Spectacularly Delicious

WE'VE MOVED! WWW.SPECTACULARLYDELICIOUS.COM

2010-01-23T15:30:00.002-05:00

Hello Everybody,
Spectacularly Delicious has a whole new look. You can find all the recipes here and of course many new ones to come. SD has its own URL now too, http://www.spectacularlydelicious.com/
Hope to see you there soon!
Sean

INTERNATIONAL SWEETBREADS

2010-01-21T07:25:00.002-05:00

Admittedly sweetbreads aren't for everyone and even those who savor this special treat might not be up for making them at home. If you do like them, rest assured that this dish will pay off in spades. These tender bits of innards (if you have to ask...) usually pop up on French or Italian menus, often in a straight-forward saute, which can be lovely, or maybe fortified by a Marsala sauce. And recently, with the offal craze still in its ascendancy, in more elaborate preparations. Prepared here, you get the true taste of pure veal. It's an "a ha!" moment justifying the bit of extra effort.

These earn the international mantle because of the traditional French advance work (blanching, weight to remove excess liquid, simmering in stock) with a detour to the east for some chili paste and green curry, then a return to Europe for a cream and Parmesan finish.

I've always been intrigued by crazy sounding recipes. In this case it reads weird but is wonderful. Other instances have proved as repellant as they initially sound. My first disappointment came from The Bell Jar. Sylvia's roommate is addicted to avocado halves filled with hot grape jelly. Hoping for some felicitous combination I gave it a try. It's even worse than you'd imagine. There's another surreal-sounding one I treasure, though I've never attempted it. From a cookbook billed as authentic Celtic fare, it calls for an entire turkey breast smeared with liverwurst and topped with sweet cherry sauce. Funny perhaps, but also just wrong.

International Sweetbreads are just right. The required leap of faith pays off handsomely, the curry and chili balancing and blending with the cream and Parmesan, intensifying the original flavor, making veal sweetbreads even vealier. If you enjoy the succulence of a tender young veal chop this one will knock your socks off.

This originated in a mid '80s New York Times Magazine. I carefully clipped just the recipe so the attendant source information is lost. The statute of limitations must have expired by now so I claim this one as my own.

International Sweetbreads

1 pair (about 1 1/2 lbs.) veal sweetbreads
salt and ground pepper
1 peeled carrot, sliced
1 small onion, sliced
small handful of celery leaves
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
6 sprigs fresh parsley
1/2 t. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 chicken stock
2 T. butter
1/2 lb. thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
1 t. Thai green chili paste
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 c. grated parmesan

Prepare the sweetbreads: Submerge in a bowl of cold water and let soak in the fridge for several hours. Drain. Place them in a sauce pan in enough fresh water to cover. Bring to a low boil for 6 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, pat dry. Place in a shallow pan and weigh down with a smaller pan filled with water or heavy cans or a clean brick if you have one. Refrigerate at least two hours, the longer the better, up to overnight.

Remove sweetbreads from pan, discard accumulated liquid. Bring the chicken stock to a boil with the carrot, onion, celery leaves, garlic and herbs and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the sweetbreads, bring back to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes. Lift the sweetbreads from the pan, let cool a bit, then pick over and cut off any unsightly membranes and the bits and pieces around the edges that aren't so pretty. Cut into 1 inch cubes. Strain the flavored stock and reserve 1 cup.

Saute the shiitakes in the butter 'til lightly browned. Add the curry paste, saute for a minute, then add the reserved stock and reduce so just a 1/4 cup of liquid remains. Add the cream and the sweetbread cubes. Simmer and reduce again until the sauce is thick and clingy. Remove from heat, salt and pepper it and stir in the Parmesan.

Voila! Mangiare! And มีความสุข! (which I think is Thai for enjoy).

SPANISH MEATBALLS IN ALMOND SAUCE

2010-01-19T05:21:00.000-05:00

Funny how food trends creep up on us until they all at once over take the popular consciousness in a mad rage, then subsequently settle back down when the next big thing comes along. So it was for tapas. Tapas tapas tapas. They had their time in the spotlight a while ago. But they did leave their mark, with the whole "little dish" concept now being employed in all manner of restaurants.

Penelope Casas' "Tapas - The Little Dishes of Spain" (1985) was my guide into the then brave new world of tapas. Of all the terrific recipes in this book, and there are many, these tasty meatballs have stayed in active rotation in my repertoire. The sauce of ground almonds creates a dense, flavorful coating, thick enough to eat with a fork. A great party food served with little plates or a substantial main course for six people.

Last night we had some friends over for a tapas-style dinner and served these beauties alongside of asparagus broiled with tiny cubes of smoked ham; mushrooms sauted in olive oil with garlic, giant white beans and lemon juice; carrots braised in tonka bean-scented broth, and a gratin of fennel. It was really good last night -- as were the leftovers today at lunch.

MEATBALLS IN ALMOND SAUCE
ALBONDIGAS EN SALSA DE ALEMENDRA

3/4 c. panko bread crumbs
3/4 c. dry white wine
1/2 c. dry sherry
13 cloves garlic, peeled
3/4 lb. ground beef
3/4 lb. ground pork
3/4 lb. ground veal
2 eggs
5 T. minced parsley
2 1/2 t. salt
freshly ground pepper
2 T. olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 c. slivered blanched almonds
1 14 1/2 oz. can beef broth
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 bay leaf
2 scallions, chopped

Soak the bread crumbs in 1/4 cup of the white wine. Finely chop 3 cloves of garlic and combine with the bread crumbs, meat, eggs, 3 T. of parsley and the salt and pepper. Form into ping-pong sized balls.

Place the meatballs on a baking sheet and cook through in a hot (ideally convection) 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a 14" paella pan, saute the onion and carrots in the olive oil until soft. Stir in the remaining white wine, the sherry and the other 10 cloves of garlic thinly sliced. Boil until most of the liquid has evaporated.

In a food processor grind the almonds as finely as possible. With the blade running, pour in the beef broth in a thin stream. When well mixed, pour into the paella pan, bring to a boil and add the remaining parsley, peas, bay leaf, scallions and more salt and pepper as needed. Slip in the meatballs, gently mixing them around so they are coated with the sauce. Lower the oven to 300 degrees, cover the pan with foil and bake for 45 minutes.

SALMON WITH LENTILS AND PINK HORSERADISH CREAM

2010-01-15T06:59:00.004-05:00

Are you a recipe filer, tearing them out with every intention of trying them soon? I came across a doozy today by Patricia Wells in the New York Times Magazine...

from 1986. Ironic thing is the topic was three-star restaurants in France being handed down to the new generation eager to put their stamp on the signature dishes responsible for putting the places on the map in the first place. Very much a mid-'80s moment. So here goes, for my first time, PW's just-off-the-press updated classic, a mere quarter century later. Not to worry, the French prove yet again that quality endures.

"Hostellerie du Cerf's Salmon with Lentils, Bacon and Horseradish Cream" was squirreled away because adding bacon and creme fraiche to salmon seemed too good to pass up. l took a few liberties: bringing red peppers into the picture, lemon juice and vinegar to add some zing to the lentils (in place of the indicated Riesling) and beet horseradish gives a bit of sweetness and a nice shot of color. Since I couldn't get my hands on chervil, I topped it with a sprinkling of sage. The acid and herb balance the richness of the other ingredients, even making it seem almost virtuous.

Though generally I gravitate towards the opulence of big platter presentations, composing individual plates here is much more dramatic.

SALMON WITH LENTILS AND PINK HORSERADISH CREAM
Hostellerie du Cerf with Patrcia Wells

1 c. dried green lentils
2 T. butter
1/2 red bell pepper cut into small dice
1 carrot cut into small dice
1 small onion finely minced
1 celery stalk cut into small dice
1 leak, cleaned well, sliced in small thin strips
1 bay leaf
1/4 t. dried thyme
a few springs of parsley
3 c. chicken stock
1/2 t. salt
grind of black pepper
1 T. red wine vinegar
juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 cup creme fraiche
3 T. pink horseradish

4 oz. pancetta, diced
4 thick cut samon fillets
finely chopped fresh sage for garnish

Prepare the lentils. Melt the butter and saute the red pepper, carrot, onion, celery, and leak on low until soft, about four minutes. Add lentils, s&p, thyme, bay leaf, parsley and stock, bring to a low boil. Cover and simmer until tender but not mushy, about 40 minutes. Pick out the parsley and bay leaf, stir in the lemon juice and vinegar, taste and add more s&p if needed. Keep warm.

Saute the diced pancetta into crisp lardons, drain on paper towels.

Prepare the horseradish cream. Blend the creme fraiche with the horseradish and over medium heat bring to a low simmer. Turn down the heat, keep the sauce warm.

Broil the salmon fillets til just done, still pink in the center.

To assemble: bring the lentils and pink cream sauce back up to a nice hot serving temperature. Make a small mound of lentils in the center of each plate, the broiled salmon across. Spoon the cream sauce around the lentil pile. Shower with the lardons and sprinkle with chopped sage.

Not too long ago the New York Times said offering "bon appetit" is considered gauche in the highest circles of French society. Really though, does this mean we should call out out "dig in!"? I think we all know the correct answer.

FIRECRACKER DUMPLINGS

2010-01-12T07:35:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't love a dumpling? And the fun of going to dim sum in Chinatown, selecting the most intriguing (and least threatening) offerings as they pass by? The best part is when you take a chance and try something new and it's really, really good.

I've heard dizzying stories from friends who've been to Hong Kong (the epicenter of dim sum cuisine I believe) and the nearly-indescribable variety and artistry of the dumplings there. But I wonder if the exotic variety, the precise construction are stumbling blocks for anyone who dreams of trying this at home. Let me tell you a secret: spectacularly delicious dumplings are easy (gasp!) and fun to make at home.

My first immersion into dumpling culture was more focused; early on Steve and I were lucky to spend some months in Tokyo and became gyoza and shui mai addicts. Unlike other disciplines such as sushi, yakitori and noodles where the variety is endless, our first experience was that dumplings pretty much came in two forms: the crescents of pork and cabbage-filled, pan fried gyoza and the little steamed drums of pork or shrimp-filled, steamed shui mai.
The best ones were found, as so many good things are, in little street side booths and tiny sit-down counters. The advantage was being able to see how they were put together and it just didn't look that hard. So I tried. And it worked. Classic Japanese gyoza and shui mai recipes are straight forward and pretty much guarantee flawless results.

All that said, back home in New York the Chopstix cookbook (from the L.A. based restaurants, published in 1990) shook my world. It's the glorious photographs that grab you first, then the vivid descriptions. Authors Hugh Carpenter and Teri Sandison make an irresistiably compelling case for their creations is just a few lines. In I dove and and I've been collecting unusual dumpling recipes ever since.

Dumplings are fun, easy and best of all, deliver that wonderful, "OMG this is so good!" experience. A good a place to start as any are these these chicken and carrot-filled dumplings, slathered with an eye-opening pesto bursting with a surprising combinatlon of flavors: cilantro, basil, spinach, orange, sesame, and of course the holy trinity of Chinese cuisine: ginger, garlic and soy.

Firecracker Dumplings

From Chopstix cookbook

1 c. chopped carrots

2 scallions

1 lb. ground raw chicken

1 T. soy sauce

2 t. dry sherry

1 t. sesame oil

1 t. Chinese chili sauce

1/4 t. salt

1 T. white sesame seeds

30+ wonton wrappers (the square ones; most packages are a couple of inches tall, which will be plenty)

Asian Pesto:
12 oz. spinach leaves
2 cloves garlic
2 t. minced ginger
1 t. orange zest
handful of cilantro
handful of fresh basil leaves
1 scallion
1 T. soy sauce
2 T. dry sherry
2 T. white vinegar
2 T. sesame oil
2 t. hoisin sauce
2 t. sugar
1/2 t. Chinese chili sauce

Start with the pesto. In a food processor mince the spinach, garlic, ginger, orange zest, cilantro, basil and scallion. When everything is mulched up well add the add the soy, sherry, vinegar, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, sugar and chili sauce. Puree for one minute for a thick, smooth pesto. Set aside.

For the dumpling filling process the carrots and scallions into tiny bits. You distinguishable pieces but not a mush. Lightly toast the sesame seeds. In a large bowl stir these together with the chicken, soy, sherry, sesame oil, chili sauce and salt. Mix very well.

Start your assembly line. Coat a large sheet pan with a bit of oil or a shot of Pam. Fill a small bowl of with water to dip you finger in. Lay out six wonton wrappers on a dry countertop. Put a generous teaspoon of filling in the center of each wrapper. Dip your finger in the water and moisten all four edges of the first wrapper. Fold it over the filling, pressing the edges together, creating a triangle. With another dab of water, fold one of the long corners over the opposite one, pinch to close. Place it on pan and proceed with the rest until you've got a small army of uniformly-shaped dumpling.

Bring five quarts of water to vigorous boil, then gently drop the dumplings in one at a time. Carefully stir so they don't stick. In three to four minutes they all will be floating, the wrappers clearly adhering to the filling. Drain, toss with the pesto and garnish with strips of orange zest.

