LEMON.ZEST

Jumping to Posterous

2010-06-29T10:18:00.000-07:00

Many exciting things have happened since I last wrote to you, the biggest of which is my soon-to-be-open restaurant, Gymnopedie. I'm continuing the recipe-sharing format on the restaurant site, and I invite you to join me over there: gymnopedie.posterous.com.

Hope to see you soon.
xx
LZ

Chevre Cream with Honey Gelee

2008-12-17T12:33:00.000-08:00

This experimentation originated with the Ile de France recipe competition. I wanted something that could end a meal in a novel manner and would satisfy both a cheese-lover and a dessert-lover at the same time.

The outcome was a gently sweetened chevre cream, matched to a honey gelee. It's the kind of make-ahead dish I've come to appreciate when I'm preparing a dinner party for friends. The gelee and the chevre cream will keep separately for several days in the fridge, which means you can get dessert ready well in advance of your other courses. It gives me great peace of mind to know one course can be ready for the table within a few minutes of assembly.

There is also something playful about offering a jelly as the end of the meal. As a child, I thought jelly was a wonderful substance. I still do, but I prefer more subtle versions these days, with more variety in the flavoring elements. Think coconut milk or Earl Grey tea or gin and tonic gelees....

Extra experimentation is up to you.

Chevre Cream with Honey Gelee
(8 diminutive portions)

1 1/2 tsp. (1 envelope) unflavored gelatin
2/3 cup honey
4 c plain greek yogurt
3 oz fresh goat cheese (chevre), at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
cinnamon, for serving

Put the gelatin in a small saucepan and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of water over it. Let this sit for 5 minutes, to soften the gelatin. Add honey and 1/3 cup the water. Bring this all to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat and stir until the gelatin dissolves and the honey is amalgamated.

Pour this mixture into an 8" square baking pan and chill until set. About 2-3 hours. Meanwhile, you'll want to strain the yogurt if what you have isn't already thickened to the consistency of heavily whipped cream. You can omit this step if you're using Greek yogurt.

Combine the chevre, yogurt and sugar in a small bowl, and set aside until ready for serving. Bring to room temperature if you're planning to store this in the fridge for any period of time.

To serve, use a sharp knife to cut the gelee into 1" diamonds or squares (or stars, if you're feeling artistic). Dollop some chevre on the center of each plate, top with one or two pieces of the gelee, and dust with cinnamon.

Down Time

2008-11-24T13:15:00.000-08:00

Lemon.Zest will be on break for a while. Please continue to enjoy the recipes here, and feel free to comment or add suggestions. I appreciate the feedback and encouragement you have given me.

Sincerely,
DB

Soup for Wintery Contemplations (Pea Soup)

2008-11-20T10:22:00.000-08:00

My life has undergone some big changes recently. In reaction to this, I found myself pouring through my recipe file to rediscover the lost loves of cooking. Here were the recipes that used to appear at the table on a regular basis. The salads, soups, tapas and little bites of many yesterdays past. That night I found the recipe card for my beloved Pea Soup, wrote myself a grocery list, and planned a return to form.

If you've not had a split pea soup before, I can hardly pitch it to you on the idea of nostalgia. Instead, I offer it to you as a simple recipe that uses many ingredients common to other soups (so you can make several soups from the groceries you'll buy for this one). What I loved about this soup in the first place was its homeliness. As Nigella Lawson once wrote,

"We need to make the most of what warmth is offered, and much of the time this needs to emanate from the kitchen rather than from the skies outside."

Soup-making is a direct expression of this. It's a way to bring the warmth of August into the frail days of November, and, for me, it's a way to bring the consistency of the past into the uncertainty of the present.

Pea soup
(makes 4 servings)

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 leek, sliced
1 sprig thyme
4 cups water
2 cupsl vegetable stock
1 cup (350 g) split peas, soaked for 1 hour and drained

To serve:
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
pesto

Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan. Add the onion and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add celery, carrot, leek and thyme and cook until softened. Add the water, stock and peas to the pan and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until peas are soft.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in warm bowls, with a dollop of pesto in the middle. Add a crisp green salad and some crusty bread to round out the meal.

Seven Onion Soup

2008-11-18T10:06:00.000-08:00

Image: www.smh.com.au

I've always loved onion soup. The kind where you cook alliums down into a melted tangle, add some broth, and simmer away for another hour. It's one that always takes time, and demands that one slow down his/her day. You can always get other things done: sit and read while periodically stirring and checking the soup's progress. This recipe allows for plenty of multitasking, but it's not something you can abandon for an hour while you race around town. No, this one wants you to be near it.

And you'll be inclined to stay near it if, like it is for me, the kitchen is the warmest part of the house. Half the joy of making soup is the heat thrown out into the room while it cooks. It's nice to hover nearby and potter around in the warmth. Toast some bread while the soup is in its final stages.

Seven Onion Soup

1/8 cup butter
1 white onions, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 leeks, chopped
3 shallots, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
2 tbsp. minced fresh garlic
1 cup ale/stout/porter/red wine or brandy
2 cups vegetable/beef broth
1/2 Tbsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander
Day-old bread, sliced and toasted lightly
Shredded cheese (eg. gruyere or parmesan or fontina)

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onions and garlic, and saute over very low heat until lightly browned. Stir every 10 minutes or so, to make sure the onions don't stick to the pan. Stir in the wine or beer. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 40 minutes. Add the chives, broth, salt, thyme, cumin, and coriander. Simmer for about 5 minutes more or until onions are tender.

Meanwhile preheat the broiler. Grill the cheese on slices of the day old bread. Pour the soup into bowls, and garnish each serving with the cheese-on-toast.

Oven Roasted Tomatoes

2008-10-16T09:53:00.000-07:00

Oven Roasted Tomatoes
(makes 12 pieces)

6 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
salt and pepper
1 tbsp chopped rosemary or 1 sprig of thyme (optional)

Preheat the oven to 250 F. Put the tomatoes cut side up on a baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped rosemary or thyme sprigs, if using. Bake for about 6 hours, patience permitting. Let cool and store in an airtight container.

Image from www.channel4.com

Tomato Watermelon Salad

2008-10-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

Today was very wet. The rains hammered down, acorns bounced off my tin roof, and the winds rattled the windows. C and I pulled the blinds, poured a drink, and made this dinner to share.

This recipe is one to inspire, rather than strictly adhere to. One that you can prepare at a relaxed pace, and, even then, you'll have dinner ready in 10 minutes.

We chopped up some juicy watermelon, a few locally-grown tomatoes, and sprinkled over some Ile de France chevre, a chiffonade of basil, and a pinch of salt. The simplicity of beautiful ingredients made this one for the permanent rotation of dinner salads. Each bite was salty-sweet and clean. A soothing end to the day.

Tomato Watermelon Salad
(makes enough for two)

1 1/2 cups watermelon cubes (can be red or yellow watermelon)
1 cup tomato wedges
pinch of salt
1 - 2 oz. chevre, crumbled
2 basil leaves, sliced thinly or torn

Combine all ingredients in a pretty salad bowl. Serve at room temperature.

Autumn Vegetable Salad with Frico

2008-09-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

If you are scaling up the recipe, add other vegetables like Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips, mushrooms, and anything else you discover at the market that week.

Autumn Vegetable Salad with Frico
(Serves 2)

¼ pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes
4 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
drizzle of olive oil
6-8 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 raddichio, leaves separated and torn smaller
1 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 475 F. Toss the butternut cubes and chopped sage with some oil and a pinch of salt. Roast until light golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside in a medium-sized bowl to cool.

Meanwhile, make the frico by placing 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese in a mound on a nonstick frying pan. Cook on med-high heat until the cheese is melted and begins to brown. Carefully remove the cheese with a spatula and shape as desired. Draping over the side of a wooden spoon gives you a half-moon shape.

Add olive oil, sherry vinegar, salt and pepper to the raddichio and toss gently to coat well. Divide the mixture evenly among the dinner plates, first with the roasted squash, then a mound of raddichio and top each with a frico.

Portuguese Custard Tarts

2008-09-12T16:24:00.000-07:00

Little Portuguese Tarts, crispy on the outside with an unctuous custard interior. They fall somewhere on the spectrum between creme brulee and buttermilk pie. I make the pastry crust with the best butter I can find, and it pays off. The dough handles well and combines with the flour easily.

The flour, milk and eggs were all from local suppliers. With two thumbs up by my chief taster, C. and two more thumbs up from me, it makes me wonder if we could have lasted through the Local Lent experiment, had I been making lots of these. A honey sweetened version, although not the same, is probably pretty good.

Portugese Custard Tarts
(makes 3)

Pastry (1 cup flour, 2 Tbsp. butter, ice water)
3 yolks
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 cup of heavy cream and milk (a 2:1 ratio is good)

Heat some water in a saucepan. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the yolks with the sugar and cornflour. Gradually whisk in the cream and milk until smooth. Place the bowl over the warm water and cook, stirring until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Cool custard.

Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C).

Grease your ramekins/tins/etc. Roll out the pastry to 1/8" thickness and cut pieces to fit the shape of your ramekins and arrange pastry accordingly. Spoon the cooled custard into the pastry cases and bake for 20-25 minutes. You want a deep golden appearance on the puffed up sections of custard.

Serve with a minuscule dusting of cinnamon.

Tomato Salad with Pomegranate and Preserved Lemon

2008-09-10T15:43:00.000-07:00

This week saw the start of cooler air, and, with it, the first of the yellowed leaves began falling from the trees. Local tomato plants are still flourishing with the last rounds of juicy fruit. With much delight, a few of these showed up beauties appeared at work, courtesy of a co-worker-turned-farmer.

We sat down to a bowl of this salad for dinner. It was perfect at the end of a long day, with preserved lemon and pomegranate seeds punctuating the sweet tomatoes.

I made this salad again later in the week for my lunch, using a yellow tomato variation and changing the cut of the preserved lemon (minced it the first time; sliced it thinly the second time). It was one of those dishes where you nod your head silently, in appreciation of the good food you have.

Tomato Salad with Pomegranate and Preserved Lemon
(Makes enough for 2 as a main)

1-2 vine-ripened, tomatoes, roughly chopped
seeds of one pomegranate
1 tsp of preserved lemon, thinly sliced (subst: lemon zest)
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup parsley, roughly chopped
olive oil

Combine all in a bowl and toss gently.

Radicchio and Artichoke Salad with Green Olives

2008-09-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

With some careful foraging at the local store I ended up with a lovely combination of green items for this salad. But it's not a green salad in the usual sense, since the radicchio is in fact a kind of purplish-red. Rather, this is a purple salad with green toppings. On a warm, autumnal evening, this makes a satisfying light meal if served with some crusty bread.

I often have some seeds and nuts on hand for making granola or toasting and stirring through yogurt. Tonight's salad had a mixture of toasted fennel seed and toasted pumpkin seed atop it, which proved to be a very pleasant addition. Honey was added to the dressing in small quantities to lighten the bitterness of the radicchio leaves, which I had already soaked in ice water for the same reason.

Radicchio and Artichoke Salad with Green Olives
(serves 2 as a light supper)

1/4 small radicchio, shredded and soaked in an ice bath for 20 minutes
2 Tbsp. pumpkin seeds
1 Tbsp. fennel seeds
olive oil
honey
squeeze of lemon juice
salt
2 oil-packed artichoke hearts, sliced
1/3 cup pitted green olives

While your radicchio is soaking, heat a small non-stick skillet over high heat and toast the fennel seeds for a minute, until aromatic. Put the seeds onto a plate (aside) and toast the pumpkin seeds for a few minutes until they start to pop and puff out. Shake the pan regularly to help the seeds heat evenly. Add the seeds to the same plate and set aside.

Whisk together the oil, honey, and lemon juice with a pinch of salt. Drain the radicchio and shake it dry. Put the leaves in your serving bowl and add the artichoke hearts and olives. Drizzle the dressing over and toss gently. Add the toasted seeds over the top of the salad right before serving.

Haricot Vert, Cucumber, Peach and Basil Tapa

2008-08-25T05:19:00.000-07:00

Haricot verts don't show up in Athens, GA very often. When they do, it's a wonderful thing. I usually purchase enough for several meals of green beans. I love the crunch and sweetness of a well-blanched bean, using them mostly in fresh salads.

What a delight to add other seasonal items like basil and peach (both of which were very local), and bundle it together with some cucumber and prosciutto. This makes a great first course. I could see this working well for a large party, whereby one would roll many of these ahead of time and stash away until the guests arrive. A vegetarian version could be done with a strip of blanched napa cabbage, cut to wrap around the ingredients.

HV, C, P, and B Tapa
(makes 6 mini rolls)

12 haricot verts, blanched, cooled, patted dry
1/2 cucumber, seeded, peeled and julienned
1 peach, pitted and cut into slivers/thin wedges
3 basil leaves, halved lengthwise
2 slices prosciutto, cut into thirds lenghtwise

Once all the above preparations are complete - the beloved mis en place - it's just a matter of assembly. Across a strip of prosciutto, lie two blanched haricot verts, a few slices of cucumber, one piece of peach and half a basil leaf. Roll the prosciutto around the diameter of the bundle, and place on a plate with the seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

This can be made ahead and kept in the fridge, if needed.

Apple, Beet Stem, and Ginger Amuse Bouche

2008-08-16T05:17:00.000-07:00

In my determination to use all good parts of a vegetable, this dish came into fruition. We used local apples, some blanched beet stems, and a little bit of pickled ginger. What works for me here is the contrast between tart and sweet, crunchy and soft; dark and light.

I see this as a first course, and, hence, the presentation in the photo. But it could easily transition into a rustic chopped salad, perhaps with the apple being cut into slivers and the ginger being left in shreds. The beet stems could punctuate the pale dish as bright pink polka dots. To that, I'd add a lemony vinaigrette. Something to make the dish juicier and more refreshing in its salad format.

Apple, Beet Stem, and Ginger Amuse Bouche
(makes 2)

1/2 small granny smith apple, seeded, diced into 1/4"
- toss the dice in some lemon juice to prevent discoloring while prepping the rest
1/8 cup pink pickled ginger, slivered
1/2 to 1 cup beet stems, blanched for 5 minutes in boiling salted water, and refreshed in an ice bath.

