We served this to first-time guests a few weeks ago, and I got a desperate (OK, maybe just hopeful) late-night request for the recipe yesterday. So here it is, also adapted from Slow Cooking by Joanne Glynn, which I am still working my way through, in methodical fashion. The book is beautiful, though it has some recipe oddities (i.e. dishes that simply don't work), but it is a gorgeous addition to my cookbook shelves, and when she gets it right (as with the below), she really nails it!
Moroccan Chicken Stew
Add 2 large pinches saffron to a few tbsp. chicken stock, and set aside to soak.
Joint a 3 1/4. lb. chicken into 8 pieces (this was only the second time I'd done this, and it was much easier this time than last, though I bet an expert would have been horrified by my "butchery" (ha ha) of the meat), season and brown in olive oil, skin-side down first and turning only once. Set aside.
Heat 1 tsp each whole coriander and cumin in a clean pan until fragrant; grind to a powder and set aside.
Add 2 chopped onions to the chicken pan (senza chicken, which is still set aside, remember?) and cook until translucent; add 4 finely chopped cloves of garlic, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1 tbsp dark brown sugar, and the toasted coriander-cumin blend. Cook for a few minutes, then add the saffron stock. Glynn suggests adding 3/4 tsp harissa too at this point, which is something we failed to find at Wegman's, despite asking the "exotic foods" store expert, whom I'm betting is a fantastic contact (she knew everything in the store, when the last batch came in, what just got discontinued, and what will be arriving on Monday afternoon this week). So, instead of harissa, we used a couple shakes of sumac (only we would have sumac, but not harissa) for some lemony, acidic, meat-tenderizing goodness. Add 3 1/2 cups chicken stock, a full glass of dry white wine (drink one too, while you're at it - I did), the browned chicken pieces and a stick of cinnamon.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes (I think we actually simmered our chicken, which was falling off the bone by the time we ate it, for about 2 hours on the lowest possible heat. Don't try this if you want firm-textured, on-the-bone chicken.).
Half an hour before serving, add just under a pound of cubed butternut squash, bring the stew back to the boil, reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes, turning the chicken halfway.
When the pumpkin is tender, transfer the chicken pieces and veggies with a slotted spoon to a serving dish and keep warm (I used the oven). Reduce the remaining liquid by two thirds by boiling over high heat.
Stir in a handful (or two) green olives and some lemon zest; pour over the chicken to serve. Sprinkle with fresh mint and cilantro.
We served this dish in heavy raku bowls over currant and pistachio pilaf, and it was GOOD!
Addendum:
If I remember correctly, we finished off the meal with our current favourite dessert: Fage Greek yogurt topped with homemade fruit compote (the autumn fruit compote recipe on Epicurious from the '90s is quite good) or fig jam (when I'm lazy) and local summer flower honey. Divine.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Sue's Irish Soda Bread and Lentil Soup Supper
This is one of our new favourite dinners - simple and hearty. A veggie friend who came over lately said she thought the soup in particular was fantastic, but we are partial to the bread too - it is so quick and easy - and we haven't even been using real buttermilk until tonight!
So, here are the recipes:
Irish Soda Bread
In a large bowl mix together 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 4 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 1 cup wheat germ, and 2.5 cups of whole wheat flour.
Melt 4 heaping T butter with 2 heaping T of honey, and add to 3 cups buttermilk.
Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and blend thoroughly and quickly until the flour is just barely incorporated - don't overmix! Pile dough into 2 rounds on a cookie sheet. They will be slightly stiffer than bran muffin mixture. Don't attempt to shape them.
Bake at 350 for 40- 45 min.
Lentil Soup
Fill a dutch oven sized pot about 3/4 full of water, rinse and then add a mix of red lentils and yellow split peas (about 2 1/4 cups total), some chopped onion and leek, 1 bay leaf, 2 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. savory. If desired, add worcestershire or tabasco to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 1.5 hours. Add 1 cup diced celery and 1 cup diced carrot, and simmer covered for 30 minutes--until vegetables are tender. Mash roughly using a potato masher, and season with pepper.
So, here are the recipes:
Irish Soda Bread
In a large bowl mix together 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 4 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 1 cup wheat germ, and 2.5 cups of whole wheat flour.
Melt 4 heaping T butter with 2 heaping T of honey, and add to 3 cups buttermilk.
Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and blend thoroughly and quickly until the flour is just barely incorporated - don't overmix! Pile dough into 2 rounds on a cookie sheet. They will be slightly stiffer than bran muffin mixture. Don't attempt to shape them.
Bake at 350 for 40- 45 min.
