey to be a rather bland and dry accompaniment to the tastier side dishes. Of course, I did make a pumpkin pie for our "second" dessert--that's non-negotiable.

And then there are the Christmas food traditions. Last Christmas, we ate Christmas day dinner in a Mexican restaurant in Epcot in Disneyworld. This year, traveling home from Universal Studios in Orlando on Christmas Day, we ate breakfast at a Waffle House (they ARE always open) and dinner at a (gulp) Hooters since the only other alternative was another Waffle House. Thank God for the people who work on holidays so that travelers have a place to eat!

[Why do we go to theme parks for Christmas, you might ask. Well, there is nothing like screaming in terror on a roller coaster or shaking hands with over-sized cartoon characters to bring a family together.]

But no matter how or where we untraditionally spend the days around Christmas, there is one food tradition I must keep and that is having lefse and meatballs as close to Christmas Eve as possible.

Lefse is a soft Norwegian flatbread made out of potatoes. Rounds of lefse are similar in appearance to flour tortillas but are much larger in size and thinner. The simplest way lefse is served is by spreading butter on a quarter-round and rolling it up. Often the butter is sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar before the lefse is rolled up for a for a sweeter snack. Lefse is also eaten wrapped around savory items, such as sausage or the much-maligned Scandinavian dish, lutefisk.

[Lutefisk side note: Lutefisk is made by rehydrating dried cod in lye water for several days after which it is baked or boiled for serving. The result is gelatinous and odiferous, and people either love it (or lie about loving it) or detest it. My maternal grandmother, whose parents emigrated from Norway, claimed that in the “olden days” the lutefisk was stored outside the small grocery stores on racks or in barrels and that passing dogs would “assist” in the curing process by relieving themselves on the lutefisk. I think my grandma was a lutefisk-hater.]

My grandmother, Grandma T. as we called her, always made lefse around the holidays and served it as an accompaniment to a Christmas Eve meal that featured meatballs in gravy. (For ease of explanation, I would call them Swedish meatballs, but that sounds a bit traitorous.)

Family legend has it that at one of these meals before I was born, my father, of German and not Norwegian heritage, wrapped some of his meatballs IN his lefse—and a new family tradition was born. Ever the perfectionist, my father carefully schooled us in lining up 2 or 3 meatballs at the edge of a quarter-round of lefse and tucking up the bottom before rolling it up to prevent all the wonderful gravy from dripping to our plates.

Making lefse at home is not for the faint of heart—but when have Norwegians been faint of heart? (See description of lutefisk above.)

It is a labor-intensive undertaking that requires peeling, boiling, and ricing huge quantities of potatoes to make the dough and a special rolling pin, griddle and turning “sticks.” Thankfully, my dear Auntie Joyce has taught some of my sisters and cousins how to make lefse in all-day sessions she calls “Lefse 101.”

I haven’t learned how to make lefse yet, but it is on my “bucket list.” Until that time, I order my lefse from Granrud’s Lefse in Opheim, Montana, which offers good quality and reasonably-priced lefse and doesn’t require that you by a crazy amount as some companies do. Also, until they recently started using Pay-Pal, Granrud’s trusted you to send a check after you received your lefse. I love that!

Following is my version of the traditional family Christmas Eve menu.

Meatballs in Gravy

Source: adapted from my mother’s recipe

Yield: 4-6 servings (one-half of meatball recipe)

Meatballs:

3 lb. ground beef (80-20 mix is best for moist and tender meatballs)

½ c. minced onion

1 c. dry bread crumbs

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350°. Place meat and onion in a large bowl. Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add to meat and onion in increments mixing with your hands until all ingredients are combined. Form small, walnut-sized balls by lightly rolling the meat between your hands; don’t overwork or condense the meat too much. Place the meatballs on an ungreased baking sheet and bake until no longer pink in side (about 20 minutes). The meatballs can be baked as follows, refrigerated or frozen.

I usually only serve one-half of the meatballs preparing them as following:

Gravy:

1 can French onion soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk the two undiluted soups together in a 2-quart casserole dish. Add the meatballs and bake covered for 1 hour or until bubbly. Serve with lefse and/or over egg noodles (for non-Norwegian guests).

I know, I know—canned soup and “cream of X” at that! But the flavor and consistency of the gravy is great. I have also used a can of beef broth with a can of cream of onion. My mother used one can each of cream of onion, cream of celery and chicken broth, which is probably enough for all 3 pounds of meat.

Carrots with Brown Butter Dill Sauce

Carrots and dill are a pretty classic combination, but the dill also echoes the Scandinavian notes of the menu.

Source: original recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 lb. baby carrots

3 T. butter

2 T. chopped fresh dill

Chopping herbs is so easy with a mezzaluna.

Process:

Steam or boil the carrots until tender. Meanwhile, in a small frying pan, whisk the butter over medium-low heat just until the butter browns. The butter should smell nutty; don’t overcook. Remove from heat. When the carrots are done, toss with the browned butter and dill. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Scalloped Corn

This is one of those dishes in the “comfort food” category. I only updated the way my grandmother and mother made it by using the food processor. I think a sprinkling of shredded Swiss or Gruyère cheese on the top during the last 5 minutes of baking would enhance the nutty flavor of the corn.

Source: old family recipe card

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

12 soda crackers

2 eggs

¾ c. milk

1 15-oz. can creamed corn

Salt & pepper, to taste

Process:

Preheat oven to 350°. In a food processor, pulse the crackers into medium-fine crumbs. Add the eggs and pulse until blended. Add the milk and corn and pulse until blended. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Pour the corn mixture into a 2-quart glass baking dish lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 1 hour until set and lightly brown on top.

Eggnog Pudding

This is a quick and holiday-flavored dessert that is perfect if you are short of time and aren’t, as I am not, a Christmas cookie baker.

Source: original recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 package vanilla instant pudding

1½ c. purchased eggnog

½ c. milk

Small pinch each of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and ginger

15 ginger snaps, crushed

½ - ¾ c. whipping cream

1 tsp. rum extract

1 T. sugar

Process:

Prepare the pudding according to package instructions using the eggnog and milk as the liquid. Whisk in the spices. Sprinkle approximately 1/8 of the ginger snap crumbs onto the bottom of 4 serving dishes or glasses. Pour in 1/8 of the pudding on top of the ginger snap crumbs. Sprinkle the remaining (reserving 2 tsp.) ginger snap crumps over the pudding layer and top with the remaining pudding. Whip the cream with the extract and sugar until soft peaks form. Mound the whipped cream evenly on the top of the pudding in each dish. Garnish each pudding with ½ tsp. crumbs. Chill at least one hour before serving.

Cold BLT Soup

2011-08-28T18:04:00.000-07:00

When I was a child, I looked forward to spending part of each summer at my paternal grandparents’ house in Milwaukee. Often I spent several weeks there, usually visiting them by myself. As the oldest of five children, doing anything alone was a rare treat, and having the undivided attention of my grandparents was wonderful.

Highlights of these visits were trips with my grandma, or Nana as we called her, from their home in west Milwaukee to downtown Milwaukee. A trip downtown was an event, one that required wearing dresses, and a hat and gloves for Nana, and taking two city buses to get there.

After our shopping or appointments, we often ate lunch at a downtown diner, sitting at the counter, and I ordered the same meal every time—a BLT sandwich.

A BLT is still my favorite sandwich and one I don’t intend to “gourmet-itize” either. Once I had a fleeting thought of an upscale version with heirloom tomatoes, homemade mayonnaise, baby greens, applewood smoked bacon—you get the picture.

But I just couldn’t compromise my memory of a few strips of Oscar Meyer bacon, a leaf or two of iceberg lettuce, a slice of tomato, a slathering of Miracle Whip, all on toasted and buttered “store-bought” bread. That’s how I’ll always make my BLTs.

If I tweak the sandwich at all, it’s only by slicing it diagonally and sticking in ruffled toothpicks in the halves—just like they did in that downtown Milwaukee diner.

While I don’t fiddle with the sandwich, I have used its flavors as an inspiration for two other dishes. One was a BLT quiche which I created for my Summer (Jazz) Brunch, and another is this cold BLT soup.

This soup is on the order of a gazpacho. You'll notice that the "L" of this soup is not lettuce but cucumber. That's because, of course, after a few minutes lettuce wouldn't fare well swimming around in the soup--think of the sogginess of an overdressed salad. But I think the cucumber works well providing the pleasant crunch without an overpowering flavor.

I served the soup with my second-favorite sandwich--grilled cheese.

Cold BLT Soup

Source: original recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

6 slices bacon

1 can tomato soup, undiluted

1 cup water

2 c. tomato juice

2 c. spicy V-8 juice (or 2 additional c. tomato juice)

2 T. balsamic vinegar

2 T. red wine vinegar

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped

4 plum tomatoes, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

2 T. Miracle Whip

2 T. sour cream

4 slices bread

Butter

1 green onion, chopped (green part only)

Process:

Slice the bacon horizontally in ½- inch pieces. Brown the bacon in a non-stick skillet until brown and crispy. Remove and drain on paper towel. Pour off most of the bacon grease, leaving a “coating” on the bottom of the pan. (If making ahead, store the bacon pieces in an airtight container in the refrigerator.)

Butter the bread on both sides and cut into 1-inch squares. Brown the bread in the skillet until browned, crisp and dry. Remove from pan. (If making ahead, store in an airtight container at room temperature.)

In a large bowl or plastic container combine the soup, water, juices, vinegars. Whisk to blend. Add the vegetables. Refrigerate until serving.

Combine the Miracle Whip and sour cream together in a small bowl. Refrigerate, covered, until serving.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls. Place a tablespoon of the sour cream mixture on the center of each bowl of soup. Divide the bacon, croutons, and green onion evenly and sprinkle over the soup.

Middendorf's Restaurant

2011-06-23T14:58:00.000-07:00

You don’t have to own a boat to be able to get to Middendorf’s Restaurant.

Located on the Lake Maurepas end of Pass Manchac (which connects Lake Maurepas to Lake Pontchartrain), Middendorf’s is accessible by car, but it definitely adds to the experience of eating at this “old school” seafood restaurant if you can tie your boat up, be that a bateau or a yacht, and make your way up one of the docks to the best catfish ever!

We have eaten at Middendorf’s several times, but not recently, and we were delightfully surprised by same changes to the nearly 77-year-old establishment.

The boat docks, which are “staged” with nets, crab traps and other nautical objects, lead to a new, large covered waterfront deck that has a bar and tables for dining and/or cocktails. This area would make Jimmy Buffet proud with its tropical frozen drink menu and fan-misters. There’s also a sandpit for children to play in.

Following damage from Hurricane Ike in September of 2008, the restaurant building itself was renovated. The new dining room, called the Sunset Room, is light-filled and has a large artificial tree in one corner. We were seated in the old dining room which, while freshened up a bit, still retains that formica-topped-table charm.

For an appetizer we inhaled crawfish cakes. Crispy, but not oily, on the outside, tender, but not overly-bready, on the inside, I think I might like these better than less-flavorful crab cakes.

For my entrée, I ordered the fried shrimp, and if you read the previous posting, you know how I feel about shrimp. These weren’t the best I’ve ever eaten (I’ll have to write about Catfish Charlie’s some time), but they were in the “top ten,” and the portion was very generous. I think I counted fourteen shrimp!

Usually, I pass on the nest of French fries on which fried shrimp are usually served. Maybe it was all the fresh air from the boat ride there, but I ate all those obviously homemade fries. I did pass on the rather bland coleslaw.

Middendorf’s is known far and wide for its catfish which is available thick cut or thin cut. Now, I need to state that in all honesty catfish is not my favorite fish—maybe it was all that Walleye I ate during my formative years in northern Wisconsin. To me, catfish sometimes has a dirty or muddy taste.

If you feel the same, try Middendorf’s thin-cut fried catfish and prepare to be converted. After your teeth bite through the piping hot crispy crust, the fish is so delicate and tender it almost melts in your mouth.

Here’s the other wonder about their thin-cut catfish. It tastes as good, if not better, cold! I always think leftover fried fish is somewhat disappointing, but not Middendorf’s. In fact, that evening my husband and I took turns sneaking a bite from the refrigerator until the Styrofoam box was empty.

You won’t find an extensive wine list, although you will find some good homemade desserst, such as bread pudding and cheesecake.

But go to Middendorf’s for the catfish—and if you can, go by boat.

Shrimply Delicious

2011-05-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

In northern Wisconsin, where I spent the first 18 years of my life and where I return for a month each summer, there is no shortage of good fish in the area’s hundreds of lakes—perch, walleye, bass, northern.

And if you don’t want to personally catch those fish, you can dine on an array of them at any good local restaurant, especially if you partake of the sacrament of the Friday night fish fry. (Look for a future post!)

But despite all those tempting fish in the water or on the plate, at an early age I fell in love with the very un-local seafood—shrimp.

When our parents braved the challenge of taking five young children out for dinner, invariably most of us would order fried shrimp which was then, as it often is today, one of the most expensive entrées on the menu.

Those six or seven shrimp would come out glistening from their hot oil bath and resting next to a bed of French fries. The requisite cocktail sauce came in a small metal dish (none of those plastic sushi-soy sauce containers). I loved the taste of those shrimp so much that I always chewed and swallowed the crunchy tails, and I still do.

Later when I was paying for my own restaurant dinners, my eyes and saliva glands always gravitated towards dishes with shrimp: shrimp cocktail, shrimp fajitas, shrimp pad Thai, shrimp scampi, shrimp fried rice.

And now, decades later, I live in shrimp nirvana! Because shrimp are local to south Louisiana, Cajun and Creole cuisines abound with shrimp dishes: shrimp bisque, shrimp gumbo, shrimp remoulade, barbecue shrimp, stuffed shrimp, shrimp étoufée.

And, Shrimp Creole—shrimp in a rich and spicy tomato sauce served over rice. Below are two Shrimp Creole recipes—a fast one and a slow one. The heat of both can be adjusted with hot sauce, preferably Crystal,which has more of a tomato-vinegar taste, or Tabasco, which is more "pure heat."

For either recipe I try to buy wild-caught shrimp. Unfrozen and unpeeled have the most flavor, but they do require more prep time. I usually buy 31-40 count (pieces per pound) shrimp so there are more bites per mouthful.

Speedy Shrimp Creole

Source: original recipe

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

1-2 T. olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

½ green pepper, chopped

1 can Rotel Original® tomatoes, undrained

2 c. water to start

1 T. tomato paste*

½ tsp. oregano

½ tsp. thyme

Tabasco or other hot sauce, to taste

salt and pepper, to taste

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled & deveined

*I always freeze leftover tomato paste in tablespoon dollops on a baking sheet and then store those in a freezer bag in the freezer to add to recipes such as this.

Process:

Heat the oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add the onion, celery and green pepper, and sauté until soft. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, water and seasonings. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, adding more water if necessary. Add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp are opaque. Serve with cooked rice.

Slow Shrimp Creole

This recipe takes a while—allow at least two hours. But the result has, as they say in “chef speak,” depth of flavor. So many south Louisiana recipes begin with the instructions “First, you start with a roux” that many of them don’t even bother to explain how you make a roux. It’s not a complicated process—just non-stop, vigilant stirring.

I know there are jarred store-bought roux mixes that people say are very good, but there is something rewarding, almost therapeutic, about stirring the roux constantly for about a half-hour to get that wonderful, nutty base.

Source: adapted from an old clipping from The Advocate (Baton Rouge newspaper)

Yield: 10 generous servings

Onions, bell pepper, and celery: the "holy trinity" of Cajun cuisine

Ingredients:

½ c. flour

½ c. oil

2 c. chopped onions

1 c. chopped celery

½ c. chopped green pepper

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 (14-oz.) cans stewed tomatoes, undrained

5-6 c. water

1 T. Crystal Hot Sauce

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

2 t. salt (instead of the salt and peppers I used 2 tsp. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning)

¼ t. red pepper

½ t. black pepper

½ t. oregano

½ t. thyme

2 ½ t. sugar

2 lbs. peeled raw medium-size shrimp (I sometimes use 3 lbs.)