Serve immediately on a platter so your guests may help themselves. This recipe makes pretty many, but don't be surprised when there are no leftovers.

MOZZARELLA EN CAROZZA KEMOLL'S

2010-01-07T05:11:00.001-05:00

It was back in college that I started on my food journey. In my first apartment the height of my culinary sophistication was a dish called Monster Chicken. A split chicken, skin side up, a whole can of undiluted cream of celery soup spread over. Under the broiler (never turning it over) until it was a smoking, cinder-flecked eruption of sauce and chicken fat. Rice-A-Roni accompanied it. Important to note: this was not fare that ever appeared on the Sullivan family table, these recipes were passed on to me by college friends. Haven't turned out a Monster Chicken since the Reagan administration. No plans yet for a return, but never say never...

Then I started waiting tables at Kemoll's, one of St. Louis's most venerable institutions. Opened as a single room confectionery by Sicilian immigrants in 1927, during my tenure the original matriarch Gaetana still kept a sharp eye on the kitchen and the register. By then it had evolved into a top-notch dining destination, upholding traditional standards unheard of at the time. Fresh pasta made twice a week hanging to dry over wooden racks. Huge wheels of Parmigiano- Reggiano cut into cubes to fit the hand graters for tossing paglia e fieno and spaghetti carbonara table-side. A fridge dedicated just for big cold buckets of fresh clams, lovingly nourished with sprinkles of cornmeal until called into duty for a fritti or vongole.

The Mozzarella en Carozzas you'll encounter today are usually variations of sauteed grilled cheese sandwiches. Done well, exquisite, no question. However Kemoll's recipe is one of a kind. Rather than individual portions, Kemoll's stuffed an entire semolina loaf* with slices of fresh mozzarella, liberally spread with an anchovy-caper-lemon-parsley-olive oil emulsion and baked 'til the bread was crisped, cheese surrendered to the heat, the bold dressing permeating the loaf. Presented whole and served by the slice.

For a first course, bring this hottie out in a shiny copper baking dish to accompany a cool, crisp green salad.

*No mention of Kemoll's and bread would be complete without a shout out to Gaetana's daughter Joann Berger, creator of the beloved Pandora bakery. Sadly shuttered now, Joann is a good friend of my mom so we still have lucky occasions to enjoy her skills and largesse.

MOZZARELLA EN CAROZZA KEMOLL'S
1 lb. loaf semolina bread
1 lb. fresh mozzarella
1 oz. canned anchovies (1/2 of a 2 oz. tin)
3 T. capers
1 T. butter
juice of half a lemon (or the whole lemon if it seems stingy)
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
generous handful flat leaf parsley

Slice the loaf, down to but not through the bottom crust,. You need the loaf to hold together. 1 inch slices. Make an equal number of mozzarella slices and insert into the loaf.

In a blender emulsify the anchovies, capers, butter, lemon juice, parsley, pepper (enough salt already). Spread over the loaf, use a spatula to work the dressing down into the slices between cheese and bread.

25 minutes in a 400 degree oven should do it -- halfway through you can spoon up the dressing in the pan and baste the loaf again.

This one is easy to tell when done, meltingly beautiful and fragrant.

TURKEY WHITE - TURKEY BROWN

2010-01-04T06:14:00.000-05:00

Pity the poor turkey. For one bright shiny November day it is fussed over, cosseted, the main topic of conversation and culinary concern -- the glistening, mahogany skinned behemoth lording over the Thanksgiving feast like Gulliver and the Lilliputians. Then for the other 364 days of the year it's pretty much relegated to the "I'm watching what I eat" category, a bland, dry mass reluctantly chosen solely for its low-cal, high protein status. Think about it -- even in a club sandwich turkey is the weakest link. Ditch it and add some avacado. Live a little.

Ahh, but remember Myrtle Allen and her Ballymaloe House in Ireland? If not yet cannonized as the patron saint of turkeys, Myrtle should at least be beatified, her Turkey White - Turkey Brown is as close to a miracle as a turkey's going to get. This transformative party dish is a revolutionary concept presenting the white meat and dark meat side by side in rich, individual sauces. Lemony cream sauce for the breasts, a rich bourguignon-style treatment for the dark.

To really do justice to Turkey White - Turkey Brown, you'll need two matching baking dishes. Corningware white is perfectly sufficient (but no clear glass, please, it gives away the surprise). Fancier stuff like Le Crueset is great if you're living large. If you've already got some old heirloom type pieces, more power to you. You're looking for two dishes the same size, 12" x 8" x 3" or larger.

TURKEY WHITE - TURKEY BROWN
12 - 15 lb. whole turkey, butchered as indicated below

For the stock:
Turkey carcass (minus the skin), with neck, giblets, heart. Toss the liver.
A couple of carrots peeled and cut up
A few stalks of celery
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
bouquet garni of parsley, bay leaf and thyme
1 chicken bouillon cube
water

For the white meat:
Flour for dredging seasoned with salt and white pepper
butter for sauteing
heavy cream for the sauce
fresh lemon juice for the sauce

For the dark meat:
Flour seasoned with salt and black pepper for dredging
butter for sauteing
1/2 lb. sliced cremini mushrooms
2 thick strips of smokey bacon sliced into thin strips
1 c. frozen pearl onions
turkey stock
red wine
chopped fresh parsley and fresh thyme leaves

For the crust:
Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry (2 sheets in a box), thawed in the fridge
A scrambled egg with a bit of water to make a wash

Make the turkey stock -- allow a couple of hour and after you strain out all the solids continue to reduce it, you won't need more than 5-6 cups so the more concentrated the flavor, the better.

Have your butcher take all the meat off the bones of the turkey, saving the carcass, discarding the skin. The breasts come off in nice big lobes, the legs and thighs come out a little rougher, not to worry. Thinly slice the breast meat across the grain, scallopini-style, in smallish pieces, 2 - 3 inches or so. Cut the dark meat into 1" cubes. Keep white and dark separate.

Start with the breast scallops. Dredge in flour mixed with a moderate amount of salt and white pepper. (Black pepper visually mars the pristine sauce.) Working in batches, saute in hot butter til just barely done. They will cook further in the sauce and you only want the faintest bit of browning. Drain on paper towels as you go. Once you've got them all sauted, layer them in the first baking dish.

Here's where your experience and good judgement come in. You're going to make a sauce of reduced heavy cream and lemon juice. So start with about twice as much cream as you'd need to cover the turkey scallops in the baking dish, and reduce it down by half in a sauce pan. You want a thick, velvety texture. Add 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice for each cup of reduced cream. Season with more salt and white pepper. Pour over the turkey scallops, using a spoon to lift up and jiggle the pieces so the sauce goes around and under every piece.

Next dredge the dark meat cubes in flour seasoned with salt and black pepper. Saute these in butter in batches as well, drain and place in the second baking dish. In the remaining butter saute the mushrooms and the bacon, scraping up any browned bits in the pan. When they look ready, repeat the mental calculations for how much sauce you'll need. Equal parts turkey stock and red wine, enough so that when reduced by half you've got enough to cover the dark meat cubes. Add the frozen pearl onions and the fresh herbs in the last couple of minutes of cooking down the sauce. Salt and cracked black pepper. If the sauce looks too thin, thicken it a bit with some flour or cornstarch. You're going for hearty but be sure to stop short of gloppy. Mix the sauce in and around the dark meat.

Unfold the thawed puff pastry on a floured surface. Roll out the rectangles so they're just an inch larger than the baking dishes. Brush the egg wash around the top edges of the baking dishes, place the pastry over the tops and crimp closed. Make it neat and even. If your puff pastry skills are more advanced, you could hold some back and make some decorative elaborations of your own design. Plain and pretty is just fine though. Cut some organized vents* in the top of the pastry to allow steam to escape, and give tops a good going over with the egg wash.

Into a preheated 375 degree oven they go. Plan on at least 50 minutes to an hour if you're plowing through this at one go, while the meat and sauce are still warm. If you've done some of the work in advance and refrigerated it, you'll need to account for that timing-wise. You'll know it's done when the pastry is puffed and browned all over and the sauces are starting to bubble up in the vents or from little breaches along the sides.

And now the moment we've all been waiting for. Present the identical dishes on your table or buffet. Delve into the first and you're rewarded with elegant slices of turkey scallopini luxuriating in lemony cream sauce. Then help your guests to a spoonfull of its apparent twin. But wait! This one is an earthy stew of tender chunks of dark meat studded with the earthy goodness of mushroom, bacon, onion.

High drama...the element of surprise...clever concept...and completely delicious. What are you waiting for?

Send me a picture!

*Astute observers might notice that my steam vents were cut into a "W" and "B". Little mix-up there, the W covered the brown meat and vice versa. No matter, it added to the fun. But I will be more careful next time.

MADELEINES AUX TRUFFES

2009-12-31T11:14:00.000-05:00

I was in Paris about seven years back and spent a really terrific day with Paule Caillat and her Promenades Gourmandes cooking class and walking tour (there's a really cool video of her class at http://www.babelgum.com/3016113/paris-promenades-gourmandes.html -- but do note Paule is completely fluent in English). We met up early in the morning to shop the local markets: A couple of newlywed Americans, an Asian woman and a quasi-aristocratic type from Budapest who carefully explained that there's Buda and Pest, two cities united, and that one (which one? Buda? can't remember) is more socially significant than the other. Needless to say, she hailed from the correct side of the river. Not sure how that all came up. She actually cut out a little early, probably had pressing obligations to attend to at the embassy or something...

I can't recommend Paule's class highly enough. She's spirited, enthusiastic, a natural teacher and intuitive cook. She keeps up with the current Parisian trends, and introduced us to the then newly in vogue tonka bean (more about that another time). After marketing and preparing a wonderful lunch in her loft-style apartment, she leads a walking tour around Paris, stoping in at the most marvelous establishments, including the famed Dehillerin cookware shop, where she's well-known and obviously well-loved. And I'll never forget being invited down into the cozy, warm basement below the Poilane bakery, where this Mr. Clean-type guy in white short shorts, slip-on keds and one of those Frenchy blue striped bateaux-collared shirts baked those iconic round, hard crusted loaves. He never stopped smiling and the ancient room and equipment were astonishingly immaculate. Fun times.

Paule came to New York this December to host a Christmas in Paris cooking class. Madeleines aux Truffes (presented here). Chicken stuffed with truffles and foie gras. Gratin of winter vegetables with more black truffles. Freshly sliced black truffles dipped in olive oil for light snacking. And Paule's magnificent Caramel au Chocolat tarte which I'm going to post soon.

I made these in St. Louis this Christmas and they were very well received.

Madeleines aux Truffes
Madeleines with Black Truffles
6 T. powdered sugar
1 3/4 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
3 eggs
1/2 c. whole milk
1/4 t. salt
1 (4 oz.) stick of butter
3 T. black truffle oil
2 buck-eye sized black truffles, fresh is best but jarred will work well too
Any truffle juice accumulated in the jar

Beat eggs well until very frothy, and then beat in the milk.

Mix together the powdered sugar, flour, baking soda and salt and gradually add to egg mixture while beating. You want the batter to be very smooth.

Melt the butter on low power in the microwave -- ideally you want it barely melted, just really really soft with only part of it liquid. Not hot.

Slowly beat in the butter and the truffle oil (and juice if you have it).

Shave the truffles whisper thin on a truffle slicer (even the formidable OXO mandoline can't slice as thinly as true truffle slicer). Julienne the slices into thin thin strips. Collect up every little precious scrap and stir these into the batter.

Refrigerate the batter until it's very stiff. Three hours recommended -- though you can do an express chill in the freezer, just make sure to stir every five minutes or so, so it chills evenly. Paule says the chilled batter will expand better due to "thermic shock." I also have a theory that this additional time the truffles spend in the batter before baking allows the flavor to further permeate the batter. Another benefit is that the stiff batter is much easier to work with, at room temp it's pretty sticky stuff.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Butter your madeleine trays -- regular size or minis. Fill each mold about 3/4 full. Bake the mini molds 10-12 minutes -- til they're puffed and golden brown around the edges. The larger size molds should take 12-15 minutes tops. Not too brown!

They should slide right out of the pan onto a rack. Best while still hot from the oven, though you can also prepare ahead and gently reheat before serving. They are pretty resiliant.

Oysters Rockefeller and Clams Casino

2009-12-29T15:38:00.001-05:00

With
"Rockefeller" and "Casino" in the names of these two classics, I was going to go with a cutesy title for this post like Millionaires on the Half Shell, but that was a bit too twee, even for me. And these time honored classics really don't need any further gussying up. Oysters Rockefeller or Clams Casino served on their own are worthwhile endeavors. But unite them on the same plate, piping hot and just the littlest bit crispy on top and you're well into Spectacularly Delicious territory.