Lentil Soup
Fill a dutch oven sized pot about 3/4 full of water, rinse and then add a mix of red lentils and yellow split peas (about 2 1/4 cups total), some chopped onion and leek, 1 bay leaf, 2 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. savory. If desired, add worcestershire or tabasco to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 1.5 hours. Add 1 cup diced celery and 1 cup diced carrot, and simmer covered for 30 minutes--until vegetables are tender. Mash roughly using a potato masher, and season with pepper.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Poulet Vallée d'Auge
Guests for dinner last week enjoyed (at least I hope they enjoyed it!) a fall, apple-based dinner.
The first course was rustic pâté from The Piggery (which we took to Boston for C. last weekend - she rated it top-notch), bier meck from Nancy at our local cheesery, huge crisp mutsus and a loaf of perfect country bread from Fat Boy Bakery.
For mains, we ate dinosaur kale in butter and salt, mashed potatoes and celery root cooked in milk and, the pièce de résistance, Poulet Vallée d'Auge with liberty apples from Slow Cooking, my birthday present cookbook from several years ago (which P. gave me to end the "no-cookbook" rule of 2005). The recipe follows below: it is easy and elegant.
Dessert was one of our current favourites: apple crisp with tart golden apples (golden crisps?) from the Farmers' Market and whipped cream.
Poulet Vallée d'Auge
(adapted from Slow Cooking by Joanne Glynn)
INGREDIENTS
3.5 lb. chicken, jointed into 8 pieces
2 dessert apples
60g (2 1/4 oz) butter
½ onion, finely chopped
1/2 celery stalk, finely chopped
10 g (1/4 oz.) flour
80ml (1/3 c.) brandy
375ml (13 fl oz) chicken stock
1/3 c. heavy cream
METHOD
The first course was rustic pâté from The Piggery (which we took to Boston for C. last weekend - she rated it top-notch), bier meck from Nancy at our local cheesery, huge crisp mutsus and a loaf of perfect country bread from Fat Boy Bakery.
For mains, we ate dinosaur kale in butter and salt, mashed potatoes and celery root cooked in milk and, the pièce de résistance, Poulet Vallée d'Auge with liberty apples from Slow Cooking, my birthday present cookbook from several years ago (which P. gave me to end the "no-cookbook" rule of 2005). The recipe follows below: it is easy and elegant.
Dessert was one of our current favourites: apple crisp with tart golden apples (golden crisps?) from the Farmers' Market and whipped cream.
Poulet Vallée d'Auge
(adapted from Slow Cooking by Joanne Glynn)
INGREDIENTS
3.5 lb. chicken, jointed into 8 pieces
2 dessert apples
60g (2 1/4 oz) butter
½ onion, finely chopped
1/2 celery stalk, finely chopped
10 g (1/4 oz.) flour
80ml (1/3 c.) brandy
375ml (13 fl oz) chicken stock
1/3 c. heavy cream
METHOD
- Slice the apples into wedges. Fry over moderate heat in some butter until browned and tender. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
- Heat more butter in the same pan, then add the chicken pieces, skin side down, and cook until golden. Turn over and cook for another 5 minutes. Lift the chicken out of the pan and put to one side.
- Heat the remaining butter in the same pan, add the onion and celery, and fry over moderate heat until the onion is translucent.
- Take the pan off the heat, sprinkle the flour over the onion mixture, and stir. Add the brandy slowly while stirring. Gradually stir in the chicken stock. Bring to the boil, return the chicken to the pan, cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and keep warm. Add the cream, bring to the boil and boil for 4 minutes, or until the sauce is thick enough to lightly coat the back of a wooden spoon. Season and pour over the chicken. Serve with the apple wedges.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Dinner in Ithaca
It has been WAY too long, and so many exciting things, culinary- and travel-wise, have happened since March.
We've been in Ireland (fantastic pub food and the best sweet beer in the world, Kinsale ale), sailing north of Seattle (steak on the grill), in Newfoundland (cod - the last cod - and chips; hot turkey sandwiches ad nauseum; delicious moose sausage; the best, and freshest, mussels I've ever eaten), and across the U.S.A. from west to east (a final go at Bay Area favourites, Viennese delights in Salt Lake City, peanuts in the shell (and then on the floor) in Nebraska, canned corn (!) in Iowa, dreadful meat, meat, meat and fake gravy in the other "I" states and one superb French bistro in upstate New York - moules et frites, an enormous pork chop, and a lovely rare entrecôte that fed us for two days afterwards).
