Shipping is a terrible thing to do to vegetables. They probably get jet-lagged, just like people.
~Elizabeth Berry
There is no love sincerer than the love of food.
~George Bernard Shaw
He who distinguishes the true savor of his food can never be a glutton; he who does not cannot be otherwise.
~Henry David Thoreau
Did you ever stop to taste a carrot? Not just eat it, but taste it? You can't taste the beauty and energy of the earth in a Twinkie.
~Astrid Alauda
After dinner sit a while, and after supper walk a mile.
~English Saying
Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.
~Mark Twain
There is nothing better on a cold wintry day than a properly made pot pie.
~Craig Claiborne
Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.
~Julia Child
"You find yourself refreshed by the presence of cheerful people. Why not make an honest effort to confer that pleasure on others? Half the battle is gained if you never allow yourself to say anything gloomy."
~Julia Child
(OK, so this is not really about food. But it's *Julia* and we *love* her.)
Fervet olla, vivit amicitia: While the pot boils, friendship endures. (Meaning the man who gives good dinners has plenty of friends).
~Latin Proverb
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Ice Cream Cake (the princess goat)
My son really wanted a "princess cake" for his "goat themed" birthday party. Why he'd want either a princess cake or a goat themed party is another story for another day. This is about the cake.
Putting the ice cream on the bottom layer
Smoothing the sides
The princess goat
A slice of ice cream cake.
Putting the ice cream on the bottom layer
Smoothing the sides
The princess goat
A slice of ice cream cake.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Yellow Gazpacho
Soup:
1-1/2 c chopped yellow heirloom tomatoes (only the best, ripest, sweetest ones!)
3/4 c chopped yellow bell peppers
1/2 c chopped yellow onion
1 c chopped English cucumbers (peeled and seeded)
1/2 c french bread (white part only) cut into small pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 t ground cumin
4 T white wine vinegar
1 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1 sprig of fresh thyme
Salt and Pepper
Garnish:
1/4 c chardonnay (frozen)
2 t red tomato, seeded and cut into brunoise
1t chives, finely minced
1/2 t jalapeno, seeded and cut into brunoise
Hawaiian alaea sea salt
1. Pour chardonnay into a bowl and place in the freezer to make ice.
2. Place all soup ingredients except thyme, salt, and pepper into a food processer and blend until liquified. Pour mixture into a non-reactive bowl, add thyme, then salt and pepper(You'll want to undersalt it a little because you'll be garnishing with sea salt later. If you skip the sea salt, then season to taste).
3. Cover and place in refrigerator for a few hours or until cold.
4. While the mixture is cooling and macerating, prepare garnish by chopping tomato, jalapeno, and chives and mixing them together.
5. When ready to serve, force mixture through a fine-meshed seive
6. Garnish with 1t chardonnay ice, 1/8 t Alaea pink sea salt, and 1 t of the brunoise "salsa." Serve cold.
Makes four 1/2 cup servings
1-1/2 c chopped yellow heirloom tomatoes (only the best, ripest, sweetest ones!)
3/4 c chopped yellow bell peppers
1/2 c chopped yellow onion
1 c chopped English cucumbers (peeled and seeded)
1/2 c french bread (white part only) cut into small pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 t ground cumin
4 T white wine vinegar
1 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1 sprig of fresh thyme
Salt and Pepper
Garnish:
1/4 c chardonnay (frozen)
2 t red tomato, seeded and cut into brunoise
1t chives, finely minced
1/2 t jalapeno, seeded and cut into brunoise
Hawaiian alaea sea salt
1. Pour chardonnay into a bowl and place in the freezer to make ice.
2. Place all soup ingredients except thyme, salt, and pepper into a food processer and blend until liquified. Pour mixture into a non-reactive bowl, add thyme, then salt and pepper(You'll want to undersalt it a little because you'll be garnishing with sea salt later. If you skip the sea salt, then season to taste).
3. Cover and place in refrigerator for a few hours or until cold.
4. While the mixture is cooling and macerating, prepare garnish by chopping tomato, jalapeno, and chives and mixing them together.
5. When ready to serve, force mixture through a fine-meshed seive
6. Garnish with 1t chardonnay ice, 1/8 t Alaea pink sea salt, and 1 t of the brunoise "salsa." Serve cold.
Makes four 1/2 cup servings
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Apricot Orange Scones
My friend Darren really loves the scones I make. They are basically the classic, super-simple recipe from the Joy of Cooking. He came over and I taught him how to make them.