Combine the apple and ginger in a small bowl. Drain the beet stems well and cut into 1/4" dice, matching that of the apple. Using a small ring mold, half fill the mold with beet dice. Top off with the apple-ginger mix. Repeat on a separate plate for the other portion. Serve.

Set aside any leftover bits for addition in a salad.

Pissalat-Stuffed Tomatoes

2008-07-21T13:58:00.000-07:00

Pissalat is a Nicoise condiment, mixed from the amalgam of anchovies, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and olives. It's the dominant flavor in pissaladiere, the French onion tart, being spread on the crust before caramelized onions are layered on top.

This provided the basis for stuffing tomatoes in the same way. The tops were carefully removed, the seeds were scooped out, and the tomatoes drained for about 10 minutes on paper towels. The pre-made pissalat was added -- about one teaspoon per tomato -- and then some cooked-down onions went on top.

I bake the whole thing for only a brief time, since it's summertime and the tomatoes are gorgeously fragrant as they are. About 20 minutes at 350 F does the trick, then allow them to cook to room temperature before serving.

Allowing one medium-sized tomato per person, this makes a lovely start to the meal. I was delighted by how well this dish came out. It would be fun to try this with smaller tomatoes, amuse bouche (or tapas) style. It would be easier to eat them, too, since the large ones have to be cut with a knife and fork when served.

A Marmalade Recipe Repository

2008-07-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

Image: find.myrecipes.com

What to do with all that marmalade I've been processing? I think the tally is 7 jars. Sure, it's good on toast, but there's a bit more to marmalade than as a topping. Here are some other ideas for how to use the sweet stuff:

Savory:
Marmalade-glazed ham
Green salad with citrus vinaigrette
Fish tacos with citrus salsa (combine a small amount of marmalade with some diced tomato, minced red onion, cumin, cilantro and jalapeno)

Sweet:
Marmalade pudding
Orange rice pudding
Carrot cake with a marmalade-cream cheese frosting
Mandarin tartlets
Grapefruit tartlets with edamame ice cream and sesame seeds.

Kolaches

2008-07-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

This week the weather from Texas rolled in. It was gloriously hot and dry - all night and all day. It made me think of Texas and what they do to cool off in the midst of their summers. They probably don't make kolaches.

Kolaches come from the Czech immigrants in Texas. A soft, yeasty roll of multiple incarnations, filled with apricots, prunes, cheese, or sausage. This is my second attempt at making them. I used the recipe from the Homesick Texan's site, since, not being a native I needed some guidance from someone in the know.

I thought they came out well. Then again, I don't know what they're supposed to look like. Online photos don't always give you a sense of proportion or texture. C was very polite about them, which made me realize I was way off the mark. My best argument for them was that this might be a different regional recipe from what he had tried.

I was being authentic to the "other" kolache-making region. Right?

Kolaches
(makes 18 rolls)

1 package of active dry yeast
1 cup of warm milk
1/4 cup sugar
3 cups of all-purpose flour
2 eggs
3/4 cup of melted butter
1 teaspoon of salt

Method:
In a large bowl, combine yeast, warm milk, sugar and one cup of flour. Cover and let it rise until doubled in size. Beat together eggs, 1/2 cup of melted butter (reserve 1/4 cup for brushing on the pastry) and salt.

Add egg mixture to yeast mixture and blend. Stir in about two more cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time. The dough should be soft and moist. Knead dough for about 10 minutes on floured surface. Don't worry, it’s a joy to knead as the dough is smooth and highly malleable.

Put dough in a greased bowl and let rise covered until doubled in size—about an hour.
After dough has risen, punch it down and pull off egg-sized pieces. In your hands, roll pieces into balls and then flatten to about three inches in diameter. Brush with melted butter. Place flattened pieces on a greased cookie sheet, cover and let rise again for another half-hour.

After second rising, with your finger gently make an indention in the center of the dough (be careful not to flatten it too much) and fill with one tablespoon of fruit filling (recipe to follow) and sprinkle with posypka (recipe to follow).
Bake in oven at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Brush with melted butter when you take them out of the oven and serve warm.

Kolache filling
Ingredients:
1 pound of dried fruit such as apricots or prunes.
Sugar to taste
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
Lemon zest

Method:
Soak the dried fruit in water for a few hours or overnight.
When fruit is re-hydrated, cook on low for 15 minutes, adding sugar to taste (I find the fruit sweet enough so I don’t add sugar, but you may prefer it sweeter), cinnamon and lemon zest. Mash with a potato masher until you have a puree.

Blackberry Beetroot Salad

2008-07-09T15:13:00.000-07:00

Serendipity strikes at the most unusual times.

What I wanted was a small vegetable side to go with some oven-roasted salmon. The beetroot (a.k.a beets) had been boiled and peeled the night before. It was a simple matter of slicing beets, adding some blackberries, and taking it to work. Before serving, I added some balsamic vinegar, which added a soft acidity to that of the berries. It was gorgeous -- who would have thought leftovers could combine so well?

I've since made this dish several times, changing the berries used (blackberries are my favorite, but blueberries or strawberries make a good substitution). I suspect the berry choice makes sense depending on the accompanying items in the meal. Darker berries working well with game meats and fatty fish. Strawberries are be better offset by white fish and milder meats or cheeses.

My ultimate combination, recipe follows, used manouri cheese to make this small salad a meal in itself. Manouri provides a pleasing softness and color contrast to the salad. This could well be the purple fruit equivalent of a caprese salad (sliced tomato and mozzerella).

Blackberry Beetroot Salad
(serves 1)

1 small-medium beetroot, cooked, peeled, and cut into wedges (or sliced/diced/etc.)
1/2 cup fresh blackberries
1/4 cup diced manouri
A Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper (optional)

Cucumber & Smoked Salmon Rolls

2008-06-19T14:03:00.000-07:00

This simple, make-ahead amuse bouche pairs well with any Summer drink you can imagine. Typically, when C. and I make this, we garnish the plate with cherry tomatoes and mint leaves. Tonight, we just stacked the rolls high and had them as a light supper.

Cucumber & Smoked Salmon Rolls

3 oz. chevre, at room temperature
1 tsp olive oil
some thyme leaves (dried or fresh)
salt
white pepper, ground
2 lebanese cucumbers, cut into 1/8" slices lengthwise
smoked salmon slices
toothpicks
cherry tomatoes and mint sprigs, for garnish

In a small bowl, mix the chevre and oil, together. Add a drop of water if necessary to loosen it into a spreadable consistency. Season to taste with the thyme leaves, the salt, and the pepper.

To assemble, take one strip of cucumber, and spread with a small amount of cheese. Trim the salmon to the same width as the cucumber. Place on the cucumber-cheese strip and roll up tightly. Secure with a toothpick.

Repeat with all remaining ingredients. Usually the salmon runs out first because the chef snacks on the off-cuts while rolling these. Serve with cherry tomatoes and mint leaves scattered around.

Sushi

2008-06-02T02:30:00.000-07:00

Every time I make sushi at home, I think, "I should do this more often. Maybe every day." And then I think, "Gee, sushi is good." Honestly, once you've moved on from any intimidation factor, and have chosen what ingredients to use, it's just a matter of keeping your hands clean of rice while you roll the sushi.

Hand rolls are one way of getting around the sticky-finger issue (and it's not that bad an issue if you keep a finger bowl at hand). You can cut the nori (seaweed) into quarters, and spoon a bit of rice directly onto a quarter of nori. Add the other ingredients and wrap the nori over it, forming an ice cream cone shape around the contents. The sushi monsters website contains a lot of good information for how to go about this.

The rolls above were made for fun this week. It took most of my time to make the rice - a mostly hands off process - and the rolling was the last 30 minutes of my time. It's a peaceful task, as long as you're not in a hurry.

Salmon with Poached Leeks and Radishes

2008-05-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

In lieu of a trip to France this year, small quantities of my money go towards ingredients for my Franco-centric dinners. Today's posting illustrates the idea, with a springtime meal of poached leeks, radish, and salmon.

There's not much to the dish. I steam each item separately, poaching the fish last so that it can cook in the flavorful broth left by the leeks and radishes. Very little is wasted. After cooking, I seasoned the dish with salt and pepper. That's it.

You could round out the meal with glass of wine and some cheese to follow. It's nice to enjoy some of the things that I would do were I in France. One can linger over freshly-prepared, seasonal meals anywhere.

Terrine de Sud (Southern-US Terrine)

2008-05-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

This redux of the earlier country terrine adds a little Southern flair. I've included the whole recipe, with the few variations that make it more Deep South, USA than french. Note the ingredients are the only switch here...the method remains untouched.

Most of these substitutes are not a far stretch of the imagination: they're very good equivalents, but more practical for a cook who's in the US. They embrace the local flavor, rather than being a compromise of geography. For example, use a nice bourbon, such as Evan Williams single barrel, so that you use something of similar quality to the Cognac that the recipe originally used. Cheaper bourbons tend to be more heavy-handed with their oak chip infusions, so only use that if you want a strong oak presence in your terrine. Otherwise, play it safe and use a bourbon that you would savor neat.

Dill has replaced the thyme, and again this is owing to availability and seasonality. The local CSA provided us with some beautiful fresh dill this week, so it has been fun incorporating that in several different dishes. Together with the bay leaf and allspice here, dill forms an aromatic base for the other ingredients. It's in the background and not a dominating ingredient.

Terrine de Sud
(makes 1 1/2 - 2 loaf pan terrines)

1/2 cup finely chopped baby leeks (about 3 leeks), white and light green parts only, and/or Vidalia onion
1 Tbsp. butter
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1/2 Tbsp. kosher salt
1/2 Tbsp. black peppercorns
1/4 tsp. whole allspice or 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 Turkish or 1/4 California bay leaf
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons bourbon
1/4 lb chicken livers, trimmed
1/4 lb ground fatty pork shoulder
1/4 lb ground beef
1/4 lb baked ham (1/2-inch slice), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
12 collard leaves, stems removed, blanched briefly

Cook onion in butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet, covered, over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Transfer to a large bowl set in a bowl of ice.
While onion cools, pulse salt, peppercorns, allspice, nutmeg, and bay leaf in grinder until finely ground. Add to onion mixture and whisk in cream, eggs, and brandy until combined well.

Pulse chicken livers in a food processor until finely chopped, then add to onion mixture along with ground pork and veal and mix together well with your hands or a wooden spoon. Stir in ham cubes.

Line bottom and long sides of terrine mold crosswise with about 6 chard leaves, arranging them close together (but not overlapping) and leaving a 1/2- to 2-inch overhang. Fill terrine evenly with ground-meat mixture, rapping terrine on counter to compact it (it will mound slightly above edge). Cover top of terrine lengthwise with 2 or 3 more chard leaves if necessary to cover completely, and fold overhanging ends of bacon back over these. Cover terrine with plastic wrap and chill at least 8 (and no more than 24) hours to marinate meats.

When ready to bake, put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F. Discard the plastic wrap and cover terrine tightly with a double layer of foil.

Bake terrine in a water bath until thermometer inserted diagonally through foil at least 2 inches into center of terrine registers 155 to 160°F, 1 3/4 to 2 hours. Remove foil and let terrine stand in mold on a rack, 30 minutes.

Weight terrine:
Put terrine in mold in a cleaned baking pan. Put a piece of parchment or wax paper over top of terrine, then place on top of parchment another same-size terrine mold or a piece of wood or heavy cardboard cut to fit inside mold and wrapped in foil. Put 2 to 3 (1-pound) cans on terrine or on wood or cardboard to weight cooked terrine. Chill terrine in pan with weights until completely cold, at least 4 hours. Continue to chill terrine, with or without weights, at least 24 hours to allow flavors to develop.

To serve:
Stand the mold in a pan with 1 inch of hot water (to loosen bottom) 2 minutes. Run a knife around the sides to loosen completely before turning out. Tip the terrine mold (holding terrine) to drain excess liquid, then invert a cutting board over terrine, reinvert terrine onto cutting board, and gently wipe outside of terrine (bacon strips) with a paper towel. Let terrine stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving, then transfer to a platter if desired and cut, as needed, into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Serve with cornichons, crostini, and strong mustard.

Vegetable Casserole with Tofu Topping

2008-05-20T09:27:00.001-07:00

This recipe comes in handy when you've got a bunches of greens that all need using at once. It's not a common occurrence for me, but, when it happens, this is the most satisfying dish I can think to create.

And what is it that's so good? I think it has a great balance of color, savory notes (soy sauce), and protein (cheese and tofu). This is good the next day with some spicy harissa or hot sauce drizzled over. I imagine it would work well as a vegetarian offering at a picnic or cookout, too.

The recipe comes from epicurious.com, and what's below contains my modifications. That's what appears in the photo above.

Vegetable Casserole with Tofu Topping
(serves 6)

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 lb mixed greens such as cabbage, kale, spinach, radish tops, cored and cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices (8 cups)
2 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch-thick matchsticks
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
For topping
1 1/2 cups fine fresh or dried bread crumbs, preferably whole wheat
7 oz firm tofu
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
1/3 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons dried basil, crumbled
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme, crumbled
1 teaspoon paprika
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt

Sauté vegetables:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
Heat oil in a deep 12- to 14-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate and add greens, carrots, water, soy sauce, and salt. (Skillet will be full, but volume will reduce as vegetables steam.) Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are just tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a 13- by 9-inch glass baking dish.

Make topping:
Pulse all topping ingredients together in a food processor until combined well. Alternatively, mash ingredients together in a large bowl with a potato masher. Sprinkle tofu mixture over vegetables in baking dish and bake, uncovered, until topping is golden brown and vegetables are heated through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Heat oil in a deep 12- to 14-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate and add cabbage, kale, carrots, water, soy sauce, and salt. (Skillet will be full, but volume will reduce as vegetables steam.) Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are just tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a 13- by 9-inch glass baking dish.
Make topping:
Pulse all topping ingredients together in a food processor until combined well. Alternatively, mash ingredients together in a large bowl with a potato masher. Sprinkle tofu mixture over vegetables in baking dish and bake, uncovered, until topping is golden brown and vegetables are heated through, 15 to 20 minutes

Local Salad with Pistachio, Golden Raisin, and Manouri

2008-05-17T12:56:00.000-07:00

Manouri is a cheese made from sheep and goat milk. Compared to feta, it has a much firmer texture and less salt, since it isn't stored in brine. Still, feta or any other sheep/goat milk cheese would substitute well here.