We've dined at the French Laundry, which was, as P put it, "transcendent" (mini ice cream cones of beet and horseradish; salmon and dill cream, oysters and pearls, the best foie gras in human experience, bread, butter and salt unlike any other, visual (and gustatory, of course) perfection on a plate, service like a dance, divine rabbit, six (!) dessert courses, truffles to finish, a surprise of "breakfast" - enough signature shortbread for eight); at Jardinière (cocktails, shockingly casual waiters, beautiful pairings, beef to die for and a $1000 bill); at Moosewood (an excellent simple flatbread with dill havarti and sharp scallions - a far cry from the dismal lunch I had there in May); at wd-50 (foie gras, again, but this time with malt balls (!!); cold lychee soup with unforgettable textures (dehydrated candied chicken, warm; fatty chicken confit, cool); jasmine custard squeezed out of a tube; nasturtium ice cream); at Jojo's (the best duck ever eaten by either C or P, perfectly rare); at Morimoto (wagyu carpaccio without compare; a bi bim bop prepared at table with crispy rice and seared yellowtail; duck (yes, again) with foie gras croissant to be dipped in barely cooked duck egg yolk).
It has been quite a summer!
Tonight, though, we are enjoying some of our own simple food. Exceptional rustic pâté from The Piggery on rye crisps with Novak's mustard; "eye-opener" bloody Marys with worcestershire, horseradish, lime and V8, P's simple beef chili with fresh farmers' market carrots and sweet corn; new potatoes and sour cream; excellent ginger cake (not Crixa, but I tried).
The cake recipe, adapted from Epicurious, is below.
We are glad to be home, and to be cooking.
Molasses Ginger Cake
Ingredients
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
5 teaspoons ground ginger
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark molasses
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
1 cup vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter lasagna-sized cake pan. Sift first 5 ingredients into medium bowl. Whisk molasses, sugar, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Whisk in 1 cup boiling water and oil, then dry ingredients. Pour batter into prepared pan.
We've been in Ireland (fantastic pub food and the best sweet beer in the world, Kinsale ale), sailing north of Seattle (steak on the grill), in Newfoundland (cod - the last cod - and chips; hot turkey sandwiches ad nauseum; delicious moose sausage; the best, and freshest, mussels I've ever eaten), and across the U.S.A. from west to east (a final go at Bay Area favourites, Viennese delights in Salt Lake City, peanuts in the shell (and then on the floor) in Nebraska, canned corn (!) in Iowa, dreadful meat, meat, meat and fake gravy in the other "I" states and one superb French bistro in upstate New York - moules et frites, an enormous pork chop, and a lovely rare entrecôte that fed us for two days afterwards).
We've dined at the French Laundry, which was, as P put it, "transcendent" (mini ice cream cones of beet and horseradish; salmon and dill cream, oysters and pearls, the best foie gras in human experience, bread, butter and salt unlike any other, visual (and gustatory, of course) perfection on a plate, service like a dance, divine rabbit, six (!) dessert courses, truffles to finish, a surprise of "breakfast" - enough signature shortbread for eight); at Jardinière (cocktails, shockingly casual waiters, beautiful pairings, beef to die for and a $1000 bill); at Moosewood (an excellent simple flatbread with dill havarti and sharp scallions - a far cry from the dismal lunch I had there in May); at wd-50 (foie gras, again, but this time with malt balls (!!); cold lychee soup with unforgettable textures (dehydrated candied chicken, warm; fatty chicken confit, cool); jasmine custard squeezed out of a tube; nasturtium ice cream); at Jojo's (the best duck ever eaten by either C or P, perfectly rare); at Morimoto (wagyu carpaccio without compare; a bi bim bop prepared at table with crispy rice and seared yellowtail; duck (yes, again) with foie gras croissant to be dipped in barely cooked duck egg yolk).
It has been quite a summer!
Tonight, though, we are enjoying some of our own simple food. Exceptional rustic pâté from The Piggery on rye crisps with Novak's mustard; "eye-opener" bloody Marys with worcestershire, horseradish, lime and V8, P's simple beef chili with fresh farmers' market carrots and sweet corn; new potatoes and sour cream; excellent ginger cake (not Crixa, but I tried).
The cake recipe, adapted from Epicurious, is below.
We are glad to be home, and to be cooking.
Molasses Ginger Cake
Ingredients
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
5 teaspoons ground ginger
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark molasses
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
1 cup vegetable oil
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter lasagna-sized cake pan. Sift first 5 ingredients into medium bowl. Whisk molasses, sugar, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Whisk in 1 cup boiling water and oil, then dry ingredients. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 20 minutes; taste while still warm.
