running with tweezers

Weekend Cookbook Challenge #2 - Winter Comfort Food

This challenge couldn't have come at a better time. My "weekend cookbook challenge" has really been "week-long life challenge". Work stress, relationship turmoil, and the dsl that had fallen and couldn't get up was really starting to take it toll on me. (the dsl is finally fixed hence the reason my weekend recipe is posted on Tuesday - sorry Ali!)

To me, comfort food = easy. So, when pushed to the limit and wanting something that's going to soothe me, I throw all diet and food woes aside and go for the gusto. I turned to Jacques Pepin's Fast Food My Way. I have made several things from this cookbook and they are all solid, simple meals. I made "Bow Tie Pasta with Fried Eggs and Cheese". Simple pasta and cheese and a gooey egg. How could this not make you feel better!?

Bow Tie Pasta with Fried Eggs and Cheese - 4 servings

12 ounces farfalle (bowtie) pasta - I used penne because it is what I had on hand and the ridges catch the egg yolk well!

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon minced chives - i didn't have any so i used garlic and red chili flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt & 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

8 large eggs

1 1/3 cups grated Swiss cheese

Bring water to a boil, cook pasta until done to your liking. Meanwhile, put the EVOO, chives, salt, and pepper in a bowl large enough to hold the cooked pasta. When the pasta is ready, remove 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and add it to the bowl. Drain pasta well and toss with ingredients in bowl.

Melt 1/2 tablespoon of the butter in each of two nonstick skillets. Break two of the eggs into each skillet and cook, covered, over medium high heat for about 2 minutes until the whites are just set. Spoon 6 ounces of pasta onto warmed plates and sprinkle on a heaping spoonful of cheese. Place 2 eggs on top of the pasta, add a little more cheese, and then a half ladle of pasta. (The egg yolks should be visible through the top layer of pasta). Cook remaining eggs and plate the same way.

Sugar(less) High Friday - a day late and a sweetener short

Due to the fact that my phone line & dsl have been broken for several days, my Sugar High Friday post is, well, late. Really late. I wasn't going to bother posting this at all...but gosh darnit...I want people to see these cookies!

In this particular case, thanks to the theme hosted by Becks and Posh (one of my favorite food blogs!), this recipe is more about what is *not* in it - sugar and flour. Can you believe it!? Cookies with no sugar and no flour. I saw this recipe on Paula Deen's show on Food Network and yelled "Hay Ya'll!". No I didn't. I just went to the store and bought stuff to make these "Magical Peanut Butter Cookies".

They couldn't be easier: peanut butter (don't skimp on quality - i used the Reese's brand), egg, vanilla, and Splenda. Mix it together, form into ball shapes, flatten with fork to make "authentic" peanut butter cookie marks, and bake! If you eat one fresh from the oven, they will crumble. The key is to wait and let them firm up. Once they do, you can't tell the difference between them and regular ol' cookies. They even last longer than a normal cookie - I tried one over a week after baking and they did not lose their crunch.

Paula Deen's Magical Peanut Butter Cookies (makes 15 to 18 cookies)

1 cup crunchy or creamy peanut butter

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups Splenda sugar replacement

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a large baking sheet.

In a mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, 1 cup sugar replacement, vanilla, and egg and stir well with a spoon. Roll the dough into balls the size of a walnut. Place them on prepared baking sheet. With a fork dipped in the remaining sugar substitute, press a crisscross design on each cookie. Bake for 12 minutes, remove from the oven, and sprinkle with remaining Splenda. Cool slightly before removing from pan.

Hay Hay! It's Donna Day #2 - Macaroons

                                                                                                                                              When it comes to macaroons, I'm a purist. It's one of those things that I don't make very often...but when I do, I want it to be the essence of macaroon. Don't fuss around with it - just give me light, chewy, delicate coconut taste.

In the past, when I've made them (the last batch being around the holidays), I've used the Barefoot Contessa's recipe. It calls for sweetened condensed milk, which really amps up the indulgence factor. I was excited to try Donna Hay's macaroon recipe for Donna Hay #2, graciously hosted by Pearl of the Orient.