Darren making scones
Apricot Orange Scones
2c AP Flour
1/3c sugar
1T baking powder
1/2t salt
6 T (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 c dried Turkish Apricots, cut into raisin-sized pieces
1 egg
1/2 + 3T heavy cream
1t orange zest
3T cinnamon sugar (mix cinnamon and sugar together to your own taste. My ratio is usually around 1:4 cinnamon: sugar)
Preheat oven to 425F
Place dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor
Drop the cold butter in and pulse until mixture resembles brown sugar or bread crumbs. Do not over mix!
Add wet ingredients, apricots, and orange zest all at once (except that extra 3T of cream - reserve that for later) and pulse until dry ingredients are just moistened. Again, do not over mix!
Dump mixture into large metal bowl and knead a few times to incorporate all the crumbs together and form a nice ball of dough.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured surface and pat into a disc about 8" wide and 3/4" thick. Cut into 8 or 12 wedges and place about 1/2" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Brush the tops with the reserved 3T of cream and dust with cinnamon sugar.
Bake 12-15 minutes or until tops are golden brown.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Cabernet Spice Rub
I have been messing around trying to make some spice rubs and chocolates to go with specific varietals so that the company my husband works for can include them with larger wine orders. It's too hot to deal with chocolate today, so I gave a spice rub a try.
I decided to focus on the smoky, leathery, spicy flavors you find in a Cab and to let the Cab itself take care of the fruit part.
CABERNET SPICE RUB
2T Roasted Chili Powder
2T Smoked Sea Salt
1T Freshly cracked Black Pepper
2T Freshly ground, toasted Fennel Seed
2t Freeze-Dried Roasted Garlic, ground
1T Toasted, minced Dried Onion, ground
5pc Freeze-Dried Tomato, Frozen again, then ground in the spice grinder
1T Bamboo-Smoked Black Sesame Seeds, ground
I rubbed 1T olive oil over a tri-tip, then rubbed the spices over the entire surface. I put it on a broiling rack in a 375F oven until the meat reached 125F, around 20 minutes. I rested it for 10 minutes, then sliced it.
I decided to focus on the smoky, leathery, spicy flavors you find in a Cab and to let the Cab itself take care of the fruit part.
CABERNET SPICE RUB
2T Roasted Chili Powder
2T Smoked Sea Salt
1T Freshly cracked Black Pepper
2T Freshly ground, toasted Fennel Seed
2t Freeze-Dried Roasted Garlic, ground
1T Toasted, minced Dried Onion, ground
5pc Freeze-Dried Tomato, Frozen again, then ground in the spice grinder
1T Bamboo-Smoked Black Sesame Seeds, ground
I rubbed 1T olive oil over a tri-tip, then rubbed the spices over the entire surface. I put it on a broiling rack in a 375F oven until the meat reached 125F, around 20 minutes. I rested it for 10 minutes, then sliced it.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Hi-Hats!
Previously, I promised I'd figure out how to fix the broken hi-hat recipe that is all over the internet. Tonight, I came much further toward accomplishing my goal. I was able to fix two of the three fundamental problems and came up with some creative improvements to implement on my next attempt.
The first problem with the recipe was that the marshmallow filling turns out gritty. The recipe requires that you put a ridiculous amount of sugar into three egg whites and a scant 1/4c of water and whip them continuously over a rolling double boiler until the mixture achieves 160F. The issue seems to be that it is impossible to get to 160F, so the sugar never melts, resulting in a gritty, heavy, sticky, nasty, mess.
My solution was to take the sugar and water and create a simple syrup which I then incorporated into the partially whipped whites prior to putting them over the double boiler. I never got to 160F, but my filling was perfect.
The second issue with the recipe is that the chocolate glaze is too thick and melts the marshmallow topping and often pulls it right off the cupcake.
This one was more of a challenge and I lost a few cupcakes to trial and error. First, you need to have very cold cupcakes. I cooled mine in the refrigerator, but I think they were still not quite cold enough. In the future, I may try partially freezing a batch in the freezer prior to dipping in the chocolate glaze. Secondly, the glaze is too thick and heavy for the delicate marshmallow filling. My solution was to increase the ratio of oil to chips until I acheived the desired consistency. The third issue seems to be the method of dipping. I found I was more successful tilting the cupcakes over the glaze bowl and pouring the glaze over with a spoon than dipping them into the glaze head-first.
Additionally, I don't know that I need to mention this, but you can make pretty much any chocolate cupcake recipe you like. The original recipe has you making a sour cream cake, which would be a nice foil to the intense sweetness of the topping, but tonight I made the classic Hershey's recipe and it was just fine.
Here are the cupcakes, waiting for the goods:
The topping:
The glazing process:
Freshly glazed and into the fridge:
Cooled and complete, they look like this:
HI-HATS:
12 chocolate cupcakes, unfrosted (use your favorite recipe)
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups chopped (about 12 ounces) semisweet chocolate
4 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
PREPARE FILLING:
Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is incorporated, then leave on the heat until the sugar is melted and the mixture is transparent.
