Anastasia's Table

Essential tool: the whisk

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:30:29 -0500

Whisks are one of the workhorse tools in my kitchen. I use whisks for making gravy, smoothing out a sauce, mixing up the dry ingredients when baking, scrambling eggs, making cornstarch/water slurries for thickening, beating eggs, incorporating wet ingredients into dry ingredients when baking, and so much more. A whisk is a simple tool, but it is one that I always reach for when I am cooking. If you've ever wondered how whisks are made, wonder no more. This video from Cooking Up a Story takes you on a tour of the Best Manufacturers plant to get the inside scoop on how whisks are made.

Asian Grandmothers' Secrets

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:10:07 -0500

Today I used the last of my Thai basil to make this Thai Basil Pork. The recipe was featured in the Boston Globe on 10/28/2009 in a review of The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook. Last spring, a delicious spicy basil pork dish that I had at The Chatta Box inspired me to grow Thai basil in my Aerogarden. I became obsessed with Thai basil. Early in the summer, a friend told me that she bought some Thai Basil plants at her local Walmart. I'm not a fan of Walmart, but I was willing to break my no Walmart rule when Thai Basil plants were involved. My local store had five plants, I bought all five. They didn't like the cold weather we had at the beginning of the summer, but after a few weeks, they started producing a bumper crop of Thai basil. We enjoyed lots of delicious meals featuring Thai basil because the more I harvested it, the more it grew. When frost started threatening in mid September, I put the huge pot of Thai basil in my little red wagon so I could easily put it in the garage at night and bring it out on warmer days. I've been nursing it along for the past month. Tonight's dinner was the Thai basil's final hurrah. I cheated on the Asian grandmothers, but just a little bit. First, the recipe uses ground pork and the ground pork that I can get is very high in fat. So I bought pork tenderloin, trimmed it, cut it into chunks, and ground it in the food processor. This works great when you want lean ground pork. The recipe also called for Thai chilies, which I didn't have. I used a heaping tablespoon of Thai chili paste. And I tossed in about five julienned kaffir lime leaves, just because I'm crazy about the flavor of kaffir lime limes. I served the Thai Basil Pork with jasmine rice and roasted carrots tossed with a dressing of fish sauce, sesame oil, powdered galangal, and brown sugar. The grandmothers' Thai Basil Pork was easy and delicious. Perfect for a busy night.

My Fifteen Minutes of Fame

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:18:19 -0500

I'm honored to have my business featured in the October-December 2009 issue of Personal Chef magazine, published quarterly by the United States Personal Chef Association (USPCA). You can read the article by clicking on the photo. I hope you enjoy it. The cover photo and photos in the story were taken by Bonnie St. Pierre of B. St. Pierre Studio. Bonnie is an amazing photographer. When I was given the opportunity to select a photographer to work with, Bonnie was my first and only choice. Thanks Bonnie for the great photos! Thanks to my mentor and friend Sharon Worster for all she has done for me. And thanks to my clients Kim and Eric for letting us use their kitchen for the photo shoot. That's Kim in one of the photos.

Quick tip: pitting cherries

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:18:05 -0500

OK, so this is my first ever cooking video. Not great, but I learn by doing, so I'm going to start just doing. Bear with me as I learn. With most cherry recipes, first you have to start by pitting your cherries. Pitting cherries can be a messy job. My advice is to wear gloves and an apron. I've tried a lot of different ways to pit cherries and this method that uses a chef's knife is the easiest one that I've found, plus it doesn't require any tools. With the side of a chef's knife, lightly press on each cherry. This splits the cherry open and then you can easily remove the pit and stem. Like this:

Life's a bowl of roasted cherries

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:49:06 -0500

As soon as I see the pick-your-own strawberry signs go up around town, I start dreaming of local cherries. Until about 10 years ago, I had no idea that cherries grew in Londonderry, but one day I stumbled upon the fact that we have two orchards in town where we can pick cherries: Sunnycrest Farm and Elwood Orchards. I've wanted to keep it a secret, but it is too good to not share. Sweet cherries have long been my favorite fruit. When I was a kid, the first cherry sales at the grocery stores seemed to coincide with the end of school. My mom also loves cherries. We celebrated the start of summer with my mom buying a huge amount of cherries; everyone sat around the table and munched on them until our fingers were stained red. It was one of the few times when we didn't have to observe normal table manners. While waiting not-so-patiently for cherry picking to start, I started thinking about cherry shortcake, probably because it was strawberry season and strawberry shortcake was mentioned everywhere. Strawberry shortcake is good, but I was fixated on cherry shortcake. Another thing that was on my mind was Cherry Garcia ice cream, cherries and chocolate. Yum. The next thing I knew, I was making a Cherry Garcia-inspired Cherry Shortcake. Roasting cherries is so easy and results in absolute deliciousness. Plus an added benefit is that the cherries are really easy to pit once roasted. Oops, I forgot to take a picture of the pitted roasted cherries. Roasted Cherries 7 cups cherries, stemmed but not pitted 1 tablespoon olive oil Preheat oven to 400F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place cherries on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Bake for 35 minutes. The cherries will soften and start to split. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside for 20-30 minutes to let the cherries cool. Once the cherries are cool, you can easily squeeze the pits from the cherries. Again, wear gloves, or your fingers will be stained. Scrape the cherry juice and the cherries from the pan into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Actually, you can use any amount of cherries. Just toss them with a bit of olive oil. You'll end up with about 1/3 to 1/4 the volume of cherries that you start with. It was hard to resist eating them, but I really wanted cherry shortcake.

Pink slip lemonade mimosa

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:57:35 -0500

The end of Pink Slip Lemonade month is quickly approaching. How about one more pink slip lemonade cocktail to close out the month?

This Pink Slip Lemonade Mimosa will put a sparkle in your day. It's simple: pink lemonade, sparkling wine or champagne, a splash of raspberry liquor, and a few raspberries to garnish.

I used Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut. Pink lemonade is quite sweet and I wanted to be sure that I didn't create an overly sweet drink. Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut is a little less sweet than Cordon Negro Extra Dry. If you prefer a sweeter drink, use the Extra Dry.

To make a Pink Slip Lemonade Mimosa, mix equal parts of pink lemonade and sparkling wine (I mixed 3-4 ounces of each per drink), add a splash of raspberry liquer, and garnish with a few fresh raspberries. It can't get easier than that. Get together with a bunch of friends, sip Pink Slip Lemonade Mimosas and brainstorm about your next career. I vote for breaking free of traditional employment and starting your own business.

Local strawberries + lemons = berrylicious pink slip lemonade

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:52:52 -0500

I'm having lots of fun developing recipes for The Career Change Financial Planner blog's Pink Slip Lemonade month. Since local strawberries are abundant right now, this week's recipe is a berrylicious pink slip lemonade. My strawberries came from my favorite local farm: Sunnycrest Farm. It was hard to not eat them on the way home. Besides the strawberries, you need 4-6 lemons, 1/2 cup sugar, and water. That's all. Oh, and a blender. I got to use my 50+ year old Oster blender. It's one of my prized possessions. My parents got it as a wedding gift in 1956. My mom gave it to me when I went to college. Berrylicious Pink Slip Lemonade makes 1 1/2-2 quarts 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 4-6 lemons 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries 1/2 cup sugar 5 cups water lemon slices, for garnishing In a blender, puree the lemon juice and strawberries. Strain berry mixture through fine mesh strainer. Combine berry mixture and sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add water and stir to combine. Pour into a pitcher and refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with lemon slices, if desired.

Fork in the road

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:16:22 -0500

For more details about my escape from corporate America, read my pink slip lemonade story on The Career Change Financial Planner blog. Look for another pink slip lemonade recipe later in the week.