The recipe couldn't be simpler, which I loved. The egg whites hold the mixture together and give the cookies a much lighter texture than the macaroons I've been making. I added a touch of vanilla extract to the main batter recipe because, well, everything I bake gets an extra "oomph" of vanilla extract.

While I really thought the plain ol' macaroons were great, I decided to dress them up with some toppings. Mounds were always one of my favorite candy bars when I was a kid...and macaroons obviously loan themselves to being mound-a-fied. Some melted Lindt bittersweet chocolate and toasted almonds made some killer "Moundaroons".

Lime Macaroons (obviously in this case NOT lime macaroons)

2 cups desiccated coconut

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs whites

1 1/2 tablespoon lime zest*** (alter to suit your own recipe - i added a splash of vanilla to mine instead)

Preheat oven to 180C (that's 350F for some of you). Place the coconut, sugar, lime zest and egg whites in a bowl and mix to combine. Roll the mixture into balls. Place on a lined baking tray, flatten slightly and bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden. Serve with coffee. Makes 15.

D-Day

Recently on AtlantaCuisine.com, an Atlanta-based food website I frequent, the "cook-off theme" was chosen - and it was duck. This is a food that I don't really eat that often and I certainly haven't tried to cook it for myself. Serendipitously, the topic of this month's Slashfood theme day was "D foods". After racking my brain and trying to think of how many things I could cook with daikon (the answer is none), I realized the dish I wanted to make would fit both themes. I can kill two birds with one stone!

I made a Pan Seared Duck Breast with Pear Balsamic Compote with Shallot Reduction. I hang my head in shame to admit that this is an Emeril recipe. If it makes it any better, its from The Essence of Emeril - not that BAM! show. I really wanted to serve it with something winter-y and comforting. I knew potatoes wouldn't do. I had seen delicata squash at the market and wondered if they tasted anything like a butternut squash. I thought the creamy texture of a winter squash would be a great accompaniment to the duck and the fruit compote. In search of a delicata squash recipe, I came across one for a Delicata Squash Flan. Perfect! Just what I was looking for....plus double D's!

It came out perfectly. The duck was easy peasy. The work was really in chopping a cup of shallots, babysitting the reduction for half an hour, and putting the flan together. Amazingly, all of the components got done at the same time (something I marvel at when it happens). I cooked the pears in Pinot Noir instead of the called for white wine - I think it perked up the currants and added a lot to the dish. The duck was mid rare and really took on the taste of the sauces. The shallot reduction was, well, spectacular. Oh yes...the flan. It was the creamy, mild balance I was looking for in the dish. I think this preparation would be great with pork, as well.

Rather than eat up space with two long recipes (and since Typepad won't show me how to make a cut in an entry - if anyone reading can help me, its much appreciated!), I will link to the recipes I used in this dish. The only change would be the Pinot Noir substitution in the pear compote...and far fewer "Bam!"s and "Oh-yah-babe"s. Check out Food Network's site for the duck recipe and Italian Cooking and Living's website for the Delicata Squash Flan.

These are a few of my favorite things...

Almost exactly one month ago, Alicat over at Something So Clever tagged me for the "10 Favorite Foods" blogquiz. The fact that I am just now getting around to writing about it makes me ultra lame, I realize. Please also note that in the 30 days that have lapsed between these posts, my favorite foods have changed about 2386375187284 times - at least.

So...without further ado...and before I change my mind *again*...here is the list:

1) blueberries - I am pretty much a sucker for anything with fresh blueberries in it. Even better, I like them plain. So pure and beautiful and good for you.

2) summer rolls - I love the Vietnamese kind rather than Thai "basil" rolls. I'm not hot on having a bunch of noodle in mine. I'd rather it be full of crispy veggies and wonderful herbs. C'om Grill makes several wonderful versions.

3) cilantro - my favorite herb. i love it in all of my ethnic cuisines. i'm also not afraid to add a big handful of it to my salads at home. i love the burst of freshness it always brings to food.

4) pesto - this is another "condiment" i can eat on *anything*. crusty bread? yup. pasta? absolutely! chicken? yum! licked off my finger? you betcha!