Local Salad with Pistachio, Golden Raisin, and Manouri
(serves 2)

2 cups mixed salad greens, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/8 cup shelled pistachios
1/4 cup crumbled Manouri
1/8 cup golden raisins
olive oil
lemon juice
salt
pepper

Toss all together. Add any herbs you have on hand, such as dill, thyme, or parsley. Enjoy.

Christmas Pudding in May

2008-05-15T16:38:00.000-07:00

Stir up Sunday, typically the last Sunday in November, is the day one makes Christmas pudding. You mix everything together in one bowl (what we call a "dump cake" in the US), boil it for three hours, letting its rich aromas fill the house, then store it away and sit patiently for 3 weeks as it cures into a congruence of spiced fruitfulness.

That all sounds very traditional. Except that I'm telling you this in May.

In the Southern Hemisphere, Christmas falls at the start of Summer. And, frankly, it feels very Christmassy when the weather here reaches the gently warm temperatures of home. I'm all about simple green salads, Summer fruit, some good wine, and a bit of pudding. I serve the pudding cold, with cream poured over, and enjoy that the sun is still up when we're having the evening meal.

This recipe was adapted from one published on The Guardian's website. Where they called for golden syrup, I used a splash of maple syrup in its place. This is in the spirit of British cooking: I can't imagine a farmwife jumping in the car to drive into town for a jar of something she didn't have. Or even stocking up on a product she wouldn't use every bit of.

This will serve 8-10, if you adhere to discreet portions.

May Christmas Pudding
1 cup raisins
1 cup sultanas (or golden raisins)
~50 g melted butter (half a stick)
1 cup dark brown (or muscovado) sugar
A drizzle of golden (or maple) syrup
1 cup brown or white breadcrumbs
½ cup plain white flour
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp grated nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
1 grated carrot
Zest and juice of an orange
Zest of a lemon
½ cup dark ale

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and stir until just combined. Grease a small pudding basin (3-4 cup capacity), and place a disc of paper in the base. Pour in the mixture, cut two large squares of non-stick parchment and foil, pleat them together in the centre and secure over the top with a few lengths of twine wrapped round and over. Sit in a pot on a trivet, pour water halfway up the sides and simmer for three hours.

Cool to room temperature, then leave untouched and sealed until the big day (much like you don't open a jar of jam until you're ready to use it). Simmer for three hours before serving.

Watermelon Pickles

2008-05-01T13:01:00.000-07:00

Watermelon Salad

2008-04-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

Watermelon and feta salads show up all over the globe. I just don't see enough of them here. They're incredibly juicy and refreshing, which makes sense in the middle of Summer. This version came as a modification of one Mum makes sometimes. Mum - it's wonderful. Please make it again when I'm home. The pickles I'd made recently were a delicate shade of pink (I used some red onion in the same jar), so this was a girly salad in some regards. Only the ingredients are listed below. Quantities should be vague - just a bit of this and a bit of that. Mix it up and rush out the door with it to a potluck picnic, like we did.

Watermelon Salad

watermelon, deseeded and peeled, cut into 1" cubes
sheep cheese, such as Manouri, cut into 1/2" cubes
pickles (red onion and cauliflower), cut into small pieces
olive oil
lemon juice
salt
pepper

Toss all in a bowl as you're chopping it (or tupperware, if you're going to take this to the beach). Keep chilled before serving.

Chunky Rutabaga Fries

2008-04-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

This side dish was created on a whim, making use of a large rutabaga we had purchsed recently. I'd seen a version of chunky square-cut fries done before (served with a minty pea mash and a lamb cutlet), and the idea of oversized vegetable portions appealed to me.

Apart from chopping the rutabagas to look like toy building blocks, there's not much to this dish. The chunks were paraboiled in very salty water for 5 minutes, drained, and then baked in a preheated 400 F oven until a knife pierced them easily (about 30-40 minutes more).

Lentil Salad with Hakurai Turnips, and Local Slaw

2008-04-12T12:18:00.000-07:00

This is just a photo essay today. Or, more of a photo statement.

Home made bread

2008-04-09T11:41:00.000-07:00

There's something inherently satisfying about home-made bread. It's an enjoyable process, and one that works for me because it's made to fit my schedule (not the other way around). With a decrease in yeast (1/4 tsp. per batch) and a longer rise period (anything from overnight to one full day works wonderfully), the bread can be tended to when I have time, and it's not something I have to rush home to. Even better, the loaf develops more flavor during these slower rises, and it seems to remain fresh for longer than loaves I've baked according to a 2 hour rise.

The process itself is rewarding, and it should go without saying that the results are far superior to anything you can buy (because it's made by you and that in itself makes you loaf an original Picasso). The simple alchemy of flour, water, yeast, salt, and time (plus a bit of heat at the end) produce the most incredible homely fragrance that can make even the most discouraged home cook feel like they've achieved greatness in the kitchen.

My basic loaf is a small one, since that suits my style. To make a bigger loaf, just scale-up the recipe and use a larger loaf tin (I use a smallish loaf tin to keep the proportions in check).

Use a 2:1 ratio of flour:water. Add a 1/4 teaspoon of yeast, and a good pinch of salt (1/2 teaspoon). Stir in a bowl and let it sit for 12-24 hours, with some loose cover over your bowl. When ready for the first kneading, oil your hands well and deflate the dough directly in the bowl. You can do everything without use of a counter for kneading. Give the dough a good mix and redistribute those gas bubbles that have formed and expanded during the first proof. You want to mix gluten strands and allow them to cross over each other in a complex network. This is what will support the height of your bread. It also prevents a large air bubble from forming on one side of your loaf, which makes for awkward sandwiches later.

Leave in the bowl, covered loosely with glad wrap and a teatowel for another rise period (or you can pour the contents into a loaf pan at this stage and let it do the final rise). You have many options here.

For the final rise, I add any other ingredients (nuts, raisins, seeds) and mix them in before pouring the dough into a loaf pan. This final rise takes anywhere from 4-8 hours, depending on room temperature and humidity. I usually leave it to rise overnight, and bake the loaf first thing in the morning.

Prior to baking, place a ramekin of hot water in the oven while it preheats to 450 F. When your oven is good and hot, add the loaf and bake at this searingly hot temperature for 15 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350 F for another 45 minutes. If you want the loaf to have a soft crust, add a foil tent to the loaf in the last 15 minutes of baking. A firm crust has a satisfying crunch to it, but it is much harder for a bread knife to slice.

Remove from oven when golden brown, about 55-60 minutes total cooking time. The loaf should have shrunk away from the sides of the pan (it will do this more as it cools). When cool enough to handle (or carefully with a tea towel), remove the loaf from the tin so that the sides and base can cool.

Variations: substitute 1/2 cup of the flour for wheatgerm, bran, oats, or cornmeal. Try:
a fennel seed and golden raisin loaf with the 1/2 cup cornmeal substituted for some of the flour. a pinch of sugar is nice in this. not enough to make it sweet, but just enough to complement the sweetness of the raisins.

a whole wheat loaf with cinnamon and raisin makes for a nice breakfast bread.

a seven grain loaf, using a hot cereal mix to substitute for a 1/2-3/4 cup of the flour.

Seafood Salad

2008-03-29T12:16:00.000-07:00

As soon as the weather gets warm, and the tropical fruit appear at the local markets, this is my salad of choice. The selection of tropical fruit and seafood can (and should) be varied to suit what's available where you live, although I do insist on the cilantro for its herbaceous fragrance and greenery.

This dish makes a great Summertime salad, especially when you have friends coming over. The recipe scales upwards many times and can be made in advance.

Seafood Salad
(Makes ~ 4-5 cups)

2 cup chopped tropical fruit, such as cantaloupe, pineapple, and papaya
1 cup shrimp, quickly poached, shelled, and cooled to room temperature
1 cup surimi or crab meat
1 cup scallops, seared in a pan for 2 minutes each side, cooled to room temperature
olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 cup cilantro leaves

Toss fruit and seafood into a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and then add the salt and pepper, to taste. Toss lightly. Scatter the cilantro leaves on top and serve.

Chocolate Cake with Coconut Icing

2008-03-29T07:20:00.001-07:00

Everyone needs a reliable cake recipe. One that can be made again and again for all the thank yous and birthdays in life. One that is simple and can be done without much thinking or special equipment. This is it.

This cake has featured at my brother's birthday cake for years. Maybe it's because he likes chocolate cake. Maybe it's because he likes this chocolate cake. Or, it could be because I always offered to make this. Simple can be good, too.

The batter has a high liquid content, and to compensate, the baking time is longer and slower than a typical cake. The use of oil removes any need for creaming butter and sugar, and the egg is thankfully not separated out into white and yolk for whisking separately. There's a time and a place for that, but it's not here. Birthday cakes should be fun things to make, so that the baker still has energy to enjoy the party that follows...

Chocolate cake
(makes one 12" round cake)

3/4 cups hot brewed coffee
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 large eggs
scant 1/2 cup oil (a neutral one is good)
3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper.

In a medium-sized bowl beat eggs and then add the other liquids. Beat well. In a separate, large bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients.

Bake in middle of your oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Icing:
Make this once the cake has cooled completely.
1 cup sifted icing sugar
2-3 tablespoons coconut milk, heated in a saucepan (or in the microwave)

Mix well and decorate your cake.

Cake variations: Gluten-free versions of the cake can have wonderful flavor, due to a judicious flour substitution. It is equally flexible if you choose to switch out the oil for something else that you may have on hand. My favorite version was with a macadamia nut oil. The oil was the star flavor in each bite. The coffee can also be switched out for a stout (chocolate stout is the most obvious one, but again, work with what you have on hand. I would not recommend a larger as it imparts too much bitterness and hops to the cake). And I should also admit that I hardly ever have buttermilk on hand. I always end up using yogurt or sour milk (1 tsp. vinegar and 1 cup full-cream milk) in its place.

Cucumber-Radish Kachumber

2008-03-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

One of the wonderful things about food is the additional glossary that accompanies it. Words like kachumber and lambrusco - both on the menu tonight - roll off the tongue in playful iambic trimeter.

"What's for dinner tonight?"
"Kachumba....and maybe a curry."
(I really just wanted an excuse for more salad)

Kachumber (recipe follows) is a cooling, nutty salad that accompanies a curry. C. took care of making the curry, while I toasted spices, and chopped some of the season's first radishes, and tossed those items together in a bowl. It's a simple dish and wonderful now that the weather is warming up. When it gets too hot for curry, you can add some poached fish and a few lettuce leaves, and you have a Springtime meal. Or a lentil salad and some crusty bread with kachumber.

Lambrusco, an sassy, effervescent Italian red wine, is a simple aperitif, that allows you to prep away without being distracted by its complexity (sorry, lambrusco fans, I'm only buying the cheap stuff for now).

Cucumber-Radish Kachumber
(makes enough or 2 as an accompaniment)

2 Lebanese cucumbers, peeled, halved, seeded, sliced widthwise
1 bunch small red radishes, trimmed, quartered
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
½ teaspoon nigella seeds (optional)
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons lime juice75g raw cashews, roasted
¼ cup cilantro leaves
Salt, to taste

Combine cucumbers and radishes in a bowl. Heat vegetable oil in a small frying pan over medium heat, add mustard, nigella and cumin seeds, and cook for 1 minute or until seeds begin to pop.

Cool, then pour seed mixture over cucumber and radishes. Add remaining ingredients and salt to taste, then toss to combine.

Milledge Ave. Pecan Butter Cookies

2008-03-08T20:23:00.000-08:00

"So, just to clarify from the start- these are an adaptation of peanut butter cookies, using homemade pecan butter. The recipe itself was a modification of my mom's pb cookies which are unique in my experience, even though she told me she got the recipe out of an H&G cookbook.

Start by making the pecan butter. If you've gathered and shelled the pecans yourself, make sure you rinse them in a colander to remove any residual dust. Dry in a moderate (350 F) oven for 5 minutes before proceeding." - C.

Pecan Butter Cookies
(makes ~twelve 4" cookies)
1/2 stick butter (4 Tbsp)
1/2 cup sugar (equal parts brown and white recommended)
1 egg
1 cup pecan butter
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon

Method:
Cream the butter and sugar throughly. Beat in the egg until completely absorbed by the mixture. Add the PB and beat until combined. Sift the dry ingredients over this mix, and fold through gently.

A note about the dough at this point. It has a very high ratio of fat to solids, so it will be very sticky to handle. It's a good idea to chill it for at least half an hour before trying to shape the cookies. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 F.

Shaping:
Roll the dough into golf-ball size spheres and then squish them with the tines of a fork to create those tell-tale marks of a PB cookie.

Bake at 350 F for 8-10 minutes. Cool on a tray and they will firm a little more. Enjoy with a glass of milk and a bedtime story.

Fish Cakes with a Lime-Mint Dipping Sauce

2008-03-04T19:14:00.000-08:00

For the fish cakes:
(makes ~12 cakes)

1 cup peeled, diced, and cooked potato
3/4 cup poached fish, flaked
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1 egg
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup coarse corn meal
some plain oil, for pan frying
lettuce leaves, for serving (optional)

Combine the first five ingredients in a bowl and shape into large golf balls. Flatten and place on a plate that holds the corn meal. When all the fish cakes have been formed, heat a frying pan over med-high heat. Add the oil. Cook the cakes in batches, if needed, until golden on each side. Keep warm in the oven while cooking the latter batches. Alternatively, you could bake these in a 350 F oven for 15 minutes. Serve with the lettuce leaves, dipping sauce, and plenty of napkins: this is a hands-on meal.

For the sauce:
juice of 2 limes
chiffonade a few mint leaves

Combine in a bowl and put on table for the fish cakes to be dipped in.

Goat Cheese and Fig Jam Crackers with Thyme

2008-03-01T20:01:00.000-08:00

These are delightful, delicious little morsels. Think of them as elegant but simple pre-dinner nibbles. They could alternatively spin as a savory-sweet end to a meal, in lieu of a cheese plate. Additionally, they can function as a keep-the-chef-happy-snack (to accompany a glass of keep-the-chef-happy wine?).