Even though you can get fresh oysters year round (since there's been a relaxation of that "only in R months" rule) cold water oysters still taste best. So O.R. is a seasonal recipe for me. On the other hand, our friend the sturdy clam is always at the ready to lend its briney goodness to chowders, pastas, the seduction of the deep fryer and of course C.C., so you can use this recipe anytime you'd like.

There are many recipes for Oysters Rockefeller out there -- disregard any that call for cheese. And a complete reliance on spinach is disappointingly bland. Fennel bulb is the key to success here, wise advice first dispensed to me by the good ladies of the The Silver Palate cook books. The clam topping is relatively straight forward. You want the bread crumbs loose, buttery and toasty, not packed tightly as you would for a stuffed clam. This is not the time to cheat and steam the clams open first -- it's essential to use freshly shucked clams so they are just barely cooked after their ride under the broiler. Another important thing to note is you need a clam knife for the clams and an oyster knife for the oysters. Beware anything billed as a combo oyster/clam opening knife -- these tools work equally poorly on both, if at all.

CLAMS CASINO
1 dozen freshly shucked cherry stone clams on the half shell
2 T. chopped parsley
2 garlic cloves minced
2 T. butter
2 T. best olive oil
pinch of salt, grind of pepper
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
juice of 1 lemon
1 c. seasoned bread crumbs
3 strips thick bacon

Saute garlic and red pepper in the butter and oil for two minutes. Stir in the bread crumbs, salt and pepper and saute one minute more. Take off the heat and stir in the parsley and lemon juice. Cut each bacon strip into four equal pieces.

OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER
(this topping recipe makes enough for 3 dozen oysters, so make more than the 1 dozen indicated or refrigerate extra for another night)

1 dozen freshly shucked oysters on the half shell
1 fennel bulb, roughly chopped
6 oz. fresh spinach, washed
4 scallions, chopped
1 T. whole grain French mustard
1 t. Tabasco
juice of 1 lemon
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1/2 t. dry yellow mustard
2 T. butter
1/2 c. seasoned bread crumbs

Boil the chopped fennel for eight minutes, adding the spinach for the last 30 seconds. Drain, run under cold water to stop the cooking and set the color. In a food processor chop the fennel, spinach, scallions, butter, salt, pepper, wet and dry mustards, Tobasco, until it's a wet crumble. Add the bread crumbs and lemon juice, mix well. You'll end up with a thick green paste.

On a pan large enough to hold all the shellfish lay out the clams and the oysters. Top the clams with their breadcrumb mixture and lay a piece of bacon over each. Spoon a good tablespoon of the fennel paste on top of each oyster -- you want the oyster peeking through under the topping.

Put the pan under a hot pre-heated broiler and broil until the oyster topping is starting to brown and the bacon is crisped. It takes about 10 minutes but you will want to keep an eye on things.

Serve hot out of the broiler with lemon wedges and extra Tabasco if desired. (I desire.)

MRS. MERINO'S FRUITCAKE

2009-12-20T14:36:00.002-05:00

The long-running
tradition of fruitcake-bashing seems to have abated somewhat of late. Probably because the joke was beyond tired, it exhausted itself to death.  Throughout these dark years of ridicule, fruitcakes carried on, making their annual appearance and enjoying the appreciation of loyalists. And yet, like so many other holiday treats, fruitcakes have become a commercial commodity. I don't have any data to back this up (does anyone?) but I"ll guess the majority of fruitcakes you'll encounter this Christmas will be store-bought.

Which is a shame.

Mrs. Merino, a good friend of Steve's mom, has perfected her fruitcake recipe over many years.  This one stands out by the perfect balance of warmly spiced, moist cake studded liberally with, but not overwhelmed by, brightly colored candied fruit. Commercial versions can err in either direction. Some bakeries, in ill-advised attempts to up the cachet (and price) of their product, will deliver a super abundance of fruit, so a slice resembles a stained glass window -- too sweet, too sticky.  At the other end of the spectrum you have the cut-corners version of dry cake with tiny freckles of fruit, lacking the required bit of chewiness and usually any flavor.

So a couple of Steve's notes before you dive into the recipe. First, for good, juicy, flavorful candied fruit skip the wan, way over priced offerings found in most grocery stores and buy in bulk from an online resource. Steve has had great luck with nutsonline.com.  And don't be seduced by the promised convenience of cardboard bake-and-serve loaf pans.  They don't hold their shape well, so the sides kind of bow out, the "festive" decorations printed on the sides present an unappealing, pre-fab look, and the cake sticks to the sides of the cardboard pan.  No one's going to appreciate a fruitcake you have to dig out of a cardboard pan that looks suspciously like an end-aisle offering from Walgreens. Use a conventioal metal loaf pan or mini-pan, run a knife around the edges to release the cakes from the pans and you'll have a perfectly shaped, ready to serve cake.

MRS. MERINO'S FRUITCAKE

1 lb. seedless raisins
1 c. currants
2 c. mixed candied fruit (red and green cherries, citron, lemon peel, orange peel), chopped
1 c. brandy

Mix all this together and let stand overnight

Next day, sift together:
5 1/2 c. flour
2 T. cinnamon
1 T. nutmeg
1 T. ground cloves
1/2 T. salt
1/2 T. baking powder

Add 2 c. pecans

Cream together:

1 1/2 c. butter
2 1/2 c. sugar

Add 6 eggs, one at a time

Add 1/2 c. molasses and beat well

Mix 1/2 c. flour to the soaked fruit and then mix that into the butter mixture.

Add this to the flour mix, alternating with 1/2 c. strong coffee

Grease 3 loaf pans or 8 mini-loaf pans, add batter, and bake 1 hr. in a preheated 275 degree oven. Then reduce heat to 250 and continue to bake another hour and 45 minutes for the full sized loaves, about one hour fifteen minutes for the mini-pans.

It helps to put a pan of hot water in the bottom of the oven to keep the air moist.

Let cool a little, run a knife around the sides of the loaves and then invert to release from the baking pans.

PERSIAN GRAPEFRUIT MARMALADE

2009-12-10T19:11:00.003-05:00

I met my friend Sherry Akbar at Good Housekeeping.  For the twice-annual High Point furniture markets, she, the decorating editor, and I, advertising/marketer, would be the two man delegation representing this 4.6 million circulation title as we toured all the show rooms, meeting up with teams of six, eight, 10 or more from other magazines (including my current employer, House Beautiful).  It worked out really well - two can maneuver much more quickly than a horde. She'd scout out her story ideas while I made the advertising contacts and then whoosh, on to the next.

High Point is very spread out and for some unknown reason we always ended up staying in remote locations, reliably inconvenient and consistently dreary. So lots of driving time to chat, not even counting the times we got lost since we then had to focus on finding our way.

Sherry's family is from Iran and I was fascinated and charmed by her background.  Naturally we talked food, and in sharing my enthusiasm for canning, she mentioned her mother made a mean pink grapefruit marmalade.  I couldn't get enough of her ravishing descriptions of this silky blend of not too sweet, not too bitter marmalade she'd been brought up on.  Nothing else ever quite like it. I had to have the recipe.

As could be predicted, her mom, Homa, kept it in her head. The only way Sherry was going to get it was to visit mom down in D.C. and take notes, which are transcribed word for word below.

If you've ever made jams and jellies, you know how important precise measurements and timings are, and the heartbreak of a poorly set batch.   Full disclosure -- most of my fruit "syrups" or "conserves" (a great word covering any degree of liquid to almost-but-not-quite jelly or jam) were originally intended to be more solid. So I approached this recipe with trepidation, especially since it doesn't include the reassurance of commercial gelling agents like Certo or Sure-Jel.

Well this is just one of those miracle recipes. Feel your way through it and you wind up with the most marvelous, luscious, jewel-toned marmalade. I guess the pectin in the rinds is all that's needed for a reliable set. It's worked like a charm for me, even when I double it. (Sterlized jars and lids plus a five minute boiling water bath if you're putting it up.)

HOMA AKBAR'S PERSIAN GRAPEFRUIT MARMALADE

2 large pink grapefruit
At least 3 cups sugar

- Take the skin and bring to a boil in water and boil for 5 minutes. (Do this three times to get rid of bitter taste)
- Chop the skin and place in a Cuisnart and chop again into fine little pieces also into mush
- Remove pulp from grapefruits and cover in the sugar in a large bowl for several minutes
- Combine with pulsed skin
- Pour mixture into pot and bring to boil and then simmer until thick -- this took us about 20 minutes, but may vary
- It becomes a thick sweet marmalade.

CHRISTMAS SOUP

2009-12-07T12:57:00.000-05:00

We started making this soup -- well really two soups -- years ago. It's pretty dramatic in its own right, though kids are especially impressed with the bright red and green soups sitting side by side in the same bowl. Neither soup is especially difficult, what you want to keep in mind is making both soups the same thickness. Thick soup works best and actually tastes best too. Christmas is no time for watery soup!

Serving is easy. Have both soup pots within easy reach, and use two equal sized measuring cups. I've found graduated measuring cups with handles work well. I'm sure you'll easily find what works for you in your kitchen.

A festive crouton garnish is key. Plain white sandwich bread cut in small decorative shapes, sauted golden in butter are a snap. Not just pretty, the crips buttery croutons are a perfect topper.

SWEET PEA SOUP
2 T. butter
1 medium onion, chopped
salt and pepper
1/4 t. thyme
1 1 lb. bag frozen baby peas
pinch of cayenne
pinch of nutmeg
3 c. chicken broth
5 or so mint leaves
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 cup cream

In a medium size pot, saute the onions in the butter 'til translucent, taking care to let them brown. Salt and pepper well, add the peas, thyme, cayenne and nutmeg, three cups of the chicken stock and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Let cool a bit then liquify the soup in a food processor with the mint leaves and the lemon juice. Return to the soup pot. Bring the heat back up 'til nice and hot. You're going to stir in the cream right before you're ready to serve. You don't want to boil the cream.

ROASTED RED PEPPER SOUP
2 T. butter
1/2 onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
2 12 oz. jars roasted red peppers (the plain ones, not marinated)
3 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. cream

In a medium soup pot, sautes the onion, carrot and celery til the unions are tranluscent and the carrot and celery are softened. Drain the roasted peppers, chop them up a bit, add to the pot with the chicken broth and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Let cool a bit, then liquify in a food processor. Return to the pot, bring the heat back up. Again, don't add the cream until just before you're ready to serve.

Make the decorative croutons of bread sauted in butter.

To serve, mix in the cream and have both pots within easy reach. Using two measuring cups, scoop up 1/2 cup of each soup, and gently pour into the serving bowls at the same time. Pouring the soup at the same speed from either side of the bowl results in the two colors meeting in the middle. Garnish with the crouton and serve hot.

Merry Christmas!

Enchiladas Suizas

2009-12-03T06:56:00.002-05:00

If my time in Mexico City brings back memories of Olga Breeskin first, following closely after that are the sublime Enchiladas Suizas served at the popular chain Sanborns.
Owned by Walgreens, these classic drugstores had everything we needed -- reassuringly familiar brands plus introductions to all sorts of new things, bright shiny objects, treasures and oddities never imagined. Everything clean and bright and well-lit, giving off an aura of antiseptic efficiency. Sanborns was the source of my passion for Anfora Painted Bird dinnerware. Seemingly ubiquitous in Mexico, I hardly ever see it up here other than some random pieces on eBay. Hmmm, might that brilliant blue have been the result of a dash or two of lead in the glaze? I'm not using those plates anymore and all these years later I seem to have come away unscathed, so no matter. [THIS JUST IN -- SEE THE COMMENTS BELOW FROM HANS KRITZLER AT SANBORNS. The plates have been lead free since '88.... though I bought mine in '82 I'm not going to dwell on that.]

There was a Sanborns right across the grand Avenida de los Insurgentes so we went often. Luckily, early on we discovered their Enchiladas Suizas and never ordered anything else but them again.  I'm sure a big part of the appeal was encountering the tangy taste of tomatillos in the salsa verde for the first time, combined with the richness of the cheese and sour cream.

In this recipe I use gallinas, a larger, gamier cousin of the common chicken for the filling. They are staples at my IGA and I thought the chickens had more flavor in Mexico than what I'd grown up with. If you can't get your hands on a gallina, a regular chicken works fine.

ENCHILADAS SUIZAS
1 4-5 lb. gallina or whole chicken, cut into quarters
basics for stock: some carrots, celery, onion, bay leaf, peppercorns, a bouillon cube
4 oz. grated parmesan cheese
1 bunch finely chopped scallions, both white and green parts
4 oz. shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
10 - 12 corn tortillas
1 c. sour cream
radishes sliced thin and shredded romaine lettuce for garnish

1 lb. tomatillos, about 10-12 depending on size
2 long hot green chiles
2 jalapeno chiles
1 large white onion, chopped
2 T. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 bunch cilantro
2 T. toasted pepitas
2 T. toasted sesame seeds
1/2 c. cream

Gently poach the gallina or chicken with the stock vegetables in water to cover, 45 minutes to an hour, and let cool in the broth. When cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones and shred the meat. Mix the shredded meat with the chopped scallion and the parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Strain out the vegetables from the broth, skim off the fat and reserve.