In a large heatproof bowl, combine egg whites and cream of tartar. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat on high speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Continue beating and pour the sugar mixture into the egg whites 1/8c at a time until completely incorporated. Set bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Beat on high speed until frosting forms stiff peaks, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and almond extracts, and beat for 2 minutes more.
Transfer frosting to a large disposable pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain pastry tip. Leaving a 1/8-inch border on each cupcake, pipe a spiral of frosting into a 2-inch-high cone shape, using about 1/2 cup of frosting per cupcake. Transfer cupcakes to a baking sheet, and refrigerate while preparing the chocolate coating (or longer, if needed).
PREPARE CHOCOLATE COATING:
Combine chocolate chips and oil in a medium heat-proof bowl and microwave until until melted and smooth, stopping every 30 seconds to stir. Do not overheat. Transfer to a small bowl, and let cool about 15 minutes. If the glaze is too thick, add more vegetable oil, 1T at a time until the appropriate consistency is obtained.
GLAZE THE CUPCAKES
Remove cooled cupcakes from refrigerator and one at a time and while holding them at an angle over the glaze bowl, carfully spoon the glaze over the topping, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Do this until the entire marshmallow topping is coated. Place the glazed cupcakes on a sheet pan in the refrigerator to cool and harden.
The first problem with the recipe was that the marshmallow filling turns out gritty. The recipe requires that you put a ridiculous amount of sugar into three egg whites and a scant 1/4c of water and whip them continuously over a rolling double boiler until the mixture achieves 160F. The issue seems to be that it is impossible to get to 160F, so the sugar never melts, resulting in a gritty, heavy, sticky, nasty, mess.
My solution was to take the sugar and water and create a simple syrup which I then incorporated into the partially whipped whites prior to putting them over the double boiler. I never got to 160F, but my filling was perfect.
The second issue with the recipe is that the chocolate glaze is too thick and melts the marshmallow topping and often pulls it right off the cupcake.
This one was more of a challenge and I lost a few cupcakes to trial and error. First, you need to have very cold cupcakes. I cooled mine in the refrigerator, but I think they were still not quite cold enough. In the future, I may try partially freezing a batch in the freezer prior to dipping in the chocolate glaze. Secondly, the glaze is too thick and heavy for the delicate marshmallow filling. My solution was to increase the ratio of oil to chips until I acheived the desired consistency. The third issue seems to be the method of dipping. I found I was more successful tilting the cupcakes over the glaze bowl and pouring the glaze over with a spoon than dipping them into the glaze head-first.
Additionally, I don't know that I need to mention this, but you can make pretty much any chocolate cupcake recipe you like. The original recipe has you making a sour cream cake, which would be a nice foil to the intense sweetness of the topping, but tonight I made the classic Hershey's recipe and it was just fine.
Here are the cupcakes, waiting for the goods:
The topping:
The glazing process:
Freshly glazed and into the fridge:
Cooled and complete, they look like this:
HI-HATS:
12 chocolate cupcakes, unfrosted (use your favorite recipe)
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups chopped (about 12 ounces) semisweet chocolate
4 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
PREPARE FILLING:
Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is incorporated, then leave on the heat until the sugar is melted and the mixture is transparent.
In a large heatproof bowl, combine egg whites and cream of tartar. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat on high speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Continue beating and pour the sugar mixture into the egg whites 1/8c at a time until completely incorporated. Set bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Beat on high speed until frosting forms stiff peaks, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and almond extracts, and beat for 2 minutes more.
Transfer frosting to a large disposable pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain pastry tip. Leaving a 1/8-inch border on each cupcake, pipe a spiral of frosting into a 2-inch-high cone shape, using about 1/2 cup of frosting per cupcake. Transfer cupcakes to a baking sheet, and refrigerate while preparing the chocolate coating (or longer, if needed).
PREPARE CHOCOLATE COATING:
Combine chocolate chips and oil in a medium heat-proof bowl and microwave until until melted and smooth, stopping every 30 seconds to stir. Do not overheat. Transfer to a small bowl, and let cool about 15 minutes. If the glaze is too thick, add more vegetable oil, 1T at a time until the appropriate consistency is obtained.
GLAZE THE CUPCAKES
Remove cooled cupcakes from refrigerator and one at a time and while holding them at an angle over the glaze bowl, carfully spoon the glaze over the topping, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Do this until the entire marshmallow topping is coated. Place the glazed cupcakes on a sheet pan in the refrigerator to cool and harden.
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