2 T. chopped parsley

2 T. chopped green onion tops

Process:

(Be sure to chop the vegetables before you start the roux.) Make a roux of flour and oil. (Translation for Yankees: Combine the flour and oil in a large, heavy pot. Stir constantly over low heat, about 25 minutes for this recipe.)

When the roux is browned to a dark caramel color, add onions, celery, bell pepper, and garlic and cook until soft, stirring to prevent sticking and to coat the vegetables evenly with the roux. Add tomatoes and tomato paste. Mix well and cook about 5 minutes. Then add 5 cups water. Let simmer for 5 minutes then add seasonings and sugar. Stir and taste. Simmer for 1 hour. Add shrimp and cook until opaque. Add parsley and green onion tops and cook for about 5 minutes. Serve over rice.

Coquette

2011-03-25T14:46:00.000-07:00

One of the great benefits of having a daughter in college in New Orleans is that we have an excuse to drive there at the drop of a hat for meals, especially to celebrate her special days, such as her twenty-second birthday.

For this occasion, we ate at Coquette at 2800 Magazine Street. This is a restaurant I’ve been hearing about for a few years. Chef Mike Stolzfus worked at Restaurant August before opening Coquette in December of 2008 and was nominated this year as a “People’s Best New Chef (Gulf Region)” by Food & Wine Magazine.

Reservations at 1:30 on a Saturday were necessary, and we were seated in the filled-to-capacity front downstairs dining room that “ells” around the inviting bar. Waiting to be seated, our daughter expressed our feelings about dining in the Crescent City when she said, “I love that in New Orleans you can get really ‘high end’ food in a comfortable setting.” I couldn’t have put it better myself.

Our first impression of Coquette was the wonderful cocktail menu which includes a solid wine list and both classic and original concoctions. My husband chose the quintessential New Orleans cocktail, the Sazerac (with absinthe), while my daughter chose the restaurant’s Coquette Collins, an inventive twist on a Tom Collins.

Coquette also features drinks that contain “house infusions.” When I asked our waiter about the bacon bourbon, not only did he explain the brewing process, but he brought us a small sample—which tasted like a wonderfully smoky single malt Scotch.

O.K. this has to be one of the fine dining bargains in New Orleans: a three course lunch menu for $20!

There were three choices per course, and our waiter told us that while some items are offered consistently, many change daily.

The first course options included a gumbo and a salad with a crispy pig ear and soft-boiled egg, which my husband seriously considered as his choice. Ultimately, we all picked the Roast Oysters which consisted of four generous roasted oysters nestled in rock salt and topped with a fennel and bacon ragout and horseradish cream. Observing the number of plates of this appetizer that were whisked by us during our meal, this dish is deservedly a house favorite.

For our second course, we each selected a different entrée. My husband chose the pork belly which was somewhat of an Asian dish. The several slices of crispy sautéed pork belly were served to be wrapped in pieces of Bibb lettuce with pickled vegetables and dipped in a spiced yogurt sauce. The small taste he allowed me was fantastic.

My daughter chose the Gulf Shrimp with grits, a classic presentation enhanced with cippolini onions and fennel. The dish was generous and delicious.

I chose the Ricotta Gnocchi. Not only were the gnocchi feather-light, but the sweetness of the diced butternut squash played off the saltiness of the chopped Benton’s country ham in the brown butter sauce nicely.

The dessert course found us two-against-one. My husband and daughter chose the beignets. These were four or five round and puffy beignet, sprinkled with powdered sugar. There were two small dipping “pots,” one of a fluffy chocolate-coffee pot de crème and the other of a caramel sauce. I chose the panna cotta which was topped with slices of blood orange and a small dice of candied fennel—an unusual, but refreshing combination.

In a “foodie” city like New Orleans, Coquette is definitely a serious, but accessible, contender.

Valentine's Day

2011-02-15T18:29:00.000-08:00

Since I was totally indulged on my birthday weekend (see previous two blogs), I felt I owed the love of my life a very good Valentine’s Day dinner. And what man doesn’t love a steak and baked potato meal? But it had to be the BEST steak and baked potato meal.

After dinner, my husband encouraged me to continue perfecting this meal, but I’m thinking that he said this not because this was “sub-par” but because he wants more of the same! So, ladies, I’m pretty sure that this is the way to your man’s heart.

Pimento Cheese & Crackers

O.K. I know you are shaking your heads. But my husband, being a proper Southern gentleman, LOVES pimento cheese and, oddly enough, does not like it homemade. So I bought some “store-bought” pimento cheese from our Baton Rouge family-owned grocery store, Calandro’s, and served it with crackers.

Steakhouse Steaks

This recipe is from How Easy is That?, the latest cookbook from my favorite cooking “guru,” Ina Garten. If there were only this one recipe in the cookbook, it would have been worth the price. These are the most perfect steaks ever cooked in a real home. Don’t ever grill a steak again. I’m not kidding.

Source: adapted from Ina Garten’s How Easy is That?

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

2 filet mignon steaks, tied (I’m not sure this is necessary) 8-10 oz. each
1 T. olive oil
½ T. fleur de sel or kosher salt (see below)
1 T, coarsely cracked black peppercorns
2 T. unsalted butter, at room temperature

Process:

Preheat oven to 400°. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat for 5 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, pat dry the filets mignon with paper towels. Brush the filets lightly all over with the oil. Combine the fleur de sel and cracked pepper on a plate and roll the filets on all sides in the mixture, pressing lightly to help the salt and pepper adhere. The steaks should be evenly coated with the salt and pepper. (I have cut the salt by half as I found the proportion a bit salty. Fleur de sel is pretty expensive, so using kosher salt would be a good substitute. But table salt is too salty.)

When the pan is extremely hot, add the steaks and sear evenly on all sides for about 2 minutes per side. (Be sure the cooking area is well ventilated.) You will need about 3 turns to sear the sides and about 10 minutes total. Remove the pan from the heat and arrange all the filets flat in the pan. Top each with a tablespoon of butter, then place the pan in the oven. Cook the filets for 8 to 12 minutes to 120 degrees for rare and 125 degrees for medium-rare. Remove the steaks to a patter, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. (Don’t neglect this step!) Remove the string and serve.

Baked Potato with Accompaniments

I served my husband a baked potato with garnishes of crème fraiche, chopped chives, and freshly shredded Cheddar cheese. The only thing missing was bacon, but I had to draw the line somewhere.

Brandied Mushrooms

Source: original recipe

Yield: 2-4 servings

Ingredients:

1 lb. button mushrooms, sliced in ¼ -inch slices
1-2 T. butter
Salt and pepper
¼ c. brandy

In a non-stick skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sauté until tender and lightly browned. At this point the mushrooms can be kept off the heat. Before serving, reheat the mushrooms and add the brandy to deglaze the pan. Continue cooking until the brandy reduces to a glaze. Serve immediately.

Roasted Yellow Squash, Zucchini and Onions

Yield: 4 servings

Source: original recipe

Ingredients:

2 yellow squash, sliced in ¼ -inch slices
2 zucchini, sliced in ¼-inch slices
1 large onion, halved crosswise, then sliced lengthwise in ¼-inch slices
1 T. olive oil
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

Process:

Preheat oven to 425°. Place the vegetables on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Mix the vegetables until coated with the oil and seasonings. Bake for 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned around the edges.

Red Velvet Cake

I didn’t make it ,and I didn’t serve it. While I bought a “serving” from Calandro’s, we were too full to eat dessert! But it is the perfect Valentine’s Day meal. Maybe next year.

Salú -- New Orleans

2011-02-12T21:06:00.000-08:00

This site at 3226 Magazine Street has been home to several restaurants, most recently an Italian bistro that we enjoyed, but its latest incarnation as Salú, a small plate and wine bar, is its best, in my opinion.

The décor is pleasant and tasteful. Along one wall is a long banquet, and this wall has several large mirrors hung at a downward angle that bring a lot of light and character into the space.

The tables are all covered by the obligatory paper squares, but underneath the paper are gold, royal blue, and crimson cloth tablecloths grouped in three sections in the restaurant.

This color scheme is repeated in the art work on the walls but most strikingly by the large, framed glass disk that is mounted on the ceiling. This blue circle is covered with smaller red and gold shapes so that it looks like a large and luminescent pizza. I guess it looks better than it sounds.

The menu has 5 categories: sopa y ensalada (soups and salads), frio (cold tapas), caliente (hot tapas), paella, and dulche (desserts). The list of dishes in the two tapas categories are the most extensive.

For our late afternoon lunch, we chose 3 “frio” dishes.

First, we ordered the “Deconstructed Beef Tartare.” The beef was very coarsely chopped, not at all near ground. On the plate were small “piles” of roasted peppers, capers, chopped eggs, diced onions, and a “smear” of a mustard sauce. The dish was served with a small pottery dish of crostini. Rich and tasty, this actually might have been enough for us. But we’ve never been into moderation.

Our second dish was white wine poached mussels with a roasted pepper coulis. This was a very generous bowl of tasty mussels drizzled with the roasted pepper sauce. I think I prefer hot mussels to cold, but it was a good choice nonetheless.

Our third dish was the charcuterie and cheese plate. The ingredients, artfully arranged on a “slice” of wood resembling a cross-section of a small tree, consisted of substantial wedges of bleu, brie and, my favorite, Manchego cheese. There were two rolls of salami wrapped around chorizo. Grapes and olives were also part of the presentation. O.K. This might have been enough, too.

With a great wine list and free parking available in the nearby bank parking lot, this will be a place we will definitely be returning to.

Restaurant August -- New Orleans

2011-02-12T20:50:00.000-08:00

I know that me saying I had a wonderful meal at John Besh's Restaurant August in New Orleans is sort of like saying, "Hey, that Shakespeare dude can write!" So what follows is meant as a “memoir” and not a review of what is probably in my “top ten” of best meals ever.

Located at 307 Tchoupitloulas Street, Restaurant August is within walking distance from the Quarter, and since we arrived about a half-hour before our reservation, we had cocktails in the Polo Club Lounge in the elegant Windsor Court Hotel that is across the street.

Restaurant August is beautiful but not stuffy. We were seated in the middle room of the long restaurant, and by the loud complaints of a table of fellow diners who said they "always" sit in the front room, we surmised that the front room, pictured above, is to be preferred. Personally, I liked the coziness of middle room with its wood panelled walls.

While the wait staff was attentive, they did rattle through the ingredients of each course too fast for us to really take it all in. Also, our serving “captain” was a bit officious and dismissive, and I really missed the kind of personal interchange and friendly discussion of the food that you get at a restaurant like La Petite Grocery on Magazine Street or, my favorite restaurant of all time, Bayona in the Quarter.

We chose the "degustation" or tasting menu to eliminate guesswork and because it was my birthday! I was intially concerned that this would be too much food to be enjoyed properly, but each course was portioned appropiately and the presentation of courses was perfectly and slowly paced. In fact, the menu says to allow 3 hours for the meal--how decadent!

Sorry no photos, but I was too preoccupied by my food, and snapping pictures here seemed a bit tacky even for me.

Amuse Bouche

I’m not sure what this was called, but it was a fantastic start to the meal. Served in an egg shell placed in an egg cup, this “mouth amuser” consisted of a frothy sabayon and a brioche crouton topped with caviar.

Bourbon and citrus cured foie gras torchon

baby fennel, local kumquats and toasted brioche

I’m not a liver lover like my husband, but this foie gras was so creamy and seemed to have hints of chocolate. The texture was like a cross between butter and a custard. The gastrique that “connected” all the ingredients was a delightful touch.

Creamy cauliflower soup

P&J oysters and John Burke's ghost pepper caviar

The presentation of this soup was perfect. The oysters, from a local oyster company, and a few pieces of roasted cauliflower were presented in the bowl and then the soup was poured from a small silver pitcher into the bowl.

La Provence yard egg raviolo

with Jerusalem artichoke and fresh Périgord truffle

I can’t even imagine how a ravioli is made to encase an egg yolk, but the results were so rich and delicious and the truffle was a magnificent addition.

Poached Maine lobster, spiced pork belly and lobster jus

Perhaps my favorite dish of the evening. Even though lobster and pork belly are both very rich, they complimented each other so well. The jus was flavored with cane syrup and struck just the right note.

Whole roast saddle of Ellensburg lamb

lamb sweetbreads, baby turnips and pied du mouton mushrooms

We were getting full at this point, but thankfully the serving of perfectly cooked lamp was manageable. Saddle of lamb AND sweetbreads—excellent.

Bittersweet créme au chocolat

caramelized white chocolate, cocoa meringues and hazelnuts

There were so many textures and tastes floating round in this perfect finale to our meal, I had to ask our serving captain to explain it twice. “To die for” doesn’t begin to describe this luscious dessert.

Ginger Fusion

2011-01-29T15:22:00.000-08:00

I think it began with ginger ale, the only soft drink my father would let us kids have and then only if we had the stomach flu.

Then came my maternal grandma’s ginger cream cookies and my paternal grandma’s ginger snaps.

Yes, I think that’s how my love of ginger started. As I became older, I realized that I not only loved ginger in sweet items--cakes, cookies and pies—but I loved it in savory dishes, especially Asian, as well.

I even own ginger-scented cologne and lotion and admit to rubbing a leftover nub of ginger root behind my ears and on my wrists.

However, recently ginger has become an obsession.

This fall I drank copious amounts of ginger tea with honey with the hope that its purported immune-boosting properties would help me fend off colds. (By the way, I didn’t have a cold this winter, so maybe it worked.)

Then I moved on to sucking ginger candy which is supposed to be good for digestion. Sensing a gifting niche, my family gave me ginger tea bags, ginger snaps, crystallized ginger, pickled ginger, ginger scones, and ginger jam for Christmas.

Of course, an all-ginger meal was inevitable. The menu that follows incorporates ginger into almost every item and crosses ethnic boundaries into Mexican, Indian, Jamaican, Chinese, and French cuisine—a perfect fusion.

(Thanks to my dear husband for playing along and doing the dishes and to my dear “neighborhood” friends for “gingerly” joining us.)

_______________________________

The Menu

Sparkling Ginger Cocktails

Goat Cheese Crostini with

Cranberry-Jalapeño Salsa and Ginger Jam

Spiced Mixed Nuts

Carrot-Ginger Soup with Whole Wheat Bread

Jamaican Jerk Pork Tenderloin

Spiced Rice with Cashews

Ginger-Garlic Green Beans

Ginger Crème Brûlée

Ginger Cream Cookies

Ginger Liqueur

The Recipes

Sparkling Ginger Cocktails

The recipe calls for one tablespoon of the syrup per cocktail, but I found that two tablespoons gave more of a ginger flavor, so I doubled the syrup recipe.

Source: Gourmet, December 2007

Yield: Makes 10 drinks

Ingredients:

¾ c. water
½ c. sliced fresh ginger (2 ounces)
¾ cup sugar, divided
1 tablespoon finely chopped crystallized ginger
2 lemon wedges
2 (750-ml) bottles chilled Prosecco or other sparkling wine

Process:

Simmer water, fresh ginger, and 1/2 cup sugar in a small saucepan, uncovered, 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep 15 minutes. Strain syrup through a sieve into a bowl, discarding solids. Chill until cold. Finely grind crystallized ginger with remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a blender or food processor, then spread on a small plate. Run lemon wedges around rims of glasses, then dip rims into ginger sugar. Put 1 tablespoon syrup into each glass and top off with Prosecco. (Syrup can be chilled, covered, up to 2 weeks.)

Goat Cheese Crostini with
Cranberry-Jalapeno Salsa & Ginger Jam

I admit I was a little stumped about how to incorporate ginger in the appetizer. I spread a little goat cheese on toasted slices of a baguette. Then I topped some of the crostini with the Cranberry-Jalapeño Salsa, garnished with a sprinkling of chopped cilantro, and some of them with a spoonful of purchased ginger jam, garnished with a sprinkling of chopped chives.

Cranberry-Jalapeño Salsa

This salsa would be good with tortilla chips or as an accompaniment to chicken or pork dishes.

