Hungry Cravings

Cornier Cornbread

2012-01-21T09:04:00.000-08:00

My husband loves cornbread. I love the idea of cornbread. But usually it’s a false promise—rarely does it deliver the earthy, corny flavor I crave. So the last time I was whipping up a batch of cornbread to go with some chili, I got to thinking…Certain chili recipes rely on masa harina for thickening…Masa has big flavor, and masa and chiles are the perfect pairing…Why not make a side of cornbread using masa harina instead of cornmeal?

Turns out it works beautifully well. The result is a thoroughly satisfying cornbread, and I may never go back to cornmeal cornbread again.

Cheesy Masa Cornbread
Printable Recipe

2 ounces (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the baking dish
6 ounces masa harina
4 ounces all-purpose flour
½ ounce sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
6 ounces milk, at room temperature
6 ounces buttermilk, at room temperature
4 ounces cheddar, finely diced

Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish. Whisk together the masa harina, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together the eggs, milk, buttermilk, and butter in a medium bowl. Add the egg mixture to the masa harina mixture and stir until just combined. Gently fold in the cheddar. Transfer to the baking dish and spread evenly. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the edges of the cornbread start to shrink away from the baking dish and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool slightly, cut into portions, and serve.

Serves 6 to 8. Masa harina for tamales, which has a coarse texture, is best here. This cornbread happily straddles the lines between Southern, Southwestern, and Mexican food, and it’s the perfect accompaniment to a big bowl of Real Texas Chili.

Cheese and Crackers

2012-01-15T22:26:00.000-08:00

If there's one certainty in the world of food, it's that fine cheese must not be served with mediocre crackers. It is a universal truth, and everyone knows it. Yet we serve artisan cheese with store-bought crackers all the time. It’s a shame. It’s a disgrace. It's an injustice against cheese. Why would we spend so much effort (and money—good cheese is expensive) on selecting the perfect cheese, only to debase it with crackers that taste suspiciously like the cardboard box they came in? Crackers ought not be an afterthought—they should be delicious in their own right. The crackers must be worthy of the cheese.

And these are.

Semolina Crackers
Printable Recipe

6 ounces semolina
6 ounces all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
6 ounces warm water
1 ½ ounces extra virgin olive oil

Combine the semolina, flour, and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a large bowl. Add the water and ¾ ounce of the oil and mix until a rough dough forms. Transfer to a work surface and knead for about 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Cut the dough into quarters and form each portion into a ball. Wrap each portion separately in plastic wrap and let rest for about half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion of dough to an 11×14-inch, 1/32 to 1/16-inch thick rectangle. As you work, transfer the rectangles to parchment-lined baking trays. Lightly brush the rectangles with the remaining ¾ ounce oil and sprinkle with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer crackers to a rack and let cool to room temperature. Break into irregular pieces and enjoy with or without cheese.

Yields about 12 ounces. Crackers keep for about a week in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dry place.

For flavored crackers, mix 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, poppy seeds, nigella seeds, or fresh rosemary needles into the dry ingredients before adding the wet ingredients.

Luck for the New Year

2012-01-05T22:10:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, dear reader! How did you bring in 2012? I spent New Year's Eve with my parents at their home in Texas eating Purple Hull peas (along with some blackened snapper and Fried Okra). Why Purple Hull peas? Well, in the South eating Black Eyed peas is a New Year's tradition that's said to bring good luck. As I didn't want dried Black Eyed peas and frozen fresh Black Eyed peas weren't available, I went for the next closest thing—another variety of cowpeas. By the time they're cooked, you can hardly tell the difference anyway.

So have a bowl of Purple Hull peas for luck, and may your 2012 be full of prosperity, happiness, and joy!

Stewed Purple Hull Peas
Printable Recipe

1 slice bacon, diced
1 sweet onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ pounds thawed frozen Purple Hull peas
Generous pinch cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
5 cocktail tomatoes, diced
Several drops Tabasco sauce
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat a large, heavy pot pan over medium-low heat until hot but not smoking. Add the bacon and fry, tossing frequently, for 7 to 8 minutes, or until rendered. Add the onion and sauté for 8 to 9 minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the peas, cayenne, bay leaf, and enough water to cover by about 1 ½ inches. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally and skimming off any scum that rises to the surface, for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the peas are cooked through. Discard the bay leaf, stir in the tomatoes and Tabasco, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and serve immediately.