For such an amuse bouche, or whatever the case may be, you want something that can be thrown together with minimal fuss and mess. For me, these toppings are all ingredients I have on hand in general. And that's the idea. If you find yourself without a wall hanging of dried thyme, then leave out the thyme from your version. The beauty lies in working with what's on hand. You will, however, need to buy (or make) the crackers. They supply not only the canvas of your creation but also a satisfying crunch.

So how simple is it to whip up a plate of these? Embarrassingly so: you place the desired amount of crackers on you plate, add a generous teaspoonful of softened goat cheese to each, and then top with a small amount (1/2 teaspoon) of fig jam. Sprinkle each with a few leaves of dried thyme, and serve.

Other combinations with which to top your crackers:

cheddar slices and hot pepper jelly
brie and dark fig jam
blue cheese and local honey (just a small, small, drizzle)
manchego and quince paste

and you could use any single type of chopped fresh herb to scatter about...

Rutabaga Buttermilk Vichyssoise

2008-02-28T20:30:00.000-08:00

From the ashes of our smouldered Local Lent comes the inspiration for this soup. The contents of my fridge, where I have rutabaga, homemade buttermilk, and leeks, reads like a hangman puzzle, : R_ _ _ b_ ga _utter_i_k _ _ ch_ _oi_ _.

Hmmmm.

The rutabaga was already peeled and chopped from a previous exploit (chunky rutabaga home fries). It was a matter of quickly sauteing sliced leeks in olive oil and a pinch of salt, adding the diced rutabaga and buttermilk, and then cooking gently until the vegetables had softened. Once cooled, the mix was pureed and then served with some crusty, fennel-raisin bread . I'm looking forward to some more end-of-winter experiments like this one.

Rutabaga Buttermilk Vichyssoise
(makes 2 servings)

2 Tbsp. plus 1 Tbsp. green extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup sliced leeks, white and light green parts
pinch of salt
1 cups peeled, diced rutabaga
1 1/2 cups homemade buttermilk

Saute the leeks in the olive oil with a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, until tender. Add the rutabaga and buttermilk. Simmer, covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes, depending on vegetable freshness*.

Expect the buttermilk to break a little, and don't worry if it does. The pureeing process will remedy that. Using a blender or food processor, puree the cooled mixture with an extra tablespoon of olive oil. Taste, and season with additional salt if needed.

Serve in bowls, passing the olive oil for extra drizzles on top.

* older vegetables just take longer, slower cooking.

Sous Chef Salad*

2008-02-18T20:17:00.000-08:00

Chopped salad is one of those marvelous names you give to a meal instead of calling it "leftovers." This doesn't mean a chopped salad is doomed to leftover status - goodness, no. Sometimes the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Chopped salad and non-Euclidian geometry are two such examples.

C. produced this sous chef salad in a flash of inspiration for dinner tonight. It was all ingredients on hand from other meals, so by all means if you're inspired to follow suit, let the contents of your vegetable draw be your guide. Stick with things that are fresh, but otherwise unspoken for. Items that look past their best should be set aside for soup making (and quickly!). In what follows, you want something old (caper berries in brine) something new (crunchy celery), something borrowed (leftovers from a vegetable platter)...and something blue (blue vein cheese).

Actually, we used provolone, since we're working with what's on hand.

Vary quantities as needed.

Sous chef salad
(serves 2)

5 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 small Bibb lettuce, chopped
4 caper berries, chopped
1 slice ham, chopped
1 slice provolone, chopped
1/2 celery stick, sliced
some mayonnaise

Toss in a bowl to coat with dressing, then plate.

*Prune in NYC get credit for the name.

Port Out Startboard Home

2008-02-17T19:45:00.000-08:00

Today is my birthday, and C. is taking care of the dinner. All I knew at the start was that he'd match it to the wine he gave me for Christmas.

Comtes de Champagne, Taittinger...A very nice start, indeed. Despite its 12 year bottle age, and to my surprise, this had an extremely vigorous carbonation. The nose was full of both toast and green apples, and it was a fantastic pairing with the first course of East Coast oysters.

For the main, C. prepared a salad of poached lobster with shaved celery, celery leaves, papaya, and preserved lemon.

I wish it could be my birthday everyday. Especially the bit where one gets the royal treatment and doesn't even have to do the dishes afterwards...

Eggie Mash

2008-02-15T14:41:00.000-08:00

Don't laugh. This is something I had as a kid, and for that reason, it can be as strange or as normal as ever: it's still nostalgia to me. We had it on sandwiches at lunchtime, with some lettuce and not much else. Much like a classic egg salad (like potato salad, but made with eggs), we mashed hard-boiled eggs with some softened butter and a little milk. A little salt and pepper to season...

Eggie Mash
(makes ~1 cup)

3 hard-boiled eggs, cooled, peeled, and chopped roughly
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine, softened
1 Tbsp. of milk, to loosen the mash
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a breakfast bowl and using a fork, mash the eggs and butter together. Add a splash of milk if needed to loosen the mash. Season with salt and pepper. Use in a sandwich, have plain, add to poached leeks, or mix with some shaved celery, cilantro, and toasted walnuts for a simple salad.

Day 1 of 40

2008-02-06T17:59:00.001-08:00

"Tomorrow's lunch is going to be fantastic: we're going to have lots of lentils, bread, and baby turnips. And there'll be applesauce cookies to snack on....It's going to be an entirely different Lent," I told C. tonight.

We had been off to a good start. At breakfast there had been homemade almost local granola, with some local milk for C., and porridge with homemade yogurt for me. We had a bit of leftover cantaloupe, deliciously juicy and ripe, grandfathered into Lent, and we had some buttermilk cornbread at the ready, for snacking. But the meals were small, and without the addition of supplementary coffee-sipping all day, we were light on food.

Dinner was fantastic though, and well worth the wait. C. made lamb meatballs with scallions, breadcrumbs, and lemon thyme. With it, we prepared a side dish of tender turnip greens and also had some red wine. It was a delight.

But, still, tomorrow will be better. A bit more protein with each meal, and some more goodies from the pantry.

We're on our way.

The Local Lent Challenge

2008-02-05T14:07:00.000-08:00

During the six long weeks of Lent, C and I have agreed to eat local food only. To be more specific, C. and I looked up our 100-mile radius and have promised to cook with foods from within that bound only. This means no coffee, tea, beer (we have no local source of hops for brewing), or olive oil (sigh). This still allows us plenty of nice vegetables, meat, eggs, cream, honey, flour, and local wine.

Wait....no olive oil?

Ok. So we've agreed to use up items we already have on hand, meaning that salt and pepper will probably last with us through this run. Should we run out of any nonlocal items (Champagne?) during Lent, we will make-do without that item or find its local counterpart.

The other exclusion clause is an upcoming trip to Charleston. Eating local there should be pretty easy (oysters, oysters, and shrimp??) but we've agreed to take some leeway here since the purpose of this trip was to discover/enjoy more of Charleston.

More to follow, later.

Endive and Apple Salad

2008-02-02T12:46:00.000-08:00

My thoughts on food constantly evolve. In part this comes from the change of seasons, each bringing new ingredients to the local farmers' market. But it's also due to something more than that. Even when the seasons have come full circle, my cooking style has not necessarily returned to the place it was this time last year. Let me tell you why it's a good thing.

This evolution of culinary ideas keeps me on my toes. It keeps me on a continual lookout for new ideas/recipes/flavours. I enjoy this exploration of changing tastes . This week brings the start of Lent and the aforementioned - self imposed - Local Lent Challenge. The back of mind has been humming away all week, thinking of good fall-back ideas to supplement the reduced variety of produce. I've concluded that the variety is out there, all locally-grown, but it's a question of how much time I want to devote to foraging and running around different farmers' markets each week: they all have slight variations in what they offer.

In the final few days before Local Lent begins, I'm enjoying (savoring) some of the ingredients that will be on hold for the next six weeks. The recipe below is partially local, but it fits into the "enjoy now" category since endive, apples, and whole-grain mustard are not local to where I live.

I hope you'll give this salad a try, using what local items you can and supplementing with the rest of the ingredients. It's a wonderful Wintery/Autumnal salad, and it's tasty as ever with in-season apples and endive.

Endive and Apple Salad
(serves 4)

Dressing:
3/8 c heavy cream
2.5 oz good-quality cheddar, grated
1 Tbsp. whole grain mustard (less is fine)
1/2 c creme fraiche
Salt and pepper, to taste

Salad:
Candied pecans
8 thin slices prosciutto or bacon, or country ham
8 Belgian endive
1 Pink Lady apple

1. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over low heat until bubbles appear around the edge. Whisk in the cheese and continue to cook, still whisking, for 2 minutes, until the cheese melts completely. Strain through a sieve into a bowl. Whisk in the mustard and creme fraiche. Chill. Season right before serving (makes 1 cup).

2. If using bacon or country ham, cook the slices until golden but not too crisp. Drain on paper towels. While the bacon is cooking, trim 1/2" off the endives and separate them into individual leaves. Put leaves in a bowl and toss with just enough dressing to coat.

3. On each of the four dinner plates, reassemble the endive to form a loose "head." Quarter the apple lengthwise, and remove the core. Using a mandoline, thinly shave the apple on top of the endive. Sprinkle with candied pecans. Finish each salad with two strips of prosciutto/bacon/country ham on top.

Candied Nuts

2008-02-01T13:13:00.000-08:00

There are times in your life when you crave a sweet crunchy addition to your dishes. Winter seems to be the time for this, when the days are short and it's cold outside. And a wintery salad, in particular, will benefit from the addition of a pre-made item like this (see end of post for more on that). Your work is cut out for you: arrive home from work, and, assuming you have all your ingredients, a fantastic dinner takes only a few minutes of chopping and dressing. Should salad not be your style, these make a handy pre-dinner snack for you, the chef, while you're preparing that boeuf bourginon and enjoying a glass of wine from the recipe.

You can use any kind of nut for this. My favourites are walnuts, hazelnuts and pecans. This recipe makes a lovely gift at Christmas time, doubling or tripling easily.

Here, I'll include two methods of preparing these: one for the oven and one for the stove top. I prefer the second method, but will use the first method if I'm cooking something else in the oven anyhow.

Candied Nuts
(makes ~1 cup)

1 cup raw nuts (one type or mixed)
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
pepper or cayenne, to taste (~1/8 tsp is good)

Method 1: In the oven
Preheat your oven to 325 F.

Fill a bowl with hot tap water and add the nuts. Swish them around well, then drain and transfer to another bowl. Add the other ingredients. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the nuts out in one layer. Include any of the sugary liquid if it's left. Bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the nuts are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let them cool slightly. If clusters have formed break them apart ONCE the nuts have cooled a bit (careful - they're hot for a while). Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Method 2: On the stove top
In a medium skillet, melt the butter. Wash the nuts, as above, then proceed. Add all ingredients directly to the pan (instead of using a second bowl), and cook over moderate heat, stirring continually, for about 10 minutes, until the nuts are very aromatic and golden brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Wintery Salad Ideas
1. Endive, seared scallops, segmented oranges, sliced red onion, and candied pecans
2. Endive and Apple salad
3. Spinach, slivered pear, blue cheese, shaved vidalia onion, and candied walnuts
4. Roasted beets, cut into wedges, with arugula, drizzled with peppery olive oil and candied hazelnuts
5. green bean almondine redux: blanched green beans with a dressing made from smashed candied walnuts, some olive oil, lemon juice, and no seasoning (already in the nuts)

Almost-Local Coconut Muesli

2008-01-25T02:54:00.000-08:00

There's something very satisfying about supporting your local farmers. They make wonderful things and grow great produce. It tastes fantastic and often has much less packaging (or additives). I'm hoping Local Lent will increase my awareness of what's available from nearby farmers and also get me think to in terms of their products when cooking.

In the recipe that follows, I've used a crushed oats/corn/wheat blend from down the road, where there use a mule to push the mill. These are delivered to natural food stores on a weekly basis. The honey is from a little further away - Clarkesville, Georgia. I gathered the pecans myself, from a large tree two blocks from my house. C. and I spent last weekend de-shelling them. They needed a rinse in warm water before toasting, since a black soot had accumulated on the shells. It's always a good idea to wash your produce before using it. The butter can be home-made, since we have a local source of cream. In the batch I made, I used store-bought. The butter will be home-made next time....

Should you be in a position to dry your own fruit, go for it (thinly sliced, blotted dry, baked on a lined tray for 1 hour at 225 F (110 C), turned over, baked for a further 1 - 1.5 hours). Peaches, pears and strawberries all work well.

On the non-local, but couldn't do this well without it, front, I added dessicated coconut, sunflower seeds, sea salt, raisins (the recipe suggests dried mango and peach), and sliced almonds. For the recipe below, you can switch up the seeds and nuts as you please.

Coconut Muesli
(serves 12)

4 cups rolled oats
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1 cup maple syrup (or local honey)
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil (or local butter)
1/4 cup finely diced dried peaches
1/4 cup finely sliced mango
1/2 cup toasted pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 300 F (150 C). In a bowl, combine the ingredients oats through to the coconut. Heat the maple syrup and vegetable oil in a saucepan over low heat. Add to the oat mixture, toss well, and spread on a greased, rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When cool, add the sunflower seeds and dried fruits. The muesli should remain fresh in an airtight container for ~2 weeks.

Little Cheesecakes with Beer Gelée

2008-01-20T13:33:00.000-08:00

It may strike you as an unusual: beer in the dessert course. But the overall effect is delicate and well-balanced. I cannot speak highly enough of it. This dish is also a make-ahead one - something we can all use when cooking for guests.

The cheesecake's batter contains chèvre and crème fraîche, with the tanginess of the fresh cheeses pair nicely with a tart lambic in the gelee. For the crust, I incorporated a spelt-pecan base - not to be difficult but simply because I often have those items in the pantry. They both share a wonderfully nutty flavour. You're welcome to switch flours and nuts in the base, suiting what's on hand in your pantry. I'd rather you did that than have you drive all over town to find the specifics listed below. But give this tangy cheesecake a try. It's not as sweet as some you'll find around town. That's deliberate. What I was aiming for was a rich and elegant end to the meal - more in tune with a cheese course and after-dinner beers (or your drink of choice).

And the gelée. What a fun way to use the end of some good Belgian ales, lambics, or other good-quality beer. When I made this dish, I had already reserved 1/4 cup of several beers that C. had enjoyed earlier in the week (birthday beer dinner). Choosing a few different beers allows you to showcase the lovely colours. One of the most successful was Hanssens oudbeitje, a delicate lambic that is brewed using strawberrys. This created the a gorgeous pale pink gelée, which matched well with the tartness of the cheesecake.