Source: Southern Living, Dec. 2010

Yield: 2 cups

Pulse 1 (12-oz.) package fresh cranberries and 1/3 to ½ c. sugar in a food processor 3 to 4 times or until coarsely chopped, stopping to scrape down sides. Add 2 to 3 chopped green onions, 1 seeded and chopped jalapeno pepper, 1 T. grated fresh ginger, 1 T. fresh lemon juice, and ½ tsp. salt; pulse 3 to 4 times or until chopped. Stir in ¼ c. chopped fresh cilantro. Cover and chill 2 to 24 hours. (To make ahead, prepare recipe as directed, omitting fresh cilantro. Freeze in an airtight container up to 1 month. Thaw in refrigerator 12 hours. Stir in cilantro just before serving.)

Spiced Mixed Nuts

The night before the dinner party I found this recipe in a magazine and it fit in perfectly.

Source: Food Network Magazine, January-February 2011

Yield: 4 cups

Ingredients:

1¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. mustard powder
½ c. sugar
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 large egg white
4 c. mixed roasted salted nuts

Process:

Preheat oven to 250°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix the spices, sugar and salt in a small bow. Whisk the egg white in a large bowl until frothy. Toss in the nuts, then add the spice mixture and toss until well coated. Spread the nuts on the prepared baking sheet; bake until dry, about 45 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheet. (A similar recipe calls for a 300° oven and 20 minutes of baking. I ended up setting my temp at 275° and baking the nuts for about 30 minutes. I think 45 minutes would have been much too long.)

Carrot-Ginger Soup

Instead of garnishing with the chile butter, I topped each serving with a spoonful of purchased crème fraiche and a sprinkling of chopped chives.

Source: Bon Appétit, May 2010

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

Ingredients for chile butter:
¼ c. unsalted butter, room temperature
2 T. finely chopped green onions (white and green parts only)
¼ tsp. dried crushed red pepper

Ingredients for soup:

2 T. butter
1½ pounds carrots, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1¼ c. chopped onion
1 5-oz. white-skinned potato, peeled, chopped
2½ T. minced peeled fresh ginger
5 c. (or more) vegetable broth or chicken broth
6 T. unsalted roasted peanuts, finely chopped

Process for chile butter:

Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.

Process for soup:

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onion, potato, and ginger; sprinkle with salt and sauté until vegetables are slightly softened but not brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add 5 cups broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly, then puree in batches in blender until smooth. (I used an immersion blender.) Return soup to same pot; if desired, add more broth by 1/4 cupfuls to thin soup. Bring to simmer. Season with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with small spoonful of chile butter; sprinkle with nuts.

Easy No-Yeast Wheat Bread

Source: The Advocate (Baton Rouge newspaper)

Yield: one loaf

Ingredients:

1½ c. whole wheat flour
1½ c. white flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1½ c. buttermilk
¼ c. honey
1/3 c. cane syrup
¼ c. plus 2 T. vegetable oil

Process:

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a loaf pan with 2 T. of vegetable oil. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients thoroughly using a fork. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well and stir with a fork just enough to combine and a sticky dough forms. Turn into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. Remove from pan to cool.

Jamaican Jerk Pork Tenderloin

Source: Adapted from a recipe from my friend Robin Roberts

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 T. chopped fresh cilantro
1 T. finely minced fresh ginger
¼ c. dark rum
2 T. fresh lime juice
2 T. olive oil
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. soy sauce
½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. cayenne
¼ tsp. ground allspice
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
1-2 T. vegetable oil
2 pork tenderloins (about 1-1/2 to 2 pounds total)

Process:

Combine all ingredients except the pork in a flat baking dish. Reserve 1/3 of the marinade. Trim the pork and place in the marinade. Turn to coat well. Cover and marinate for 15-30 minutes at room temperature. Preheat oven to 350°. Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy, preferably cast iron, skillet. Brown the pork on all sides. Place the pan in the oven and cook until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 150°, about 20-25 minutes. Baste with the reserved marinade during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Cover and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Spiced Rice with Cashew Nuts

I was concerned that the 3 cups of liquid was not enough for the 2 cups of rice, but it turned out great!

Source: Madhur Jaffrey’s Step-by-Step Cooking

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

2 c. basmati rice
1 medium onion, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 T. vegetable oil
2 T. cashew nuts, halved
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
½ tsp. finely chopped fresh hot green chili, or pinch of cayenne pepper
¾ tsp. garam masala
Salt
3 c. hot vegetable stock or water

Process:

Put the rice in a bowl and add water to cover. Rub the rice grains gently with your hands. When the water turns milk, pour it off. Repeat several times until the water runs clear. Drain the rice and return to the bowl. Cover with 2 pints fresh water and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Drain, leaving the rice in a strainer.

Preheat the oven to 325°. Heat the oil in a heavy ovenproof frying pan over medium heat. Add the cashews and fry for a few seconds, stirring all the time, until they turn golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and leave on paper towels to drain.

Fry the onion slices in the remaining oil for 2 to 3 minutes or until tinged brown at the edges. Add the drained rice, garlic, ginger, green chili garam masala, and salt. Turn the heat to medium-low. Fry, stirring, for 7-8 minutes or until the rice is translucent and well coated with the oil.

Pour in the hot stock and cook, stirring, on medium-low heat for another 5-6 minutes until the surface of the rice starts to look dry. Cover with a well-fitting lid and cook in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the rice is ready. Remove the rice pan from the oven and leave to stand covered in a warm place for 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, gently transfer the rice to a warmed serving platter, breaking up any lumps with the back of the spoon. Garnish with the cashews and serve at once. (The cooked rice will retain its heat for 30 minutes after you remove it from the oven, as long as the pan is kept covered and in a warm place.)

Ginger-Garlic Green Beans

Source: Gourmet, September 2009

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 lb. green beans, trimmed
3 garlic cloves
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. grated peeled ginger
2 tsp. rice vinegar
1 T. vegetable oil
½ tsp. sesame oil
1½ tsp. sesame seeds, toasted
Process:
Cook beans in a 6-15 pot of boiling well-salted water, uncovered, until just tender, 6-7 minutes. Drain in a colander, then plunge into an ice bath to stop cooking. Drain beans and pat dry. While beans cook, mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt, then stir together with soy sauce, ginger, vinegar, and oils in a large bowl. Add beans and toss. Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Ginger Crème Brûlée

The recipe says this makes 4 servings, but I made 6 servings in rather shallow crème brûlée dishes. Since I was making six, I decided to broil them instead of “torching” them. Also, instead of sprinkling 1 T. of sugar on each serving before broiling, I mixed 4 T. sugar with 2 T. crystallized ginger (whirred in the food processor) and used sprinkled a tablespoon of the mixture on each serving for a little extra ginger zap. This is a great “make ahead” dessert.

Source: Vietnamese Cooking Made Easy

Yield: 4 servings (see note above)

Ingredients:

2 c. cream
2½ in. piece of fresh ginger root, peeled, then halved and bruised (I hit it with a meat mallet)
3 egg yolks
¼ c. sugar
4 T. sugar

Heat the cream and ginger in a saucepan over low heat, stirring from time to time, until the mixture almost comes to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover the pan and set aside for 15 minutes. Remove and discard the ginger pieces. Preheat oven to 350°. Mix the egg yolks and ¼ c. sugar in a large bowl until the sugar is dissolved, then gradually pour in the cream, whisking to mix well. (For added precaution, I strained the cream as I added it to the eggs.) Do not beat the cream as this will cause air bubbles in the custard.

Pour the custard mixture into 4 ovenproof bowls (each 4 in. in diameter) and place them in a deep baking dish. Carefully fill the baking pan with boiling water up to half the height of the bowls, then bake in the oven until the cream just sets in the middle, 30to 35 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool. When the custard is cool, chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Sprinkle the top of each custard with 1 tablespoon of the sugar and grill under a preheated broiler for about 1 minute, until the sugar blisters and turns golden brown. Remove and set aside to cool. Return the custard to the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Grandma T’s Ginger Creams

My maternal grandma was an avid, even rabid baker. I can remember her telling me once that when she couldn’t sleep, she’d get up and bake cookies, even if that meant 3 o’clock in the morning. Her daughter, my Auntie Joyce, is also a wonderful baker, and I would do anything for her cookies and breads.

I cherish the card with the recipe for these cookies as it is in my grandmother’s handwriting. But she must have assumed that ANYONE would know how to make these as there are no instructions other than “Drop by teaspoons. Bake at 375°.” I looked at some other similar recipes to get any idea of the mixing and baking processes, and I added the nutmeg and cloves. I hope these are all right, Grandma.

Source: Mabel Rodd Teske Moyer

Yield: 6 dozen

Ingredients:

1 c. shortening
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
½ c. molasses
2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. sour milk (I used buttermilk)
4¼ c. flour (I think I would only use 4 c. next time.)
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves (I added this)
1 tsp. nutmeg (I added this)
1 tsp. salt

Process:

Preheat oven to 375°. Dissolve the baking soda in the milk. In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and molasses until well blended. Sift flour and remaining dry ingredients in another bowl. Alternate beating in the dry ingredients and the buttermilk, ending with the dry ingredients. Drop teaspoons of the batter on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes. Let cool. Frost with powdered sugar icing.

Ginger Liqueur

Although I have had great success brewing my own liqueurs (limoncello and a wonderfully tart cranberry cordial), my attempt at making a ginger liqueur this Christmas was disastrous. So until I find a better recipe, I will settle for a “store bought” version called Domaine de Canton. Actually, I had seen it advertised in a magazine long ago, but never found it in a store until the newly renovated Cuban Liquor here in Baton Rouge reopened.

Remembering October(fest)

2011-01-15T08:36:00.000-08:00

(I think I’m almost a Southerner! The past week of temperatures in the 40s has made me long for the balmy temperatures of October. And thoughts of October reminded me of one of the meals I wanted to post here.)

For many years, my husband and I looked forward to the local Oktoberfest that was held first in Ponchatoula and then Gonzales, small towns near Baton Rouge.

There is something so convivial in sitting at long tables with people you’ve never met, swaying in unison to “oom-pah” music as you drink beer out of steins the size of small children.

When we went to Germany in 2005 to visit my husband’s relatives (see Summer Jazz Brunch, August 2009), I bought a German folk costume which consists of a full-skirted jumper, a puffed-sleeved under-blouse, and an apron. (Think Maria Von Trapp in The Sound of Music.) Since there are not a lot of occasions to wear such a garment in southern Louisiana, I loved dressing in my trachtendirndl (folk costume) for the Oktoberfest. Surprisingly, many of the attendees also wore their dirndls or lederhosen (leather shorts with suspenders).

Sharing a deep-rooted love for German food, my husband and I also relished the sausages, schnitzel, sauerkraut and red cabbage at the Oktoberfests and always saved room for apple strudel or marzipan-filled treats for dessert.

Unfortunately, the Oktoberfest stopped being held a couple of years ago, leaving sausage-shaped holes in our hearts. So this year, we decided to hold our own, very small, Oktoberfest at our camp on the Tickfaw River. Although we neglected to break out into the “chicken dance,” viel Spass (a good time) was by all.

______________________________

German appetizers tend to be heavy and often include pickled herring (not my favorite) or sausage (which I was serving for the entrée.) Instead, I offered some large pretzel sticks with an apple-mustard dipping sauce and a wonderful cranberry-cheddar cheese with the following two items. Of course, German beers were served with the meal.

Asparagus with Black Forest Ham Bundles

German people love asparagus (Spargle), especially white asparagus. In fact, in June many restaurants feature a “sparglefest” and offer white asparagus in all sorts of dishes.

Source: original recipe

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 lb. each green and white asparagus (substitute green if white is not available)
8 oz. Black Forest ham, sliced thin (any good quality deli ham can be used)
prepared horseradish sandwich sauce

Blanch the asparagus in boiling water for a minute or two and then refresh in an ice water bath. Drain the asparagus and pat dry. Slice the ham slices in quarters. Wrap a strip of ham around the center of two asparagus spears to form a bundle. Arrange on a serving plate and serve with the horseradish sauce.

Korzott

This is really a Hungarian recipe, but the caraway seeds give it a distinctive German taste. Don’t omit the anchovy paste—it won’t taste fishy.

Source: Standing Ovation (Junior Board of Tri-City Symphony Orchestra Association, Davenport, Iowa)

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients:

12 oz. cream cheese
½ c. butter
½ c. sour cream
½ c. small curd cottage cheese
1½ T. anchovy paste
1 T. paprika
½ T. caraway seeds
¼ c. chopped green onions (white and green parts)
1½ T. capers
1 pkg. pumpernickel bread

Have cream cheese at room temperature; melt butter; put both into small mixer bowl with all ingredients except chopped onions and capers and blend well. Put chopped onion and capers in and hand mix. Chill for an hour or more. Serve in a mound in the center of a plate, surrounded by “fingers” of the thin pumpernickel bread.

German Sausages

For the entrée, I served four different kinds of grilled German sausages: weisswurst (a mild-flavored veal sausage), knockwurst (on the order of a wiener or ring bologna) and two different kinds of bratwurst. Three kinds of mustard and warm pumpernickel bread were accompaniments as were the following side dishes.

Nana’s German Potato Salad

This is not the version I made for our fest, but I remember it fondly from my childhood, have made it in the past, and plan to try it again soon.

Source: Olga Rohloff, my paternal grandmother, via Mary Rohloff Douglas, my mother

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

½ lb. potatoes, approx. 6-8 medium (red potatoes work best)
1 large onion, chopped
¼ to ½ lbs. diced bacon
4 T. flour
1/3 c. sugar
¼ c. vinegar
Scant tablespoon salt (might be a bit much for modern tastes)
1 c. water
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped (optional)

Process:

Cook the potatoes in their skins in boiling water until tender. Drain, cool, peel and cut in cubes. Place potatoes and onion in large bowl. Fry bacon in a large frying pan. When bacon is browned, stir in the flour. In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Whisk this mixture into the fat and flour in the frying pan. Slowly add about 2½ c. water. The mixture should be the consistency of pudding. Pour mixture over potatoes and onions in the bowl. Serve warm. (My mother added the hard-boiled eggs at this point.)

An assortment of German beers

Hot German Potato Salad

This is what I did make with the main difference being the addition of chopped green pepper, celery and pimentos which did add a bright flavor and crunch.

Source: Southern Living Cookbook

Yield: 6 servings

4 med. potatoes
8 slices bacon
¼ c. sugar
2 T. flour
1/3 c. water
1/3 c. vinegar
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
¼ c, chopped celery
1 T. chopped pimiento

Cook potatoes in boiling water to cover 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool slightly. Peel potatoes; cut into ½ -inch cubes. Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon, reserving ¼ c. drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon, and set aside. Add sugar, flour, water and vinegar to pan drippings, stirring well. Cook mixture over medium heat until slightly thickened. Combine potatoes, bacon, green pepper, onion, celery, and pimiento in a large bowl; top with vinegar mixture, and toss gently.

Jan’s Daughter’s Mother-in-law’s Red Cabbage

Here, too, I’m offering two versions. The first comes from my dear friend Jan Shoemaker who graciously offered to bring red cabbage. I jumped at the offer because red cabbage is a bit labor intensive.

Source: Jan Shoemaker, my dear friend

Yield: 8-10 servings
2-2 ½ pound red cabbages
2/3 c. red wine vinegar
2 T. sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 T. lard or bacon fat
2 medium cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ⅛-inch thick wedges
½ c. finely chopped onions
1 whole onion, peeled and pierced with 2 whole cloves
1 small bay leaf
1 c. boiling water
3 t. dry red wine
3 t. red currant jelly (optional)

Wash the head of cabbage under cold running water, remove the rough outer leaves, and cut the cabbage into quarters. To shred the cabbage, cut out the core and slice the quarters crosswise into ⅛-inch-wide strips.