Make the salsa verde:  peel off the husks of the tomatillos and place them on a baking sheet along with the chiles.  Put them under a hot broiler for 6-7 minutes until one side is well-charred, then turn everything over and char the other side too. Remove from heat, let cool.  Rub the charred skin off the chiles, remove the stems and what seeds you can. Don't try to take the skin off the tomatillos -- just place them as they are with the chiles into a food processor and blend well.

In a skillet over medium heat brown the chopped onion in 2 T. of olive oil, this should take 10 minutes or so. After 5 minutes toss in the smashed garlic cloves. Salt and pepper the onions well, and when they're translucent and browned at the edges add to the tomatillo mixture in the processor. Add the cilantro and the toasted pepitas and sesame seeds and process it all for a minute or two until everything is as smooth as it can be.  Now blend in 2 cups of the reserved stock.

Heat up a little oil in a skillet or a pan large enough to hold all the salsa, and when it's nice and hot pour in the salsa. It will sizzle and scald, that's what you want. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes to blend all the flavors.   Remove from heat and stir in the 1/2 cup of cream.

Wrap the stack of corn tortillas in a dish towel and place on a rack over steaming water (not touching). Steam, covered, for one minute, then remove the pot from heat and let it sit for 15 minutes with the lid still on.

Spoon a bit of the salsa over the bottom of the baking dish you'll be serving the enchiladas in. Unwrap the tortillas -- the ones on the top and bottom will probably be too mushy to use so discard them if need be. The interior ones will be soft and pliable. Roll up each tortilla with a generous amount of the filling, and place seam side down in the dish. Whether you make 8 or 10 kind of depends on the size of the dish, you'll figure it out. Make them even.

Pour the remaining salsa verde over the enchiladas. (Save any salsa that might not fit in the pan, it's too delicious to waste.) Bake for 30 minutes in hot 350 degree oven. Take out of the oven, lay the shredded cheddar cheese in a stripe across the middle of each row of enchiladas, and return to the oven for 30 minutes more. After an hour the cheese will be melted and lightly browned, and any edges of tortilla poking up from the sauce will be browned and crisp too.

Dress the enchilladas with a stripe of sour cream over the melted cheese, garnish with a row of radish slices and shredded lettuce. Bring to the table and serve on your most festive lead free plates.

Nachos Olga

2009-11-30T06:34:00.002-05:00

Olga Breeskin, the incomparable Mexican superstar ("Super Olga" and "La Numero Uno" to her legions of fans), parlayed her early success as a child-prodigy violinist into a fully (extremely fully) fleshed-out paragon of sensuality and excitement in live performance, television and film. During the 1970's and 80's she held our neighbor to the south in her thrall with her Las Vegas-style extravaganzas, performing nightly to sold out crowds of Mexico City's cognoscenti and plutocrats. Fresh out of college I won a place in Olga's spectacular "Super Olga Ochenta y Tres." YouTube is brimming with examples of Olga's splendor in action -- this link gives but a small glimpse of the depth and range of her artistry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAyrfOB07UU

If Dame Nellie Melba was worthy of the Escoffier-inspiration Peaches Melba, and Luisa Tetrazzini secured her own place in culinary history (as previously noted here on Spectacularly Delicious), I ask you: does not Olga Breeskin deserve elevation into this pantheon of immortals as well? And thus Nachos Olga has been born.

Building on a base of freshly-crisped corn tortillas or "totopos" (don't even THINK of commerically packaged taco chips!), Nachos Olga are crowned with voluptuous, home made gravlax cured in cilantro and tequila. And jalapenos of course, in recognition of the heat her performances engendered. As her father was a Russian emigree, this felicitous union of cured salmon and crunchy tortilla celebrates the cultural convergance that allowed a gifted, young, classically-trained violinist to capture the hearts of Mexicans as their most beloved "vedette."

MEXICAN GRAVLAX

2 lbs fresh salmon filet cut in two equal pieces

1/3 c. kosher salt

1/3 c. sugar

1 T. pepper corns and 1 T. cilantro seeds, coarsely cracked in a mortar and pestle

1 bunch of cilantro

1 "mini" bottle of tequila (50 ml)

Mix the salt, sugar, pepper and cilantro seeds and spread evenly over the flesh sides of the two salmon filets. Rub the cilantro bunch in your hands to bruise the leaves and lay them on top of one piece of salmon. Put the other piece on top of that -- flesh facing flesh -- and place in a plastic bag, the kind that seals completely. Pour in the tequila, press out any extra air, and seal tightly. Refrigerate for at least 3 days, turning every 12 hours or so. Remove from the marinade, wipe off the herbs and spices, remove the skin and cut into 1" chunks. The cured gravlax keeps well in the refrigerator for two weeks.

TOTOPOS

Slice 6" corn torillas into quarters and fry in medium hot oil until lightly browned, about a minute. Remove from oil, drain on paper towels, and sprinkle with a bit of salt while still warm. Make as many as you think you'll serve, allowing at least four per person.

MEXICAN SOUR CREAM SALSA

1 c. sour cream

1/3 red onion, minced

1 T. pickled jalapeno, minced

small handful of cilantro, finely minced

1 T. fresh lemon juice

salt and pepper

Mix well.

NACHOS OLGA

On each totopo place a teaspoon of the sour cream salsa, top with a chunk or two of the gravlax, and garnish with an additional bit of pickled or fresh jalapeno. Serve immediately.

Olga's theme song is "Todos Queremos Ver a Olga" (Everyone Wants to See Olga) -- you'll have them belting out "Todos Queremos Ver a Nachos Olga!" in no time.

Pumpkin Popovers

2009-11-23T06:20:00.001-05:00

Of all the many things I learned during my 12 year tenure at Good Housekeeping, perhaps the most lasting will be how the presentation of a perfect popover is guaranteed to make even the most fabulous meal -- breakfast, lunch, dinner -- even more so. Their recipe for giant popovers (The All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook) cannot be improved upon. But, given the season, I tinkered with it a little to come up with this variation. In the picture you'll notice I served this with the Lemon Ginger Honey Jelly we did in the Hot Topics Canning Club post. A perfect pairing.

PUMPKIN POPOVERS

4 eggs

1 c. milk

1/2 cup cooked pumpkin, canned is fine

3 T. butter, melted

1 c. flour

1/2 t. salt

Preheat oven to 375. Generously grease eight 6-oz. custard cups or a popover pan. I've gotten best results with Pam. If using the custard cups you'll want to place them on a baking sheet for easy handling.

In a blender combine eggs, milk, pumpkin, melted butter, flour and salt. Blend until smooth. Distribute evenly among the custard cups or a popover pan. Don't fill more than 2/3 the way full.

Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes. With the tip of a knife make a slit in the tops of each to release the steam, then bake 10 minutes longer. Immediately remove popovers from cups (use a knife or small spatula if they stick a bit) and serve hot.

Pass the butter!

Cranberry Walnut Galette

2009-11-21T16:07:00.001-05:00

If your Thanksgiving plans aren't already mapped out here's a little stunner of a dessert. Not overly sweet, the bohemian artistry of the freeform crust will distinguish it from all other pies, many of which will be store bought. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm just sayin'...

CRANBERRY WALNUT GALETTE

12 oz bag fresh cranberries

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 T. cornstarch mixed with 1 T. water

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 1/2 cups flour

1/3 cup plus 1 T. yellow cornmeal

1/3 cup sugar

salt

1/2 cup cold butter

Prepare the filling: Put half of the cranberries into a sauce pan, add 1/4 cup water and 1/2 cup brown sugar and bring to a boil. Once the berries have popped open, stir in the cornstarch/water mixture and boil a bit more until it all thickens up. Take off the heat and mix in the remaining uncooked cranberries and the walnuts. Set aside to cool.

Make the crust: In a medium bowl mix flour, 1/3 cup cornmeal, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/2 t. salt. With pastry blender cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle in four to five T. ice water, 1 T. at a time, mixing lightly until dough comes to together (dough will feel very dry at first). Shape into a ball.

On a cookie sheet large enough to roll out a 13" crust yet small enough to fit in your fridge, sprinkle the remaining T. of cornmeal. Place a dampened dish towel under the cookie sheet to prevent it from slipping while rolling the dough. With a floured rolling pin, roll dough on cookie sheet into a 13" round. Then with a long metal spatula, gently loosen the dough from the cookie sheet so it doesn't stick.

Mound up the cooled cranberry/nut filling in the center of the dough, leaving a good 2-3 inch border of plain dough all the way around. Then fold the dough up and around the filling, leaving a 4" opening in the center. It will definitely look home made. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Brush the dough with the egg white and then bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 45 minutes. Take it out of the oven, let it cool a couple of minutes, then use that long metal spatula to slide the galette onto your serving plate.

The pastry for this pie comes from the Good Housekeeping Step by Step Cookbook. They made a cherry galette -- though you could use this pastry and technique for any kind of fruit pie. Peaches and blueberries woud be a nice mix. If you use fresh fruit you don't need to cook it first as you do with cranberries. So if you don't make this cranberry walnut version, keep this galette in mind for next summer.

Pumpkin Souffle

2009-11-20T09:18:00.000-05:00

Pumpkin pumpkin everywhere! It's funny that Halloween doesn't generate the gold rush of pumpkin recipes that Thanksgiving does, though it makes sense that carving one pumpkin is enough work with everyone's real focus being on their costume. This year eight of us went as Freudian Slips -- boys and girls alike in women's slips (hilarious fun shopping for those), with tweed jackets, men's shoes and socks, and little stickers all over saying things like Ego, Id, Ask my Analyst. Holding cigars because sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
I digress. The matter at hand is the small Thanksgiving dinner. Next week we're going to brother Brendan's in Connecticut where there will be a full house with my four nieces and nephews, plus my sister-in-law Karen's family. Fun. But there have been other years when it's just been four people at our house, even once just the two of us. Watching Macy's parade followed by turkey for two is just fine. And you can prepare things that would just be unmanageable for a larger group. Like this pumpkin souffle, which has to go from oven to table immediately.

PUMPKIN SOUFFLE

5 large egg yolks
6 large egg whites (so yes one wasted yolk)
Butter or Pam cooking spray
2 T. grated parmesan cheese
4 T. butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk, warmed
1/2 cup cooked pumpkin, canned is fine
4 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 t. each of cumin, ground coriander, white pepper, cayenne
1/2 t. salt
2 T. pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a two quart souffle dish and then sprinkle the parmesan all around the bottom and sides.

Make the pumpkin and cheese sauce: Melt 4 T. butter in a saute pan and when hot whisk in flour and cook over medium-low heat for one minute after it begins to bubble, whisking all the while. Whisk in the warmed milk gradually. Simmer for three minutes, stirring all the while with a wooden spoon. Sauce will reduce and thicken. Stir in the grated cheese, the pumpkin, the spices and the salt. Cook briefly until cheese is melted and everything is smooth and incorporated. Remove from heat.

In a mixing bowl, whisk yolks well then whisk in 1/2 cup of the hot pumpkin cheese sauce. Then whisk that mixture back into the sauce in the saute pan, whisking rapidly to prevent curdling. Now pour all of this back into the mixing bowl.

Beat the egg whites until nice and stiff. Fold a third of it into the sauce in the mixing bowl, incorporate well, and then gently fold in the remainder, taking care to not to stir it too much or else the whites will loose volume.

Spoon this into the prepared souffle dish. Run a spoon or a spatula through the mixture in circle about 1" from the rim -- this will make the middle part rise higher than the edges, adding to the visual impact of the all-important rising. Sprinkle the peptitas over the top, they will float on the surface.

Bake in the preheated oven for 55 minutes, the souffle will be puffed up and golden brown. Take to the table immediately, you want to enjoy it while it's still inflated and nice and hot.

I've also got a pumpkin popover recipe in the pipeline. Stay tuned.

Irish Apple Dulce de Leche Cake

2009-11-18T05:23:00.000-05:00

Everyone should have a couple of reliable recipes for sig nature cakes and desserts. This Irish Apple Cake first came into my life from Myrtle Allen's Ballymaloe House cookbook, published in 1990. Steve and I visited the famous farm-cum-guesthouse-cum-restaurant outside of Cork a while back. Since I enjoyed the cookbook so much, filled with interesting recipes and stories from the Irish countryside, our luncheon at Ballymaloe and subsequent tour of the gardens was akin to a personal Irish Haj.

Our visit, and the cookbook, occured before the advent of the great dulce de leche craze. As I'm not one to knock a good thing I thought perhaps a little cross-cultural, Ireland meets Latin America might work nicely. Turns out it's a splendid idea. If there could be any criticism of the original recipe, it would be that to some tastes it might be a bit austere. Adding a good dose of dulce de leche to the apple filling gives a nice sweet gooiness to the enterprise without overwhelming the original concept. I also added the apple slice fan to the top as well as the candied mint leaf garnish. Myrtle's not big on showiness for its own sake in her recipes, though I don't imagine she'd greatly mind these little embellishments.