5) cheese - i am pretty sure cheese is in its own food group, right?

6) indian food - i had to pick this as a cuisine as a whole. there is very little about indian cuisine i don't enjoy. are you noticing a trend towards stinky food?

7) beets - how in the world i ever came to love beets is beyond me. i think it may have been several wonderful roasted beet and goat cheese salads at Bacchanalia that brought me around. now, if i see beets on a menu, i have to have them.

8) truffles - not the chocolate-y kind. i mean the stinky, fruit of the earth kind. if i could get down and snout around for my own, i would.

9) pho - when i feel like all is not right with the world, i turn to a bubbling, heaping bowl of pho. the aromatics alone take the edge off...and the broth comforts me like very few things can.

10) diet coke (tm) - yes. i know. not a food. i consume enough of it that it might as well be.

Since this meme is to be passed around, I'm tagging a new edition to my FYI links, Kit at Mango and Ginger.

*** Editor's Note: Picking my ten favorite foods was sort of like picking my favorite children. A similar experience is picking my favorite photographs that I've worked on. The photo in this post was taken by Tony Clark and styled by myself  - it accompanied some killer blueberry pancakes. I think this shot is just beautiful. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Thank you, Tony!

sunlight

At a meal I had this past November at Woodfire Grill, I was able to eat sunchokes for the first time. They were prepared so beautifully - roasted until soft with just the tiniest hint of butter and salt. I was intrigued.

Also known as a Jerusalem artichoke, I can only describe them as being a cross between an artichoke heart and a potato. When you look at them raw, they are nubby and horsey like pieces of ginger. When you really get into them, they have the starchy consistency of a potato but a more fibrous texture like an artichoke. The taste? Something mild and creamy - a taste all to its own.

I wanted to experience them again but in a different format. I hit the Internet in search of a recipe and came across Sunchoke Soup - a recipe from Per Se, Thomas Keller's latest restaurant. Any recipe from TK makes me a little uneasy. Intimidating instructions and long-winded prep time, anyone?

This soup, while peeling and cleaning the sunchokes was a pain, was relatively simple - and so worth the effort. Through blending it with the heavy cream, you get a texture that I can only describe as "...it's like eating air." I topped mine with extra whipped cream and chives (my chervil had gone south before I could use it) - but the garnish really is secondary. It's Thomas Keller's high end version of baked potato soup.

Sunchoke Soup (serves 8)

1 3/4 pounds sunchokes

4 tablespoons sweet butter

2 teaspoons thinly sliced garlic

1 cup thinly sliced shallots

3 1/4 cups chicken stock

2 1/4 cups heavy cream

Sea salt and fresh black pepper

5 ounces whipped heavy cream

8 springs chervil

- Scrubs the sunchoke and peel the outer skin. Slice them thinly and store in ice water.

- Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed sauce pan on medium heat. Add the garlic and shallots to butter and sweat until softened (do not allow them to color). Drain the sunchokes, add to the pan, cover with stock, and simmer until softened. Add the cream, return to a boil, and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Carefully ladle small amounts into a blender and puree the soup until smooth and velvety. Strain through a chinois.

- Just before serving, bring soup back to a simmer and vigorously whisk in the whipped cream. Add to soup bowls and garnish.

Editors Note: This recipe also called for Virginia Ham Croquettes to be added to the soup. These croquettes alone had two days of prep time. I think the soup is wonderful alone so I have omitted the details about the croquettes. The entire recipe can be found here.

Wine Blog Wednesday #17: Red Kiwis are my least favorite fruit...

...or..."How I really don't like Brancott Pinot Noir" by tami h.

***Editor's note: This entry could also be called "An uninspired photo for an uninspiring wine".

***** Editor's note #2: Kiwi fruit really *is* my least favorite food. Slimey + seeds = pee-yew

New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs are some of my mostest favoritest wines in the whole world. Nothing makes me want to throw some wine back than that cat pee and grass and citrus smell that only the swooniest SavB's have. Dyed in the Wool...Kim Crawford...and Brancott are three of the most readily available and reasonably priced around.

