Valentine's Day

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

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

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

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.)

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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)

(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.

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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 . . .

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

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.)