Serves 8 as a side dish. Black Eyed peas can be substituted for the Purple Hull peas. Use fresh peas in the summer when they're in season. The peas will be tender and creamy when they are cooked through. Good served over white rice or cornbread for soaking up the pot liquor.

Peperoncini

2011-12-15T17:04:00.000-08:00

These little devils pack a lot of punch. So I learned when I absentmindedly tossed a bunch into a simmering red sauce. Let's just say the sauce wasn't as angry as it was furious. The next time I carefully counted out the peperoncini—just six of them—to achieve a pleasant warm heat, the perfect level of arrabbiata.

Cavatelli with Angry Tomato Sauce
Printable Recipe

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces pancetta, diced
½ small yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 dried peperoncini, minced
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 recipe Fresh Cavatelli
Grated Parmegiano-Reggiano, for serving

Heat a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat until very hot but not smoking. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pot. Add the pancetta and fry, tossing frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta to a plate. Add the onion to the pan and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic and peperoncini and sauté for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Return the pancetta to the pan, add the tomatoes (along with their liquid), and simmer, stirring occasionally and breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon, for about 45 minutes, or until thickened and saucy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook the cavatelli in a large pot of boiling, salted water for 10 to 12 minutes, or until al dente. Drain the cavatelli when it is al dente. Add the cavatelli to the sauce and toss to coat. Arrange on individual plates, top with plenty of Parmegiano, and serve immediately.

Serves 4. In Italy, chiles are known as peperoncini. Fiery and flavorful dried peperoncini can be found at well-stocked Italian markets. Quality ones are pliable and easy to mince. If they are unavailable, use several pinches of red chile flakes in their place. You can substitute 1 pound store-bought pasta for the Fresh Cavatelli, if you must. A splash of heavy cream is nice addition to the sauce.

Pleasures of Pasta Dough

2011-12-08T15:20:00.000-08:00

Remember the joy of playing with Silly Putty as a kid? It was squishy, mushy, sticky, stretchy, bouncy impossible-to-put-down fun! Almost equally irresistible were Play-Doh, glarch, and that sticky gum-like substance my teachers used for hanging up posters. I loved all that stuff.

And it turns out I never outgrew it. Just yesterday as I was making a big batch of cavatelli for dinner, it dawned on me that the reason I enjoy making pasta by hand is it appeals to the little girl in me who loved playing with Silly Putty. It's the same sensation, only pasta tastes better. How's that for a deep thought?

Homemade cavatelli, by the way, is the current favorite pasta around here. I adore it because it's so much fun to make and each individual piece of pasta scoops up just the right amount of sauce. My husband prefers it for its resilient, satisfying chew. We can't get enough cavatelli!

Fresh Cavatelli
Printable Recipe

16 ounces semolina
7 ½ ounces warm water

Combine the flour and water in a large bowl and mix until a rough dough forms. The dough will seem very dry at this point, but resist the temptation to add more water. Transfer to a work surface and knead for about 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for about half an hour.

Cut the dough into eighths. Keeping the remaining dough covered as you work, roll 1 portion of dough into a ½-inch thick rope. If the dough springs back as you roll it, cover it with plastic wrap and let it relax for a few minutes before continuing. Using a table knife, cut a ¾-inch piece of the rope. With the side of the knife, press down on the cut side of the piece of dough, dragging it toward you at the same time. Unroll the resulting little cup of dough. Make more cavatelli with the remaining dough in the same manner. As you work, arrange the cavatelli in a single layer on lightly floured parchment-lined baking trays. Let dry for a few hours.

Makes about 1 ¼ pounds, enough for 4 to 6 main-course servings. Cook as you would any other pasta, in a large pot of boiling, salted water for 10 to 12 minutes, or until al dente. Cavatelli can be turned inside out to form orecchiette (watch me make orecchiette in this video).