An extra note: if you haven't ring molds, use round cookie cutters, as I do sometimes. Each cheesecake may be a slightly different diameter, but they still bake for approximately the same time. You can always pull the smallest one from the oven first and let the larger ones cook for a few minutes longer, if needed.

Little Cheesecakes with Beer Gelée
(makes 4-5)

Crust:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted, plus more for brushing
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1 Tbsp. sugar (either white or brown)

Batter:
1/2 cup white sugar, preferably extra-fine granulated (castor sugar)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
salt
One 10 1/2-ounce log of chèvre, at room temperature
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons crème fraîche (5 ounces)

Beer Gelée:
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
2 1/2 Tbsp. cold water
3 Tbsp. each of strawberry lambic, quelque chose, a Belgian-style golden ale, and a barley wine
4 tsp. sugar

For the cheesecakes:
Preheat the oven to 325° F. Grease a rimmed baking sheet with butter and also brush the insides of four 3-inch-diameter (2 1/2-inch-deep) ring molds with butter.

Using a food processor, grind the pecans and the 1 tablespoon of sugar. Add the flour and pulse briefly to combine. Pulse once or twice more with the melted butter. Set the molds on the baking sheet and pack the crumbs into the molds; press to compact. Bake for 10 minutes; allow to cool.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg, egg yolk, salt and the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the goat cheese and beat until smooth. Fold in the crème fraîche. You want to avoid whipping too much air in at this stage or else you'll get mini soufflés. Spoon the mixture into the molds and smooth the tops. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the cheesecakes are just set but not browned. Let the cheesecakes cool, then refrigerate them until chilled, at least 1 hour.

Heat a sharp, thin-bladed knife under hot water; dry the knife. Use the blade to gently run around the edge of each cheesecake. Ease the cheesecakes out of the molds; return them to the baking sheet. Cut four 11-by-2 1/2-inch strips of parchment paper. Wrap the paper around the perimeter of each cheesecake to form a collar that extends 1 inch above the surface; secure with tape.

For the beer gelees:
In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let soften. Microwave on high power for about 15 seconds to barely melt the gelatin. Put the 4 beers in separate coffee (or tea) cups. Add 2 teaspoons of the sugar to the golden ale and to the lambic and microwave for 20 seconds; stir to dissolve the sugar. Stir 1 teaspoon of the melted gelatin into each of the 4 beers. chill the beers for about 10 minutes, until just beginning to set (watch closely at this stage). When the beers are just beginning to thicken, pour one of the beer gelées over each cheesecake and refrigerate until chilled and set, about 20 minutes.

Remove the parchment collar from each cheesecake. Plate and serve.

Beer Dinner Course 3

2008-01-17T09:27:00.000-08:00

The image is from The French Cafe website, an amazing Auckland institution. Mine didn't look quite the same - call it artistic license - but it still was a beautiful dish to present at the end of the meal: delicate, gently sweet, and with a buttery crunch from the puff pastry round.

Here are the details as I constructed it. Note that some preparation takes place the night before you want to serve this.

Beet and shallot tartlett with chevre quenelle and a red wine reduction
(serves 4)
Beer match: Unibroue's quelque choise

1/2 cup finely chopped Turkish dried figs
2 cups red wine
3/4 cup caster sugar
300g puff pastry
4 medium-large beet, greens reserved for another use
1/2 small shallots, finely diced
~6 tsp. chevre (should be 4 tsp. when shaped into quenelles)

Simmer figs, red wine and caster sugar for 30 minutes then cool overnight.

Roll puff pastry to 5mm thick and cut 4 x 10cm circles. Place on a baking tray covered with baking paper and rest for 30 minutes before baking at 400°F (200°C) until golden brown.

Individually wrap the beetroot in foil and bake until tender, about 40-55 minutes for medium beets. When cool, slice into thin rounds, then stamp out discs with a 5cm cutter.

Peel the shallots and slice thinly. Sweat in a pan with a little olive oil, a pinch of salt, then cover and cook slowly until nicely caramelized.

Drain the figs, reserving the liquid. Chop figs finely, add to the shallots and cook for a further 5 minutes. Adjust the seasoning and allow to cool. Reduce the reserved liquid to make a light syrup.

Divide the goat’s cheese into 4 x tsp. portions. Mold into a quenelle, using two teaspoons to help shape. Flatten slightly on one side. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and put in the fridge to set.

Top the pastry circles with a layer of the shallot mixture then cover with overlapping circles of beetroot. Top with goat’s cheese, season and drizzle olive oil over. Bake for 5 minutes at 400°F (200°C).

To serve, drizzle each tart with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar and spoon some of the red wine syrup around the outside.

Chef's note: I prepared this dish in stages, cooking the beets and puff pastry rounds the night before. I also cooled and cut the rounds from the beets the night ahead. On the day, it was a matter of making the syrup, assembly, and the 5 minute bake in a hot oven.

Rosemary Truffles

2008-01-06T23:38:00.000-08:00

Elegant and rich, a hand-rolled chocolate truffle is one of the simplest things to serve with coffee at the end of a meal. Once you've shaped the ganache, you can set the truffles aside - and out of mind - and set to the other parts of the meal.

I recommend starting this process two days in advance of when you'd like to enjoy these, since the ganache may take a while to set before the rolling out stage. These truffles should keep for several days after you've made them.

Rosemary Truffles
(makes ~20)

14 oz dark chocolate (about 70 % cacao), chopped
1 cup cream
1 sprig fresh rosemary (approx 10 cm length)
1/4 cup cacao powder

Ganache:
Place the chocolate in a tupperware container with a secure lid and at least two cup capacity.

In a saucepan, heat the cream and rosemary sprig to just under boiling. Remove from heat and steep for about 5 minutes (longer/shorter times are fine). Discard the sprig and add the cream to the chopped chocolate. Stir well to help the chocolate dissolve evenly. Set in fridge to cool for 24 hours.

Shaping:
Get a dinner plate ready. Sift cacao powder over it. When the ganache is firm to the touch, use a teaspoon to scoop out small amounts about the diameter of a quarter. Roll each portion into a sphere and toss gently in the cacao powder. Repeat with the next portion. The ganache can still be shaped when slightly soft - you'll just need to reshape later, once they've firmed up some more. Allow some more time in the fridge to set further (especially if reshaping is needed).

White Asparagus with Brooklyn Local No. 1 "Bubbles"

2008-01-05T14:04:00.000-08:00

For C's birthday this year he received a 3-course beer dinner. After much humming and haa-ing over the menu, I settled on a few classic pairings with some of the technique borrowed from the oenophile world. The recipe below didn't make the final cut, because the menu already had one semi labour-intensive dish, but it was too good to discard entirely. The idea of a foam on the old-style white asparagus and golden ale pairing impressed me to no end. I present it here for your interest/amusement/inspiration.

White Asparagus with Brooklyn Local No. 1 "Bubbles"
(serves 4 as an appetizer)

For the asparagus:
10 stalks of white asparagus, peeled
Water for blanching
2 Tbsp. of sugar
Salt and white pepper, to taste

Heat the water in a saucepan over high heat. When boiling, add the asparagus and cook covered for approximately 5-7 minutes. Set up an ice bath nearby. Check with a fork for tenderness. When the asparagus becomes fork tender, remove from the pan and immediately transfer to an ice bath. When cool, drain gently and lay flat on towels to dry.

Brooklyn Local No. 1 "bubbles":
1/2 Pint Brooklyn Local No. 1
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp. Crème Fraîche

Cook out the alcohol in the ale. Add the vinegar, sugar, and salt. Let cool and whisk in the crème fraîche. Chill in the fridge until ready to plate.

Assembly:
For the asparagus: Drizzle some nice buttery olive oil and cracked pepper on the asparagus and gently roll around to cover.

For the bubbles: with a balloon or electric whisk, whip the vinaigrette vigorously until bubbles begin to form. Skim the bubbles off the surface with a spoon and rest them over the plated asparagus.

Rosé-Roasted Apricots with Cream

2007-12-27T18:29:00.000-08:00

When I bought these apricots, the plan was an apricot tart tartin. But today it seemed too heavy, following the other dished I had planned. So I decided to bake the apricots with just a sprinkling of sugar, a splash of rose wine (you want the moisture, but not the alcohol), and some fresh thyme.

Rosé-Roasted Apricots
(serves 4)

6 apricots, halved and stones removed
a sprinkling of white sugar
some sprigs of thyme
rosé wine

Preheat the oven to 200 C (400 F). In a baking dish, place the apricot halves cut side up. Sprinkle over the sugar and rosé wine. Scatter about the thyme sprigs. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until just starting to collapse.

When done, pull the apricots and allow to cool to room temperature. Whip some fresh cream in a bowl, and serve with the roast apricots. I enjoy this with coffee.

The rosé wine reduces gorgeously in the bottom of the dish. You can drizzle the delicate pink glaze around the softly whipped cream and fruit. I left it in the dish for everyone to help themselves to when they had seconds. And they did.

Terrine de Campagne (Country Terrine)

2007-12-25T23:39:00.000-08:00

I've been keen to make a terrine for some time. Having read and sampled several versions this year, it made sense to try one out during the tepid months when there are many around to finish it: Christmas was the day to make this dish.

My family are wonderfully forgiving when I break with anglo-saxon tradition. Where our relatives spend today dining on roast birds, potatoes, peas, and gravy, they indulge my francophile repertoire. I think it went well, despite the jokes about still hoping for a roast chicken with the main course...

This recipe comes from epicurious.com's site. It is reproduced almost verbatim here, but I've added changes where I made them in my cooking today. Despite halving the original recipe, this produced two terrines. Start the recipe at least a day before you need it. It's one less thing to do on the big day (if that's the reason you're cooking so much meat) and the flavours will benefit from the unhurried marination, both before and after the baking step.

1/2 cup finely chopped onion (1 large)
1 Tbsp. butter
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
1/2 Tbsp. kosher salt
1/2 Tbsp. black peppercorns
1/4 tsp. whole allspice or 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 Turkish or 1/4 California bay leaf
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons Cognac or other brandy
1/4 lb chicken livers, trimmed
1/4 lb ground fatty pork shoulder
1/4 lb ground beef
1/4 lb baked ham (1/2-inch slice), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
12 swiss chard leaves, stems removed, blanched briefly

Cook onion in butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet, covered, over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Transfer to a large bowl set in a bowl of ice.
While onion cools, pulse salt, peppercorns, allspice, nutmeg, and bay leaf in grinder until finely ground. Add to onion mixture and whisk in cream, eggs, and brandy until combined well.

Pulse chicken livers in a food processor until finely chopped, then add to onion mixture along with ground pork and veal and mix together well with your hands or a wooden spoon. Stir in ham cubes.

Line bottom and long sides of terrine mold crosswise with about 6 chard leaves, arranging them close together (but not overlapping) and leaving a 1/2- to 2-inch overhang. Fill terrine evenly with ground-meat mixture, rapping terrine on counter to compact it (it will mound slightly above edge). Cover top of terrine lengthwise with 2 or 3 more chard leaves if necessary to cover completely, and fold overhanging ends of bacon back over these. Cover terrine with plastic wrap and chill at least 8 (and no more than 24) hours to marinate meats.

When ready to bake, put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F. Discard the plastic wrap and cover terrine tightly with a double layer of foil.

Bake terrine in a water bath until thermometer inserted diagonally through foil at least 2 inches into center of terrine registers 155 to 160°F, 1 3/4 to 2 hours. Remove foil and let terrine stand in mold on a rack, 30 minutes.

Weight terrine:
Put terrine in mold in a cleaned baking pan. Put a piece of parchment or wax paper over top of terrine, then place on top of parchment another same-size terrine mold or a piece of wood or heavy cardboard cut to fit inside mold and wrapped in foil. Put 2 to 3 (1-pound) cans on terrine or on wood or cardboard to weight cooked terrine. Chill terrine in pan with weights until completely cold, at least 4 hours. Continue to chill terrine, with or without weights, at least 24 hours to allow flavors to develop.

To serve:
Stand the mold in a pan with 1 inch of hot water (to loosen bottom) 2 minutes. Run a knife around the sides to loosen completely before turning out. Tip the terrine mold (holding terrine) to drain excess liquid, then invert a cutting board over terrine, reinvert terrine onto cutting board, and gently wipe outside of terrine (bacon strips) with a paper towel. Let terrine stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving, then transfer to a platter if desired and cut, as needed, into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Serve with cornichons, crostini, and strong mustard.

ps. My family will get roast chicken for dinner tomorrow.

Scallop, Bacon and Orange Salad

2007-12-23T00:05:00.001-08:00

This is such a simple, fast dish. It does benefit from fresh ingredients (and suffer if you have stale ones). In a perfect world, you begin with a sink full of freshly-gathered scallops like these:

Scallop, Bacon and Orange Salad
(serves 4)

2 oranges, peeled and segmented
1 head broccoli (broccolini is fantastic in this dish)
20 medium scallops (or 6 large, cut through the equator)
1 Tbsp. butter
Salt and pepper, to taste.
1/4 cup toasted almonds

Fill a saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Prepare the oranges and toss into a largish salad bowl. Cut broccoli head into bite-sized spears. Peel the stem and cut that into long sticks. When the water is boiling, add the broccoli and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain immediately and run cold water over it to stop further cooking. Drain well and add to salad bowl. Meanwhile warm the butter in a large skillet. Sear the scallops for 2-3 minutes on each side. Add the scallops to the bowl when done. Season with salt and pepper, toss over the almonds and serve.

I have no photos for the finished dish because everyone ate this immediately.

Pissaladiere

2007-12-12T23:45:00.000-08:00

I'm currently visitng my parents, who love and adore things like anchovies and capers. We've been having these salty little adornments in most dinners this week. Since I'm still on a French cooking kick, I've decided to make pissaladiere, the onion-anchovy flatbread of Southern France, for their hors d'ouvres tonight.

The recipe is simple: a short crust dough (properly chilled in the fridge before rolling out), with slowly caramelized onions on top. Decorate with a lattice of nice, oil-cured anchovies. Typically black olives also feature on this dish, but we had none. Not quite Old Mother Hubbard though - we still had some Rose and Pinot Noir to go with this.