Drop the cabbage into a large mixing bowl, sprinkle it with the vinegar, sugar and salt, then toss the shreds about with a spoon to coat them evenly with the mixture. In a heavy 4- to 5-quart casserole, melt the lard or bacon fat over moderate heat. Add the apples and chopped onions and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or until the apples are lightly browned. Add the cabbage, the whole onion with cloves, and the bay leaf; stir thoroughly and pour in the boiling water. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, and reduce the heat to its lowest possible point. Cover and simmer for 1½ to 2 hours, or until the cabbage is tender. Check from time to time to make sure that the cabbage is moist. If it seems dry, add a tablespoon of boiling water. When the cabbage is done, there should be almost no liquid left in the casserole. Just before serving remove the onion and bay leaf, and stir in the wine and the currant jelly. Taste for seasoning, then transfer the entire contents of the casserole to a heated platter or bowl and serve.

The train station in my mother-in-law's hometown
in former East Germany.

Ruth’s Red Cabbage (or Blau Kraut)

I have eaten this version for many years at my mother-in-law’s table and have made it several times. The recipe makes a lot, but leftovers are never around for long in our house. Don't panic when the cabbage turns deep blue after the first cooking. When you add the remaining ingredients, it returns to a more appetizing deep red.

Source: Ruth Hofbauer Demastes

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

1 red cabbage, hand shredded
½ onion, sliced or chopped
2 chopped apples, cored but not peeled
3 bay leaves
6 whole cloves
¼ c. sugar
¼ c. vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
3-4 T. of bacon drippings

Process:

Put the cabbage into a large pot of salted boiling water. Let the water come to a boil again, about 1 minute. Drain off most of the water. Then add one cup of cold water and the remaining ingredients. Cook all this at low temperature with the lid slightly open until tender, about an hour. Check once in a while and add a little water if necessary. (But you don’t want a lot of liquid.) At the end of the cooking, you can blend 2 T. cornstarch with a little cold water and stir into cabbage just to thicken the liquid.

Sauerkraut with Apples

I made this the day before to let the flavors meld, and they did wonderfully.

Source: adapted from a recipe in Gourmet, November 2009

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 large onion, thinly sliced
3-4 pieces bacon, chopped (original recipe called for 2 T. butter)
4 pounds sauerkraut, rinsed and drained (preferably refrigerated)
2 apples, thinly sliced (Gala, Fuji or Red Delicious)
1 c. dry white wine
1-2 T. packed dark brown sugar

Process:

Cook bacon in a 4-to 5-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned. Remove and reserve bacon. Cook onions in bacon fat until golden, about 6 minutes. Stir in sauerkraut, apples, and wine and bring to a simmer. Cover pot and reduce heat, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauerkraut is very tender, about 2 hours. Stir in 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add more brown sugar, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir in reserved bacon before serving.

Apple Kuchen

After the meal, we took a break with a long boat ride and then came back for this dessert. I topped the slices with whipped cream. The crust here is incredibly quick and easy to make and would lend itself to lots of variations.

Source: Kay Ewing’s Cooking School Cookbook

Yield: 8 servings

Crust:

1¼ c. flour
¼ tsp. salt
½ c. cold butter, cut up
2 T. sour cream

Preheat oven to 375°. With metal blade in place in a food processor, process flour, salt and butter in food processor until crumbly. Add sour cream and process only until dough starts to form a ball. Transfer dough to a greased 9-iinch tart or pie pan. Press out dough with fingers to cover the bottom and sides of the pan evenly. Place a piece of foil under the pan to catch any drippings. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool slightly.

Filling:

4 medium red delicious apples, peeled and cored (I only could fit 2 on the crust)
Juice of a half of a lemon
3 egg yolks
1/3 c. sour cream
1 c. sugar
¼ c. flour
¼ tsp. salt
1 egg white

(The instructions called for slicing the apples in the food processor, but I cut them by hand.) Slice apples lengthwise and place in a bowl; sprinkle with lemon juice. Wipe out processor bowl with a paper towel and with metal blade in place, add egg yolks, sour cream, sugar, flour and salt. Process until combined, about 15 seconds.

After crust cools slightly, brush with lightly beaten egg white to seal the crust. Arrange apple slices in concentric circles in crust and cover with filling. Bake at 375° for about 45 minutes or until custard is set and top is lightly browned. Allow to cool and refrigerate to set custard and for easier slicing.

Boo Bark

A common expression in southern Louisiana is lagniappe, which means something extra. As a bit of lagniappe for our Oktoberfest, and with Halloween just around the corner, I gave our guests small bags of this candy. I love the combination of candy corn and salted peanuts—together they taste like salted nut rolls—and mixing them with white chocolate was ausegezeichnet (excellent)!

Source: original recipe

Yield: 3-4 cups candy pieces

Ingredients:

1-12 oz. bag white chocolate chips
½ cup (approximately) candy corn
½ cup (approximately) cocktail peanuts

Process:

Line a baking sheet with a sheet of wax paper. Heat the chocolate chips at 50% power in the microwave or in a double boiler until melted. Pour the melted chocolate on the wax paper and spread it into about a 10 X 8-inch rectangle. Sprinkle the chocolate with equal parts of the candy corn and peanuts, pressing them into the chocolate. Chill in the refrigerator until set. Break up the bark into small pieces using your hands or a knife.

A is For . . .

2010-09-11T13:54:00.000-07:00

A is for . . . Autumn. I remain hopeful that when September 22 rolls around, the temperature will dip into the chilly 80s.

A is for . . . Avoidance. We are only three weeks into the semester, and already I have three stacks of research papers to grade. For some reason, just grading the first one is the hardest part. So, of course, I look for something “more important” to do before I start—organizing my shoes, going through old magazines, and cooking new recipes. Oh yeah, and then blogging about them.

A is for. . . Asia. Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indian. Asian “flavor profiles” (I learned that from Top Chef) are among my favorites. Here is a rather simple menu of some dishes that are not truly authentic to any of those cuisines, but use the ingredients in a fun way.

A is for . . . the grade my students undoubtedly hope they all get on their papers. I guess I’ll have to start grading those any day now.

Coconut Shrimp

The recipe is for an appetizer, but I served it as a main dish. Instead of making the sauce, I used a jarred sweet and sour sauce. The curry powder here give these an Indian vibe.

Source: old clipping

Yield: 2 main dish servings

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh or frozen peeled and deveined medium shrimp
1 c. flaked coconut, toasted and chopped (I pulsed it in the food processor)
½ c. seasoned fine dry bread crumbs (I only had plain, so I added 1 tsp. Tony’s Chacere’s Creole Seasoning)
¾ tsp. curry powder
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
nonstick cooking spray

Sauce:

½ c. mango chutney
¼ c. orange juice
¼ tsp. ground ginger

Process:

Thaw shrimp, if frozen. Rinse shrimp; pat dry with paper towels. Preheat oven to 400°F. Generously grease a 15x10x1-inch baking pan; set aside.

In a shallow bowl, combine coconut, bread crumbs, and curry powder. Place egg whites in another small shallow bowl. Dip shrimp into egg whites, then into coconut mixture, pressing it firmly onto shrimp. Place in prepared baking pan. Coat shrimp with nonstick cooking spray.

Bake about 10 minutes or until shrimp are opaque. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine chutney, orange juice and ginger. Serve with shrimp.

Asian Rice Pilaf with Ginger and Almonds

Source: original recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

½ c. angel hair spaghetti, broken into one-inch pieces
½ c. slivered almonds
2 T. butter
1-2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1 c. rice
2 ½ c. chicken broth
2 T. soy sauce
1/4 c. chopped green onion, green parts only

Process:

In a large sauce pan, sauté the spaghetti and almonds in the butter until golden. Stir in the ginger, rice, chicken broth and soy sauce. Boil 3 minutes, then stir, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes; fluff with fork and stir in green onion.

Garlic-Sesame Spinach

In the original recipe, not all the amounts were specified which I have done here. Also, I adapted this for two servings.

Source: adapted from a recipe in Food and Wine, September 2010

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

8-20 peeled garlic cloves
2 T. vegetable oil
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 packages baby spinach
salt to tasted
2 T. toasted sesame seeds
sesame oil

Process:

In a large frying pan, sauté the garlic cloves in the vegetable oil until golden. (I did this very slowly, for about 15 minutes). Add the red pepper flakes and sauté for a few seconds to release the flavor. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Add a splash of water and salt to taste. Top with the toasted sesame seeds (I toasted these in a non-stick skillet on the stove) and drizzle with the sesame oil. Serve immediately.

The End-of-Summer Denial

2010-09-01T16:18:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up in Wisconsin, the end of summer seemed so promising.

With autumn only a breeze or two away, we looked forward to getting out our sweaters, attending the first high school football game of the season, beholding the color riot of changing leaves, and smelling the sweet aroma of a fire in the fireplace.

Of course, celebrating autumn was our own special form of denial since in the back of our minds was always the unavoidable truth that five or more long months of winter were on their way.

Here in Baton Rouge, the end of summer is almost, well, cruel. As I write this the air conditioning is still blasting away, we probably have at least two more months of hot and humid weather, and there are several tropical storms brewing so the chance of a hurricane before the season is over is still a possibility.

So my own special form of denial here is to pretend that a seemingly endless summer is cause for celebration, and for the occasion, I prepared a meal for my husband and dear friend Laurie that incorporates lots of summer’s bounty of produce. (But I still want to wear a sweater.)

I served both the Tomato Topping and the Black Olive Tapenade with thin slices of a baguette that I crisped in the oven. I often “cheat” when I do this by spraying the bread with olive oil cooking spray instead of brushing them with olive oil before baking.

Tomato Topping for Bruschetta

Source: original recipe

Yield: about 2 cups

Ingredients:

4-5 tomatoes, pulp and seeds removed, chopped
½ tsp. salt
1 clove garlic, pressed
Red wine (or balsamic vinegar) to taste, approximately 2 T.
10 fresh basil leaves, cut in a chiffonade
Ground pepper

Process:

Place the tomatoes in a colander, sprinkle with the salt, and let drain for about 10 minutes. Place the tomatoes in a small bowl and add the remaining ingredients. (I kept this at room temperature for a few hours before serving to let the flavors meld.)

Black Olive Tapenade

This is especially easy and tasty.

Source: Susan Spicer’s Crescent City Cooking

Yield: Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:

½ pound Kalamata olives, pitted and rinsed with cold water (I used jarred)
4 anchovy fillets, rinsed
3 T. capers, rinsed
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 t. water
¼ c. olive oil (I think a little less would be better.)

Process:

(I put the olives, anchovy fillets and capers in a small colander and rinsed them together.) Put everything except the olive oil into a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil. The mixture should have a little texture, not be quite completely smooth. You shouldn’t need to add salt, as the ingredients are very salty.

Watermelon and Cucumber Gazpacho

I served this instead of a salad.

Source: Bon Appétit, August 2005 (Cat Cora)

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 3-pound seedless watermelon, diced (about 5 cups), divided
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, diced (about 1 cup)
1 medium-size red bell pepper, seeded, diced (about 1 cup)
1 medium-size yellow bell pepper, seeded, diced (about 1 cup)
1 small jalapeño chile, seeded, minced
3 pale green inner celery stalks, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 small red onion, diced (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (I used a little more and some balsamic.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream

Process:

Puree 4 cups watermelon in blender until smooth. Transfer puree to large bowl. Add remaining 1 cup diced watermelon and next 10 ingredients; stir to combine. Cover gazpacho and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours. Divide gazpacho among bowls; top with dollop of crème fraîche.

Calypso Chicken

Kay Ewing teaches participation cooking classes in Baton Rouge, and although I haven’t taken one of her classes in several years, her cookbooks, especially her first, are my “go tos.”

Source: Kay Ewing’s A Second Course

Yield: 8 servings (can be halved)

Ingredients:

8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
¼ c. orange juice
¼ c. teriyaki sauce
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. paprika
½ tsp cumin

Sauce:

½ c. peach preserves
2 T. maple syrup
2 T. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. champagne vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
2 fresh peaches, peeled and chopped (I added this to the recipe)

Preheat oven to 400°. Place chicken breasts in a baking dish. Mix orange juice and teriyaki sauce and pour over chicken. Marinate 15 minutes, turning frequently. Mix all seasonings together. Place chicken on a greased foil-lined baking pan, discard marinade, and sprinkle both sides with all of the seasoning mixture. Bake 20-25 minutes. Make sauce by mixing all ingredients together. (I heated the ingredients on the stove until the preserves melted and it was heated through.)

The chicken breasts I had were very thick so I sliced them in half horizontally and reduced the cooking time to 15-20 minutes.

Quinoa Risotto with Mushrooms and Thyme

I might be slow getting on the quinoa "train," but, man, am I on board. Nutty, chewy, very satisfying--no wonder it is called the "super grain."

Source: Bon Appétit, January 2010

Yield: 4 main-course or 6 side-dish servings

1 c. quinoa, rinsed
1 T. olive oil
1 ½ c. chopped onion
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 8-oz. package sliced crimini (baby bella) mushrooms
6 oz. fresh shitake mushrooms, stemmed, sliced
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme (The recipe called for 3 divided but didn’t explain, so I just used 2)
1 c. dry white wine
Grated Parmesan cheese

Bring 2 cups salted water to boil in medium saucepan. Add quinoa, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender and water is absorbed, about 13 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until onion begins to brown, 5 minutes. Add garlic; stir 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and thyme. Sauté until mushrooms are tender, 6 minutes. Add wine; stir until wine is reduced and liquid is syrupy, 2 minutes.

Mix quinoa into mushroom mixture; season with salt and pepper. Pass cheese separately.

Sautéed Vegetable Strips

Source: Kay Ewing’s Cooking School Cookbook

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

2 carrots, peeled
2 zucchini, scrubbed
2 yellow squash, scrubbed
2 T. butter
salt & pepper to taste

Process:

Cut carrots, zucchini, and squash in strips with a vegetable peeler (don’t include seeds). Melt butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Sauté vegetable strips about1 minute, until vegetables are heated and slightly soft. Salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

This cake is good with any berry--blueberries or sliced strawberries.

Source: Gourmet, June 2009

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
2/3 c. plus 1½ T. sugar, divided
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 c. well-shaken buttermilk
1 c. fresh raspberries (about 5 ounces)

½ c. whipping cream, sweetened & whipped

Process:

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. (I cut a parchment paper liner for the bottom of the pan and buttered and floured that.) Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then beat in vanilla. Add egg and beat well.

At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined. Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1½ tablespoons sugar.

Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate. (I served with whipped cream and garnished with a few reserved berries.)

Herb Harvest

2010-05-24T16:02:00.000-07:00

I think I may have already mentioned in a previous post that I gave up any attempts at vegetable gardening long ago.

Oh, for a while I’d get inspired by the balmy breezes of spring in Louisiana and plant some cucumbers, peppers, and the like. But then when about two weeks later, full-blown summer kicked in with the heat, humidity and mosquitoes, the vegetables were left to fend for themselves.

Now, I concentrate on one “crop”—herbs—and only three kinds: rosemary (Summer Jazz Brunch: Rosemary Cashews), basil, and parsley.

The rosemary can withstand my neglect, and our winters (ha!), and I have two huge bushes of it in the ground at the edge of our patio. The basil and parsley are in pots and are only a few steps from our living room French doors. Placing them so close means I am more inclined to brave the elements and actually water and “harvest” my crop.

Following are an entrée and 2 side dishes that feature my herbs.

Sautéed Chicken with Lemon-Rosemary Butter Sauce

Source: original recipe

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves, sliced very thin
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded to ½ -inch thickness, halved
2 tsp. olive oil
Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning or salt and pepper
Juice of one lemon
¼ c. chicken broth
2 T. fresh rosemary, chopped
1-2 T. butter, cut in small pieces

Process:

Season the chicken breasts with the Tony’s or salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and reduce the heat to low Simmer the garlic until light golden and very tender; remove from the pan. Increase the heat of the oil in the pan until sizzling and add the chicken. Sauté the chicken until lightly browned on both sides and juices run clear. Remove and cover. To the pan, add the lemon juice and rosemary; heat to boiling. Whisk in the butter a few pieces at a time. Pour the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with the reserved garlic and serve with rice or noodles if desired.