IRISH APPLE DULCE DE LECHE CAKE

2 cups flour

3/4 t. baking powder

1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup plus 2-3 T. sugar

2 extra large eggs, 1 of them beaten with 1 T. milk for a glaze

7 T. cold milk

2 tart cooking apples -- Myrtle recommends Rome Beauty or Bramley's Seedlings, which "break down in the required way to a white foamy mass when cooked." Lucky you if you have a source for these heirloom varieties. Sturdy, standard Granny Smiths perform admirably

6 generous T. dulce de leche

Coarse turbinado or cane sugar if you have it, if not another T. of regular sugar will do

Lightly butter a 9" pie plate.

Sift the flour and baking powder together in a large bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles course meal. Stir in 1/2 cup of the sugar. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the unblended egg, beaten, and the milk all at once. Stir to make a very soft, wet, sticky dough that does not clean the sides of the bowl. With floured hands pat half the dough into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.

Peel and core the apples and slice half of one thinly, making enough slices to fan out around the top of the cake. Cut the rest up into smallish (not tiny) chunks. Distribute the apple chunks evenly on the dough in the pie plate to within 3/4" of the edge then sprinkle the remaining 2-3 T. of sugar over the apples. Drop the 6 generous blobs of dulce de leche in an even circle on top of the apples, not too close to the edge. Moisten the edges of the dough with a brushing of the egg/milk glaze.

Sprinkle a large dinner plate with flour and pat the remaining dough onto the plate, making a circle big enough for the top crust. Invert the plate and the dough over the apples in the pie plate. Pinch the bottom and top crusts together, sealing well. Gently press the apple slices into a fanned circle around the top of the pie, and make an X cut in the center of the ring to let steam escape. Neatness counts. Brush the entire top with the egg/milk glaze, and sprinkle with sugar. I've got some really nice, course brown crystals of Hawaiian cane sugar that work well. Simple sugar is fine too and lends the top of the cake a little sparkle.

Bake the cake in the middle of a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes, when the dough will be golden and the apples will be tender. The stick-a-toothpick into the cake test isn't a reliable measure here -- the apples and dulche de leche will always cling to the toothpick. If you have any doubts leave it in for another 5 minutes, though I've always found 45 minutes to produce a thoroughly baked yet still moist cake.

Garnish with candied mint leaves if you have them. It's not a tragedy if you don't and the relative simplicity of the unadorned cake is probably more in keeping with Irish reserve anyway. Serve warm. Perfect and complete as it is, no one is going to refuse a nice slathering of whipped cream so go ahead, live a little.

Voila! Irish Apple Dulce de Leche Cake Mit Schlag. As fit for the General Assembly of the United Nations as it is for the ending of one your memorable meals.

Remains of the Day: Turkey Tetrazzini al Forno and a couple of other ideas too

2009-11-16T05:00:00.002-05:00

With the big day looming it's not too early to start thinking about creative uses for the leftover bird. A longtime family favorite is Turkey Tetrazzini. I started with Mary Pat Sullivan's ur-recipe, tweaked a little here and there. The biggest change really is the title. Since this is a baked meat sauce, cheese and pasta concoction I want to preempt any allusion to the word "casserole." Rich, creamy, full of turkey flavor and made from scratch it's earned the respect of the Italian designation al forno. And though it's an American invention (most commonly credited to the chef at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco circa 1908 or so, where the Italian-born opera star Luisa Tetrazzini resided),Tetrazzini al Forno just sounds better.

Here's an important note -- keep the extra turkey fat that accumulates in the roasting pan and that will rise to the top of the turkey stock you'll be making from the remains. It adds so much flavor to these recipes, more so than butter alone. In addition to Tetrazzini al Forno, there follows a couple of other tasty suggestions to use all the wonderful turkey broth you'll wind up with after simmering the carcass with the standard aromatic vegetable flavorings. Don't forget the bay leaf! As a bonus there's an amusing anecdote from Mom telling how she acquired this recipe.

TURKEY TETRAZZINI AL FORNO

2 T. butter
1/2 red pepper
1/2 lb. Cremini mushrooms
4 cups leftover turkey meat, white and dark, pulled apart into bite-sized pieces -- pulled preferred to chopped for more rustic results

6 T. turkey fat (see note above)

4 T. flour

2 cups turkey stock

1 pint half and half

1 cup dry sherry
1 c. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus some extra for the topping

1 lb. good pasta -- I used an interesting and sturdy variety called Fiori.

1 package frozen baby peas

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup slivered almonds

Salt and pepper to be added judiciously throughout the preparations

Chop the red pepper into nice smallish squares and thinly slice the mushrooms. Add the 2 T. of butter to a saute pan over medium heat and add the red peppers. Give the peppers a couple of minutes head start, then add the sliced mushrooms and gently saute it all together for another five minutes. Set aside.

Make the sauce: heat the turkey fat in a sauce pan, and when nice and hot add the flour. Boil this roux a minute or so, wisking all the while, to cook off the flour flavor. Add the turkey broth, the half and half and the sherry, bring up to an easy boil, reduce heat a bit and simmer for three to five minutes. Stir in the turkey meat and the cheese, making sure it's all well distributed and heated through.

Meanwhile boil the pasta just 'til al dente -- really al dente, like seven or eight minutes tops, it's going to cook more in the oven and you don't want it mushy. During the last minute of boiling add the frozen peas. Drain well.

Now mix it together -- meat and cheese sauce, peppers and mushrooms, pasta and peas -- and place in a buttered two quart baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the bread crumbs, some extra cheese and the slivered almonds.

Into a preheated 375 degree oven it goes. Forty five minutes should do it if everything is still pretty hot when you assemble it; an hour or a bit longer if things have cooled down. It's done when the top is toasty brown and it's bubbling up around the sides.

So here's the story Mom sent with the recipe:

"It was Judy Cassilly's recipe (son Bob, sculptor - founder of City Museum) that we "published" in our recipe book "Not By Bread Alone" (title idea from Dan and artwork done by Bob Cassilly senior). The recipe book and taste luncheon, in which all the recipes in the book were served, was to benefit St. Henry's, an inner city parish we were assisting. ("We" mostly Holy Redeemer and neighbors in Webster Park).
We also had an ice skating party benefit at which we served hot rum punch BEFORE the ice skating - there were several accidents at the rink, most notably a broken arm. Despite the mishaps the party was deemed a big success! (We were so young)"

So back to your leftovers. You're bound to have more turkey stock, at least some of the turkey meat and fat which is the foundation of another excellent Thanksgiving follow up, TURKEY RISOTTO. Good thing here is that the stock and fat will do all the heavy lifting when it comes to flavoring the rice, so if you're running low on meat at this point not to worry, you really don't want a meat-laden risotto. If you've had success with risotto before, Turkey Risotto is pretty much a no-brainer: start with some of the fat to saute your onions, a bit of garlic or shallots, some mushrooms, then use that wonderful simmering stock as you stir, stir, stir the aborio rice. Thyme is an essential addition, fresh preferred, and lots of chopped parsley too. And more of that good Parmesan cheese.

Lastly, TURKEY SOUP. My dear friend Trista's mother is Allegra Kent, the famed NYC Ballet prima ballerina. Allegra once contributed her recipe for turkey soup to a special section we did at Good Housekeeping, along with this this photo from one of her celebrated roles, George Balanchine's Bugaku. Her caption was priceless: "I bend over backwards to give my children a healthy bowl of soup." She said her exact memories are vague and, “memory sometimes becomes hallucination…” but if she were to recreate the soup today she would do mushroom and barley if she had just a little turkey leftover and veggies and brown rice (cooked separately) if she had a lot of turkey.
Allegra is a very good cook. As a rule she hews to the healthy side, though she can whip up a killer apple strudel too. She wrote down her recipe as she put one together at Thanksgiving many years back and as soon as that turns up I'll share it with you too.

Black and White Goat Cheese Bread Pudding

2009-11-10T06:36:00.000-05:00

Sweet, rich and filling bread pudding is tough to hate, except for its unfortunate falling into the dreaded "enjoy only occassionally" category -- or sometimes even venturing into the sadder "remorse" column. So let's not dwell on that.

Thanksgiving is all about the side dishes and this offering goes very nicely with all the traditional favorites. The herbs echo the most popular dressing recipes, yet the rich creamy goat cheese takes this bread-based specialty in a whole new direction. The black and white checkered effect created by the criss-cross layering of the two breads certainly stands out from its companions on the table. When you think of it, there's a lot of flavor in the Thanksgiving meal but not a lot of geometry. This is a statement in design, taste and creativity. Very memorable too. You'll get high marks, and though we may not like to admit it, there's always a bit of culinary competition going on at Thanksgiving. You can bake it earlier in the day and reheat it before serving, it's pretty sturdy.

BLACK AND WHITE GOAT CHEESE BREAD PUDDING

1 loaf good white sandwich bread

1 loaf sliced pumpernickel bread

4 extra large eggs

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1/2 t. herbs de provence

4 scallions, white part only, finely chopped

2 cups half and half

11 oz. goat cheese

For my 12" x 9" x 3" baking dish, I used 16 slices from each loaf. You may have to adjust up or down a bit to fit yours. Trim the crusts and cut each slice into thirds - you'll end up with finger sized rectangles.

Mix eggs with salt, pepper, herbs and half and half.

Now the fun part. First divide the goat cheese into four equal portions. This will make it easier to distribute it evenly throughout the pudding.

Next butter your baking pan well and then create alternating striped patterns with the black and white bread "fingers," with the goal of ending up with four layers in all. Create stripes the long way first, then cross-ways, then back to the long way. On top of each layer add evenly spaced dollops of the goat cheese. Pour some of the egg and half and half mixure over each layer. You can start with less on the bottom, since what you add to subsequent layers is going to seep down.

Let the pudding sit so the bread can absorb all the liquid, at least 30 minutes, and in the fridge just to be careful. If you're leaving it in there longer cover with wrap so the top doesn't dry out.

Then bake for 35 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.

Creamy, tangy, rich and lovely. Happy Thanksgiving!

Hot Topics Canning Club

2009-11-08T07:24:00.010-05:00

"Many hands make short work" is especially apt when embarking on a major canning project. As we gear up for the feasts ahead -- and the numerous home made delectibles we plan to bestow so lavishly on friends and family -- it's neigh impossible to overfill your larder. So the Hot Topics Canning Club convened for a full day of productive preparations, both savory and sweet.

Who's in the club? Our team at work is a wonderful group. As the days are unfailingly hectic, our secret to sanity is our daily group lunch. Without fail, at the strike of noon we gather at the team meeting table. After a cursory assessment of the various lunches, we launch into the main agenda: lively discourse on the Hot Topics du jour. Mad Men and Gossip Girl are regularly recurring themes and Real Housewives of New Jersey earned its fair share of table talk. But daily, without fail, food -- preparations past and future, family traditions, favorites and oddities and everything else imaginable is evaluated, laughed over, speculated upon.

So I invited the gang out for a day of peeling, chopping, juicing, grating, stewing, jar sterilizing and many many dips into the essential boiling water bath.  Three hours flew by and at the conclusion we'd put up a dozen jars of Lemon Honey Ginger Jelly, 20 jars of a fine and spicey Autumn Pear Chutney, and three dozen jars of Cranberry Rosemary Mustard. Recipes to follow.

In the photos that's Kerri at the pear prep station, Lauren bringing in her zested lemons for juicing, Lisa manning the boiling water bath and Elizabeth filling the chutney jars. Astute eyes will notice Elizabeth is due with twins in about four weeks, but no worries, we had plenty of boiling water and an ample supply of clean dish towels in the event of the unexpected.

A note about equipment: plenty of measuring cups and spoons goes without saying. You'll need large, non-reactive pots to cook the chutney and jelly and then the biggest pot you can manage with a rack on the bottom for the all-important boiling water bath. A good strong food processor. Ball's specialized home canning tools: the funnel that perfectly fits the jar openings, the wide ended tongs to lower and raise the jars from the boiling bath, the magnetic tipped wand to pluck the lids from the simmering hot water.

CRANBERRY ROSEMARY MUSTARD
2 cups whole yellow mustard seeds (try Indian markets or online)
4-5 cups red wine vinegar
2 t. salt
2 cups dried sweetened cranberries
6 t. dried rosemary

Put the mustard seeds in a non-reactive bowl or plastic storage container, add the salt and cranberries, and cover with the vinegar. 4 cups should cover the seeds to start, but they soon start to absorb the liquid and swell up considerably. Continue to add vinegar so that the mustard seeds are just covered. Most of the swelling will happen in the first day.

The seeds and cranberries need to soak at least three days, covered, room temperature is fine, no need to refrigerate. Just keep an eye on it to make sure the vinegar just covers the seeds. And be prepared to use more than 5 cups. Don't sweat it, the important thing is that the seeds absorb as much vinegar as they want to.