Lasagna Love

2011-12-01T11:41:00.001-08:00

My pasta kick continues. There's no doubt that making Lasagna Bolognese from scratch is a labor of love, but all the time and effort results in nothing less than a small miracle.

Trust me when I say people will bow down to you in thanks and admiration.

Want to work culinary wonders of your own? Join me in the kitchen to learn how! Registration for fall Clark College classes just opened. I'll be teaching Money Saving Bulk Aisle Cooking, Chocolate Desserts, Island Dreaming, and Potato Gnocchi, and I hope you can come. Current class listings can always be found in the Cooking Classes, Book Signings & Appearances sidebar on the right.

Lasagna Bolognese
Printable Recipe

2 ounces (½ stick) unsalted butter, diced, plus more for greasing the baking dish
2 ounces all-purpose flour
1 quart milk
½ small yellow onion
1 bay leaf
1 clove
Generous pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 recipe Fresh Egg Pasta lasagna
6 cups Ragu Bolognese
6 ounces grated Parmegiano-Reggiano

Heat the butter in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat until it melts, bubbles, and the foam subsides. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it begins to smell toasty. Whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, add the onion, bay leaf, clove, and nutmeg, and simmer for 20 to 22 minutes, or until thick. Remove from the heat, strain through a fine mesh sieve, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let cool.

Cook the lasagna in 5 or 6 batches in a large pot of boiling, salted water for 1 to 2 minutes, or until it begins to soften. When the lasagna begins to soften, using a wire skimmer, transfer it from the pot to a large bowl of ice-cold water to stop the cooking process, and then drain it thoroughly. Layer the lasagna between clean kitchen towels to dry.

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Butter a deep 9×13-inch baking dish. Spread ¾ cup of the ragu in the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange a single layer of lasagna in the dish, spread evenly with ½ cup of the white sauce and then a heaping ¾ cup of the ragu, and sprinkle evenly with ¼ cup of the Parmegiano. Make more layers with the remaining lasagna, white sauce, ragu, and Parmegiano in the same manner, finishing on a layer of Parmegiano. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling around the edges. Cover with foil to keep warm and allow to rest 20 to 25 minutes before serving.

Serves 8. The lasagna should be boiled until it begins to soften but not until it is al dente. Undercooking the pasta in this way ensures that it doesn't become too mushy once it's baked.

Ode to the Egg

2011-11-25T18:07:00.000-08:00

It brings me great pleasure to announce that my epic egg poem, which first appeared here and incidentally happens to be a personal favorite piece of mine, has been published in the current issue of The Virginia Culinary Thymes (on pages 4 to 5), an online periodical published by the Peacock-Harper Culinary History Friends at Virginia Tech. I hope you enjoy reading it (or re-reading it, as the case may be) as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Chestnuts and Thanksgiving

2011-11-21T23:45:00.000-08:00

Are chestnuts a part of your holiday celebrations?

For the first time, they'll be a part of ours. That's because on our last trip to the Hood River Valley the hubby and I discovered a lovely little chestnut orchard.

Bernardo, the orchard owner, was so welcoming and generous I became a fan instantly.

I don't know why we never realized the orchard was there before, and I don't know why I never cooked with chestnuts before, but I guess better late than never…

So I've been experimenting with different ways to roast chestnuts. I've tried open fire, I've tried the oven, and I've even tried the microwave (which until now had been relegated to melting butter and reheating leftovers), all with fine results. And with every batch, I've been noticing that the chestnuts are getting better with age—they've changed from crisp to fluffy and sweet over the two weeks since we got them. Apparently, keeping them in a paper bag in the crisper section of the refrigerator works wonders.

While chestnuts are popular in sweets and desserts, to my taste they're more suited to savories and for snacking. They make me think of sweetened russet potatoes, so they feel like a natural addition to any number of Thanksgiving side dishes. Hence my combination of chestnuts, Brussels sprouts, and bacon.

Side note: For more Thanksgiving recipe inspiration, check out the cool mosaics on Pasplore. Somewhere in there you'll find a few of my Thanksgiving recipes.

May your Thanksgiving be happy, healthy, and delicious!

Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts, Shallots & Bacon
Printable Recipe

6 ounces chestnuts
3 slices bacon, diced
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved
6 small shallots, quartered
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Using a chestnut knife, cut an X in the cheek of each chestnut. Arrange the chestnuts in a single layer on a baking tray and bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until tender. Let rest for about 5 minutes, or until just cool enough to handle. Peel and dice.

Meanwhile, heat a large, heavy sauté pan over medium-low heat until hot but not smoking. Add the bacon and fry, tossing frequently, for 7 to 8 minutes, or until rendered. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a small bowl. Add the butter to the pan and heat until it melts, bubbles, and the foam subsides. Add the Brussels sprouts, shallots, and chestnuts and toss to coat with the butter. Season generously with salt and pepper. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the Brussels sprouts are tender and golden brown. Toss in the bacon, transfer to a bowl, and serve immediately.

Serves 6. Enjoy in the fall, when both Brussels sprouts and chestnuts are in season. Chestnuts are easiest to peel when they're hot. For the best results, be sure not to overcrowd the pan.

Late Fall in the Hood River Valley

2011-11-10T10:59:00.000-08:00

The yearly fall pilgrimage to the Hood River Valley to stock up on apples. I love it out there this time of year after the fall harvest festivities are over. The visitors go home, and a calm settles over the valley.

You have the fields and orchards all to yourself.

And of course, you have all that fruit to yourself. In addition to the countless varieties of apples, pears, and winter squash, this year there were new crops of walnuts and hazelnuts for inspiration.

Inspiration such as these cinnamon-scented apple muffins with walnut streusel topping…

Apple Crumb Muffins
Printable Recipe

Nonstick pan spray, optional
10 ounces all-purpose flour
8 ounces light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 ½ ounces walnuts or pecans, finely chopped
2 ounces (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature plus 4 ounces (1 stick), melted
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
8 ounces milk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Braeburn apples, peeled and diced

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Grease a jumbo 6-cup muffin pan with nonstick pan spray or line with paper liners.

Whisk together 2 ounces of the flour, 3 ounces of the brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and the nuts in a medium bowl. Add the room temperature butter and, using your fingertips, rub in the butter until the mixture holds together in clumps.

Whisk together the remaining 8 ounces of flour, 5 ounces of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together the eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Gently fold in the apples. Divide the batter among the muffin cups and spread the nut mixture evenly over the muffins. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until the edges of the muffins start to shrink away from the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Invert onto a cooling rack and finish cooling completely.

Makes 6 jumbo muffins. Can also be made in a standard 12-cup muffin pan—just adjust the baking time accordingly. Any variety of cooking apple may be used instead of the Braeburns. Muffins keep well and stay moist for 2 to 3 days in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dry place.

Inspired by Hawaii

2011-11-06T11:04:00.000-08:00

The worst thing about traveling is coming home and not being able to find the one ingredient that you were inspired to cook with. Since our trip to Hawaii, I've had about a million ideas for playing with passion fruit…passion fruit tarts, passion fruit bars, passion fruit cheesecake, passion fruit gelato, passion fruit curd, the list goes on and on. But all that inspiration is for nothing—it turns out passion fruit is nearly impossible to find around here, and when you do manage to locate the few lifeless lilikoi that are available, you realize all your bright ideas may never materialize because each fruit costs a small fortune.

Time to turn my attention to the trip's second most inspirational ingredient. Thankfully, this one's not so hard to find…Mmm, coconut!

Chocolate-Coconut Muffins
Printable Recipe

Nonstick pan spray, optional
8 ounces all-purpose flour
5 ounces sugar
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
8 ounces coconut milk
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup shredded coconut, optional

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick pan spray or line with paper liners. Whisk together the flour, sugar, chocolate, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together the eggs, coconut milk, butter, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Divide the batter among the muffin cups and sprinkle the muffins with the coconut, if desired. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until the edges of the muffins start to shrink away from the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Invert onto a cooling rack and finish cooling completely.

Makes 1 dozen muffins. They keep well and stay moist for 2 to 3 days in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dry place.

Ono

2011-11-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

It's Hawaiian for delicious. Isn't it a fun word?

Hubby and I just had our tenth anniversary, and we celebrated in ono style with a trip to Maui. During our short seven days there, we toured almost every part of the island and managed to consume more tropical fruit than we had had during the entirety our marriage.