Roasted Asparagus with Parsley and Lemon Peel

Source: adapted from Food TV Magazine, March 2010

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound asparagus, trimmed
2 tsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
¼ c. chopped parsley
grated zest of ½ lemon

Process:

Preheat oven to 450°. Toss the asparagus with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet. Roast until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Mix the parsley and lemon zest. Sprinkle over the asparagus and serve.

Tomato Gratin with Basil

Source: adapted from Food TV Magazine, March 2010

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

1 pint grape tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
2 T. olive oil, divided
2 T. Italian breadcrumbs
2 T. grated parmesan cheese
2 T. chopped, fresh basil
salt and pepper

Process:

With a knife, mash the garlic cloves with a sprinkling of salt and continue slicing and mashing to produce a paste. Toss the tomatoes with a scant tablespoon of olive oil in an ovenproof skillet. Add the garlic paste. Cook over medium-high heat until the tomatoes are soft, 6-8 minutes. Meanwhile mix 1 T. olive oil with the breadcrumbs and cheese. Sprinkle over the tomatoes and broil until the breadcrumbs are golden, about 2 minutes (but watch carefully). Sprinkle with the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cooks, Books, and Friends

2009-12-30T08:01:00.001-08:00

Confession: I am somewhat of a groupie of female chefs.

I don’t mean I’m a follower of gimmicky Iron-Chef type female chefs prone to speed-chopping, foams, and gastriques. I mean female chefs who honor their local ingredients and local cuisines with simple, solid good cooking. Chefs who’ve carved out niches for themselves in a world long-dominated by their male counterparts.

Here’s the evidence:

Once I talked my husband into an eight-hour road trip to Atlanta to eat at Anne Quatrano’s Bacchanalia. The meal was well worth the drive, but when I saw the chef hurrying back into her kitchen, I felt like I had caught a glimpse of royalty.

When Odessa Piper, a chef in the Alice Waters tradition and then chef-owner of L’Etoile in Madison, Wisconsin, visited my table, I was so star-struck, I could barely ask for her autograph on my menu.

I recently attended a graduation ceremony at Loyola University where Leah Chase, chef and owner of Dooky Chase’s in New Orleans, received an honorary Ph.D. To me, it seemed perfectly appropriate that she was sharing the stage with Gov. Bobby Jindal and jazz legend Herbie Hancock.

And at least once a year, we make a pilgrimage to my personal Lourdes of restaurants, Susan Spicer’s Bayona on Dauphine Street in the French Quarter.

The first meal we savored there was shortly after its opening in 1990, and every meal we’ve eaten there since then has been memorable. I can still perfectly bring to my mind and taste buds a dessert that consisted of a trio of confections each flavored with lemon and a different herb.

So when Spicer’s cookbook Crescent City Cooking came out in 2007, I couldn’t wait to revisit some of those meals. There in its pages are some of the entrées we’ve enjoyed at Bayona, such as her Grilled Shrimp with Black Bean Cakes and Coriander Sauce and her Sautéed Sweetbreads with Sherry-Mustard Butter.

But there are also some dishes new to me, simple recipes that showcase the ingredients, not the chef or her dazzling technique. As crazy as it sounds, Spicer’s Slow-Scrambled Eggs are a revelation of simplicity, taste and texture.

Often when we dine at Bayona, Susan Spicer passes through the dining room greeting regular customers. And although we certainly don’t qualify as regulars, sometimes I catch her eye, and we smile and nod at each other. Then I usually make a joke to my husband about having said hello to my “old friend” Susan, but secretly I always wish it were the truth.

Happily, my friendship with Laurie Lynn Drummond is not a figment of my imagination. It is, however, rooted in many ways in food and books.

In the fall of 1989, I was newly transplanted to Baton Rouge, newly employed as a part-time English instructor at LSU, mother to a six-month-old daughter, and feverishly trying to complete my dissertation.

Most Saturdays and Sundays, my husband took care of our daughter while I worked on my dissertation which meant, in those pre-Starbucks, pre-laptop days, writing in longhand at a table at Highland Coffees, the new and first true coffee shop in Baton Rouge.

After spending several weekends at Highland Coffees, I began to recognize the regulars, in particular one woman whom I had also seen in the English Department. Emboldened by a couple of cappuccinos, I introduced myself, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Laurie, an ex-cop who was then completing her MFA in fiction at LSU, and I became fast friends. We soon found we had more in common than writing and grading student essays. We loved books, art, movies, and, of course, cooking.

How could I not be friends with a person who, shortly after we met, brought me an elegant home-made lunch of bread, salad, and the most wonderful spaghetti with vodka-tomato sauce which I reheated in the coffee shop microwave and gulped down.

On weekends, we’d work dutifully at our respective tables for hours, and then, as if on cue, join each other for a brief respite to compare our progress, or lack thereof, on our projects. Sometimes during the school week, we’d play hooky from our office hours to catch a movie or go clothes shopping at the old downtown Maison Blanche store.

And, of course, we shared many meals, some cooked by me, some cooked by Laurie.

When Laurie’s collection of short stories, Anything You Say Can and Will Be Used Against You, came out to glowing reviews in 2004, I couldn’t wait to peer into the life she had lived as a Baton Rouge police officer, and I couldn’t wait to savor in full the writing talent I had tasted when she had allowed me to read early story drafts.

And, oh, what a talent! Each of her five female police officer protagonists are deftly drawn with authenticity and complexity, and the plots of the ten stories are gritty and poignant at the same time.

When Laurie moved to Austin, Texas, and then to Eugene, Oregon, I missed her deeply. And, not being the best correspondent or phone conversationalist, I worried that our season of friendship was over. However, I’ve happily learned over the years that with true friends, time and distance really don’t take much of a toll. Not only can you can pick up where you left off, but you also bring more “to the table” in terms of ideas and experiences to share.

So when my longtime and long-gone friend Laurie sat down at my table for dinner during her visit to Baton Rouge a few weeks ago, it seemed only natural that I would ask my “friend” Susan to cook for us--at least metaphorically.

Following is the menu, “we” served Laurie. (Hey, a girl can dream!)

I like the sort of French idea of serving “nibbles” before dinner, instead of full-fledged, and often heavy, appetizers. I served the pecans and cheese wafers with some marinated olives.

Spicer Pecans

Source: It may be sacrilegious, but this recipe is an adaptation of Spicer’s Cajun-spiced Pecans. I increased the amount of pecan halves (less buttery) and added the chili powder for a bit more “kick.”

These are great on salads and make a nice Christmas gift.

Yield: 1½ cups (can be doubled)

Ingredients:

1 T. butter
1½ c. pecan halves
2 T. sugar
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. chili powder

Process:

Preheat oven to 325°. Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Stir in the nuts to coat. Stir in the other ingredients. Spread the nuts on a large baking sheet lightly sprayed with vegetable oil spray. Bake 7-10 minutes. Cool nuts on paper towels. Store the nuts in an airtight container. (During high humidity, I store them in the refrigerator.)

Cheese Wafers

Source: There are lots of versions of this sort of recipe out there, including a parmesan and thyme version in Ina Garten’s new cookbook Back to Basics. This one I got from my mother-in-law Ruth.

Yield: approximately 2 dozen wafers (can be doubled)

Ingredients:

1 c. butter or margarine, softened
8-oz. block sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 c. flour
¼ tsp. salt
½ to 1 tsp. cayenne pepper (I use the full amount)
1 c. finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Process:

Beat butter and shredded Cheddar cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended; add remaining ingredients, beating until blended. Cover dough and chill 2 hours.

Shape dough into 8-inch logs approximately 1½-inch in diameter. (I had 3 logs.) Wrap in plastic wrap. Chill at least 2 hours.

Cut each log into ½-inch-thick slices and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 11-13 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

(You may freeze the logs up to 1 week. Let dough stand 15 minutes before slicing into wafers; bake wafers as directed.)

Balsamic Vinaigrette

This is the salad dressing used on the Bayona House Salad. For Laurie, I served a simple salad of baby greens, chopped scallions, halved grape tomatoes, and a sprinkling of salted sunflower kernels.

Source: Susan Spicer’s Crescent City Cooking

Yield: 1 cup

Ingredients:

2 T. balsamic vinegar
2T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. plus 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 T. honey
¾ c. olive oil
1 T. fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper

Process:

Whisk together the vinegars, mustard, and honey in a small bowl, then gradually whisk in the olive oil. Taste the dressing and finish by adding the lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.

Shrimp or Crayfish Clemenceau

I first tried Shrimp Clemenceau at Feelings Café in New Orleans, and I loved it! I’m assuming Spicer uses “crayfish” instead of “crawfish,” the more common term in Louisiana, to communicate to a broader, i.e. “Yankee,” audience.

Source: Susan Spicer’s Crescent City Cooking

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup diced potatoes (about ½-inch dice)
salt
3 T. olive oil
5 T. butter
½ pound button mushrooms, quartered
1 pound shrimp (16-20 count), peeled and deveined, or 1 pound crayfish tails
2 c. peas (frozen or fresh)
pepper
hot sauce
1 med. shallot, finely diced
¼ c. white whine
3 T. fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 scallions, finely chopped

Process:

Preheat the oven to 325° F.

Place the potatoes in a small saucepan and cover with cold water; add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are just cooked through (they will become opaque and should be tender, but not overly soft, when pierced with a paring knife.) Drain them, rinse with cold water, and cool. Pat the dice dry with paper towels. (The potatoes can be blanched in advance and held in water.)

Heat 1 T. olive oil in a medium skillet until hot but not smoking, and add the potatoes and 2 T. butter. Cook until evenly browned and crispy, and transfer to a large bowl. Keep them warm in the oven.

Return the skillet to the heat (no need to clean), pour in the remaining 2 T. olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring until they are lightly browned and crispy. Add the mushrooms to the potatoes. Add the shrimp or crayfish tails to the skillet and cook a few more minutes. Add the peas, season lightly with salt, pepper, and hot sauce, and transfer the mixture to the bowl of potatoes. Toss mixture to combine and return to oven to keep warm.

Deglaze the pan with the shallots, wine, and lemon juice and scrape up the bits. Bring to a boil and reduce to about 4 T. of liquid. Stir in the garlic, then whisk in the remaining 3 T. butter, a little a t a time, to make a creamy sauce. Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce.

Pour the sauce over the shrimp, sprinkle with stallions and serve immediately.

Chocolate Mousse

For this recipe, see "The Thais that Bind in Rhinelander." However, I didn’t have any brandy so I substituted rum and also sprinkled some crushed candy canes on the whipped cream for a seasonal touch.

A Mexi-Camp Menu

2009-11-14T18:29:00.000-08:00

We have spent two years working on our camp--painting everything that is wood, sewing window treatments, installing a new bathroom sink, tiling a backsplash, repairing a variety of plumbing problems, having a boat slip built, resodding the lawn, and, most recently, having the place treated after a termite swarm.

Now, for my Yankee friends, I need to explain the term “camp.” It basically means a weekend place, usually on water. However, camps come in a variety of sizes, from small almost shed-like structures to palatial mansions reminiscent of Tara.

Our is in the medium range but perfect for us. And we were at last ready for our first official dinner party.

Realizing our camp would always be a “work in progress,” we decided to invite some of our nicest friends, friends who would applaud our efforts instead of noticing the “mushy” floors and the uneven kitchen counters.

I’m not sure why I always imagined our first camp dinner party would have a Mexican vibe—maybe because I wanted a “fiesta,” a celebration of a job (almost) well done.

We served sangria and beer with the empanadas and tortilla chips and salsa. After a leisurely boat ride, we served the Cheesy Jalapeño Bites with the soup, and then continued on to the enchiladas, salads, and, finally, dessert. It was a wonderful fiesta for our camp! Thank you Jan, Dennis and Sharon!

Sangria

The ingredient amounts are flexible. If possible, chill all the ingredients before mixing.

Source: original recipe

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

4 c. red wine
½ - 1 c. orange juice
½ - 1 c. lemonade (from a bottle or mixed from concentrate)
½ c. pineapple juice (optional)
¼ c. sugar
¼ c. brandy
1 c. club soda or sparkling water (optional)
Orange, lemon and/or lime slices for the pitcher and for garnishing the glasses

Process:

In a pitcher combine all the ingredients, except quarter or half-slices of the fruit to garnish the glasses. Add ice to the pitcher or glasses if desired.

Beef Empanadas

Source: original recipe

Yield: 30-36 empanadas

Ingredients:

One package (2 crusts) of refrigerated, rolled pie crusts
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 (15-oz.) can enchilada sauce
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1-2 tsp. sugar
Salsa, to taste
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
Sour cream, guacamole and/or additional salsa for serving

Process:

Preheat oven to 425.° In a large frying pan, brown the ground beef and onion, until the beef is no longer pink and the onions are tender and translucent. Drain grease, if necessary. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until the ground beef mixture is quite “dry.” Stir in cheese until melted.

Meanwhile, unroll the first pie crust on a lightly floured surface and roll slightly with a rolling pin. Cut the crust with a 2½ -3-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter. Repeat with other crust. Re-roll and cut scraps.

Place a scant teaspoon of the beef filling on one side of a piecrust round. Fold in half, sealing edges with your fingers. Place the empanada on a cookie sheet (either non-stick or lightly sprayed with cooking spray). Press the edge with the tines of a fork. Repeat with remaining piecrust rounds. Bake 15-25 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Serve immediately or at room temperature with salsa, sour cream, and/or guacamole, if desired.

Cheesy Jalapeño Bites

These “look” like individually prepared appetizers but with none of the work.

Source: a very old clipping

Yield: 16-24 pieces

Ingredients:

4 to 6 large eggs, slightly beaten
2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
6 to 7 fresh Jalapeño peppers seeded and chopped (I’ve used jarred)

Process:

Spray 8 X 8 in baking dish with nonstick vegetable cooking spray. Stir the cheese and chopped peppers into the beaten eggs; pour into baking dish. Bake at 325° for 18-20 minutes. The mixture will firm up as it bakes. Do not brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting into 1-inch squares. The appetizers can be served warm or at room temperature.

Tomato-Orange Soup

Source: a very old clipping

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

4 c. chicken broth
1 28-oz.can whole peeled tomatoes with juices
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
2 bay leaves
½ tsp. sugar
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
¼ c. orange juice
Sour cream and cilantro, for garnish

Combine broth, tomatoes with juice, onion, carrot, lemon peel, bay leaves and sugar in heavy, large saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat, breaking up tomatoes with spoon. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 40 minutes.

Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour; stir 2 minutes. Add 1 c. soup and stir until smooth. Return mixture to remaining soup in saucepan. Simmer until soup thickens, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Working in batches, puree soup in blender or puree with hand-held immersion blender. Stir in orange juice. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Serve soup cold or bring to simmer and serve hot. (I served the soup cold garnished with a teaspoon of sour cream and a sprig of cilantro.)

Chicken Enchiladas Suizas

Source: Colorado Collage Cookbook

Yield: 12-15 enchiladas, 6 servings

Ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 T. butter
1 c. chopped onion
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
8 oz. grated cheddar cheese
1 4-oz. can diced green chiles
1 c. purchase green chile salsa
½ c. chopped cilantro
4 tsp. ground cumin
2-3 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (I used the whole 3-oz. can!)
12-15 7-in flour tortillas
10 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 c. whipping cream
½ chicken broth

Process:

Place chicken in pan of rapidly boiling water to cover, and simmer 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, cool, and shred. Preheat oven to 350°. In medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion and peppers until just soft. Transfer to a large bowl. Add chicken, cheddar cheese, green chiles, salsa, cilantro, cumin, and chipotle chiles. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.

Grease 10X15-inch baking pan or 2 smaller pans. Place 1 flour tortilla on a flat surface and place about 1/3 c. chicken mixture along one edge. Roll up from filling side and place, seam side down, in pan. Repeat. Sprinkle Monterey Jack over enchiladas. (May be prepared to this point up to 1 day in advance. Cover and chill.)

Combine cream and chicken broth and pour over enchiladas. Cover pan with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Garnish with tomatoes, if desired.