For the main course, we had a lentil salad, lamb meat balls, and steamed broccoli with chard stems. The leaves will make an appearance on Christmas day, wrapping a terrine. My parents enjoyed the heartier fare, but the vegetables were still around at the end of the meal. Those will make a re-appearance tomorrow night with the scallops Dad collected today.

You know, in the not-so-distant past, it was them reheating the leftover vegetables for me, the following night.

Rhubarb Buttermilk Loaf

2007-12-03T23:18:00.000-08:00

Rhubarb is something I've always enjoyed baking. The simplest method is to butter a baking dish, squeeze over the juice of an orange, toss in some white sugar, and bake in a preheated oven at 180 C (350 F) for 30-50 minutes. Serve it over some toasted raisin walnut bread with a spread made of chevre and cream. Mmmm.

Below I've included a recipe I found while visiting my parents. I'd like to think this was old-school New Zealand cooking, but since the reference wasn't included, it could be from anywhere. I'd love to try this using some of the buttermilk C made recently. If you don't have fresh buttermilk on hand, substitute plain yogurt or soured milk (1 Tbsp. vinegar and 1 cup milk).

Rhubarb Buttermilk Loaf

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup oil
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups diced rhubarb
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F). Mix the brown sugar and oil in a bowl until smooth. Beat in egg, buttermilk, baking soda, vanilla. Fold in flour. Fold in rhubarb and nuts. Combine butter and sugar. Sprinkle over the batte.r

Pour into a greased loaf tin and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, then turn onto rack.

Feijoa Cake

2007-11-23T23:10:00.000-08:00

Feijoas also go by the name pineapple guava. They have a matt, green skin, and a sweet flavour that is unlike any other fruit I know. To eat them, you can cut the fruit in half and spoon out the pulp. As kids, we would get one in our lunch (with a spoon) if our neighbor had brought by some from her tree. When in season (Autumn?) a feijoa tree will produce many, many fruit.

Feijoa Cake

1/2 cup milk
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup feijoa pulp, mashed
2 eggs
75 g butter, softened
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 180 C. In a mixer bowl add the first four ingredients and mix well. sift the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Combine. Grease a 23 cm cake tin and add the combined mixture to it. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve dusted with icing sugar.

Fruit Cake and Uncooked Fudge Slice

2007-11-22T11:15:00.000-08:00

Fruit Cake
(Makes two loaves)

1 kg mixed dried fruits, soaked in some brandy overnight
2 cups fresh orange juice (about 4 oranges)
2 - 2.5 cups self-raising flour

Cook in 2 greased and lined loaf tins for 1 - 1.5 hours at 180 C for 10 min, then down to 150 C for the rest.

Uncooked Fudge Slice, aka "uncooked cake"
(Apricot Version)

125 g/4 oz. butter
1/2 tin sweetened condensed milk
1 packet wine biscuits, crushed
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup dried apricots, diced

Melt the butter, combine in a bowl with the condensed milk. Add the biscuits crumbs, coconut, and apricots. Stir well. Press into a greased tin and leave to set in the fridge. Cut into squares to serve.

Orange variation: omit dried apricots and add a few drops of orange essence. Ice with a butter icing that includes some orange zest and juice.

My Favourite Christmas Cake

2007-11-10T10:43:00.000-08:00

Each December when I visit my family, I usually bake them a Christmas cake. To me, Christmas cake is a lovely vehicle for dried fruit and citrus zest (and that preserving agent of choice, brandy). It will never be the top choice in households everywhere, but for me, cake is always better when there's less of the cake and more of the fruit (or carrot/zucchini/banana). That's the case here.

The recipe below comes from Cuisine. Should you prefer pudding, the same recipe can be steamed for 3-4 hours. It's great with some fresh, fresh cream poured over. Enjoy.

Christmas Cake
(makes 2x eight inch cakes)

250g dried mission figs, halved and hard stalks removed
250g candied peel, diced
225g raisins
225g currants
125g sultanas
125g preserved ginger, chopped
125g blanched almonds
1 carrot, grated
finely grated zest of 2 oranges
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
75ml beer
1/3 cup brandy plus extra to "feed" the cake
225g butter
225g sugar
4 eggs
50g flour
1 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
225g fresh breadcrumbs

Place all the dried fruit and grated/ diced items in a large mixing bowl. Pour over the beer and brandy, and set aside to marinate while you get the rest in place. Grease two cake tins and set aside. Also, preheat your oven to 350 F.

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating between additions. Add the dry ingredients and stir to just combine. Fold in the marinated dried fruit.

Pour batter into cake tins and bake for 60 - 75 minutes, until an toothpick inserted into the cake comes out cleanly. Poke holes in the top of the cakes with a toothpick or skewer and carefully feed with a 1/4 cup or brandy (or to taste). Leave to cool at room temperature for 20 minutes before turning out.

Image credit: BBC Good Food

What to do with Chestnuts

2007-11-01T23:06:00.000-07:00

C and I have been collecting chestnuts about town this Winter. It's wonderful to see them through from forage to cooked stage, and even more satisfying to share them with friends. While at home, I found some old chestnut recipes. I'm yet to make all of these, but it's still worthwhile listing them all here, in case you happen to be looking for chestnut ideas, too.

Fresh chestnuts will keep at room temperature for about 3 or 4 weeks. They will loose their gloss and shrink a little though. If previously chilled in the fridge, they must be well-dried on a rack or with a cloth before keeping at room temperature (else they will go moldy).

The best way to store chestnuts - for year-round use - is to peel them and freeze them on a baking sheet. You can put them in a plastic container or zip-lock bag for better freezer storage, once frozen.

Chestnut Puree

750 g peeled chestnuts
500 ml liquid (half milk and water suggested)
3 Tbsp. sugar

Simmer in liquid until tender. Stir in the sugar. Puree when done. Freeze or use immediately.

Chocolate and Chestnut Pie

23 cm pastry case, cooked

Filling:
115 g butter, softened
115 g castor sugar
425 g unsweetened chestnut puree
225 g dark chocolate, chopped in a consistently small size
2 Tbsp. brandy

in a double boiler (or a bowl above a saucepan of simmering water) heat the chocolate until it has melted and is smooth. Add the brandy to this.

Meanwhile, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the unsweetened chestnut puree in small amounts, about 2 Tbsp. at a time. Beat well between additions, then combine with the chocolate mixture.

Pour the filling into the pastry case and level with a spatula. Chill until set.

Chestnut Icecream

4 eggs
2 Tbsp. rum
1/2 cup castor sugar
440 g chestnut puree
450 ml cream

Separate the eggs: yolks go into a small bowl with the sugar and rum. The whites go into a large bowl.

Whisk the yolks, sugar and rum together well. Add the chestnut puree and mix well for about 3 minutes. Leave to stand.

Beat the whites until soft peaks form and fold into the mixture. In the egg white bowl, beat the cream until thick, then fold into the mixture. Stir well with a wooden spoon and pout into a 2 litre plastic container. Put the lid on and freeze. Remove from freezer 30 minutes before serving.

Pear and Pecan Loaf

2007-10-28T19:37:00.000-07:00

1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 - 3/4 pounds Bosc pears (~1 large), peeled, cored, diced
1 cup toasted pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter 13x9-inch baking pan. Dust pan with flour. Using electric mixer, beat the sugar with the eggs, oil and vinegar in large bowl until very thick. Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup dry ingredients; mix remaining dry ingredients into egg mixture. Toss pears, pecans and dried pears with reserved dry ingredients to coat. Mix into batter. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour.

Gingerbread

2007-10-12T18:22:00.000-07:00

This is a classic, dark, spice-filled loaf.

Gingerbread
(makes 1 loaf)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. baking soda

1/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup molasses
3/4 cup hot water

Preheat your oven to 325 F. Grease a square tin.

In a large bowl sift dry ingredients and set aside. In a second bowl, cream the shortening and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, stirring well until completely absorbed. Next, add the molasses and hot water. Mix well. Fold in the dry ingredients. Pour into greased tin and bake for 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Set on a rack to cool before removing from pan.

Quinoa-Olive Salad with Roasted White Asparagus and Haricot Verts

2007-10-08T08:54:00.000-07:00

Today's quinoa-olive recipe was a lot of fun to make. If you're unfamiliar with quinoa (keen-wah), you should track some down and give this recipe a go. Quinoa has a lovely, crunchy texture when cooked. You can use it in both sweet and savory recipes, at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. There's a combination of cooking methods for the various ingredients here - roasting, boiling, and blanching, which results in a combination of flavours - nutty, fruity, and sweet.

Note that soaking helps dissolve the saponin, the slightly bitter coating that occurs naturally on this pseudocereal. If your rush the soaking step, a slight bitterness may be your trade-off.

Quinoa-Olive Salad with Roasted White Asparagus and Haricot Verts
(serves 4)

1 cup dried quinoa
1/2 lb haricots verts or green beans
1 bunch white asparagus
1/2 cup pitted green, brine-cured olives, such as piccholine, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil, plus 2 Tbsp for dressing
1 Tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste
green tomato tapenade, for garnish

In a large pot with tight-fitting lid add your quinoa, and soak for 15 - 30 minutes. Drain well. Rinse again. Add 1 1/2 cups of water, some salt, and bring to the boil. Lower the temperature and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to steam for a further 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 F. Wash your asparagus well and pat dry. Trim any dried ends. Lay the spears on a baking sheet, drizzle lightly with olive oil (about 1 Tbsp), and season with salt and pepper. Roll the spears about in the oil to coat. Roast for 10 - 15 minutes.

Bring a second pot of salted water to the boil, add haricots verts and simmer for 5 - 6 minutes. You want them to be bright green and retain some firmness. Prepare an ice bath in the sink. When done, drain the beans and immediately add to the ice bath. Let them sit for a minute and then drain again and pat dry.

In your serving bowl, whisk together 2 Tbsp. olive oil, the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Add the quinoa, chopped olives, and toss to combine. Everything can be held at this point for serving later, if needed. Bring everything back to room temperature before serving.

When ready to serve, plate a 2/3 of the quinoa-olive salad. Add some green beans and roasted asparagus on the side. Place a tablespoon of the green tomato tapenade on top of the asparagus-bean medley.

Green Tomato Tapenade

2007-10-06T08:15:00.000-07:00

Despite the proliferation of Chilean peaches in Spring and New Zealand apples in Winter (when they should be out of season in New Zealand), green tomatos remain one of the few things you absolutely cannot get once the local season has passed. Red tomatos are available year-round canned, sun-dried, or shipped. But have you found a can of green tomatoes? Well, no, and thank goodness for that. Green tomatos are the last bastion of local eating - the use it or loose it (until next year) of the agronomic domain, which means now is your last chance to enjoy them.

I've been toying with the idea of a green tomato tapenade for a while now. Perhaps it's because this is my last chance to enjoy green tomatoes for some time. Despite the substitution of sun-dried red tomatoes, I wanted this recipe to remain as true to its origins as possible. That way, you still capture the essential brininess that accompanies a good tapenade. To compensate for the extra moisture in green tomatoes (fresh tomatoes aren't used in tapenade), I sliced them thinly (about 1/4" thick) and roasted on a very low oven setting for 90 minutes. You want to dehydrate but not caramelize the slices. Store them in olive oil until ready to use.

Serve on mini-toasts, hand-cut jicama wafers, polenta squares, baguette slices, toss with pasta and vegetables, or try a quinoa-olive salad with roasted white asparagus and haricot verts for main course.

Green Tomato Tapenade
(makes ??)

1 cup pitted green, brine-cured olives, such as picholine
3/4 cup semi-dried green tomatoes, oil packed
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup drained, brine-cured capers
3/4 tsp dried thyme

Pulse the olives and tomatoes in a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until a coarse puree is reached. Be careful to not chop the tapenade too fine - we're going for texture here.

Transfer to a bowl and cover. Let the tapenade rest an hour before serving.

NB. The tapenade can be refridgerated for up to threee days before use. Bring to room temperature before proceeding, as the olive oil can solidify in the fridge.

Last of the Summer Tomatoes

2007-09-25T17:51:00.000-07:00

We're approaching the last weeks of the tomato season in Georgia now. C and I have been enjoying the local heirlooms from the farmers' market, making the most of them while they're around. This week, we had a tomato, bell pepper, and bay scallop panzanella, whipped up with some local sourdough bread and some basil from the garden. This proved both satisfying, convenient, and economical. Here's the basic outline of the recipe...

Late Summer Panzanella
(serves 4)

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and cut in half
1/2 loaf country bread torn into 1- to 1 1/2-inch chunks
2 Tbsp good-quality red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp minced shallot
Pinch sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 small red bell pepper, cut into small chunks
1/2 cup basil leaves, torn into pieces, plus additional for garnish
1 lb bay scallops

Rub the serving bowl with half of the cut garlic clove. Crush the clove and add to a small tupperware container for shaking with the vinaigrette. Combine the remaining olive oil with vinegar, shallot, sugar, salt and pepper, and shake with the garlic in a container.

In a large bowl, toss bread, tomatoes, and bell pepper with vinaigrette and basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside for 30 minutes before serving.

When ready to serve, heat a skillet with butter and sear the scallops on both sides, about 2 minutes. Season with salt if desired. Add to the salad bowl and toss to combine. Sprinkle the additional basil over and serve immediately.

Image credit (with thanks): www.notebookmagazine.com

Haricots Verts Salad with Figs and Walnut Vinaigrette

2007-09-24T06:18:00.001-07:00

Whie figs are in season - always too brief - one should enjoy them as much as possible. I suggest this salad as a fragrant starter for friends, although it could also be served as a side dish in your main course. It really all depends on if you prefer to serve French style, one course at a time, or Thanksgiving style, all at once.

I would match this to a juicy, aromatic wine like the Kuentz-Bas sylvaner-pinot blanc-riesling-muscat, which would really highlight the figs. Admittedly, I would match most things to this Alsace blend at the moment: it's a perfect end of Summer wine.