Epicurious remarks that this cake can be made 1 day ahead, covered and stored at room temperature; they serve it with warm caramel sauce and whipped cream - I serve it plain.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Shrimp for Dinner & Tuna for Lunch
K & S came over for a last-minute dinner last night, and luckily we'd just picked up some beautiful cheese (including a new French goat cheese called Le Maître Seguin, a four-year old Dutch gouda called Pradero, a rich truffle cheese called Sottocenere from the Veneto and our favourite sweet apricot-ringed goat cheese) and a lovely baguette from the Cheeseboard. (Incidentally, their pizza was particularly good yesterday: goat gouda, mozz, roasted tomatoes, zucchini and garlic.)
After the first course, we made a shrimp pasta that was really very good, based loosely on a recipe in the April issue of Gourmet. Here is my version:
Boil water for pasta. Sauté (until just barely cooked) 1 lb. peeled fresh prawns in 3 tbsp. olive oil, a good sprinkling of salt and 6 gloves garlic, squeezed through a press. Remove the prawns with a slotted spoon to a bowl, and add a 15 oz. can of chopped tomatoes and 2 glasses of white wine to the skillet, and reduce to 2/3. Add a tablespoon of dried basil (wish we'd had fresh), 3/4 c. cream and 1-2 tsp. sugar to taste. Cook 1 lb. capellini (al dente); add the prawns to the sauce to reheat; mix the pasta into the sauce in the skillet. We should have served it all with parmigiano, which we had all ready to go, but we forgot! In any case, it was a delicious meal (fruit salad with rose water for dessert).
And I would be remiss if I didn't mention today's lunch, enjoyed with a glass of sour cherry juice out in the garden: cheese toasts with the pièce de résistance: mixed lettuces (well salted) with a can of tuna in olive oil (including all the oil, which makes a superb dressing) and two tbsp. of green tapenade mixed in. This is a salad (without the tapenade) that we started making in Lecchi, years back. You can add anything to the tuna-greens blend: lemon juice is excellent, apples would be tasty, as are tomatoes. . . it has to be my favourite easy summer salad!
After the first course, we made a shrimp pasta that was really very good, based loosely on a recipe in the April issue of Gourmet. Here is my version:
Boil water for pasta. Sauté (until just barely cooked) 1 lb. peeled fresh prawns in 3 tbsp. olive oil, a good sprinkling of salt and 6 gloves garlic, squeezed through a press. Remove the prawns with a slotted spoon to a bowl, and add a 15 oz. can of chopped tomatoes and 2 glasses of white wine to the skillet, and reduce to 2/3. Add a tablespoon of dried basil (wish we'd had fresh), 3/4 c. cream and 1-2 tsp. sugar to taste. Cook 1 lb. capellini (al dente); add the prawns to the sauce to reheat; mix the pasta into the sauce in the skillet. We should have served it all with parmigiano, which we had all ready to go, but we forgot! In any case, it was a delicious meal (fruit salad with rose water for dessert).
And I would be remiss if I didn't mention today's lunch, enjoyed with a glass of sour cherry juice out in the garden: cheese toasts with the pièce de résistance: mixed lettuces (well salted) with a can of tuna in olive oil (including all the oil, which makes a superb dressing) and two tbsp. of green tapenade mixed in. This is a salad (without the tapenade) that we started making in Lecchi, years back. You can add anything to the tuna-greens blend: lemon juice is excellent, apples would be tasty, as are tomatoes. . . it has to be my favourite easy summer salad!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Tasty Dinner
We've been scanning Gourmet magazines for yummy veggie recipes and found a good one for dinner last night. I wasn't expecting great things, but the below (from March 2008) was GOOD! I think it all has to do with roasting the vegetables first. . .
zucchini rice gratin
Ingredients
1/3 cup long-grain white rice
1 1/2 pounds zucchini (about 3 medium), sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
6 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
1 medium onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided
Preparation
Preheat oven to 450°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.
Cook rice according to package instructions.
While rice cooks, toss zucchini with 1 tablespoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a shallow baking pan. Toss tomatoes with 1/2 tablespoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt in another baking pan.
Roast zucchini in upper third of oven and tomatoes in lower third, turning vegetables once halfway through roasting, until tender and light golden, about 10 minutes for tomatoes; 20 minutes for zucchini. Leave oven on.
Meanwhile, cook onion and garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt in 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy skillet, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, until very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
Stir together onion mixture, cooked rice, eggs, thyme, 1/4 cup cheese, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Spread half of rice mixture in a shallow 2-quart baking dish, then top with half of zucchini. Spread remaining rice mixture over zucchini, then top with remaining zucchini. Top with tomatoes and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, then sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
Bake in upper third of oven until set and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Lalime's Cafe
On Tuesday night we joined another couple for dinner at Lalime's Cafe, where I'd never been but had always hoped to go. I admit that after our recent (and fantastic) fish dinner at Maritime East and all the good reports about Lalime's great food, I had high expectations. Here are the results.