After this good long soak, scrape the mixture 2 cups at a time into a food processor fitted with a sharp blade. (Sorry, a blender just doesn't work.) Process on high for 12 minutes (yes, 12 minutes). Then add 2 t. of the rosemary and process 3 minutes more.

You'll end up with a creamy mustard with some yellow seeds still visible. Process longer if you want a smoother mustard, less if you like it grainier. You'll always see some seeds unless you strain the mustard, which is a lot more trouble than it's worth. Texture = home made = good.

Mustard keeps just about forever in the refrigerator, or for a longer shelf life process in sterilized canning jars and lids for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Using whole dried mustard seeds gives this recipe some heat ensuring it will be a Hot Topic at your holiday table.

AUTUMN PEAR CHUTNEY
4 quarts roughly chopped pears (about 20). A mixture is good. Peel dark ones like Boscs. Light skinned pears such as Anjous needn't be peeled. You want firm pears. Luscious, soft and juicy pears ripe and ready for eating lack the sturdiness needed for chutney.
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup chopped onion
3 cups light brown sugar
1/4 cup whole yellow mustard seeds
2 T. peeled fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 t. salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. dried hot red pepper flakes
1 t. ground allspice
1 t. ground cloves
5 cups white vinegar

Combine everything in a large non-reactive pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. Ladle hot chutney into sterilized jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Put on caps. Process 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.

This recipe makes 14 or more half pint jars.  Delicious right away and tastes better when it's had at least 2 weeks to meld all the flavors.

LEMON GINGER HONEY JELLY
(From Edon Waycott's Preserving the Taste)
2 1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 T. lemon zest
1 T. orange zest
3 T. minced crystallized ginger, rinsed first to remove visible sugar
3 oz. commercial pectin (1 pouch of Certo)

Bring honey, lemon juice, orange juice, the zests and the ginger to a boil in a large non-reactive pot. When it's boiling good and well, add the pectin. Bring back to a full rolling boil and boil hard for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, skim off any accumulated foam, and gently stir for a few minutes so the zest and ginger are evenly distributed.

Ladle into hot sterilized jars and seal. Seal and process in a hot water bath for 5 minutes.  Or you can do what's called the open canning method -- when the jars are filled and sealed, invert for five minutes and then turn right-side up. This is how I've always done it and it works out just fine.

This recipe makes about 4 cups.

This has to sit for a couple of hours before it sets. Don't get discouraged, it will get there.

Perfect on hot buttered toast and also a wonderful glaze for roasted or grilled chicken or pork -- apply in the final five minutes of cooking so it doesn't burn.

Pumpkin Chutney

2009-11-07T06:24:00.001-05:00

Now's the time of year to start loading up on home-canned delectibles for your holiday table and to give as gifts. To make a real stand out statement, look for or create recipes with unusual ingredients. This pumpkin chutney is the essence of fall and Thanksgiving, though properly canned it can be enjoyed year-round.

PUMPKIN CHUTNEY

7 lb. cooking pumpkin
2 lbs. tart apples
2" length of peeled ginger root, minced

2 sweet onions

5 cloves garlic
1 T. ground black pepper

2 T. whole coriander seed

1 T. ground allspice
2 T. whole yellow mustard seed
1 T. salt
4 c. malt vinegar
2 c. white vinegar
1 c. dried currants
1 c. pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
4 c. light brown sugar

With a sharp heavy knife, cut the pumpkin into 1/2" cubes, skin removed. The peeled apples should be sliced in 1/4" half-moons.Dice the onions and mince the garlic.

Combine everything in a large non-reactive pot and simmer for two hours. For the 1st hour leave the lid on, then for the second hour take the lid off so the liquid boils down creating a syrup. Stir occassionaly throughout the process, especially more so towards the end when the mixture is thicker and in more danger of scortching.

Ladle into hot sterilized jars, seal, and process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.

Like most chutneys, Pumpkin Chutney benefits from a couple of weeks of resting to meld all the flavors. This recipes makes 16 8 oz. jars.

Presentation is key -- create your own signature labels at http://www.myownlabels.com/.

The Best Potato Chips You'll Ever Eat

2009-11-03T06:01:00.000-05:00

There's this contest hosted by OXO kitchen tools to win a bunch of their products, a trip to NYC (sadly anyone already here doesn't benefit from that part) and to "star" in their online videos. I remember when Good Housekeeping discovered OXO with their first Good Buy award. Sharon Franke, the unparalled expert of culinary tools large and small, was the first to celebrate their innovation -- and now OXO is pretty much ubiquitous.

So this ultimate potato chip recipe served double duty -- my contest entry at http://www.oxocontest.com/entry/view/167 and something to share here on S.D.

The origins: Remi is a wonderul Venetian restaurant in midtown that opened in the mid-'80s and is still going strong. In the early days they offered these chips at the bar as liberally as other places put out salted nuts. It was a great draw and created buzz about the new place as much as the innovative menu.

These are so delicious and so easy to make, I'm surprised they don't turn up more often. You won't be disappointed.

Translucent, Transcendant Potato Chips with Herbs

Idaho potatoes

butter

fresh herbs

salt and pepper

Peel and slice the potatos the long way very thinly on a mandolin (OXO makes a fine one with a good hand protector). You want translucent.

Melt butter (plan on about 2 T. per potato) and butter a baking sheet well. Lay out slices of potato on the sheet, close is okay but not touching. Place a fresh herb leaf or leaves onto the slice. Strong flavors like sage and rosemary (spikes only) are terrific tasting though any fresh herb is fine -- I used oregano and parsley too. Add a couple of leaves if they are small. Press them into the potato. Lay another potato slice over the first and press down for good contact. Brush top slice liberally with butter and give them all a good sprinkle of sea salt and cracked pepper.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Halfway through take a peek -- if any of the top slices aren't adhereing to the bottoms use the back of a spoon to press them down.

They're done when browned around the edges and the herbs in the center are clearly visible. That old ad slogan about not being able to eat just one applies here.

Act now while you still have some herbs growing out back!

Nasturtium Pesto

2009-11-02T04:50:00.001-05:00

Most of the flowers in the yard have pretty much gone by. We're enjoying the last few spikes of white and magenta snap dragons still making a valiant effort and the tree hydrangeas which have turned an appropriately seasonal dusty pink. There's still one noteable holdout, a bushy cluster of nasturtiums that is still going strong -- it must not have gotten the memo that November is here.

We always include nasturtiums when we plant herbs each spring. The vivid yellow and orange blossoms and the peppery leaves are ready razzle-dazzle additions to summer salads.

So anyway, Steve takes the hounds to the beach in the morning and meets up with his regular crew. Chatting about various vegetables one day, our friend Patricia mentioned nasturtium leaves make a great pesto. I've had wonderul results with other pesto varations -- basil and mint work very well together, and for an Asian flair try mixing basil, mint, cilantro and orange zest (skip the cheese for this one). But a pesto of nasturtium leaves was intriguing, and Lord knows, we still have plenty of them.

This weekend, taking stock of that robust stand of lily-pad shaped leaves I thought "How hard can it be?" Turns out not hard at all, and it resulted in a very welcome one-last-taste-of-summer lunch, savored especially knowing that fall's first frost is not too far off.

Linguini with Nasturtium Pesto and Nasturtium Flowers

4 c. packed nasturtium leaves

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 c. walnuts, toasted

2 oz. best parmesan cheese

1 t. salt

1 t. cracked pepper

1/4 c. best olive oil

1/2 c. roasted red peppers, diced

1 lb. linguini
Nasturtium flowers and extra grated cheese for serving

In a food processor pulse the chopping blade to hash up the leaves, garlic, toasted nuts, parmesan, salt and pepper and the olive oil, as you would your standard pesto recipe. Stop short of making a puree, it's nicer as a chunky paste with pale flecks of cheese and nuts contrasting against the vivid green bits of leaf.
Prepare the linguini. When it's almost done, take 1/2 cup of the boiling pasta water and whisk it into the pesto, emulsifying it to a thick and creamy sauce. Drain the pasta, toss with the pesto and the chopped roasted red peppers. Garnish liberally with nasturtium flowers and pass grated cheese when you serve.
It doesn't get prettier and tastier than this. The pasta's bright green color is studded with bits of soft and juicy red pepper; the bite of the nasturtium leaves is tempered by the parmesan and walnuts. Plus the fun kick of color from those lovely blossoms.

If you didn't plant nasturtiums last year, put them on your list for next spring. And guess what -- deer don't eat them!

Wild Wild Cranberries

2009-10-28T07:06:00.000-04:00

The Hamptons, and East Hampton in particular where Steve and I have our house, get a lot of play in the press for the flashy exploits of the cast of characters who make it their summer playground. Too bad the real picture isn't as well known. On the southern fork of Long Island, Southampton Town and East Hampton Town comprise 200 square miles of land surrounded by Atlantic beaches, bays, harbors, ponds and wetlands. Since the late 1600's this unique strip of land has been home to farmers, fishermen and whalers. The whalers are gone but the farming and fishing live on, as do many tracts of preserved woodlands and waterfronts. Yeah, less so than in years past, but there's still plenty of beautiful outdoors to explore year round.

Beach plum season having passed, it's time for the wild cranberry bog at Walking Dunes in Napeague. Every year this valley nestled in a series towering horse-shoe shaped dunes produces an abundance of wild cranberries. We had a lot of rain the night before, so the bog was boggy -- but no matter, gathering two quarts of ripe berries was 45 minutes of time spent with our friends Gena and Kevin.

When you take the trouble to pick your own cranberries, you really want them to shine. Cook only the briefest amount of time so the berries are intact, just burst open. And better still if not all have popped. You want this to be rustic.

The second "Wild" in the title refers to the addition of fresh jalapeno for some heat and crunch, crystalized ginger for the zing, orange rind to add its subtle flavor, and a bit of honey for a homey sweetness. All used sparingly -- the cranberries are center stage and the others are the chorus backing up the star. Continuing with this metaphor, I guess the little bit of dried cranberries included in the recipe would be the stage crew -- they're there to make sure the show runs smoothly.

Cranberry sauce can't get any more spectacular when made with berries you plucked from the wild. But this recipe does work perfectly with store-bought too.

Wild Wild Cranberries
8 c. wild cranberries, washed
1 c. sugar
1 c. water
1/4 c. honey
1/2 c. dried sweetened cranberries, chopped
1 fresh jalapeno, diced
zest of 1 large orange (the Rosle zester http://www.chefsresource.com/rosle-zester.html makes the longest, thinest shreds that cling to the berries)
1 T. finely chopped candied ginger

Bring the water, sugar and honey to a boil in a large wide skilllet, making a sweet syrup. Add the dried cranberries, jalapeno, orange zest and candied ginger. Stir so the ginger and cranberries don't stick together in clumps. Add the wild cranberries, keeping the syrup at a boil.

Almost immediately you will hear small popping sounds, the cranberries bursting open. Continue to stir gently. The goal is to cook until about half of the cranberries have broken open. Watch carefully, this only takes a few minutes (and this is why you want a skillet rather than a pot, it's easier to keep your eyes on things). Take off the heat while there're still many berrries intact. More will burst in the residual heat as the skillet cools, and as you stir a little more before serving.

Cool to room temp and serve the same day you make it (this is preferred). But you can also refrigerate or freeze until ready for unveiling. Choose your most elegant crystal bowl for presentation at table. Wild Wild Cranberries deserve nothing less.

One last thing -- while this recipe could be easily home-canned, the extra cooking it would undergo during the boiling water bath would reduce the integrity of the barely-cooked berries, so you'd end up with more pedestrian results. Freshly made is best.

Warm Salmon Salad with Crispy Scales

2009-10-25T05:58:00.009-04:00

The topping on this hot-fish-over-cool-salad is a thin crust of potato slices decoratively layered to evoke the scales of a fish. This recipe does utilize the holy trinity of the salmon...thick, flavorful fillets, the remarkably rich skin and the sparkling orange roe. BTW, salmon's unrivaled richness and versatility has earned it the nickname 'bacon of sea' in our house.

Start this show-stopper by prepping your dinner plates. Plain white or ones with simple bands around the rim work best. Boil a whole peeled carrot 'til soft but not mushy -- six to eight minutes should do it, with an immediate plunge into cold water to stop the cooking. Thinly sliced carrot circles become the playful pattern around the rim and provide a neat little moment of discovery when guests realize that they're more than the china pattern, they're part of the meal.

We didn't have anyone over last night, so this recipe serves two. But it is easily scaled up (ha ha) to serve more, just bump up the ingredients proportionately.

Warm Salmon Salad with Crispy Scales
1 carrot
1/4 stick butter
1 large Idaho potato
salt, white pepper and cracked black pepper
Two wild salmon fillets cut from the thick end, skin on, about 6 oz. each
4 oz. salmon roe
1 small head frisee
1 Belgian endive
1 small head bibb lettuce
2 scallions
1 T. capers
5 Kalamata olives, pitted
1 plum tomato or half of a larger one, seeded
1 t. whole grain mustard
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. white wine or champagne vinegar
1/4 c. of your best olive oil

Boil the carrot, slice and decorate the serving plates, set aside.