Black Bean & Rice Salad

Source: a very old clipping

Yield: 12 servings (I halved this for our party)

Ingredients:

2 14.5 oz cans chicken broth (3 cups)
½ c. water
1 ½ c. rice
2 bay leaves
2 15-oz. cans black beans, drained, rinsed
2 red bell peppers, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
1 medium bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
½ c. olive oil
Juice of 1 lime (or more)
3 T. orange juice
2 T. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder

Process:

Bring broth and water to boil in saucepan. Add rice and bay leaves. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Transfer rice to large bowl and fluff with fork. Mix in beans, peppers, onion, chopped cilantro. Mix oil, orange juice, vinegar, cumin and chili powder. Add to salad. (Add salsa for more kick and moisture.).

Tossed Salad with Orange Slices & Red Onions

Source: my friend Jan’s “famous” salad dressing + my salad ingredients

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

½ c. olive oil
½ c. sugar
¼ c. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. soy sauce

Assorted baby greens, enough for 6 people
One-half red onion, thinly sliced
2 oranges, peeled, sectioned, sections cut in half
1 8-oz. can pitted black olives, drained, cut in half
½ c. salted sunflower kernels

Process:

Combine the olive oil, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce in a jar with a lid. Shake until blended. Combine the greens, onion, oranges, olives and sunflower kernels in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing. Serve.

Pineapple-Coconut Chess Pie

Source: a very old clipping

Yield: one pie, 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

1 ½ c. sugar
3 T. cornmeal
2 T. flour
¼ tsp. salt
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¼ c. melted butter
1 (3.5-oz.) can flaked coconut
1 (15.25-oz.) can crushed pineapple, well drained
1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell.
Whipped cream and toasted coconut for garnish, if desired

Process:

Combine sugar, cornmeal flour and salt in a large bowl; add eggs and vanilla, stirring until blended. Stir in butter, coconut and pineapple; pour into unbaked pastry shell. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until set, covering with aluminum foil after 40 minutes. Cool. (I often garnish the pie with whipped cream and toasted coconut.)

The Thais that Bind in Rhinelander

2009-10-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you find yourself craving Thai food and the nearest Thai restaurant is hours away? Oh yeah, and you have no Thai cookbooks and only intermittent access to the internet?

You fake it, of course, which is what I did not once, but twice, during my week-long stay “home” in Rhinelander, Wisconsin.

While I may be in the Northwoods, I am not in the backwoods. I was pleasantly surprised to find wonderful ingredients at THE local grocery store, Trigg’s, such as coconut milk, fish sauce, Thai green curry paste, udon noodles and lots of fresh herbs.

So I was able to prepare the following menu twice. It might be a little “faux” Thai, but it was easy and delicious.

First, I cooked this meal for my little sister Julie. Not only is she one of the few people left on this planet who have known and loved me for almost my entire life (I’m two years older), she is one of my partners in the lovely house on Lake Emma. And she also allowed me, and my sister Laura, to tag along on a trip to Thailand a few years ago. So she knows her Thai “flavor profiles.” (I learned that term from Top Chef.)

My second Guinea pig was my dear friend since 8th grade, Patti. Not only have we been friends forever, neither of us has changed a bit from those days at RHS. Go Hodags!

I'd be too embarassed to list this as a recipe, but as an appetizer, more like a snack, I combined equal parts goldfish crackers and wasabi peas. I call this mix "Fish and Bubbles," and the crackers nicely cut the heat of the wasabi peas.

Spinach Mushroom Soup with Udon Noodles

Source: I adapted this from a recipe in Kay Ewing’s Cooking School Cookbook. Kay Ewing teaches full participation menu classes in Baton Rouge, and this is my go-to cookbook.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

4 c. chicken broth
1 c. sliced fresh mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
4 oz. fresh baby spinach, torn slightly
½ tsp. sugar
1 T. soy sauce
½ tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 T. water
¼ tsp. sesame oil
1 pkg. refrigerated udon noodles, about 1 cup
¼ c. chopped green onion

Process:

Bring the broth to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to low and add mushrooms, garlic, spinach, sugar, soy sauce and Tabasco sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes. Increase heat to a boil and add the udon noodles. Cook until the noodles are al dente. Meanwhile stir the cornstarch in the water to dissolve. Add to the soup in a slow, steady stream. Cook and stir until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil. Ladle soup into individual bowls and garnish with chopped green onions. Serve immediately.

Thai Cucumber and Pineapple Salad

Source: original recipe

Yield: 2-3 servings

Ingredients:

1 cucumber, peeled and seeded, chopped into ½ inch pieces
1 8-oz. can pineapple tidbits, drained, juice reserved
¼ c. fresh mint chopped
Juice of one lime
One-half fresh jalapeno, seeded and finely minced

Process:

Combine ingredients. May be made one day ahead of serving.

Thai Chicken Curry

Source: original recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

½ lb. fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 T. vegetable oil, divided
1 large onion, quartered and sliced
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ -1 c. chicken broth
½-1 c. light coconut milk
1-2 T. Thai green curry paste
1 T. sugar
1-2 T. fish sauce (or soy sauce to taste)
Tabasco sauce, to taste (optional)
¼ c. chopped fresh basil
¼ c. chopped fresh cilantro

Process:

Steam the green beans until crisp-tender. Refresh in cold water. Meanwhile, heat 2 tsp. of the vegetable oil in a wok. (I didn’t have a wok, so I used a very large pot to provide more surface area and contain splattering.) Stir fry the onions until they are crisp-tender and starting to brown. Remove from pot. Add 1 tsp. vegetable oil to pot and stir fry the chicken until done and starting to brown. Add ½ c. chicken broth to the chicken and scrap up brown bits. Add the coconut milk. (I couldn’t find light coconut milk, so I was careful to NOT shake up the can and then drained the thick coconut “cream” from the milk.) Stir in the curry paste until dissolved. Add the sugar, fish sauce, Tabasco sauce and heat. Stir in the green beans and onions. Add more broth and coconut milk to achieve desired consistency. Stir in the basil and cilantro and serve with rice, preferably jasmine.

Chocolate Mousse

Source: I found this recipe in the current (October, 2009) issue of Gourmet magazine and couldn’t resist, even though it's not even close to being Thai. I halved the recipe by approximating with the eggs. Unfortunately, I only served Julie Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies for dessert.

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao), chopped
¾ stick unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
3 large, eggs, separated
1 T. Cognac or brandy
1 c. very cold heavy (whipping) cream
⅛ tsp. salt

Process:

Melt chocolate and butter in a large metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, gently stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat. Meanwhile, beat yolks in a small bowl with an electric mixer until thick enough to form a ribbon that takes a few seconds to dissolve, 2 to 4 minutes. Whisk yolks into chocolate mixture along with the Cognac, then cool to warm. Beat cream in a medium bowl with cleaned beaters until it just holds stiff peaks. Beat whites with salt in another bowl with cleaned beaters until they just hold soft peaks. Fold whipped cream and beaten whites into chocolate mixture gently but thoroughly. Transfer to stemmed glasses, 4-oz. ramekins, or a serving dish. Mousse can be chilled, its surface covered with parchment paper or plastic wrap up to 2 days. Let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes before serving.

Summer (Jazz) Brunch

2009-08-30T14:15:00.000-07:00

Although school has started, here in Baton Rouge we have a lot of summer left, if only in terms of the hot weather.

So before I get crazy busy grading papers, I wanted to present this menu as a fun way to spend a lazy summer day.

But wait, there’s more! Along with the brunch menu, this post, a virtual buffet itself, includes:

• A food “memory” – “Melon Balls and the Berlin Wall”
• A menu for a “Champagne Bar"
• Several recipes
• Two,count them, two playlists

Melon Balls and the Berlin Wall

It may be sort of an “old school” gadget, but I love using my melon-baller. I think there’s nothing prettier than a huge bowl, or carved out watermelon, of relatively uniform orbs of watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew melon. (A recipe for this type of salad follows.)

But, oddly enough, my melon-baller is also a kitchen tool that evokes very powerful memories and emotions for me.

(Big leap coming up here—stay with me, people.)

When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, people all over the world rejoiced, but this event had special significance for our family since it meant that for the first time my husband’s Aunt Annalise and her husband Uncle Werner could leave their home in East Germany to visit us in the United States.

In 1951, before the wall was erected, my mother-in-law Ruth had paid someone to sneak her across the border into West Germany. Ruth began a new life in Munich where she later met my father-in-law who was a GI stationed there after the war.

After Ruth became a U.S. citizen, she was permitted to visit her family, and her mother, being over 65, was allowed to visit the United States once. However, it was not until the Berlin wall came down that Ruth’s sister and brother were able to leave East Germany.

When Aunt Annalise and Uncle Werner came to the U.S. to visit in October of 1990, we were overjoyed that they came with Bill’s parents from Georgia to spend a few days with us here in Baton Rouge.

Since Aunt Annalise and Uncle Werner speak no English, Ruth had to take on the role of the interpreter which I know was challenging. Sometimes she would look at me and speak German and at her sister and speak English.

But enthusiasm, love, and gestures went a long way in helping us converse with each other. Our daughter Erin was about a year and half then, and there’s nothing like a toddler twirling in the middle of the living room to give the grownups the impression that they are speaking the same language.

Another way we communicated was through food. For one of the meals we shared with them, my husband and I planned a hearty American cookout and purchased a couple of huge rib eye steaks (which we thought would serve several people) and several chicken breasts to put on the grill.

We, of course, let our German relatives serve themselves first, and we were surprised, but ultimately delighted, that Uncle Werner and Aunt Annalise each took one of the two steaks for themselves. When they ate those steaks entirely—fat, gristle, and marrow—we began to realize how constrained their existence in East Germany had been.

Of the several side dishes we served, and one which our aunt and uncle ate with gusto, was a melon ball salad. Aunt Annalise and Uncle Werner seemed to chat with my mother-in-law specifically about this salad, and I was pleased to have pleased them.

Before they returned home, our German relatives did lots of shopping for things they had not been able to buy—pantyhose, coffee, chocolate, and fresh fruit. Later my mother-in-law told me that one of the items Aunt Annalise had insisted on buying was a melon-baller.

At first I was somewhat condescendingly amused. How quaint that something so simple had impressed my German relatives. But soon the melon-baller came to symbolize the fact that while we in the U.S. had always lived in relative luxury, they had lived with depravation and discouragement almost every day. I was humbled and grateful.

In 1995, I traveled with my mother-in-law to her hometown of Stumsdorf, and in 2005, we returned with my father-in-law, my brother-in-law, his wife and son, and my husband and daughter. We were happy to note the significant improvements in our German family’s way of life.

Although the language barrier remained, love was communicated in countless ways, especially around the dinner table. We shared juicy sausauges, schnitzel and spaetzle, crusty brötchen (rolls), delicious cakes--and a melon ball salad.

Champagne Bar Menu

What would be the point of a brunch if there wasn’t champagne? Although I did offer Bloody Marys, white wine and Pimm’s Cups, the big hit was the champagne bar I set up which included the following add-ins:

• Crème de cassis – for Kir Royales
• Cognac and Grand Mariner – for Champagne Cocktails
• Orange juice – for Mimosas
• Honeydew melon puree – for Honeydew Melon Bellinis
• Optional garnishes: raspberries, honeydew melon cubes
• Champagne (or other sparkling wine, such as Proseco or Cava) – 8 guests drank 6 bottles of champagne, but I would have an extra bottle or two on hand.

The recipes for these drinks are easily available on-line. I printed out the recipes on half of a piece of cardstock and “tented” it so it could stand next to the ingredients. A few guests tried all four cocktails!

Summer Brunch Menu

This menu showcases the fresh ingredients that summer, and farmers’ markets, offers us.

• Several types of olives or olive mixes (purchased)
• Rosemary Cashews (recipe follows or purchased seasoned nuts)
• Iced Yogurt Soup with Mint (recipe follows)
• BLT Quiches (recipe follows, I made two)
• Minted Fruit Salad (recipe follows)
• Tomato & Basil Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
• A fruit quick bread
• S’More Tart (recipe follows)

Brunch Recipes

Rosemary Cashews

One of the reasons I love inviting guests for brunch is that I don’t feel compelled to go all multi-course, especially when it comes to appetizers. So I take advantage of the gourmet sections of grocery stores, especially Whole Foods, and the Baton Rouge Farmers’ Market. A cheese torta with crackers or a crudité platter would be fine additions, but olives and these nuts are enough by themselves.

Rosemary is one of those effortless herbs that even a non-gardener like myself can maintain. I’ve had best success in planting pretty substantial plants in the ground in the winter when the temperatures here are milder. The roots go deep, and before you know it you will have a bush that can withstand neglect. The aroma is so captivating, I often just pluck a few sprigs when I’m in the backyard and rub it on my wrists as a wonderful, natural fragrance.

Source: Ina Garten’s Barefoot in Paris

Yield: serves 8

Ingredients:

1 lb. roasted unsalted cashews
2 T. minced fresh rosemary leaves
½ tsp. cayenne pepper (I use ¼ tsp.)
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 T. kosher salt
1 T. unsalted butter melted

Process:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the cashews out on a sheet pan. Toast in the oven until warm, about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the rosemary, cayenne, sugar, salt, and butter. Thoroughly toss the warm cashews with the spiced butter and serve warm.

Cold Yogurt Soup

A soup course is not really necessary for a brunch, but this recipe is easy, light, and brings together some wonderful summer ingredients.

Source: Julie Sahni’s Indian Regional Classics

Yield: serves 4 (can be doubled)

Ingredients:

2 c. yogurt
1 c. buttermilk
¼ c. ice water
2 tsp. honey or sugar
½ tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. ground toasted cumin seeds* (Do not substitute ground cumin.)
2 T. minced mint
1 c. grated cucumber, drained
½ c. finely diced red bell pepper
¼ c. thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts
½ c. toasted chopped walnuts or cashews (I omit this)
Mint sprigs, for garnish

Process:

Whisk together the yogurt, buttermilk, ice water, honey, slat, cumin, min, cucumber, bell pepper, and scallions in a large bowl. Transfer to a chilled soup tureen or individual soup bowls. Sprinkle with nuts (if using), garnish with mint sprigs, and serve. (I have found that this soup can be prepared a few hours ahead and refrigerated.)

* To toast the cumin seeds: place the cumin seeds in a small dry frying pan over medium-high heat. Toast, stirring and shaking, until the seeds are several shades darker and give off their characteristic aroma. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Using a spice mill, a clean coffee grinder, or a mortar and pestle, grind to a fine powder.

BLT Quiche

When I was a kid, my absolute favorite sandwich was a BLT, and it still is today.I recently “learned”
from one of those ridiculous Facebook quizzes that people who prefer BLTs are obsessive-compulsive. I ask, “And your point is?” Anyway, I made up this quiche recipe to include the B and the L (in the form of spinach) and the T in a great brunch entrée.

Source: original recipe

Yield: one quiche (serves 4)

Ingredients:

½ lb. bacon, chopped
1 pkg. fresh spinach, large stems removed
½ jar oil-packed, sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
1½ c. half and half or whipping cream
3 eggs
3 pinches kosher salt
1 9-inch frozen pie crust, thawed (I prefer the kind you roll out.)

Process:

Preheat the oven to 350º. Fit the pie crust into 9-inch glass pie plate. Crimp the edges (and no one will know it’s not homemade!). Brown the bacon in a medium skillet. Remove and drain on paper towels. Drain all but about 1 T. of the bacon fat from the pan. Sauté the spinach in the bacon fat. Lightly salt and pepper the spinach and then drain it on paper towels. Drain the tomatoes on paper towels. Blend the cream, eggs and salt in a medium bowl. Spread the spinach on the bottom of the pie shell. Sprinkle the bacon and then the tomatoes over the spinach. Slowly pour the egg-cream mixture over the other ingredients. Bake for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

Minted Fruit Salad

Source: Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins’ The Silver Palate Cook Book

Yield: 12 portions

Ingredients:

1 pint strawberries
3 kiwis
1 medium-size ripe cantaloupe
1 medium-size ripe honeydew melon
Handful of fresh mint leaves
½ c. fresh orange juice
½ c. fresh lemon juice
3 T. sugar

Process:

Wash, drain and hull the strawberries. Peel the kiwis and slice thin, reserving 1 sliced kiwi for garnish. With a melon-baller, cut balls from the cantaloupe and honeydew melons. Mix al the fruits together except for the reserved kiwi. Chop the mint leaves and tender stems very fine and sprinkle on the fruits. Mix the orange and lemon juices with the sugar and pour over all. Toss the salad gently and thoroughly. Arrange the reserved kiwi slices on top and garnish with a fresh mint leaf. Chill for 2 to 3 hours and serve cold.