We ordered four appetizers to split: after the divine crab at ME, we thought we'd compare by ordering the crab salad, with citrus and chicory. It was hugely disappointing - a little 'fishy', too much bitter radicchio - even though our waiter had recommended it. Things perked up with the gambas al ajillo - very fresh shrimp in lovely garlicky butter, but this is something I can whip up at home in five minutes. The foie gras, seared on toast, was quite good, though, and my favourite appy, believe it or not, was the crisped sweetbreads, fantastically beefy and lovely in texture (soft and chewy on the inside, toasted on the outside), served on a simple but tasty sweet pea purée.
I didn't have more than a bite of the others' mains, but G said the mussels in the seafood stew were the best she's ever had: plump and fresh, no grit, no rubber (and she eats mussels all the time and should know). D's pork was a bit too smoky for my taste, and I admit that I'm still not used to pork done medium-rare. P's duck was OK, but I think I may be losing my taste for your standard duck: maybe it would have been better - especially texture-wise - if I'd tasted it before it got too cold (incidentally, almost everything I ate was too cold - it all came reasonably hot, but things just seemed to cool off really quickly). The duck was served with a lovely confit tart, though, and I love the idea of 'double-duck': I guess we actually had triple-duck, if you count the foie gras.
My steak was very, very good: a grass-fed ribeye minimally but perfectly seasoned (though surprisingly thin - I'm used to hefty ribeyes, though I got plenty of meat), set on top of silky simple mashed potates and the best kale I've ever had: sauteed to a bright green and suffused in garlic. Very Alice Waters - everything on my plate spoke for itself, without too much complexity (as opposed to the pork, which was very elaborate in flavour). The only thing I can complain about with regards to my steak is that it took us twenty minutes after the appys to get a busboy to find our waiter so that we could order wine, and by the time it finally arrived (after another long wait and two requests) my food was cold. My wine was an extremely good and rich Spanish red, and it was a real shame that I couldn't enjoy it with hot steak.
The crowning glory of the meal was dessert, however. We ordered the banana chocolate fondue, and G & D had the noisette. The desserts are works of art: a tiny chocolate cake topped with richest ganache, 'fondue' - more a chocolate mousse - in a fanciful golden bowl of spun sugar, a perfect little square of chocolate raspberry paste, and the best rum and raisin ice cream I've ever had. I would come back just for dessert.
We ordered four appetizers to split: after the divine crab at ME, we thought we'd compare by ordering the crab salad, with citrus and chicory. It was hugely disappointing - a little 'fishy', too much bitter radicchio - even though our waiter had recommended it. Things perked up with the gambas al ajillo - very fresh shrimp in lovely garlicky butter, but this is something I can whip up at home in five minutes. The foie gras, seared on toast, was quite good, though, and my favourite appy, believe it or not, was the crisped sweetbreads, fantastically beefy and lovely in texture (soft and chewy on the inside, toasted on the outside), served on a simple but tasty sweet pea purée.
I didn't have more than a bite of the others' mains, but G said the mussels in the seafood stew were the best she's ever had: plump and fresh, no grit, no rubber (and she eats mussels all the time and should know). D's pork was a bit too smoky for my taste, and I admit that I'm still not used to pork done medium-rare. P's duck was OK, but I think I may be losing my taste for your standard duck: maybe it would have been better - especially texture-wise - if I'd tasted it before it got too cold (incidentally, almost everything I ate was too cold - it all came reasonably hot, but things just seemed to cool off really quickly). The duck was served with a lovely confit tart, though, and I love the idea of 'double-duck': I guess we actually had triple-duck, if you count the foie gras.
My steak was very, very good: a grass-fed ribeye minimally but perfectly seasoned (though surprisingly thin - I'm used to hefty ribeyes, though I got plenty of meat), set on top of silky simple mashed potates and the best kale I've ever had: sauteed to a bright green and suffused in garlic. Very Alice Waters - everything on my plate spoke for itself, without too much complexity (as opposed to the pork, which was very elaborate in flavour). The only thing I can complain about with regards to my steak is that it took us twenty minutes after the appys to get a busboy to find our waiter so that we could order wine, and by the time it finally arrived (after another long wait and two requests) my food was cold. My wine was an extremely good and rich Spanish red, and it was a real shame that I couldn't enjoy it with hot steak.