Potato, cauliflower, and chickpea curry for Elise

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:18:16 -0500

This post is for my twitter friend Elise (@Studio99Nashua). She requested this recipe after I tweeted about it last week. This recipe was inspired by a recipe published in the Boston Globe Sunday magazine. My big change was that I added the chickpeas to add protein to the dish. This isn't the most beautiful dish, but it is tasty. Potato, Cauliflower, and Chickpea Curry Serves 6-8 1 14-ounce can coconut milk -- I've made this with either regular or light coconut milk 1 14.5-ounce can canned diced tomatoes 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 Spanish onion -- finely chopped 2 tablespoons fresh ginger -- finely chopped 1 1/2 teaspoons salt -- divided 1-2 tablespoon curry powder -- I use either Penzeys' sweet or hot curry powder depending on who I'm making this for. If your curry powder isn't fresh and flavorful, you might need to add more curry powder. Sometimes I use 1 tablespoon sweet curry powder and 1 tablespoon hot curry powder. If you don't have hot curry powder and you want to add some heat, add cayenne pepper to taste. 1 teaspoon ground cumin 3 russet potatoes -- peeled and cut into 3/4-inch dice 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 head cauliflower -- cut into florets 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 10-ounce bag frozen peas -- thawed 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro Juice of 1 lime In a food processor, puree the coconut milk and diced tomatoes and their juice. Set aside. (Note, I use my immersion blender for this step.) In a large Dutch oven or casserole, heat the olive oil over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the onion and ginger, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring often, until the onion becomes translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the curry powder and cumin and cook for 30 seconds. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring a few times, for 3-5 minutes. Add coconut milk mixture and and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Add cauliflower and chickpeas; simmer, covered, until the potatoes and cauliflower are tender, 10-15 minutes longer. Stir in the peas, 1/4 cup of cilantro, and half of the lime juice. Simmer 3 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and lime juice. Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro and serve with steamed basmati rice.

How about some pink slip lemonade iced tea?

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:24:18 -0500

Did you make some Pink Slip Lemonade Martinis last weekend? I did and I have some pink lemonade to use up, so I created this Pink Slip Lemonade Iced Tea to share with you. Make a batch and sip it while catching up with all the new posts on the Career Change Financial Planner blog. Pink Slip Lemonade Iced Tea makes 6 cups 6 green tea bags, regular or decaffeinated 3 cups boiling water 3 cups pink lemonade lemon slices for garnish (optional) Put the tea bags in a large glass measuring cups or a heatproof pitcher. Pour 3 cups boiling water over the tea bags. Cover and let steep for 10 minutes. Remove and discard the tea bags. Let the tea cool to room temperature. Add the pink lemonade to the tea. Stir to combine. Chill and serve over ice. Garnish with lemon slices if desired.

When life gives you lemons have a pink slip lemonade martini

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:27:23 -0500

My friend Sherrill St. Germain inspired my career change from technical writer to personal chef. I worked with Sherrill at Silknet/KANA. Sherrill got laid off a year or so before I did and she did something that changed my life: she reinvented herself as a financial planner. Sherrill is the founder and principal of New Means Financial Planning. Life gave her lemons and she made pink slip lemonade. Later when KANA gave me a pink slip, with Sherrill as a role model, I made pink slip lemonade and started Anastasia's Table. Sherrill is a career change expert; if you dream of changing your career, Sherrill can help you work out the financial details. June is Pink Slip Lemonade month on Sherrill's The Career Change Financial Planner blog. As part of Pink Slip Lemonade month, Sherrill asked me to share some Pink Slip Lemonade recipes with you. One of the first things you might need when you get a pink slip is a stiff drink. So, my first Pink Slip Lemonade recipe is a Pink Slip Lemonade Martini. There will be more Pink Slip Lemonade recipes during the month. Pink Slip Lemonade Martini Serves 2 4 fluid ounces vodka 1 fluid ounce cointreau 6-8 fluid ounces pink lemonade - I used Newman's Own Pink Virgin Lemonade 1 fluid ounce chambord 6 fresh raspberries Combine ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into well chilled martini glasses. Garnish with fresh raspberries.