H. V. Salad
(serves 4 as an appetizer)

1 lb haricots verts, tipped and tailed
salt
2 Tbsp sherry vinegar
1/8 tsp white pepper
3 Tbsp walnut oil
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 Tbsp very finely minced shallot
6 large, ripe figs, stemmed and quartered
20 small basil leaves
2 Tbsp coarsely chopped walnutes

Blanch the haricot verts in salted water for 6-8 minutes, until tender with a bit of resistance. Cool immediately in an ice bath and set aside. Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette with the vinegar, oils, salt, and pepper. Whisk well, add the herbs and shallot, and mix.

Drain the green beans well (pat dry if necessary) and combine with the figs and dressing. Serve to four happy guests.

Fiery Carrot Dip

2007-09-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

We've got friends coming over for a wine and dinner pot-luck tomorrow afternoon, so my kitchen is crammed with ingredients right now. The first thing we'll be serving is this Fiery Carrot Dip, a Food and Wine recipe, which hails from Tunisian influence.

The main appeal of this dish is the warming combination of root vegetable and spice, something that feels very appropriate for this cooler weather. The other things I like are that the ingredients are brief, on-hand, and very affordable. I've scaled the quantities down for this recipe, but I could see this being a great dip to serve at a large, 100+ guests party. You just need a bigger food processor then.

1 lb carrots, cut into 3-inch lengths
1/8 cup plus 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tablespoon honey (optional)
3/4 teaspoons harissa or other chile paste
3/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Salt
1/8 pound feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup), for garnish
3 pitted black olives, for garnish

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the carrots and cook over moderately high heat until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain.

Transfer the carrots to a food processor. Add the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, honey, harissa, cumin and ginger and process to a smooth puree. Season the dip with salt.

Scrape the dip onto a platter or into a bowl. Scatter the feta cheese and olives on top and serve.

Lettuce Soup with Blue Cheese and Candied Walnuts

2007-09-11T19:38:00.000-07:00

Lettuce Soup (serves 4)

8 cups coarsely chopped lettuce leaves including ribs (3/4 lb)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups water

Blanch the lettuce in boiling water until bright green. Chill immediately in an ice bath. Add leaves to a blender, with the butter, salt, pepper, and half of the water. Puree and add more water until desired thickness is reached. You'll want to keep this fairly thick so that it can support the weight of the candied pecans.

To serve: add soup to bowls. Carefully place 1 tsp. of blue cheese and a few candied pecans on top of each serving.

Roasted Bell Pepper Soup

2007-09-03T05:29:00.000-07:00

It has been hot in Georgia this year. Really hot. So my chilled soup recipes are finally getting broken out, modified, and rectified. It's all you care to eat on a day when it's 95 F and you've just cycled home.

This particular recipe came from the fact 4 red bell peppers were on sale at my local supermarket. It was that classic, reduced-to-clear inspiration that makes me think, "I can make something tasty with those." It was too good an opportunity to pass up, and I'm glad I didn't. The peppers were roasted whole in the oven, until the point of collapse, then peeled, seeded, and pureed. To that I added some canned tomatoes, which had the onion included. The tomatoes rounded out the flavour of the dish nicely, but I'm sure you could make a single-vegetable soup with just the capsicums and be just as happy. The colour is stunning and the texture thick and voluptuous. How could you not feel just the slightest bit cheered by this vibrant bowl of red?

Sweet Roasted Pepper Soup
(serves 6)

6 large red peppers
1 can tomatoes and onion
salt and pepper
12 shrimp, cooked then peeled (optional ingredient)

roast the peppers (~30 minutes @ 400 F)
sweat in a container for 10 minutes, while they cool
peel peppers & reserve juices
discard skins, stalks and seeds
add reserved juices
puree
season
to serve, cook shrimp
place soup in bowls, garnish w. shrimp

Again, credit must go to Cuisine.co.nz for the recipe image. I hope to re-borrow a friend's digital camera for some of the upcoming posts.

White Anchovy and Grapefruit

2007-08-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

This snazzy little starter follows from the previous post where C and I purchased white anchovies. I've been keen to recreate this dish at home, ever since I had it at 5&10. It's the dish that changed my mind about anchovies.

White Anchovy and Grapefruit
(serves 2)

1 ruby red grapefruit, pith removed and segmented
8 white anchovy fillets
oil

It's honestly too easy for a recipe. You merely arrange the in circular or linear fashion on your plates and drizzle the oil over the top. This dish has such juicy flavours, but it's light, so it makes the perfect starter before a dinner party or cocktail evening. I should be so lucky to have it that often.

White Anchovy and Potato Salad

2007-08-27T19:01:00.000-07:00

After a nice wine tasting at Shiraz, C and I picked up a bottle of rose and, what we'd really come for, some white anchovies. Which ten years ago would have been a complete surprise. You see, as with most people, anchovies represent the last bastion of childhood culinary terrors. Through a little bit of faith at my favourite local restaurant, I revisited these beauties and found they were rather tasty.

So today, I am pleased to present the salad we conjured up: white anchovy, radicchio, and potato salad with a mustard vinaigrette. There's the potential for much bitterness in this salad if one uses old radiccho. Just don't do that to yourself. Buy fresh, buy local, and wash it down with a nice rose...

I love happy endings like that.

Banana and Cardamon Bread

2007-08-18T11:10:00.001-07:00

Banana and Cardamon Bread
(makes 2 loaves)

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs at room temperature for 30 minutes
2 1/3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups coarsely mashed very ripe bananas (6 large)
1/4 cup crème fraîche
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/3 cups walnuts (4 oz), toasted and chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 (9- by 5- by 3-inch) metal loaf pans, then dust with flour, knocking out excess.
Sift together 3 1/4 cups flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a bowl.

Beat together eggs and sugar in bowl of electric mixer at medium-high speed until very thick and pale and mixture forms a ribbon when beater is lifted, about 10 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add oil in a slow stream, mixing, then mix in bananas, crème fraîche, and vanilla. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in flour mixture and walnuts gently but thoroughly.

Divide batter between loaf pans, spreading evenly, and bake in middle of oven until golden brown and a wooden pick or skewer comes out clean, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

Cool loaves in pans on a rack 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack. Turn loaves right side up and cool completely.

Image credit: www.notebookmagazine.com

White Gazpacho

2007-07-27T05:21:00.000-07:00

My father, who was recently visiting, had commented on an exquisite gazpacho that he had tried on his travels in the US. His was the traditional red variety, but credit goes to him for getting this particular idea rolling. I hadn't been thinking much about gazpacho until then.

This recipe was amalgamated after sifting through the many variations of white gazpacho that appeared in Food and Wine last year, as well as the few from Gourmet's archives (epicurious.com). There's such a fragrant array of ingredients in a classic white gazpacho: green grapes, cucumber, and toasted Marcona almonds. I didn't have white bread on hand to use, so I improvised with okara instead. As a corollary, the okara worked extremely well, but for authenticity I would favour using bread if you have that on hand in the first place.

White Gazpacho
(serves 4)

8 slices country bread
3 cups ice water
3 tablespoons sliced almonds
1 clove garlic
3/4 pound seedless green grapes
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and white pepper
Some jalapeno, to taste, seeded and diced
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
preparation

Lightly toast 5 slices of bread. Remove the crusts then set the bread aside to soften in 1 cup of water. Lightly toast the almonds in a small skillet over medium-low heat until golden, about 7 minutes. Transfer the almonds to a food processor add the garlic and pulse until the almonds are finely ground. Squeeze the bread as dry as possible and add it, and about one-third of the grapes to the almonds. Process until the mixture is smooth.

Transfer the bread mixture to a bowl and gradually beat in first the vinegar, then 1/2 cup of the oil. Beat in the remaining two cups of water then strain the gazpacho through a fine sieve, forcing as much of the bread mixture through as possible. Season the gazpacho with salt and a pinch of cayenne and refrigerate until the soup is well chilled, at least one hour.

Quarter the remaining grapes, and dice the reserved cucumber. Serve the gazpacho in bowls topped with the diced accompaniments.

Zucchini Salad with Pine Nuts, Mint, and Chevre

2007-07-13T15:52:00.000-07:00

This has become a Summertime favourite in my kitchen. The combination of garden-fresh zucchini (courgette), chevre, and lightly toasted pine nuts is phenomenal. I make this dish several times a year, mostly in quick succession during the months of June and July, when zucchini vines are heavy with their fruit.

Salting the zucchini is important here. It loosens up the noodle-like threads by drawing out moisture, making each mouthful more delightful (read: manageable) to eat. Pair this with a grassy New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, such as Saint Claire, and you have another easy Summer meal on your hands.

Zucchini Salad
(serves 4)

6 medium zucchini, trimmed
200g goats' cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons roughly chopped or torn mint leaves
juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Cut the zucchini flesh into long, thin strips, avoiding the seeds. This can be done quickly with a special julienne-style peeler or mandolin, or carefully with a sharp knife. Place the zucchini strips, goats' cheese and pine nuts in a salad bowl and season them with salt and pepper. Combine dressing ingredients, pour over salad and toss well. Check and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Again, Cuisine Magazine is to thank for the recipe and photo.

Swiss Chard Tart (Tourte des Blettes)

2007-07-10T12:02:00.000-07:00

This recipe is a classic in the Comte de Nice, where swiss chard is a popular ingredient. I was fascinated with the alternative use of swiss chard in the dessert course, and had to try it as soon as I could find some good local chard to do it justice. This creates a beautiful rustic tart, lightly sweetened and spiced.

Rather than make a double-crust, as the original recipe specified, I decided to make it galette style, meaning open-faced. I've left the ingredients in their original quantities, but the method only calls for rolling out half the dough. Reserve the other half for another use (it will freeze well, rolled out in a pie dish), or go ahead and try the double-crusted version. You'll want to use a beaten egg wash on the top crust, so that you get a beautiful glazed finish.

Apple and Swiss Chard Tart
(makes one 11” tart)

For the shortcrust pastry:
3 cups plus 2 Tbsp (400 g) plain flour
1 cup (250 g) unsalted butter
1 egg yolk
4 Tbsp (80 g) superfine sugar
about 3 Tbsp (45 mls) water
For the filling:
8 swiss chard leaves, stems removed, leaves washed and shredded
1/4 cup (100 g) soft brown sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup (60 g) golden raisins macerated in 3 Tbsp (45 mls) dark rum
3.5 oz (100 g) pine nuts
3 tsp (40 mls) brandy
pinch pepper
1 Tbsp (15 mls) light olive oil
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and sliced
Make the crust first, following the usual method. Let the pastry rest for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.
Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C).
In a bowl, combine the brown sugar and eggs. Add the raisins, drained rum, the pine nuts, brandy, pepper, and olive oil. Stir everything well, then add the chard leaves.
To assemble the tart, line to the base of a 11” (28 cm) tart tin, roll out half of the pastry and place in the tin. Spread the filling on top. Tuck edges inside the pastry coming up from the base layer, and neaten edges as you please.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until cooked through and rich brown on top.

Ode to Asparagus Salad

2007-06-10T06:36:00.000-07:00

Ode to Asparagus Salad
(serves 4)

juice of 1 lemon
3.5 tsp salt
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
32 asparagus spears, mixed colours or just white, trimmed
1 Tbsp sherry vinegar
1/4 cup evoo
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
2 Tbsp minced shallots
2 Tbsp diced chives

Prepare a holding bowl with two quarts of water and the lemon juice. Set aside. Fill a large saucepan 3/4 full with water and bring to the boil. Add 3 teaspoons of salt. Place spears in the holding bowl as they are trimmed. When ready blanch the white asparagus for 12-15 minutes. Blanch the green or purple varietals for 5-6 minutes, until soft. Drain well, patting dry if needed. Toss with the vinaigrette and serve.

Anzac Biscuits

2007-04-28T13:40:00.000-07:00

Anzac biscuits are a wonderful treat in Australia and New Zealand, where home cooks have been whipping up these for years. I decided to play around with the recipes I've found, since I wanted a sturdier (versus crumblier) version. Most recipes call for melting the butter with the golden syrup. And here's the point of departure. I decided to cream the butter and sugar first and follow the recipe otherwise. The result was exactly as I had hoped: cookies with structural integrity. They're perfect with your afternoon tea or coffee.

Anzac biscuits
(makes 15-18 small biscuits)

125g butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. golden syrup*
1 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. hot water
1 cup of rolled oats
1 cup of plain flour
3/4 cup desiccated coconut

Preheat your oven to 320 F. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar well. Add the golden syrup and the baking soda dissolved in the 2 tablespoons of hot water.

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl, and mix well. Shape tablespoons of the mixture into rounds and place on a lightly greased baking tray. Leave some space in between for spreading. Place in oven and bake for about 8 - 10 minutes or until a deep brown.

Cool down on the baking tray for about 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire cake rack to cool further.

*golden syrup is a dark cane syrup with a distinctive taste. It's a flavor I associate with Anzac biscuits, but if you have trouble finding it in the supermarket, you can omit it from the recipe with no harm done.

Classic Carrot Cake

2007-04-12T05:10:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favourite cake recipes - possibly because it has more of the "carrot" and less of the "cake" to it. It's incredibly moist, and easy to make (once the carrots are peeled/ trimmed/grated). I prefer mine without icing, but since this is often made to share with others, icing frequently makes an appearance.

Note that this recipe makes a two-layer cake, so you'll need two cake pans at the ready. On occasions when I'm not planning to ice (read: share) my carrot cake, I make it in a single loaf pan. The cooking time takes a bit longer then, about 40 minutes.

Classic Carrot Cake
(makes one 8” cake)

For the cake:
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups plus 2 Tbsp flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 lbs. carrots, peeled, trimmed, grated (about 4 cups)

For the frosting:
12 oz cream cheese
7 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease two 8” round cake pans with butter, dust each with 1 tablespoon of the flour, tapping out excess, and set aside. Combine the remaining dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add oil and eggs and stir until smooth. Add carrots and mix well. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until toothpick inserted into
middle comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Set it aside to cool on a rack, then remove
from pans.

To make the frosting, cream the wet ingredients in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer (or sturdy arm) on high speed until smooth. Reduce the speed to low and mix in sugar. Ice cake and serve.

Photo credit: www.mercury-appliances.co.uk

Asparagus and Scallop Risotto

2007-03-10T18:22:00.000-08:00

The key to a good risotto is quality ingredients. In a perfect world that means good rice (Ferron vialone nano), homemade stock (always good to have some in the freezer), and freshly-grated Parmesan Reggiano.