In a macadamia nutshell, the food on Maui is pork, beef, and fresh fish—especially mahi-mahi and ahi tuna—with Asian flavors and lots of tropical fruit. Steamed rice and creamy but bland macaroni salad (possibly heavier on the mayo than the macaroni) seem to accompany every meal, including breakfast. A selection of noodle dishes appears on most menus. The fruity adult beverages are to die for. Oh, and Spam is ubiquitous, but we didn't feel the need to delve quite that deep into the culture.

Our first meal, at the local favorite Da Kitchen, was an enormous traditional Hawaiian "plate lunch" consisting of succulent and salty shredded kalua pig, pork lau lau, lomi-lomi salmon (more fun words!), brothy ginger-scented chicken long rice, and two scoops of rice.

We also tried a plate lunch with kalbi short ribs at Aloha Mixed Plate as we eavesdropped on the luau next door. By the way, I gather this sort of combination is referred to as a plate lunch even if it's eaten for dinner. We never did get around to tasting the poi, though we did see a number of taro ponds. As tasty as the plate lunches were, when you plan on spending the majority of your waking hours in a bathing suit, it seems prudent to partake in lighter fare…

And so, this was the first vacation the hubby and I actually spent more time on activities other than fooding.

We floated in the waves and snorkeled with the colorful fish and the graceful, curious sea turtles. We bird watched, and we were endlessly amused by the riot of birds in constant motion around the fragrant guava tree behind our hotel room. We explored the black sand beach.

And the surrounding cliffs, with their curious vegetation.

We drove the winding road through lush tropical jungle to Hana.

And marveled along the way at the beauty of the eucalyptus trees.

We pulled over to the side of the road to feel the texture of their rainbow bark.

To prove to ourselves they were for real.

We watched the expert surfers, wind surfers, and kite boarders from the beach (as we enjoyed an ahi poke picnic), but we thought the waves would be bigger.

We took in the views from above the clouds on the moon-like summit of Haleakala.

We daydreamed about the freedom of sailing the high seas.

We gazed at the sunset.

We gazed…

And we gazed…

And we gazed…

Still, being that we are who we are, we must seek out edible activities for our travels not to feel incomplete. Every farmers market—apparently a single roadside fruit stand constitutes a "farmers market" on Maui—warranted a visit, no matter how tiny or out of the way.

We picked up macadamia nuts still in the shell, yellow-skinned lilikoi—that's passion fruit and yet another fun-to-say Hawaiian word—for the bargain price of four for $1, mangoes sweeter than honey, and a juicy, just this side of cloying pineapple.

Three-bite, complexly flavored apple bananas were the norm.

In fact, I don't remember seeing a single "regular" banana while we were there. Coconuts were whacked open to order.

Cups of coconut water were free for the asking.

Addictive coconut chips, sold as coconut candy, were available in either sweet or spicy varieties at the quirky stand on the road to Hana.

The loaded coconut trees everywhere prompted my husband, with his ever inquisitive mind, to ask, "How many people die from coconut strikes each year?" There was also a small amount of foraging, as we passed wild guava and avocado trees in the jungle. Hubby wondered if they were growing wild or wildly growing. There was trespassing too as I tried to get a glimpse of the pineapple fields.

Apparently pineapple thieves are a big problem on Maui. Hubby yelled at me, insisting I obey the signs, but as you can see, I took my chances in order to watch the harvest.

One of the highlights of the trip was our visit to the isolated Ono Organic Farms. We were greeted by a lovely spread and the even lovelier news that it would be a private tour.

We did a tasting of all of the fruits that were in season, and we strolled the farm until a tropical deluge forced us back under the cover of the porch.

Between the farm itself and their roadside stand in Hana, we tasted fibrous mamey sapote, low acid pineapple, star fruit, star apple, white and strawberry guavas, both wild and sweet lilikoi, strawberry papaya, a new-to-me variety of juicy avocado, rambutan, longan, dragon fruit, pink and white pomelo, Apple banana (to our extreme disappointment, the Ice Cream bananas were not yet ripe), macadamia nuts, sour cucumber-shaped bilimbi, spicy Surinam cherries, peanut butter fruit, which tastes just like the name implies, and ripe coffee berries.