S’More Tart

I don’t care how old you are or how far away from a campfire you are, S’Mores scream summer. Although meringues can be a little “iffy” in summer humidity, in this recipe the topping is worth the risk and a sophisticated stand-in for marshmallows.

If you are pressed for time, a 9-inch pre-made graham cracker crust could be used. Just proceed to the filling and meringue, and call this a pie, instead of a tart.

Source: crust & meringue adapted from Kay Ewing’s A Second Course, filling from “Chocolate Ganache and Raspberry Tart” (Bon Appétit, July 2008)

Yield: one 9” tart

Crust Ingredients:

2 c. graham cracker crumbs (15 rectangles or 30 squares)
2 T. sugar
½ c. butter, melted.

Process:

Preheat oven to 350°. Place graham crackers in a food processor and pulse into crumbs. Add sugar and melted butter and mix to combine. Press into the bottom and half way up the sides of a greased 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Place a piece of foil under the pan to catch any drippings. Bake 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Filling Ingredients:

½ c. heavy whipping cream
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 ½ tsp. strong coffee or Kahlúa (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Process:

Meanwhile, bring cream just to boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; stir until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Cool ganache 15 minutes. Spoon chocolate ganache into crust and smooth top.

Meringue Ingredients:

4 egg whites
¼ tsp. cream of tartar
½ c. sugar

Increase oven temperature to 425°. Beat egg whites in a medium bowl with electric mixer. Add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar until stiff peaks form. Spoon the meringue gently around the crust, not the pan. Add the remaining meringue to the center of the tart to cover the filling. Swirl the top of the meringue with the back of the pan. Bake 5 minutes, watching closely. Just until browned. Cool the tart on a rack. If after 10 minutes the meringue is shrinking from the edges, release the crust from the edge of the pan and use a small knife to push the meringue to the edges to the tart to seal. Cool to room temperature. Slice into 6-8 portions.

Jazz Playlist

My daughter Erin, an accomplished jazz pianist, has introduced me to lots of great jazz musicians, and my iPod is the beneficiary of her musical explorations. But music at a dinner party should be more background than foreground, so I tend to favor pianists. Nothing too bebop, but not Muzak either. I suggest anything or everything from the following albums:

• Conversations with Myself – Bill Evans
• Expressions – Chick Corea
• Time Out - Dave Brubeck Quartet
• The Very Best - Thelonious Monk
• The Real McCoy - McCoy Tyner
• Listen Here! – Eddie Palmieri
• V.S.O.P.: The Quintet – Herbie Hancock
• Up for It – Keith Jarrett

Summer Playlist

If jazz is not your thing, here’s a playlist of tunes referencing summer and sun. Some of them are pretty “cheesy,” but that makes it just the more fun. These are great played in any order, but it’s especially fun to begin and end with the two versions of “Summertime Blues.” Download and enjoy!

• “Summertime Blues” – Alan Jackson
• “Summer of ‘69” – Bryan Adams
• “Summer in the city” – The Lovin’ Spoonful
• “All Summer Long” – The Beach Boys
• “Summer Breeze” – Seals & Crofts
• “Hot Fun in the Summertime” - Sly & The Family Stone
• “School’s Out” – Alice Cooper
• “Summer (Can’t Last Too Long)” – Asia
• “Here Comes the Sun” – The Beatles
• “Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer” – Nat “King” Cole
• “A Summer Song” – Chad & Jeremy
• “Sunshine of Your Love” – Cream
• “The Boys of summer” – Don Henley
• “Vacation” – The Go-Go’s
• “In the Summertime” – Mungo Jerry
• “Soak Up the Sun” – Sheryl Crow
• “Summer” – War
• “Summer Wind” – Frank Sinatra”
• “Summer Nights” – John Travolta & Olivia Newton John
• “Summertime Blues” – Joan Jett & the Blackhearts

Spontaneous Small Plates

2009-08-09T14:36:00.000-07:00

Here’s one of my food fantasies: No more than two hours before dinner, I go into the kitchen and begin effortlessly preparing a lavish array of “small plates” from leftovers
and ingredients I have on hand--no last-minute trips to the grocery store.

After about an hour of prepping, I casually pick up the phone and invite a couple of friends to join us, and, miraculously, they just happen to be free and just happen to have a bottle of good red wine on hand.

With fifteen minutes to go, my husband walks in the door whistling and is delighted by the prospect of spontaneously entertaining. He gets out the wine glasses and cues up a great playlist of unobtrusive jazz just as our guests ring the doorbell.

Then gathered around my casually elegant table setting (worthy of Ina Garten), my husband and guests savor each bite and compliment each dish. We have witty conversation, and then, at the end of the meal, I set down a small plate of organic truffles and a few homemade cookies, that I just happen to have on hand, and a few bottles of after-dinner liqueurs.

Last night that fantasy came true.

It all began when I was halfheartedly straightening up the freezer and spied a box of chopped spinach on top of a rolled pie crust. That they were meant for each other in the form of Greek-inspired mini spinach pies was a no-brainer. Then the half-package of puff pastry seemed to cry out to be joined with some frozen bacon in small quiches.

By the time our dear friends and neighbors, Jan and Dennis, arrived I had made:

• Greek Spinach Pies
• Black Bean and Corn Salad
• Onion, Bacon and Swiss Cheese Individual Quiches
• Simple Tilapia Ceviche

I also served crostini topped with purchased sun-dried tapenade and Asiago cheese, smoked almonds, and an embarrassingly easy cheese ball I had made a few days earlier.

All in all, the evening was better than I imagined! Well, except for the part where we walked our guests to the edge of the driveway only to discover we had locked ourselves out of the house, and my husband had to stand on a lawn chair to crawl in the only (thankfully) unlocked window. I’m sure the same thing has happened to Ina. Really.

Maybe some day I’ll fulfill another food fantasy in which I have a great house in East Hampton where I cook wonderful food for my cuddly, sweater-clad husband and my dear friend Miguel prepares gorgeous tablescapes . . . . How good is that!

Greek Spinach Pies

Source: original recipe

Yield: about 30 small pies

Ingredients:

1 10-oz. box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
¼ c. grated mozzarella
½ c. plain yogurt
¼ c. sour cream
1 tsp. oregano
½ c. chopped Kalamata olives
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2 rolled frozen pie crusts, thawed
1 egg

Process:

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients, except the pie crust and egg, with a fork. Unroll the pie crust on a lightly floured pastry cloth. Using a 2½- or 3-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut circles from the pie crusts. Re-roll the scraps to cut additional circles.

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. To assemble the pies, place the half of the pastry circles on each pan. For each pie, place a teaspoon of the spinach filling on half of the pastry circle. Dip your finger in a small bowl of water a lightly moisten the edge of the pastry. Fold the circle in half and press the edges together. Turn each pie over and lightly press the tines of a fork around the edges of each pie, about ¼-inch in from the edge. Lightly beat the egg with 1 T. water in a small bowl. Brush each pie with the egg mixture. Bake 15-20 minutes or until the crusts are golden brown. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Turning the pies over before you “tine” them lets you hide any mess or imperfections. Feta cheese would have been a good addition to these for a tangy taste, but I didn’t have any so I used the sour cream instead.

Black Bean and Corn Salad

Source: original recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1-15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1-15 oz. can corn, drained (or 1 cup thawed and drained frozen corn)
1 cucumber, peeled, cored and chopped
½ medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
¼ c. chopped cilantro

Dressing:

1 T. honey
2 tsp. honey mustard
Juice of one lime
¼ c. cider vinegar
1/3 c. vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Process:

Combine all salad ingredients in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, mustard, lime juice and vinegar. Slowly whisk in the oil. Add the dressing to the salad. Salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Onion, Bacon and Swiss Cheese Individual Quiches

Source: original recipe

Yield: 12 individual quiches

Ingredients:

6 slices bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, thinly chopped
1 sheet of puff pastry (from a 17.3-oz. box), thawed
1 c. grated Swiss cheese (about)
4 eggs
½ c. half and half (or whipping cream)
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

Process:

Preheat oven to 375°. In a medium sauce pan or skillet, cook the bacon until brown. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. In the bacon fat in the pan, sauté the onions on translucent and golden. Remove the onions from the pan and drain on paper towel.

On a lightly floured pastry cloth, roll the puff pastry dough into a 9” X 18” rectangle. Cut the dough into 12 squares. Spray 2 regular-sized muffin tins with cooking spray and place a dough square in each muffin cup, pulling edges up if necessary to line each cup.

Sprinkle the bacon, the onion and the cheese evenly on the bottom of each muffin cup. Whisk the eggs, cream and seasonings together in a small bowl. Pour some of the egg mixture into each cup until ¾ full. (You might not use all the egg mixture.) Bake the quiches for 20-25 minutes until a knife inserted in the center of the quiches comes out clean. Cool the quiches in the pans for about 10 minutes. Using a fork or spoon, carefully remove the quiches from the pans and cool on a wire rack. Serve immediately or at room temperature

Simple Tilapia Ceviche

Source: original recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

3-4 very thin frozen tilapia fillets (about ½ of a pound), thawed, and cut into ¾-inch square pieces
Juice of 1 lime
Juice of ½ lemon
½ c. chopped tomatoes
½ c. chopped onions
¼ c. chopped cilantro
¼ c. finely chopped jarred pickled jalapeño peppers, optional
Flour or corn tortillas, warmed

Process:

Place the fish in a glass bowl. Pour the lime and lemon juice over the fish and stir gently with a fork. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill until the fish “cooks” in the juice. (Many ceviche recipes say this should take about 4 hours, but with the very thin fillets I used, this only took about 2 hours.) Before serving, sprinkle the fish with the tomatoes, onions, cilantro and jalapenos (or serve the jalapenos on the side). Serve with tortillas.

Dining Alone and Al Fresco in Northern Wisconsin

2009-07-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

I am currently enjoying my last week of vacation on Lake Emma in northern Wisconsin. My husband and daughter just left after being here for ten days, and although I miss them, I do enjoy being alone.

“Vacation” is probably not the word I should use since it implies that I am not at home. When I really think about it, here is where I am most at home, where I am the most “me.”

Of course, that is in large part due to the fact that I was born and raised in northern Wisconsin and spent most of the first 30 years of my life in this state. (Yes, that makes me middle-aged AND a Yankee.)

But the main reason my heart lives here even when my body is elsewhere is because no matter what the weather, no matter what the season (o.k.--winter, not so much), Lake Emma is breathtakingly beautiful.

And in the summer it is most beautiful starting around 6:00 p.m. when the water is usually glassy and calm. Then, I take the kayak out into the middle of the lake and just drift and daydream. If I’m lucky, I can sneak up on the resident pair of loons or spy a deer drinking at the edge of the water.

When I get back to shore, I love to cook something easy and tasty for dinner and take it outside to eat at the table on the deck. In the summer, the sun doesn’t set here until after 9:00 p.m., so I have lots of time to continue relaxing and enjoying the beauty before me.

In the following dishes, you’ll notice the common ingredients of olive oil, lots of garlic and pasta. More than any other kitchen chore, I LOVE to prep garlic—chop it, slice it, or even smash it. And who doesn’t love pasta? Even though these are single-serving recipes, they are easily doubled, even quadruppled.

Shrimp Scampi Solo

For some reason, when I am on my own I crave shrimp and pasta. Maybe that’s because my husband believes that noodles and seafood just don’t “marry” well together. I disagree and find this garlicky scampi delicious.

Source: original recipe

Yield: one serving

Ingredients:

¼ lb. spaghetti
2 T. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly cross-wise
2 T. butter
7 large shrimp, peeled, deveined and cut in half
¼ c. white wine
2 T. lemon juice
Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning (or salt, pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes)
¼ c. grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Process:

Cook spaghetti in salted water until al dente. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan sauté the garlic in olive oil very slowly over the lowest possible heat until golden, not brown. Remove the garlic from pan and reserve. Add the butter to the remaining olive oil in the pan, and add the shrimp. Sauté the shrimp until they are beginning to become pink and opaque. Add the wine and lemon juice and bring to boiling. Add the reserved garlic. Continue cooking the shrimp until they are just opaque but tender. Season the shrimp tomato with Tony’s (or salt, pepper and red pepper) to taste. Pour the shrimp-garlic mixture over drained pasta. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Fresh Tomatoes and White Beans on Pasta

This is my simplified take on Pasta e Fagioli (pasta and beans). With all this garlic and a whole can of beans, I don’t think I need to explain why this might be a dish best eaten when you’re on your own.

Source: original recipe

Yield: one serving

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly cross-wise
3-4 tomatoes
¼ lb. spaghetti
1 15-oz. can Great Northern beans (or other white beans), rinsed and drained
Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning (or salt, pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes, if desired)
¼ c. grated, fresh Parmesan cheese

Process:

In a large frying pan, sauté the garlic in olive oil very slowly over the lowest possible heat until golden, not brown. Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of water to boil over high heat. Add the tomatoes and blanch for 20-30 seconds. Remove the tomatoes from the water (keep water boiling in pan) and submerge them in a bowl of cold water for a few minutes. Add the pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente; drain.

Meanwhile, remove the tomatoes from the water. Peel the skin from the tomatoes, halve, core, and squeeze to remove seeds. Roughly chop tomatoes. To the garlic and olive oil in the frying pan, add the tomatoes and beans. Increase the heat and cook until lightly simmering. Season tomato and bean mixture with Tony’s (or salt, pepper and red pepper) to taste. Pour the tomato-bean mixture over the pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Serving suggestion:

The tomato-bean mixture is hearty enough to eat without the pasta. Adding a can of chicken broth to the mixture would make it a quick and satisfying soup.

Spaghetti with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Ham

When I am preparing to leave our house on Lake Emma, I try to use up all the leftovers I’ve acquired during my stay, especially the fresh ingredients. This recipe was born out of what was left—a half an onion and a few springs of basil left over from a salad I’d made, some deli ham I used for sandwiches, cream I used for my coffee, a nub of Parmesan, and, of course, leftover spaghetti. But this dish was so good, I think I’ll make it “on purpose” next time. All measurements are approximate.

Source: original recipe

Yield: one to two servings

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil
½ onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, sliced thinly crosswise
2-3 T. chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained
6 slices deli ham, chopped in ½-inch pieces
½ c. white wine
½ c. water (or pasta cooking water, if cooking fresh pasta)
¾ c. leftover spaghetti (or ¼ lb. freshly cooked, al dente)
2 T. light cream
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1-2 T. chopped fresh basil
¼ c. grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning (or salt) to taste

Process:

In a large frying pan, sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil very slowly over the lowest possible heat until golden, not brown. Add the tomatoes and ham cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the wine, water, and pasta and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the pasta is hot. Add the cream, pepper, basil and cheese and stir to coat the pasta. (I suggest beginning with a small amount of pasta and adding to achieve the desired consistency.) Season with Tony’s or salt to taste.

Five-Ingredient Frittata

Still using up stuff in the fridge! I’m calling this “Five-Ingredient Frittata” because it contains 5 items I’d like to use up before I return home to Baton Rouge. Frittatas are great “kitchen sink” dishes—you can put anything and everything in them as long as you have a few eggs.