The crowning glory of the meal was dessert, however. We ordered the banana chocolate fondue, and G & D had the noisette. The desserts are works of art: a tiny chocolate cake topped with richest ganache, 'fondue' - more a chocolate mousse - in a fanciful golden bowl of spun sugar, a perfect little square of chocolate raspberry paste, and the best rum and raisin ice cream I've ever had. I would come back just for dessert.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Pancakes on the Weekend
We had two fancy pancake breakfasts on the weekend - the recipe behind them should not be forgotten! From Gourmet (02/08), these are orange chocolate chip pancakes. I made a thin blood orange syrup to go with them on Saturday morning (not too sweet), which was divine.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1 rounded cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
Accompaniment: 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, mixed with 3 tablespoons orange marmalade (I didn't make this, but it sounds good)
Preparation
Whisk together all ingredients except chips until just combined.
Heat a griddle over medium heat until hot and lightly brush with additional oil. Working in batches, pour a scant 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto griddle and sprinkle each pancake with about 1 1/2 teaspoons chips. Cook until bubbles appear on surface and undersides are golden-brown, about 1 minute. Flip with a spatula and cook other side, about 1 minute more. (Lightly oil griddle between batches.)
Friday, February 22, 2008
Maritime East
A new restaurant has come in just up the street, and since it got great reviews for its seafood, we went for an early dinner yesterday evening before heading to the theatre (Wishful Drinking) for a classic Thursday date night.
They are still working out the kinks in terms of service, which was very attentive, basically knowledgeable and friendly, if somewhat inexperienced. We started with pain au levain and baguette with sweet butter - full marks for the bread - and ordered dungeness crab gratinée, which was highly recommended and served on Pink Lady apples and avocado. It was divine. Our second starter was the seafood chowder with pancetta, which was rich and thick with fingerling potatoes, sliced finely, leeks, mussels and white fish - also excellent.
For mains, we ordered the two top recommendations: sturgeon with pork belly in a puy lentil gravy (fantastic) and the whole oven-roasted fish, which we think was turbot, served with fennel, black olives, oranges and sweet onion (very good).
All in all, we'll be back. It was a superb meal, though pricey ($102 with tip, no wine; no desserts).
They are still working out the kinks in terms of service, which was very attentive, basically knowledgeable and friendly, if somewhat inexperienced. We started with pain au levain and baguette with sweet butter - full marks for the bread - and ordered dungeness crab gratinée, which was highly recommended and served on Pink Lady apples and avocado. It was divine. Our second starter was the seafood chowder with pancetta, which was rich and thick with fingerling potatoes, sliced finely, leeks, mussels and white fish - also excellent.
For mains, we ordered the two top recommendations: sturgeon with pork belly in a puy lentil gravy (fantastic) and the whole oven-roasted fish, which we think was turbot, served with fennel, black olives, oranges and sweet onion (very good).
All in all, we'll be back. It was a superb meal, though pricey ($102 with tip, no wine; no desserts).
Monday, February 18, 2008
Sunday Veggie Dinner
I've decided that, when I have time, I should use this space as an informal "food diary" just to keep track of recipes we've tried and meals we've made. Archivally useful for me; potentially boring for you.
In any case, here is a first entry:
Last night P made his best latkes ever (served with sour cream and Gravenstein applesauce made of, you guessed it, apples and nothing else - isn't the simple food movement wonderful?) from the recent Gourmet recipe (12/07) and I decided we needed vegetables to go with them. Taking a page out of Mom's book - lots of different veggies, each cooked separately and presented for colour - we fried up some red chard (I'd forgotten, since we use rainbow so often, that it is red, red, red - almost like beets!) with onion (G 11/07) and I sauced some baby carrots with butter, mustard and sugar, which was really tasty (G 12/07).
Tonight I am going to make a pinto-bean chili with our Oaxacan mole rojo (G 11/07), served over garlicky mashed potatoes and parsnips (G 11/07); tomorrow we are taking leftover coconut flan to S's with a movie (Wings of Desire) and the makings for an Alice Waters salsa verde over thick spaghetti. He's providing wine, good parmigiano and hot-and-sour soup for appys. Very fusiony!
In any case, here is a first entry:
Last night P made his best latkes ever (served with sour cream and Gravenstein applesauce made of, you guessed it, apples and nothing else - isn't the simple food movement wonderful?) from the recent Gourmet recipe (12/07) and I decided we needed vegetables to go with them. Taking a page out of Mom's book - lots of different veggies, each cooked separately and presented for colour - we fried up some red chard (I'd forgotten, since we use rainbow so often, that it is red, red, red - almost like beets!) with onion (G 11/07) and I sauced some baby carrots with butter, mustard and sugar, which was really tasty (G 12/07).