Make the scale crust: Trim the peeled potato into a cylindrical column. The smaller the diameter, the more elaborate your scale pattern can be. Slice thin thin thin on a mandolin, almost to the point of translucency but not quite -- the disks need to retain a bit of integrity to avoid fragility issues later on.

Melt the butter and brush a heavy baking sheet well. Lay down the disks shingle-style in organized rectangles sized to cover the salmon fillets. Press gently to ensure good contact on the overlaps. Butter the top of the "salmon scales", sprinkle with a pinch or two of white pepper and a bit of salt. Bake the scales in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Your scales will be appealingly browned and crunchy.

While that's going on, prepare the salad. Tear the washed and dried frisee and bibb into small pieces and toss with the endive sliced cross-wise into 1/4" pieces. Everything else going into the salad should be sliced or chopped into tiny pieces -- the white and light green of the scallions, the tomato, the olives. If the capers are tiny use as is; larger capers should be chopped. Prepare the vinaigrette: Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, mustard and olive oil with just a pinch of salt (the salmon roe is plenty salty so hold back from what you'd normally use) and a good grind of black pepper.

Score the salmon skin. Here are two cooking options to get a crispy skin: Skin-side up under a pre-heated broiler for eight minutes or so for medium-rare, depending on thickness. Alternatively, place skin down in a heavy, cold skillet on a cold stove. Turn on the stove to medium-high and cook for 10 minutes. Once they get going, cover the pan for two minutes so the top is nicely cooked also.

Meanwhile toss the lettuces and vegetable bits with the vinaigrette as soon as the salmon starts cooking so the salad has a few minutes to relax into the dressing.

Assembly is easy: on the decorated plates, heap the salad neatly within the rims. Place the hot salmon skin-side down over the salad. With a spatula transfer the scales to lay on top, then spoon blobs of roe evenly over the greens surrounding the fish.

Serve at once to enjoy the wonderful contrast of warm crunchy potato, hot crispy-skinned salmon and cool salad strewn with luxurious salmon caviar.

This has been a favorite of ours for years. I first started making it in the 80's, when potato-wrapped fish was all the rage. My initial encounter with this paring was at Jean-George Vongerichten's first Manhattan restaurant, Lafayette. He was a big deal from the very beginning, earning four stars from the Times right out of the gate. After an incredible dinner there I came up with my approximation to great success. Come to think of it, this recipe or something like it may well be in one of his cookbooks. But it worked so well from the get-go I never looked any further.

Fruits de Mer: Violets

2009-10-24T12:58:00.003-04:00

At the risk of sounding all Gwynethy/Goop about this, I do want to share an exquisite delicacy that's extremely rare -- and yet so spectacularly delicous it should get its own PR firm. I'll do my best.

You know those fabulous brasseries in Paris with all the shellfish displayed outside? And the wonderful towers of fruits de mer laden with oysters and all other manner of shellfish? Next time you find yourself in such a place, see if they have Violets ("vee-o-lay" -- but you already knew that). If you love oysters and savor the lusciousness of Uni (sea urchin roe), you'll find the Mediterranean shellfish Violet heavenly. But if you haven't yet worked your way up to Uni in the sushi spectrum, proceed with caution, they're a bit of an acquired taste. Lonely Planet describes them as "rubber dipped in ammonia". Cretins.

Roughly the size and shape of a smallish potato, the Violet's exterior is dark and leathery. Cut in half, the strong, briny, orange innards are scooped out with a special little spoon. Whether consumed in concert with the other treasures of a grand plateau or just on their own, Violets are truly sublime.

I've never seen or heard of them outside of France, and even there, not many restaurants or markets I visited had them. Many people had never even heard of them. I did a little digging and found that Violets have many aliases depending on the region, including Viourlet, Biju, Patate de mer, Figue de mer, and in Italy, limone di mare and uova di mare. They are also prized in Korea, Japan, Australia and Chile.

So if you find yourself in Paris, make sure to hit L'Atlas Brasserie:
11 rue de Buci at the corner of rue de Seine
(6th Arr., off Blvd Saint-Germain, Odeon Metro Stop)
Paris, France
01 40 51 26 30 P.S. These were the only pics of Violets I could find. If you have a better one, please share it.

The Majestic Kugelhopf Surprise

2009-10-17T12:18:00.002-04:00

"A Taste of Alsace" by Sue Style was published in 1990. Wonderful pictures of the region and conversations with the people, many intriguing recipes: rabbit terrine; ravioli of snails with poppy seeds; paupiettes of veal stuffed veal kidneys; baby asparagus mousse.

A better known regional specialty is Kugelhopf, usually a sweet yeast cake studded with raisins baked in a swirly-sided bundt pan. A folk tale traces Kugelhopf's origins back to the three Maji and is the probable link to Kugelhopf's frequent appearance at Christmas time. However the sweet cake is wonderful year-round.

Ms. Style tracked down the elusive, savory Kugelhopf au Lard, and better still, its ultimate incarnation: Kugelhopf Surprise. In the book, the recipe outlines the plan for a tower of finger sandwiches of thinly sliced ham or proscuitto. I've found that smoked salmon is a wonderful upgrade, bringing the K.S. to a whole new level. You may already have been clued in to the inherent porkiness of the bread by the "au Lard" in the title. Bacon is involved in the Kugelhopf loaf so ham or proscuitto results in a bit of a one note song. Smoked salmon delivers a brighter contrast between bread and filling while not compromising a bit of richness. I also layer in hot-house cucumber slices for a welcome, moist green crunch.

Upon presentation of an early Kugelhopf Surprise, one fellow exclaimed "Wow, that looks like something from the midnight buffet on a cruise ship!" High praise indeed and the rave reviews confirmed that this is truly worthy of the Spectacularly Delicious mantle. I just made one for a party at my friends Tom and Craig -- again, a remarkable hit, every crumb devoured. The caterers asked for the recipe. And good to know that once assembled, wrapped tightly in foil, the Kugelhopf Surprise travels well.

It's best to plan this as a two-day operation. Bake the Kugelhopf au Lard on day one, assemble and serve the next day. You'll want to be able to take your time that first day, the two risings can vary widely. Don't be a prisoner to the clock -- it's all about letting the dough grow to optimal volume. The wonderful Laurie Colwin's books taught me this -- yeast doughs operate on their own time schedules, it's best to let them be until they announce themselves ready.

Kugelhopf pans (8" diameter) are easy enough to find and the distinctive pattern they create is essential.

Kugelhopf au Lard

3 1/3 all-purpose white flour

1/4 oz. rapid rise dry yeast

1 t. salt

10 T. unsalted butter at room temperature

3 eggs

7 oz. milk (just shy of a full cup)

1/4 lb. finely diced bacon

1 small onion, finely diced

12 walnut halves to decorate the crown of the loaf

1/4 c. chopped walnuts

In your heavy duty stand mixer, using the bread hook, slowly blend together the flour, yeast and salt. In goes the butter, bash it around until evenly distributed. Mix the eggs with a fork and add them, then slowly pour in the milk. It will be soft and sticky.

Beat very thoroughly for 10 minutes. By then it should start to pull away from the sides of the bowl. If not, add small teaspoons of flour until the dough forms a ball. Cover the bowl with a dishtowel and leave to rise until it doubles in volume -- at least 1 1/2 hours, likely longer, let it really swell up.

Meanwhile over low heat in a heavy pan sweat the bacon, careful not to brown or crisp it. Remove the bacon, and in the remaining fat slowly cook the onions, 'til translucent but again, not browned.

Grease the Kugelhopf pan well, especially the central column. Pam spray works well. Place a walnut half in each of the runnels at the bottom of the pan.

Knock down the dough and again using the bread hook, work in the bacon, onions and chopped walnuts until well distributed. Turn out the dough into the Kugelhopf pan, stretching it evenly around the ring. Cover again, leave to rise again until it climbs above the rim of the pan. An hour or longer.

Bake at 400 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes, the top will be golden and the loaf will sound hollow when tapped. Turn over onto a rack, let cool a bit, then remove from the pan. Any sticking is likely to happen around the center column, use a knife to loosen and knock the sides of the pan, it will drop out. Cool thoroughly, wrap, and keep at room temp until ready for phase 2.

Creating the Kugelhopf Surprise

5 oz cream cheese with garlic and herbs, I use the Boursin brand

1 c. sour cream, creme fraiche or quark if you can find it

3 T. finely chopped capers

1 lb. thinly sliced smoked salmon -- ask for the smokiest, strongest flavor

1 hot-house/English cucumber

With a good serrated bread knife, take a thin slice off the top of the loaf, the walnut halves intact. Continue to slice the loaf thinly into 10 rings and keep track of the them from smallest (at the top) to the largest, leaving a last ring at the base. You'll end up with the decorative ring for the top, a firm ring at the bottom for the base, and 10 thin rings from the middle to make the sandwiches.

Mix the herbed cheese, the sour cream and chopped capers. Slice the cucumber on the thin blade of your food processor.

Starting with the largest sandwich ring, spread the filling on one of each pair of slices. Top with the salmon, then the cucumber slices. Use the last of bits of the filling to dot the tops of the cucumber slices so they will grip the sandwich tops. Make five sandwich rings.

Place the base on a serving plate -- you can garnish as you wish, I used watercress this time, decorative leaves are also lovely. One by one, starting with the largest, put each sandwich ring on a cutting board and slice evenly into eight or so wedges, whatever you think will be easiest to handle. Smaller sandwiches are good for finger food, make them larger if you will be serving onto plates. Transfer the sliced ring onto the base and continue slicing and stacking until you have rebuilt the Kugelhopf to its former glory. Place the nutty crown on top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

A Nice Little Tool to Have

2009-10-17T12:06:00.000-04:00

If you've ever wondered (and you may well never have) how the little cornichons served with pates in restaurants are sliced so thinly then decoratively fanned out, here's the key: a cornichon slicer. Multiple sharp blades just millimeters apart make the cuts straight and true. It's not something you'll use everyday, but when the opportunity arises, it's just the thing for that last elegant touch. It works on radishes too.

Beach Plum Jelly

2009-10-11T16:06:00.001-04:00

Wild beach plum bushes are found in the scrubby dunes around the bays out here on the East End. A little larger than a cranberry, they ripen to a reddish purple at summer's end. Our tradition is to go picking on Labor Day weekend. Once you find a nice thicket of them, it takes the two of us about an hour to collect a gallon and a half of the fruit needed for this recipe.

Wash them, picking out leaves, branches, and wizened or otherwise unappealing plums. They need to be cooked over low heat for a good long time to release the juice. I use a family-size crock pot (no snickering, it does an excellent job). I keep them on low for a good six hours. Higher heat on a stove might be faster, mashing and stirring as you go, but the crock pot is so easy.

Strain the juice from the skins and pits through a jelly bag. You'll have about 6 cups of juice. Add 7 cups of sugar, bring to full boil, add a pouch of Certo and boil good and hard for another minute. Then into sterilized jars, finish in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Plummy, tangy and sweet. Hand-picked from the wild, hand-made and home-canned. A wonderful holiday gift. Splurge on pretty labels at myownlabels.com.

Aebleskiver

2009-10-11T13:58:00.000-04:00

We love having guests out for the weekend. Steve is extrememly accomplished in the breakfast baked-goods category, thanks to those years running our B&B here in East Hampton, Georgica Bend. He hasn't written his tell-all memoir yet, though he's got the title ready: "Yesterday's Muffins."

So who doesn't love hot pancakes, or a toasty waffle, perhaps rich and eggy French toast or the elegant crepe? No one, of course, but then again, though those are scrumptious, always welcome and appreciated, when the occasion merits a little dazzle, nothing beats the Aebleskiver.

"The what?" you may ask.

Here's the story. As kids we'd go on family ski vacations, now this is really back in the day, circa 1970 or so. Unquestionably our favorite place was Aspen's Christiania Lodge. We'd pile into our cabin (there are five of us brothers) after a day on the slopes, Dad would grill steaks on the deck while we skittered down the snowy, icy path to plunge into the well-heated outdoor pool -- a miracle of modern engineering.

But oh, the breakfasts! Served family style in the main lodge. I'm sure the proprietors, a reserved Scandinavian couple, shuddered when they saw us tromping in, the guests already enjoying breakfast undoubtedly grateful for their headstarts.

We fortified ourselves for the day with yet another wonder -- a perfectly spherical pancake studded with apples. The Aebleskiver. As round as and the same size as a tennis ball. Dusted with powdered sugar, then slathered with butter and heavily dosed with syrup.

Poor Mrs. Chritiania or whatever her name might have been -- we ate until she either ran out of batter or gave in to exhaustion.

Mom bought an Aebleskiver pan there, blue enameled cast iron. Back home, once in a blue moon, perhaps Easter or some other special day, she take down the pan which was decoratively hung against the blue checked wallpaper of the kitchen, and dedicate herself to the considerable feat of an Aebleskiver breakfast. These pans make just seven Aebleskivers at a time. Mrs. Christiania no doubt had mulitples and I actually have two, sadly not the iconic blue original, another brother must have snagged that one at some point. No matter, the pans aren't hard to find.