Source: original recipe

Yield: one serving

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced cross-wise
¼ c. chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, drained
2 eggs
½ tsp. Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning (or salt and pepper to taste)
¼ - ½ c. cooked spaghetti
½ tsp. dried basil
¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese

Process:

In a medium frying pan, sauté the garlic in olive oil very slowly over the lowest possible heat until golden, not brown. (Am I repeating myself?) Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon and reserve, leaving the olive oil in the pan. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs with the Tony’s (or salt and pepper). Pour the eggs into the frying pan and “sprinkle” the spaghetti evenly over the tops of the eggs. Then sprinkle the garlic and tomatoes over the spaghetti. Cook over low heat until the eggs are set on the bottom (run a spatula under the frittata to release from pan) but still unset on top. Sprinkle the basil and cheese on top of eggs.

To finish the frittata, there are 3 options. For the “Top Chef”: flip the frittata in the air and “catch” it in the pan. Cook for a minute or so until set. For the “Sous Chef": place the pan under a broiler briefly until the top is set, but not brown. For the rest of us: place a plate on top of the pan. Flip the frittata onto the plate and slide the unset side of the frittata back into the pan. Cook for a minute or so until set.

Foraging for Food

2009-07-11T07:22:00.000-07:00

Growing up in northern Wisconsin, I was blessed to live in a heavily wooded neighborhood where almost everyone’s backyard lawn gave way to a forest of birch, maple and pine trees. As children, my sisters, our friends, and I spent almost every waking moment in our tree-filled playground, pretending to be pioneers, Native Americans, or explorers as we blazed a maze of trails that led to grassy clearings and creeks.

In the summer, we ignored the mosquitoes and wood ticks and set up camp under the huge branches of pine trees. In the winter, we ignored the bitter cold and built forts of packed snow.

And, of course, we had to forage for food.

Ferns leaves were placemats, sticks were forks and spoons, and pieces of birch bark were plates. Sometimes we just played at eating meals of crushed leaves and dirt, but other times we actually ate things we found, such as wild strawberries and blueberries and, occasionally, crushed acorns (which, by the way, do NOT taste like peanuts). In the winter, snow stood in for everything from porridge, which just sounded like pioneer food, to, no surprise, ice cream.

This idea of living close to nature captured my imagination and still does, but, as with many things, it was only the idea, not the reality, that I could ultimately embrace. Today, I do not live off the land in any way, shape, or form. I do not camp, and I gave up growing vegetables long ago. My main excuse is that life in southern Louisiana is just too darn hot, especially for a “recovering” Yankee like me.

But Louisiana weather does give me opportunities to rough it quite a bit from time to time. These “opportunities” are called hurricanes.

Most recently, Hurricane Gustav left us without power for twelve days, and while this was really just a minor convenience compared to the serious damage many people suffered, it did force us to think INSIDE the box (and can and package) when it came to preparing meals.

For several days after a major hurricane, buying food is difficult. First, the branches and debris need to be cleared before you can even get your car out of your driveway. Then, if you can navigate past the fallen trees and downed power lines in the road to the grocery store, chances are you will face long lines and empty shelves, especially if you need fresh bread, milk, or produce. And forget about restaurants. They don’t have power or supplies either.

However, with a generator-powered refrigerator, a gas-powered stove, a charcoal grill, and, above all, a full pantry, we eat pretty well. Here are some recipes that allow me to make do with ingredients I usually have on hand.

Hurry-Can Salad

Source: original recipe (if what follows can be considered a recipe)

Yield: about 4 cups

Ingredients:

1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz. can corn, drained
1 15-oz. can Rotel-brand tomatoes (original or mild), undrained

Process:

Combine ingredients in a bowl. (Yeah, that’s it.)

Serving suggestions:

You could season to taste (but the tomatoes are pretty perfect as is) or add diced vegetables you have on hand (celery, carrots). As is, this could work as a good salsa, or you could add some cooked rice to make it a more substantial side dish. I would suggest adding a can or two of chicken broth and leftover rice or cooked chicken to make this a soup, but hurricane season is NOT the time for a hot soup.

Orzo with Everything

This a fantastic side dish that can be served warm, chilled, or at room temperature.

Source: Bon Appétit, June 1998

Yield: Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 ½ c. orzo (rice-shaped pasta; about 10 ounces)
1/3 c. (packed) chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
5 T. extra-virgin olive oil (I used less)
¼ c. balsamic vinegar (I used more)
¼ c. (packed) chopped Kalamata olives or other brine-cured black olives
1 c. finely chopped radicchio, about 1 small head (I omitted this)
½ c. pine nuts, toasted
½ c. cup chopped fresh basil
½ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 large garlic cloves, minced

Preparation:

Cook orzo in pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain well. Transfer to large bowl. Add sun-dried tomatoes, oil, vinegar and olives and toss to blend. Let stand until cool. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before continuing.) Mix chopped radicchio, pine nuts, chopped basil, Parmesan and garlic into orzo mixture. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Death by Pasta

This is a pretty decadent dish, but if you make it through a hurricane, you deserve it!

Source: original recipe

Yield: serves four

Ingredients:

8 oz. dried penne pasta
5 slices bacon, chopped
1 med. onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional or canned)
¼ tsp. salt
¼-½ tsp. red pepper flakes
½ c. chopped, drained sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
1 c. frozen peas
1 c. heavy cream or half-and-half
½ c. Parmesan cheese

Process:

Cook the penne pasta until al dente in a large pot of boiling water. Drain pasta, reserving the pasta water. Meanwhile, sauté the bacon in a large sauce pan until crisp. Remove bacon and drain on paper towel. To the bacon fat in the pan, add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are tender. Add the seasoning, sun-dried tomatoes, peas, cream and about ½ c. of the pasta water. Cook the sauce over low heat until slightly thickened, thinning if necessary with additional pasta water. Stir in the cheese until it melts in the sauce. Check seasoning. Toss the penne with the sauce.

Enoteca Marcello's--Baton Rouge

2009-07-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

Enoteca Marcello’s Wine Bar & Café is one of Baton Rouge’s newest restaurants and, judging by the well-heeled crowd there at my two visits, one of the city’s hottest as well.

Located at 4205 Perkins in the Southdowns Shopping Center at the former site of the Southdowns Lounge, the nondescript exterior of Enoteca Marcello’s belies its elegant interior.

To the right of the entry is a toney cocktail area with an L-shaped bar, several high-top tables, and a wooden counter with barstools hugging the exterior walls. To the left of the entry are two beautifully apportioned dining areas whose ochre walls are lined with prints, paintings and mirrors of various sizes giving these rooms an elegant, Florentine feel. In the center of the second dining room, though, several wooden high tables with bar-height chairs seem out of place.

The entry also houses the wine “library” where diners can select their own bottles from the well-organized racks. The wine list on the menu is small but solid, and these wines can be ordered by the glass or bottle.

Although our waiter neglected to tell us about the nightly specials, she was pleasant and knowledgeable, suggesting that we have our red wine brought to cellar temperature (about 65°) before she decanted it at the table.

As an appetizer, we ordered the bresaola. The thin slices of cured beef were served with a lemon wedge and a sprinkling of grated Pecorino. However, we had to ask for, and then wait for, bread which, when it did arrive, was warm, crusty and had a nice hint of rosemary.

Confession: Both times I’ve eaten at Marcello’s I ordered the same dish! And it was fantastic both times.

The Shrimp Pepate consists of seven large sautéed shrimp served in a light olive oil sauce with roasted garlic, crushed red pepper and toasted pine nuts on linguini. A touch of lemon juice would have added a little acidity to this dish, but the nutty garlic flavor and heat of the red pepper are perfect with the shrimp. And I greatly appreciate the portion size which, unlike the family-size pasta dishes served at Italian chain restaurants, made this dish totally “finishable.”

My husband chose the Veal Palermo, a breaded, pan sautéed scaloppini (chicken or veal) topped with fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, and garlic in a lemon butter sauce. While to both our tastes the breading was a little doughy and salty, the veal was tender and the portion was generous.

Although our waiter did not suggest dessert, we inquired and then ordered the Anna Tutta Panna. Served in a glass tumbler, the dessert consists of a bottom layer of gooey caramel flavored with amaretto and a top layer of sweet mascarpone cheese, a nice break from the ubiquitous tiramisu, which was also on the menu.

I would argue that Baton Rouge does NOT need another Italian restaurant. (Ethiopian? Caribbean?) However, Enoteca Marcello’s is a fine addition to the Capital City’s dining scene and one that nicely jumps out of the traditional and overused red sauce pot. I recommend trying it, but, until the buzz abates a little, make reservations (225.379.7662).

NoJa--Mobile, Alabama

2009-06-27T08:59:00.001-07:00

It may seem a little odd that the first restaurant recap by The Baton Rouge Eater is not about a restaurant in Baton Rouge, but Mobile, Alabama. But, hey, I take my good meals wherever, whenever I find them.

But before I begin--why “recap” and not “review”? Apart from the fact that I don’t have the “creds” to be a food critic, frankly I don’t want the responsibility of reviewing an entire restaurant. I just want to present a “snapshot” of my meal, for, as the French say, “Chacun à son gout” (roughly, “Let taste be individual”).

On to NoJa!

Located at 6 North Jackson Street in historic downtown Mobile, NoJa‘s exterior features a dramatic canopy over the front door. The detailed ironwork on the second-floor balconies and the lush courtyard at the back of the restaurant are reminiscent of the New Orleans French Quarter.

Inside, brick walls, a dark wood bar, and stylish pendant lighting create an upscale, but not stuffy, atmosphere. On the left side of the restaurant, a large window allows diners to watch the kitchen staff in action.

This was actually our second visit to NoJa, and both times we were blessed with a waiter who described items on and off the menu knowledgeably and not condescendingly. A good food-talker is worth his or her weight in gold—or at least a really good tip.

My husband and I shared two appetizers. The first was “Escargotioli” which were seven small snail-filled ravioli topped with a roasted garlic, parmesan, and lemon cream sauce The second was an appetizer special that night of pan-fired sweetbreads served with small pickled onions in a bacon-broth reduction. The appetizers were presented in unusual white dishes that had oversized rims and undersized bowls and showcased the food nicely.

Both of our starters were a little on the small side, and the ravioli had neither the taste nor the “bite” of snails. The sweetbreads, however, were prepped (labor-intensive!) and cooked perfectly and had a wonderful German sweet-sour sauce—definitely “sop-worthy.”

As my entrée I chose the panko-crusted fish of the day which was tigerfish. The fish was presented on a trio of vegetable sides that comprised an attractive and tasty spectrum of green: the bright green of the shelled edamame, the dark green of the seared Swiss chard (a little over-salted), and the, well, avocado green of the avocado mousse.

The fish was topped with a watermelon-miso froth which was tasteless and looked like (sorry) pink spit. To me froths and foams are in the same category as skinny jeans—trends I don’t get and wish would go away.

The fish itself, however, was outstanding. Coated in well-seasoned bread crumbs and pan-fried, the fish was thin-cut, mildly flavored, and cooked perfectly

My husband had the Kobe beef hanger steak which was served on polenta with grilled spring onions and a roasted onion glaze. The fact that he only shared one small bite of his steak with me and that he ate every last morsel leads me to conclude that his meal was also excellent.

For a description of the fantastic ginger donut dessert we shared, see “Donut Memories” (June, 2009).

Chef and owner Chakli Diggs describes his NoJa cuisine as “Mediterasian,” but the menu also has a strong Gulf Coast vibe to it. And Diggs is clearly a hands-on chef as he visited our table and others’ to ask how our meals were. And since I am a total “chef groupie,” this was a special treat.

NoJa may not be a destination restaurant worth a three-hour drive from Baton Rouge, but if you find yourself in Mobile, I recommend it highly. By the way, Mobile itself is a great weekend vacation spot with several fine hotels, museums and eating establishments within walking distance of each other in the downtown district.

Drinking Italy

2009-06-22T16:32:00.000-07:00

I am currently not in Italy. In fact, I have not been in Italy since June of 2006. That is depressing.

And with a daughter in college and a tattered roof that needs replacing (thanks to Hurricanes Katrina and Gustav), I don’t anticipate a return trip in the near future. Very depressing indeed.

But in keeping with my “flashback” theory of food (see “Donut Memories”), I can be instantly transported to an outdoor café in Florence (Firenze, if you want to be picky) with a sip of one of my favorite summer drinks, a Campari and soda with a twist of lime.

Campari, along with Cinzano and Cynar, is a type of bitters. People tell me that drinking bitters is an acquired taste, but it’s definitely one I’ve acquired. With its bright herbal and orange flavors and its jewel-like pinkish red color, Campari is a delight to the nose, the taste buds, and the eyes.

Another drink equally refreshing in the summer, and equally evocative of Italy, is limoncello which, to me, is like a glass of sunlight.

Purists would maintain that Campari is an aperitif (apertivo in Italian) and limoncello is a digestif (digestivo), but I find Campari, with soda or even straight up, to be a very non-cloying end to a meal, and one with much less of the headache-producing qualities of, say, Strega. (I’ll save my Strega “adventures” for another post).

A shot of limoncello on ice, in soda, or in Prosecco, is a great way to begin a warm-weather meal. And it is surprisingly easy to make.

Limoncello

This version results in a lemony liqueur that is somewhat sweeter and, to my taste, less alcoholic than store-bought limoncello. Also, some limoncellos tend to be cloudy, whereas this is wonderfully clear. I’ve substituted orange peel to make a fantastic orangecello which my husband prefers to limoncello. I plan to try lime peel in the future and will post my results!

Source: very old magazine clipping

Ingredients:

Peel (yellow part only) of 2 pounds of lemons
4 c. 100-proof vodka
3 c. sugar
3 c. water

Process:

Pour the vodka into a large glass or plastic container. Add the peel, cover and steep for one week at room temperature. Stir the sugar and water in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves; cool. Add the sugar syrup to the vodka mixture and stir. Strain the liquid into bottles and chill the limoncello for one month. Serve chilled.

I’m not sure if the “one month” in the instructions means how long it should be chilled before the limoncello is ready or if that is how long it lasts once brewed. I’ve drunk it right after adding the simple syrup and kept it in the refrigerator for much more than a month—it’s all good!

Serving suggestions:

In addition to the soda or Prosecco suggestions above, limoncello can also be used in a variety of mixed drinks and desserts such as drizzled over pieces of melon garnished with fresh mint leaves.

Ciao!

Donut Memories

2009-06-21T19:14:00.000-07:00

Undoubtedly you’ve had this experience: the plate of food in front of you becomes a portal through time and space, and one bite can send you hurtling back to a moment in your past.

That has happened to me many times, but most recently the trigger was a dessert at NoJa in Mobile, Alabama (more about that later), called the Ginger Donut which featured two deep-fried, sugar-and-ginger encrusted donuts stacked on each other, topped with a quenelle of a chicory-flavored semi-freddo and drizzled with a burnt-sugar sauce. The donuts were warm and crispy, and the semi-freddo had a wonderful not-too-sweet, eggy taste.

Those donuts made me recall in vivid, mouth-watering detail my grandmother’s homemade donuts.

My grandmother, Grandma T we called her, was the daughter of Norwegian immigrants and a devout believer in the ability of food to communicate love. When she offered us seconds and thirds, saying, “Have some more,” which sounded like one word--“Hassummore”-- my four siblings and I knew early on that she really meant “I love you.”

During my childhood in northern Wisconsin, a family ritual on Sundays was to go to our grandparents’ house for an after-church snack which might be chewy molasses cookies, a slice of apple pie, ginger cream cookies drizzled with vanilla icing, or, my favorite, fresh, deep-fried cake donuts and donut holes.

Grandma T’s donuts emerged from their hot oil bath to rest briefly on a bed of flattened brown paper grocery bags. Then, still glistening, they were tossed into a smaller paper bag full of cinnamon-sugar to emerge fully clothed.

And that first bite. The hot, greasy, sugary crust gave way to a chewy cake that had a hint of nutmeg. It is my personal, but unprofessional, opinion that the inner-tube design of donuts was intended to maximize the surface area of fried, sweet goodness.

Now I know there some people who prefer the raised donut, especially here in the South where Krispy Kremes are king, and I know that in my adopted state of Louisiana the beignet is almost a holy sacrament, but I stand by my commitment to the cake donut.

"Hassummore!"