So..when the thought of branching out to a NZ red came along..the idea excited me - this edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday (graciously hosted by CorkDork) To be honest, when I buy red wine, I think of every wine-making country except New Zealand. Since the choices here in the ATL aren't bountiful, I bought - after much searching - a bottle of Brancott Pinot Noir. The SavB is good...the Pinot can't be far behind, right?

I poured myself a glass of it...and immediately went to look up the tasting notes online. Blackberry? Tannins? Oak and spice? MEDIUM LONG FINISH!? Wha wha wha!?! I went into the kitchen and looked at the bottle again. Yep. Same wine. Crap.

All I tasted was cherry. Not even big yummy cherry. I tasted semi big half hearted cherry. No spice. No zing. No depth. Hardly any color. It looked like cherry Kool-Aid....but with alcohol...sort of. I chugged my two glasses (Hay! I had to have another glass for the sake of thorough research, right?!) and called it a night.

The best thing I can say about it was it kept me sipping through regulation time of the Orange Bowl and provided me with a good night of red wine sleep.

catch-a-tory

Thinking ahead into the new year, I had two wishes for my cooking adventures and this blog:

1) Working on my own photography so I can take action shots while I'm working/cooking and them not look like a  7 year old took them

and

2) Spending more money on cookbooks rather than magazines and actually using them.

As you read this post, you'll see that it's painfully obvious that I was successful at one resolution but not the other.

The week between Crimmus and New Year, I was seeking out comfort food. I turned to Fresh Every Day from Sara Foster. Its one of my "go-to" cookbooks, which means I go to it, flip through the pages, ooh and aaah, and set it back down. Truth be told, I get most of my recipes and ideas from cooking shows or browsing the Internet.

                                                                                                                                                               

I followed through with using a recipe from this cookbook. When browsing through it, I had already begun to appreciate the simplicity and the emphasis on fresh produce and ingredients. Chicken Cacciatore seemed like easy comfort food. Plus, I rarely cook with chicken thighs - why I have no idea - so I just felt like I was being a trailblazer all the way around.

(above: the way their version looked)

This recipe really couldn't be simpler. Bake the mushrooms - definitely add the sherry vinegar for some extra oomph on the mushrooms. While that's going on, brown the chicken thighs. Set them aside and start working on the tomato sauce. I substituted fresh oregano for the marjoram and did not skimp on the fresh Italian parsley. Tons of garlic in there, too. Mix it all back together and heat through.

***Editors note: There was obviously no hair and makeup crew in kitchen stadium that night due to the holidays.

I had my serving over a bed of sauteed spinach. I'm sure the classic "serving it on pasta or noodles" version is quite yummy, too. I will say that using the chicken thighs *is* the way to go. They add richness that you would never get using plain chicken parts or boneless chicken breasts.

(above: the way *my* version looked)

Chicken Cacciatore (serves 4 to 6)

8 ounces cremini or button mushrooms wiped clean, stems trimmed and halved

5 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

sea salt and black pepper to taste

8 chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 pounds)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram

1 small diced yellow onion

2 garlic cloves

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes

1 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons freshly chopped Italian parsley - plus more for garnish

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400. Place the mushrooms, caps down, in a single layer in a small baking dish. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the EVOO and the vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast the mushrooms for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring several times to evenly cook and coat.

2. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Season with S&P and 1 tablespoon of the marjoram.

3. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of EVOO in a large skillet over medium high heat. Lay the chicken thighs in the skillet, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side until lightly browned on both sides. Transfer to a platter to keep warm.

4. Add the onion to the skillet you cooked the chicken in and cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and saute, stirring constantly, for another minute. Add the wine and deglaze the pan while bringing to a boil. Continue to boil for 2 to 3 minutes until the wine has reduced by half. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and the chicken broth, bring to a low boil, and simmer 10 to 12 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens. Season to taste at this point.

5. Return the chicken to the pan with the sauce and simmer another 12 to 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the mushrooms, parsley, and remaining marjoram and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Plate while spooning extra sauce over the chicken and garnish with parsley and cheese.