Quick tip: soak your herbs to remove fine sand

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:32:15 -0500

I'm always amazed at the amount of fine sand that clings to the bunches of parsley and cilantro that I buy at the grocery store. Simply washing these bunches of herbs under running water removes some of the fine sand, but I've found that the best way to remove all of the fine sand is to soak the herbs in a large bowl of cold water very much like we did here with leeks. After filling a large bowl with cool water, I remove the band from the herbs and swirl them around in the water, then I let them soak in the water for 10-15 minutes and then use my hands to remove the herbs from the water. If you pour the bowl of herbs and water into a colander, you'll reintroduce all that fine sand to the herbs and you'll need to start over again. I spread the herbs out on a clean towel and let them dry before using them. You can also use a salad spinner to dry them.

Quick tip: easy cleanup for cutting watermelon

Sat, 23 May 2009 09:47:50 -0500

Watermelon season is here. We love watermelon and over the course of watermelon season, I cut up a lot of watermelons (at least one a week) for for easy snacking. Cutting a watermelon can be a messy task, so here's a tip to help make cleanup easier. After you wash your watermelon (yes, always wash your watermelon to remove potential bacteria from the skin), place a large baking sheet on your counter, then place your cutting board in the baking sheet. Now, instead of watermelon juices getting all over your countertop, they will all be contained in the baking sheet and cleanup will be quick and easy. Once you cut up your watermelon, always refrigerate it. Follow these food safety tips for watermelons. These tips from the University of Illinois Extension have information about growing, harvesting, selecting and storing, nutrition, and preparing and serving watermelon. And check out this Watermelon Lovers section of the National Watermelon Promotion Board.

It's always a good day for brunch

Mon, 18 May 2009 22:18:23 -0500

Last fall I clipped a recipe for Individual Ham-Crusted Quiches with Leek and Smoked Cheese from the Boston Sunday Globe magazine. All that was missing was a brunch to make them for. That brunch finally materialized last weekend. The recipe is simple, arrange ham slices in muffin cups, bake the muffins cups to crisp up the ham, saute leeks and red bell pepper, cool that mixture, grate some smoked cheese, mix eggs, half and half, the veggies, and cheese. Spoon into ham cups, and bake. Easy, delicious. If you've ever cooked with leeks, you know that they can be loaded with sand. My tip for working with leeks is always cut them up and then soak them in a large bowl of water. The chopped leeks float to the top, the fine sand floats to the bottom. DO NOT remove the leeks from the water by pouring them into a colander or you'll add that fine sand back into the leeks. Use your hands or a slotted spoon to remove the leeks from the water. Regardless of how clean the leeks seem, I always do this and I'm always amazed by how much fine sand is left at the bottom of the bowl after I remove the leeks. Once the leeks are soaking, I arranged the ham in the muffin cups. I used Hormel Natural Choice Ham. I picked it because it is a no-nitrate ham. The slices are small, larger ham slices would have worked better. Once baked, the ham slices shrink and the small ham slices shrunk a little more than I wanted them to. When I make these again, I'm going to try them with prosciutto. Here's the ham arranged in the cups before baking and after baking. While the ham baked, I sauteed the leeks and red peppers. To cool them quickly, I scraped them into a shallow bowl and set that bowl in a bowl of ice water. While the leeks cooled, I grated the cheese. Then I mixed the eggs, half and half, salt, and pepper, and the cheese with the leeks and red peppers. Next, that mixture was spooned into the ham cups. Into the oven... After cooling in the pan for a few minutes... These mini quiches were delicious. And easy to make. I'll definitely make them again. Everyone loved them. The vegetable and cheese combinations are endless.

Read all about it

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:43:44 -0500

Two of my friends are in the news this week. Jo Gonzales is a personal chef in Houston. This article, A Day in the Life of a Personal Chef, is undoubtedly the BEST article that I've read about personal chefs. Patty "Sassy" Knutson is a vegan coach and the author of Get Sauced with Sass!. This story describes how Sassy helps aspiring and current vegans and vegetarians learn how to follow a vegan diet and how to make food that is simple to prepare, but is full of flavor and healthful.