The guava was a revelation. We couldn't get enough of the lilikoi, but the star fruit was disappointing as I'd had better before.

I couldn't bring myself to like the papaya even though it was by far the best quality specimen I'd ever tasted.

Strangely, it smelled a lot like funky cheese to me.

On the tour, we saw many of the things we had experienced during the tasting and then some. We discovered that papayas grow in a very orderly columnar fashion and that, though they are easy to confuse from a distance, guava is a tree and lilikoi is a vine. Banana flowers and "hands" of bananas were quite sight.

Who knew sugar cane was so colorful?

We saw jackfruit (from which Juicy Fruit gum gets its flavor) as big as watermelons and softball-size breadfruit on the tree. If falling coconuts are a problem, imagine what a risk jackfruit and breadfruit strikes must be! We admired the broad, deeply veined leaves of a turmeric plant. Then our tour guide had us take a whiff of one particularly nondescript looking tree and guess what it was. I said cinnamon, and she exclaimed that I was the first ever to correctly identify it. I bet she says that to everyone because the aroma was unmistakable. We saw macadamia nuts and cashews growing and learned that macs must be dried in the sun before they can be extricated from their shells and cashews are poisonous unless heat-processed correctly. Most fascinating were the cacao pods, which mature from brown to pale blue-green to yellow and sprout directly from the trunk and branches of the tree.

Unfortunately I couldn't convince our tour guide to break into a cacao pod or even sell me one for less than $40—that's about $1 per seed, but we did get to try previously cleaned raw cacao seeds, which tasted remarkably like chocolate. It was fascinating, and if I ever find myself in Maui again, I'm going back to Ono.

In case you're wondering, the lighter fare that I spoke of we found at the small, out-of-the-way Star Noodle. The homemade ramen at this modern Asian-inspired restaurant hit the spot so well that we returned there for two more meals to sample the other offerings: tempura colossal prawns, steamed pork buns, sous vide rib-eye, roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon and kimchee puree, garlic noodles, malasadas, and the outrageously ono tropical fruit saketinis. The best part was that only locals and in-the-know tourists would ever find this place.

Also memorable and definitely worthy of mention were the guri guri, a frozen novelty in pineapple and strawberry flavors with a texture that's somewhere between that of sherbet and shaved ice, at Tasaka Guri Guri (70 E Kaahumanu Avenue, Kahului, 808-871-4513), the refreshing shaved ice with homemade fruit syrups—made right, not grainy and crunchy like a snow cone—at Ululani's Hawaiian Shave Ice, the truly ono tropical fruit sorbets at Ono Gelato, and the locally made furikake potato chips I picked up at TJ's Warehouse Outlet.

We returned home a little tanner, a little more relaxed, and a carved wood tiki salt and pepper shaker set heavier. And though we're suffering from tropical fruit withdrawal (going from four lilikoi to zero per day is a severe shock to the system), we are full of ono memories of our time in Maui and looking forward to the adventures the next ten years together will bring.

First Chanterelles of the Season

2011-10-19T22:06:00.000-07:00

My husband has developed what can only be described as a sixth sense for mushrooms. Somehow, he knows exactly when and where to look. He said it was time to go hunting. But the weather seemed too warm, and the fog hadn't set in yet. I was certain that the sun was too direct, I was convinced that the ground was too dry. I questioned him. I second-guessed him. I doubted him. Until he led me right to them.

The first chanterelles of the season. This time, I was all too happy to admit he was right.

Despite my husband's keen mushroom hunting intuition, chanterelles are still a rare treat for us. So whenever we find some, we pull out all the stops and make something very special with them. This time it was delicate ravioli.

But before I get to the recipe, here's my interview on the Lonely Gourmet in case you missed it. We chatted about my cookbook and the finer points of searing. So much fun!

Chanterelle Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter
Printable Recipe

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¾ pound chanterelles, torn into bite-size pieces
1 glove garlic, minced
8 ounces ricotta
1 ½ ounces grated Parmegiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
1 large egg
Generous pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 recipe Fresh Egg Pasta dough, cut into sixths
6 ounces (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, diced
¼ cup fresh sage leaves

Heat a large, heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the chanterelles and sauté for 6 to 7 minutes, or until tender. Add the garlic and sauté for another 1 to 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Let cool.