This dish merits Spectacularly Delicious status on three key points: the need for specialized equipment, the wow factor ("How can they be so perfectly round? Have you ever seen such a thing?"), and they are truly wonderful. Round, browned and fluffy and puffy, almost souffle-like inside. Nothing quite like them that I'm aware of.

Happily, I do have a xerox of Mom's hand-copied recipe passed on from the Christiania. It's really not so hard -- just requires a little attention. Worth it!

Aebleskivers - Christiania of Aspen

2 cups buttermilk

2 cups flour

3 eggs, separated

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. baking soda

2 T. sugar

4 T. melted butter

1 Granny Smith or other tart apple, peeled, sliced into very thin wedges no more than 1/2" - 3/4" long

Vegetable oil to brush the pan.

First place the Aebleskiver pan on medium heat. Put a baking sheet in the oven at 275, this is where you'll stockpile the 'skivers until you're ready to serve.

Beat egg whites 'til stiff.

Thoroughly mix the other ingredients (except the veg oil). You want the batter to be on the thin side, so that it pours rather than drops out in blobs. If needed, add milk a little at time -- you're not going for watery. Lastly, fold in the beaten whites.

The pan should now be evenly heated. Brush each hemi-spherical indentation (from here on I'm calling these the bowls, it's just easier) with the oil, make sure to get all around the sides. Pour in 1/4 cup of batter in each, which should just come to the top of the bowl. There should be a little sizzle when the batter hits the pan.

The technique: keep your eye on the batter around the edges of the bowl. They will develop a ring of bubbles like a pancake would. When those bubbles start to break, take a skewer (the original Christiania recipe called for a knitting needle -- quaint, right?) and stick it in so it grabs the cooked side touching the pan and rotate it up 90 degrees, so you have half of the ball rising straight up from the pan. The batter inside will flow down and refill the bowl. Cook a bit more, watching the bubbles, then skewer them all the way over. You now have perfectly round balls in each bowl. For another minute or so, use the skewer to spin them around, evenly browning them and giving time to cook the centers through. Batter-in to Aebleskiver-out takes about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes, tops. Into the oven with batch number one and do it all again, making sure to oil the bowls well each time. This recipe makes 35 Aebleskivers.

Serve hot with butter and maple syrup. You needn't get any fancier than that -- blueberries will stain the exteriors of the Aebleskivers and really anything else would also detract from the admittedly odd but cute balls.

I just Googled the Christiania, evidently the place has been built up into luxury condos. Though the original has given way to the inevitable march of progress, the small yet mighty Aebleskiver lives on.

Remnants to Rapture: Crepes a la Orange

2009-10-10T04:53:00.000-04:00

I didn't set out to make a tried and true recipe last night, what happened is just a reminder that sometimes the makings of a spectacular dessert can be rustled up with a search through the freezer and pantry.

When Mom was here this summer, she whipped up a wonderful breakfast of crepes. Our good French crepe pan provided even browning and uniformity in size -- a little harder to accomplish with a regular skillet. Leftovers tightly wrapped and stored in the freezer.

In high school, I worked at The Magic Pan -- anyone remember it? My title was "Crepe Assembler." A cute girl in a dirndle was positioned in the dining room in the center of this large carousel of crepe pans. She'd batter up each pan, they'd ride around the cooking track encircling her, upon return she'd stack 'em up and pass through a tile-framed window into our assembly kitchen. Important lesson learned: crepes are surprisingly durable and stack and store easily. Anyway, one assembly line was the savories: spinach souffle, beef bourginon, Seafood St. Jacques (shrimp, real crab and scallops). The other line was the sweets: ripe peeled peaches soaking in ginger ale (don't judge, it's a neat trick), strawberries macerated in brown sugar, ice cream with freshly made chocolate fudge, chocolate mint and mocha sauce. The rolled savories were dressed with a band of sauce or cheese, the sweet crepes topped with the sweet sauces (save the fruit crepes, which were dressed with freshly whipped cream post-browning), savories and sweets alike into the hot salamander to finish. Then crepes back through the window and delivered with edges crisped, sauces bubbling.

So back to last night: crepes resuscitated from the freezer, folded into triangles then browned in butter. Home-canned orange conserve (marmalade style, candied rinds in thick sweet orange sauce) poured over, everything brought up to a good simmer. A final flambe with Hennesey: 1/4 C. heated in microwave for 20 seconds first, carefully ignited, gently poured into pan, flames admired 'til they died down, then spooned it all onto pretty dessert plates. A final dollop of whipped cream would have been very Magic Pan, but alas no cream on hand. No matter: quick, simple, unexpected, unique, the drama of the flambe -- spectacularly delicious.

If there's a moral to this story, it's crepes in the freezer are a good insurance policy; home-canned sauces save the day time and again; flambe is easy and always a crowd pleaser, and improvisation needn't equal compromise.

Melon - Peach - Pignoli Jam

2009-10-07T06:41:00.000-04:00

If you're going to take on home canning as a hobby, which I strongly encourage, the key is to ferret out or develop unique recipes, interesting combinations. Yes farmstand fresh strawberry jam has timeless appeal, but something like this -- a melon and pine nut jam -- isn't something you'll find in stores and is a very luscious combination.

Perhaps it would be logical to go about this in a more organized fashion, collecting all my interesting jelly, jam, pickle, relish and mustard recipes in a group. However, melons are in their last flush of the season and getting this jam into the jar is too important. Made a great batch this weekend. Original recipe is from a British book "Clearly Delicious" -- I've substituted pignoli instead of the original call for slivered almonds. Toasted lightly, they add deeper, more distinct nuttiness. And the Brit version says to go it alone without commercial pectin, which gives looser, more liquid results than I like, so I add in a pouch of Certo to thicken things up.

Keep in mind that home canning sugar- or acid-heavy fruits and vegs doesn't come close to the perils of processing meats, fish, low-acid produce. That's pressure canner stuff. Easily sterilized jars (boiling water or sani-cycle in the dishwasher or hand wash then dry in a 250 degree oven) and lids (just simmer in a pan) and a quick 10 minute boiling water bath when the jars are filled is so easy. Takes more thought to write it out than to actually do it.

A really good, large copper confiture pan produces excellent results for fruit preserves. Obvs copper isn't good for high acid concoctions, you'll want enameled cast iron for that.

Melon - Peach - Pignoli Jam.

2 lbs. fresh, peeled, roughly chopped peaches
2 lbs. really ripe cantalope, chopped into 1/2 - 1 inch pieces (they kind of break down in the cooking)

Cover in a non-reactive bowl with 7 cups of sugar, let stand overnight.

Bring all to a nice hard boil for 20 minutes. Add a pinch of ground ginger and 3 T. lemon juice. Stir to keep from scorching. After 20 minutes, things should be pretty syrupy. Add one pouch of Certo and keep it at a full on boil for another minute. Remove pan from heat, skim off any foam that might have developed.

Stir in 1 cup lightly toasted pine nuts.

Ladle into 10 sterilized 8 oz. jelly jars, seal and process.

If the pine nuts aren't evenly distributed when you take them from the water bath, let them sit til you hear to pop of the top as the jars cool (which means the seal has set), then turn the jars over for 5 - 10 minutes and the nuts will migrate up through the jars so that when you turn them right side up again, and the jam has thickened more, the nuts will float throughout the jam.

A Word About Roast Chicken

2009-10-04T07:23:00.000-04:00

The world is certainly not lacking for roast chicken recipes. Whatever the herbs and spices, rubs with lemon juice, olive oil and/or butter, we've found unparalled results with the vertical roaster. Crisp crisp skin all the way around, top to bottom. Roasts evenly. Try it!

Black Paella, a.k.a. Paella Negra

2009-10-04T05:47:00.000-04:00

I've always had a weakness for foods and recipes that have proper names: Bouillabasse, Croquembouche, Ropa Vieja, Kugelhopf Surprise, Oysters Rockefeller, Aebleschivers... recipes for which will be coming as we move forward. Last night was the night for Paella -- more specifically Black Paella, or Paella Negra if you're inclined to use the Spanish name. An early issue of the fabulous Saveur magazine first introduced me to this dish (alas, my copy of that issue is long gone and their website doesn't have their version posted).

A true Paella pan is necessary, and authentic, imported Spanish Paella rice is non-negotiable for this dish. A popular brand is Bomba. Paella rice, shortgrained and round, has been developed for maximum absorbency, while still maintaining individual integrity of the grains. Arborio rice is not suitable, as that variety lends itself to creamy smoothness and Paella calls for plump, individual grains. Paella Rice is much more absorbent than other rice; in fact, the ratio of rice to broth is 1 - 4, versus the 1-2 formula for our standard American long grain rice, or the 1 -3 used to produce a creamy risotto.

So, Black Paella. The secret is squid ink. If you're lucky enough to find whole, uncleaned squid to harvest your ink sacks fresh, more power to you. Nowadays squid is sold already cleaned, tentacles separated from the bodies, skins removed, heads, beaks, quills and ink sacks discarded. Luckily it's not to hard to find packets of squid ink, which work just fine.

This is a high drama dish -- black rice studded with rings of squid, surrounded by a circle of shiny black mussels. Taken to the table in the Paella pan it's been cooked in, I bet no one's seen anything quite like it, and it is really, really delicious. Black and briny, evoking the depths of the mysterious deep sea. This recipe serves four.

BLACK PAELLA - serves 4

- 1 lb cleaned squid. Cut the tentacle rings in half (four little legs per piece) and slice the body into rings

- 2 dozen scrubbed mussels

- 6 T. olive oil

- 1 shallot chopped fine

- 1 medium onion chopped fine

- 4 cloves garlic chopped fine

- 1/2 t. hot pepper flakes

- 2 large tomatoes, pulp only. (Cut tomato in half around the equator. squeeze out seeds. Rub the halves through a box grater, down to the skin, which will protect your hand from getting scraped. The result will be perfectly smooth, seedless and skinless thick fresh pulp. My beefsteaks yielded 2 cups of pulp.)

- 1 cup Spanish Paella rice

- 2 packets squid ink (4 grams each)

- 4 cups broth: 2 c. bottled clam juice, 2 c. chicken stock

- .5 gram saffron

- 2 T. chopped parsley

- saffron sea salt if you have it

Preheat oven to 425. In a sauce pan combine the clam juice, chicken stock and saffron, bring to a very low simmer, covered, and keep it at that temperature. The saffron will color and flavor the broth. Watch that it doesn't come to a full out boil.

Place the Paella pan over medium heat, slick it with the oil and saute the shallots, onion, garlic. Slowly, not too hot, don't brown, go for that translucent look. Give it a little salt and pepper, easy on the salt, since there's more saltiness to come. Takes about 10-12 minutes.

Add red pepper flakes, heat them up, then add the rice and stir around so it's coated with the oil and other stuff in the pan. Again, careful not to brown the rice. Add the squid and the tomato pulp. Cook and stir for 5 minutes, it will cook down a little, but don't worry that the tomato will not be completely absorbed.

Stir in the squid ink and evenly distribute. It's fun to see this thick black paste spread thoughout the pan. Keep stirring.

Increase heat to medium high. Add 2 cups of hot broth, stirring risotto style, until most of the liquid is absorbed by the rice.

Add the remaining 2 cups of broth, or as much as will fit into the pan. Ring the pan with the mussels. Into the hot oven, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Out of the oven and cover with foil for 10 minutes to rest. Sprinkle with a little chopped parsley, and if you have saffron sea salt, a pinch or two of those course grains as well. It's served warm from its little bit of resting time, not steaming hot.

Spectacular and very delicous -- perfect!

Note: An extra level of excess would be dollops of orange flying fish roe (Tobiko), when you want to go over the top. Worry not, the straight forward Black Paella with a sprinkling of parsley is bold and beautiful as is.

Spectacularly Delicious

2009-09-29T16:49:00.000-04:00

The mission of this blog is to share my life long collection of show-stopping recipes and culinary presentations that will amaze and astound. This is not for the novice nor the faint of heart; you're going to have to know your way around the kitchen pretty well to pull off many of these triumphs. If you relish the idea of bringing to the table a beautiful and unique masterpiece, with looks bested only by the taste, you will find inspiration and instruction here.

Only a few of these recipes are wholly original creations. For the most part, I've combed countless cookbooks, magazines, and newspapers; taken notes and ideas from restaurants far and wide; been inspired by some of NYC's best caterers, and asked friends and family for their winning concoctions. Every effort will be made to disclose the original source, and elaborations and variations I've added will be clearly indicated.

As I want to include photographs of the dishes, this will have to proceed at a measured pace.

And as for the title, Spectacularly Delicious, well I'd hoped to use Spectacular Spectacular but it seems that title has already been spoken for. So, Spectaculary Delicious it is.

I look forward to sharing with you soon.