Tonight I am going to make a pinto-bean chili with our Oaxacan mole rojo (G 11/07), served over garlicky mashed potatoes and parsnips (G 11/07); tomorrow we are taking leftover coconut flan to S's with a movie (Wings of Desire) and the makings for an Alice Waters salsa verde over thick spaghetti. He's providing wine, good parmigiano and hot-and-sour soup for appys. Very fusiony!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Blast from the Past: Exotic Erotic and our House Chicken
After a week of steak in Alberta (summer 2006) we'd had enough of meat for awile; ever since we've been primarily vegetarian at home when cooking just for the two of us (the exception: a few slices of bacon never hurt).
But, back in Toronto (1999-2001) meat was still on the menu, and we were rather fond of this romantically-named "Exotic Erotic Chicken." It remains unclear to me the precise connection between this name and the dish, but here it is, since we are still so close to Valentine's Day:
Step 1
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon each, cayenne, ginger, nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon each, basil, chervil, pepper
1 teaspoon salt
4-6 chicken breasts, skin removed
Preheat oven to 325F. In a large frying pan, over medium flame, melt butter. Put flour, spices and herbs in plastic bag and shake. Add chicken, one piece at a time, shaking to coat. Add chicken to pan and brown on all sides. Drain chicken on paper towels, then place in a baking dish (or return to pan after making sauce below in the chicken pan).
Step 2
21 large cloves garlic, minced
5 mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry
4 artichoke hearts, quartered
1 cup sour cream
Add garlic to pan: sauté 2 minutes. Add stock, Worcestershire sauce, sherry and artichokes. Heat through and pour over chicken. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour (or cook in heavy-bottomed pan on stove). Stir sour cream into sauce and ladle over the chicken to serve.
We soon invented our own "house chicken," though, which we still make on occasion for friends. We usually take boneless, skinless chicken breast, layer fontina, sun-dried tomatoes, oregano and garlic (sliced) between the "filet" and the larger section of the breast (you can cut into the breast as well to get the same effect) so as to make "stuffed" chicken breasts. A little salt and pepper, fresh lemon and olive oil make the sauce, and the whole pan (stuffed breasts brushed with sauce) goes in the oven at about 350, covered in foil. We usually take the foil off after about 20 minutes-half an hour so that the breasts brown a bit, and then we use a meat thermometer to gauge when it is well-done. Don't overcook the chicken, though, or it'll get really dry since the breasts are so lean.
This was a real hit with our friends years ago, but I wonder if we would enjoy these dishes as much now as we used to, back before we got indoctrinated in the world of Berkeley food?
But, back in Toronto (1999-2001) meat was still on the menu, and we were rather fond of this romantically-named "Exotic Erotic Chicken." It remains unclear to me the precise connection between this name and the dish, but here it is, since we are still so close to Valentine's Day:
Exotic Erotic Chicken
Step 1
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon each, cayenne, ginger, nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon each, basil, chervil, pepper
1 teaspoon salt
4-6 chicken breasts, skin removed
Preheat oven to 325F. In a large frying pan, over medium flame, melt butter. Put flour, spices and herbs in plastic bag and shake. Add chicken, one piece at a time, shaking to coat. Add chicken to pan and brown on all sides. Drain chicken on paper towels, then place in a baking dish (or return to pan after making sauce below in the chicken pan).
Step 2
21 large cloves garlic, minced
5 mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry
4 artichoke hearts, quartered
1 cup sour cream
Add garlic to pan: sauté 2 minutes. Add stock, Worcestershire sauce, sherry and artichokes. Heat through and pour over chicken. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour (or cook in heavy-bottomed pan on stove). Stir sour cream into sauce and ladle over the chicken to serve.
We soon invented our own "house chicken," though, which we still make on occasion for friends. We usually take boneless, skinless chicken breast, layer fontina, sun-dried tomatoes, oregano and garlic (sliced) between the "filet" and the larger section of the breast (you can cut into the breast as well to get the same effect) so as to make "stuffed" chicken breasts. A little salt and pepper, fresh lemon and olive oil make the sauce, and the whole pan (stuffed breasts brushed with sauce) goes in the oven at about 350, covered in foil. We usually take the foil off after about 20 minutes-half an hour so that the breasts brown a bit, and then we use a meat thermometer to gauge when it is well-done. Don't overcook the chicken, though, or it'll get really dry since the breasts are so lean.
This was a real hit with our friends years ago, but I wonder if we would enjoy these dishes as much now as we used to, back before we got indoctrinated in the world of Berkeley food?
Mexican Dinner
M & J came for dinner last night and, since we were talking about our recent trips to Costa Rica (but didn't want to serve gallo pinto) we thought we'd serve Mexican.