From there it's a matter of deciding what flavors to incorporate. Since the asparagus was looking good that day, and I had some lemons and scallops on hand, that became the risotto of choice.

What I like about risotto is the methodical stirring. It's a soothing task to perform: adding some stock, stirring while it absorbs, adding some more stock, stirring...add, stir, add... When your rice is cooked through and the stock has absorbed, you want to remove it from the heat immediately. Italians descibe the final state as "all'onda" (wavy), which is a sexy way for saying it's cooked and moist. Drizzle with some olive oil and serve.

Asparagus and Scallop Risotto
(serves 4)

1 bunch fresh asparagus
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 liter chicken stock, heated
300g risotto rice (vialone nano or arborio)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
100g Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated

Wash the asparagus and cut off the tough ends. Trim the tips from the spears. Chop the spears into fine slices. Blanch the tips in simmering salted water for 2 minutes. Drain well, then immerse in an ice bath.

Heat the olive oil in a large, wide, deep pan. Add the onion and cook until golden. Add the rice and saute for a few minutes to toast the grains. Ladle a little stock into the pan and stir well with a wooden spoon. As it is absorbed, add the hot stock a ladleful at a time, stirring continuously.

When all the stock is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes, test the rice; it should have a creamy consistency. If it has a chalky thread through each grain, you will need to cook it further in a little more liquid. Use hot water if you have no stock left.

Taste for seasoning and add plenty of salt and black pepper if needed then stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano and asparagus tips. Serve at once, with extra parmesan if you like.

Recipe and image from www.cuisine.co.nz

Cherry Jam Filled Buttermilk Pancakes

2007-03-10T11:12:00.000-08:00

You may well ask what kind of person would want to make jam-stuffed souffled pancakes for breakfast.

Is it the person who:
1) finds souffle-making fun
2) has an electric hand mixer
3) only has to cook for two people
4) all of the above

I fall into category 4, but only option 1 is needed to embark on this. If you think souffle-making looks like fun, you qualify for this project, too.

Souffles are much simpler that their reputation suggests. This recipe seems to give a fairly stable batter, although by the end of the third batch of baking, the batter was a tad deflated. This just means the jam will trickle out a bit in places if you haven't centered it in the pancake. You'll find an electric hand-whisk speeds the process considerably, but the old fashioned arm-powered method also gives excellent results.

I cooked this in a cast iron aebleskiver pan, which has seven small hemisphere indentations to shape each pancake, about 5 cm in diameter. This was done only because the photo that came with the recipe (Williams-Sonoma catalog) had done the same. A flat skillet would work fine, too, but you'll have to call them pancakes, not aebleskiver. The flipping came easily, since the pan was well-oiled, and each batch was kept warm in the oven (140 F) while subsequent pancakes were cooked.

All up, this took 30 minutes to make and cook. Served with a pot of black tea and some yogurt, this was an excellent start to the weekend.

Cherry Jam Filled Buttermilk Pancakes
(Makes 20 small pancakes)

1 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
zest of 1/4 lemon
2 egg yolks
1 cup buttermilk
3 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks
7 tbsp cherry jam
confectioner's sugar for garnish (optional)

In a bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Add the lemon zest and then the buttermilk. Whisk in yolks until well combined. The batter will be lumpy. Gently fold in the egg whites, in two additions.

Heat your pan on medium heat and grease well (butter or oil). When the butter (or oil) starts bubbling, start several pancakes, 1 tablespoon of batter each. Add a 1/2 teaspoon of jam to the center of each pancake and then follow with a topping of 1 tablespoon more of the batter. Cook for 3-5 minutes on one side, flip, and cook for 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Recipe adapted from the Williams-Sonoma Easter catalog.

Citrus Semolina Babycakes

2007-02-08T09:13:00.000-08:00

I've been interested in developing some muffin/cake ideas for a new cafe in Athens, GA. Given that this is a city with many cafes already, it would be nice to break from the usual sour cream-blueberry or banana-bran muffins that occupy our metropolitan coffee counters.

Here's one of the recipes I tested last night. It uses almond meal and semolina instead of the usual flour, and the butter is replaced by oil, making this both dairy and gluten free. It's particularly appropriate for the upcoming Winter season, where both local-ish oranges and lemons should be available. It's also particularly nice with a mild coffee, since this little babycake has enough brightness on its own. The coffee provides a nice counterpoint.

Citrus Semolina Babycake
(makes ~7 large babycakes)

shredded or grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
shredded or grated zest and juice of 1 orange
185mls extra virgin olive oil
215g caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 medium eggs
200g semolina (1 1/2 - 2 cups)
1 teaspoon baking powder
115g ground almonds (1 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons water

Grease a jumbo-sized (Texas?) muffin pan and set aside. Preheat the oven to 325 F.

Reserve a half of the shredded lemon and orange zest and put the remainder in a bowl with the orange and lemon juice, oil, sugar, salt and eggs. Whisk together until light and fluffy. In a second bowl, combine the sifted semolina and baking powder. Add the ground almonds. Pour all at once into the dry ingredients, fold together, but do not over mix. Spoon into the prepared tin and smooth the top.Bake towards the top of the oven for 20-25 minutes or until pale gold at the edges and firm in the middle.

Remove from the oven and let cool in the tin for about 10 minutes. Ease the babycakes out, and let cool on a wire rack for another 10 minutes. The babycakes will keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Pomegranate Jellies

2006-12-24T12:45:00.000-08:00

There's something very alluring about the richly-hued crimson seeds of a pomegranate. They're little jewels of tart-sweet flavour; gorgeous to look at and brilliant in Winter-inspired dishes (think roast duck or endive salad with orange zest and pomegranate seeds). This recipe works well on its own: elegance belies its simplicity.

Pomegranate Jellies
(makes 4)

4 large pomegranates, seeds removed
2/3 cup (140 g) caster sugar
1/4 cup (60 ml) cold water
5 tsp (16 g) powdered gelatine

Reserve 1 tablespoon of pomegranate seeds. Use a food processor to process remaining pomegranate seeds until a coarse puree forms. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing with back of a spoon to extract juice. Discard solids. Line a sieve with muslin and place over a bowl. Strain juice through sieve. Measure juice. Add enough water to make 600ml of liquid.

Place pomegranate mixture and sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Meanwhile, place cold water in a heatproof cup. Sprinkle with gelatine and set aside until gelatine softens. Place cup in a saucepan of barely simmering water and heat for 2-3 minutes or until gelatine dissolves. Add gelatine to pomegranate mixture and stir until well combined. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Divide the mixture among four 150ml-capacity jelly moulds. Place on a tray in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight to set. Turn jellies on to plates, sprinkle with reserved pomegranate seeds and serve.

Image credit: www.notebookmagazine.com

Country Ham with Peppered Melon and Okra

2006-09-22T14:32:00.000-07:00

So here's what I made one dinner this week.

This Southern spin on the classic Italian "prosciutto e melone" comes straight from the pages of 5&10, a local Athens restaurant. The prosciutto is replaced by Virginian cured ham, which is our Southern equivalent. The blanched okra works as a counterpoint to the ham's saltiness and the melon's sweetness. It rounds out the dish nicely, while staying true to the local theme.

Okra really is a formidable Southern ingredient in both senses of the word: loved and hated. I'd like to think that those in the latter camp have only seen the boiled-til-gummy or deep-fried versions. And if that were true, then I'd encourage them to blanch it as you would asparagus, and try it once more. It's in season right now.

Mandarin Tartlets

2006-09-08T15:14:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe on Cuisine's all-inspiring website and decided to try it out.

What could be a nicer end to the week? I bought some mandarin oranges, marscarpone, and used my own yoghurt.

That's happiness right there.

Although it's much more accurate to specify weights, I haven't a scale in my kitchen with which to measure. So I converted the recipe, from weight to volumetric measures, as follows:

For the pate brisee:
scant 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
12 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and diced
4 tbsp chilled water

For the filling:
6 oz. mascarpone
3.5 oz. thick Greek-style yoghurt
5 tbsp clementine marmalade, fruit finely chopped
9 mandarins
3 tbsp Grand Marnier

Method:
Pulse the flour, salt and butter in a food processor until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the chilled water (one tablespoon at a time - you may not need it all) and pulse once or twice, but don’t allow the mix to form a ball.

Turn out on a clean bench and knead lightly to bring together. Form into a log and chill for at least 2 hours. (The dough can be frozen at this point.)

Slice off 1/2'' pieces of dough and roll out on a lightly floured surface until 1/6'' thick. Place in individual tart tins (4'' diameter) and trim. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This is a key step in good pastry-making.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prick the tart bases with a fork, cover each with a little baking paper and fill with dried beans, rice or ceramic beans. Blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for 5 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. Cool on a rack before filling.

Meanwhile, mix the mascarpone, yoghurt and 4 tablespoons of marmalade. Add the finely grated zest of 3 mandarins to the mascarpone mix. Place their juice in a small saucepan with the liqueur and the last tablespoon of marmalade.

Bring to the boil to thicken slightly then cool. Add half to the mascarpone mixture and half to the remaining mandarins, which have been peeled, pith removed and finely sliced.

Place a dollop of mascarpone mix in each tart shell, cover with mandarins and drizzle with any juice. Serve.

NB. The tartlet cases and the filling can be made a day ahead and stored separately. Assemble just before serving. Ginny Grant, that was a fantastic recipe.

Tarte au Citron

2006-08-29T09:42:00.000-07:00

This is lemony, soul-lifting goodness. The tart is such a glorius yellow, and the citrusy aromas will waft through your house the way you imagine it should when one bakes from scratch. It's such a simple pleasure, for the cost of so few ingredients and the investment of some energy. I hope everyone experiences this pure a satisfaction once in their lives.

There are several ways to make a lemon tart. You can whisk all the ingredients together and then bake it. You can cook the eggs over a water bath, and then incorporate the other ingredients as you would for a sabayon. You can be somewhere in between these two extremes, combining ingredients in a logical order, but not worrying about the double-boiler concept. We're using option 1 today; you can learn the shortcuts once you've mastered the original. Indeed, I hope you do try this several times, changing the methodology and making it "your own" to some degree. That, after all, is the essence of good home cooking.

Tarte au Citron
(makes one 9" tart)

Butter and flour for the tart pan
1/3 recipe Pine Nut Crust (recipe follows)

For the crust:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter and flour a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and refrigerate it while the oven preheats.

Remove the tart pan from the refrigerator. Use your fingertips to press the chilled pine nut dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Trim off any excess dough.

Bake the crust for 10 to 15 minutes, then rotate it and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until it is golden brown. Remove the crust from the oven and let it cool while you make the filling. (There may be some cracks in the crust; they will not affect the finished tart.)

For the lemon sabayon:
2 large eggs, cold
2 large egg yolks, cold
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) cold unsalted
butter, cut into 6 pieces
Bring about 1 1/2 inches of water to a boil in a pot that is slightly smaller than the diameter of the bowl you will be using for the sabayon. Meanwhile, in a large metal bowl, whisk the eggs, yolks, and sugar for about 1 minute, or until the mixture is smooth.

Set the bowl over the pot and, using a large whisk, whip the mixture while you turn the bowl (for even heating). After about 2 minutes, when the eggs are foamy and have thickened, add one-third of the lemon juice. Continue to whisk vigorously and, when the mixture thickens again, add another one-third of the lemon juice. Whisk until the mixture thickens again, then add the remaining lemon juice. Continue whisking vigorously, still turning the bowl, until the mixture is thickened and light in color and the whisk leaves a trail in the bottom of the bowl. The total cooking time should be 8 to 10 minutes.

Turn off the heat and leave the bowl over the water. Whisk in the butter a piece at a time. The sabayon may loosen slightly, but it will thicken and set as it cools. Pour the warm sabayon into the tart crust and place the pan on a baking sheet.

Preheat the broiler. While the sabayon is still warm, place the tart under the broiler. Leaving the door open, brown the top of the sabayon, rotating the tart if necessary for even color; this will take only a few seconds, so do not leave the oven. Remove the tart from the broiler and let it sit for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Recipe from Bouchon by Thomas Keller. Image from www.bbc.co.uk/food

Cucumber Sorbet

2006-06-19T19:58:00.000-07:00

1/2 tsp powdered gelatine (or an egg white)
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup simple syrup
2 cups fresh cucumber juice (~2 cucumbers' worth)
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp vodka
1 1/2 tsp salt

In a small cup, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let stand for five minutes to soften. Meanwhile, bring the syrup to a simmer. Remove from heat, add the gelatin, and stir until completely dissolved. Pour mixture into a bowl and add remaining ingredients. Allow to cool before processing in your ice cream maker.

Chocolate Hedgehog

2005-10-07T11:59:00.000-07:00

If anyone can tell me where the name originates, I'll be very appreciative (and impressed). I know this slice is particular to Australia, and by association, New Zealand.

Apart from a cute name, I can tell you this slice is perfect for the chocoholic in your life. It has just enough richness for a good "hit" and is without any cloyingness. I found it a bit too rich for me, but I have zero chocolate credibility since I prefer lemon slice any day. My chocolate-loving friends are ok with this - there's more for them. Here's the recipe, which is a breeze to make.

Chocolate Hedgehog
(makes ~48 pieces)

8 oz butter
1 cup white sugar
4 tbsp cocoa
3/4 cup blanched hazelnuts, chopped slightly
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten
16 ounces crushed plain biscuits* (a bit less than 2 packets of Marie biscuits)

Line a 11 x 7" rimmed baking sheet (or casserole dish) with baking paper.

Melt the butter over a gentle heat, adding the sugar, vanilla and cocoa. Cook until a smoth mixture results and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, cut 16 of the biscuits in half and crush the remaining biscuits with a rolling pin.

Whisk eggs into the cooled cocoa mixture, then stir in biscuit crumbs and chopped hazelnuts. Spoon half the mixture over the base of your tray. Top with biscuit halves, widthways in 4 lines. Spoon over the remaining mixture to cover biscuits. Refrigerate overnight or until firm then turn on to a board and cut into squares.

*although these are what you call cookies in the US, most brands of the type needed in this recipe come from overseas, and, hence will have "biscuit" on the packaging. So, if you're in the US you'll be buying a cookie in the hispanic grocery section of the supermarket, and the label will read "biscuits."
Image credit: www.taste.com.au