We started with tequila sunrises, "Cheaps" and freshly-made pico de gallo, which S helped me with in the afternoon - we added lots of fresh lime and salt, and chopped the white onion, tomatoes, peppers and parsley so fine that the flavours blended just perfectly.
For mains we had pozole, which P has been wanting to make ever since we were in Oaxaca in 2006. I found a recipe on Epicurious which looked good (see below) and set out to the Berkeley Bowl to pick up 4 lbs. of pork ribs. What I didn't know was that their "country ribs," which looked fantastic and were a really good deal, were boneless, so we have so much meat left over that we'll be eating pork sandwiches (with lovely sharp mustard on white rye from the Bread Garden) for awhile - there was just too much to add to the soup. No complaints here!
We served the pozole with Pacifico, chunks of avocado, diced white onion and fresh lime. And homemade chili sauce (we used about 1/2 oz. of dried paseos and arbols rather than the two ounces recommended by the recipe, and we only used about a third in the actual soup; the rest we served as a garnish so that everyone could choose their own spiciness).
Dessert was a coconut flan (not good enough for me to post the recipe, although it is the recent one from Gourmet, so be warned), bourbon (Knob Creek, thanks Adam) for the men and cutesy girly Valentine's Day sugar cookies (hearts with pink icing) that K and I made on the 14th (while the boys watched, and then ate!).
All in all, it was a very successful dinner party. Here is the pozole recipe, which I heartily recommend.
12 cups water
4 cups chicken broth
4 pounds country-style pork ribs
1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican), crumbled
2 ounces dried New Mexico red chiles
1 1/2 cups boiling-hot water
1/4 large white onion
3 teaspoons salt
two 30-ounce cans white hominy (preferably Bush's Best)
We started with tequila sunrises, "Cheaps" and freshly-made pico de gallo, which S helped me with in the afternoon - we added lots of fresh lime and salt, and chopped the white onion, tomatoes, peppers and parsley so fine that the flavours blended just perfectly.
For mains we had pozole, which P has been wanting to make ever since we were in Oaxaca in 2006. I found a recipe on Epicurious which looked good (see below) and set out to the Berkeley Bowl to pick up 4 lbs. of pork ribs. What I didn't know was that their "country ribs," which looked fantastic and were a really good deal, were boneless, so we have so much meat left over that we'll be eating pork sandwiches (with lovely sharp mustard on white rye from the Bread Garden) for awhile - there was just too much to add to the soup. No complaints here!
We served the pozole with Pacifico, chunks of avocado, diced white onion and fresh lime. And homemade chili sauce (we used about 1/2 oz. of dried paseos and arbols rather than the two ounces recommended by the recipe, and we only used about a third in the actual soup; the rest we served as a garnish so that everyone could choose their own spiciness).
Dessert was a coconut flan (not good enough for me to post the recipe, although it is the recent one from Gourmet, so be warned), bourbon (Knob Creek, thanks Adam) for the men and cutesy girly Valentine's Day sugar cookies (hearts with pink icing) that K and I made on the 14th (while the boys watched, and then ate!).
All in all, it was a very successful dinner party. Here is the pozole recipe, which I heartily recommend.
pork and hominy stew with red chiles (pozole rojo)
Ingredients
1 large head garlic12 cups water
4 cups chicken broth
4 pounds country-style pork ribs
1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican), crumbled
2 ounces dried New Mexico red chiles
1 1/2 cups boiling-hot water
1/4 large white onion
3 teaspoons salt
two 30-ounce cans white hominy (preferably Bush's Best)
Accompaniments:
diced avocado
thinly sliced iceberg or romaine lettuce
chopped white onion
diced radishes
lime wedges
dried oregano
dried hot red pepper flakes
Preparation
Peel garlic cloves and reserve 2 for chile sauce. Slice remaining garlic. In a 7- to 8-quart heavy kettle bring water and broth just to a boil with sliced garlic and pork. Skim surface and add oregano. Gently simmer pork, uncovered, until tender, about 1 1/2 hours.While pork is simmering, wearing protective gloves, discard stems from chiles and in a bowl combine chiles with boiling-hot water. Soak chiles, turning them occasionally, 30 minutes. Cut onion into large pieces and in a blender purée with chiles and soaking liquid, reserved garlic, and 2 teaspoons salt until smooth.
Transfer pork with tongs to a cutting board and reserve broth mixture. Shred pork, using 2 forks, and discard bones. Rinse and drain hominy. Return pork to broth mixture and add chile sauce, hominy, and remaining teaspoon salt. Simmer pozole 30 minutes and, if necessary, season with salt. Pozole may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.
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