Combine the chanterelles, ricotta, Parmegiano, egg, and nutmeg in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Sheet and form just 1 or 2 pieces of the pasta dough at a time according to the recipe, sheeting it until the second-to-last narrowest setting of the rollers and using 1 teaspoon of filling per ravioli. As you work, arrange the ravioli in a single layer on lightly floured parchment-lined baking trays.

Heat a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat until very hot but not smoking. Add the butter and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until browned. Add the sage and a generous pinch of pepper and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute, or until the sage is crisp. Remove the pan from the heat and dip the bottom into an ice water bath for a second or two.

Meanwhile, cook the ravioli in 2 or 3 batches in a large pot of boiling, salted water, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until they are al dente. When the ravioli are al dente, using a wire skimmer, transfer them from the pot to a large bowl, drizzle with a bit of the brown butter, and gently toss to coat. Arrange on individual plates, drizzle with the remaining brown butter, top with plenty of Parmegiano, and serve immediately.

Makes approximately 7 dozen 1 ½-inch ravioli, serving 6 as a main course. This was the ravioli plaque used. Speed the cooking time by using two large pots of water for boiling the ravioli. Uncooked ravioli may be frozen in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking tray and transferred to a zip-top bag when frozen solid. Ravioli keep for several weeks frozen. Add them to boiling water while still frozen—there's no need to thaw them, just increase their cooking time by a couple of minutes. Keep scraps of dough leftover from cutting ravioli to put in soup.

Fresh Egg Pasta

2011-10-10T23:06:00.000-07:00

It's one thing that should be in every cook's repertoire.

Clockwise from top right: garganelli, corzetti, farfalle, spaghetti, linguini, pappardelle.

But before I share the recipe, I'd like to invite you to tune in to my interview on the Lonely Gourmet at 6PM EST on Friday, October 14. Click to listen live.

Fresh Egg Pasta
Printable Recipe

13 ounces all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
4 large eggs, at room temperature

Combine the flour and eggs in a large bowl and mix until a rough dough forms. The dough will seem dry at this point, but resist the temptation to add more liquid. Transfer to a work surface and knead for 10 to 15 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for about half an hour.

Cut the dough into sixths. Flatten 1 portion of dough and pass it through a pasta machine 3 times with the rollers at the widest setting, folding the pasta sheet widthwise into thirds between each pass and feeding the folded pasta into the machine with the folds perpendicular to the rollers. Pass the remaining portions of dough through the pasta machine in the same manner. Close the rollers down 1 notch and pass each pasta sheet through the pasta machine once. Continue passing the pasta sheets through the pasta machine with the rollers at successively narrower settings until the pasta sheets are the desired thickness. As you work, lay the pasta sheets flat in a single layer on a lightly floured surface or clean kitchen towels.

Cut and form the pasta sheets as desired into lasagna, pappardelle, tagliatelle, fettuccini, linguini, spaghetti, garganelli, corzetti, farfalle, ravioli, tortellini, or other shape.

Makes about 1 ¼ pounds, enough for 4 to 6 main-course servings. Making pasta is all about developing a feel for the dough—the more batches you have under your belt, the easier it becomes. Here's what you need to know to get started…Farm fresh eggs with golden yolks make for the best pasta. The amount of flour needed may vary depending on the brand of the flour, the size of the eggs, and the humidity. It's much easier to add flour to a wet dough than it is to add liquid to a dry dough, so hold back a bit of the flour at first and then add more if the dough feels sticky. The result should be a firm dough that isn't sticky at all, and kneading it is quite a workout. If you or the dough need a break, wrap the dough in plastic wrap or cover with an inverted bowl and let rest for up to 5 minutes. When you just can't knead any more, take heart in the fact that rolling the dough through the pasta machine will continue the kneading process. Keep pieces of dough covered until you're ready to roll them out. Using a pasta machine is easier with an extra set of hands, so bribe someone to do the cranking for you with a fabulous homemade pasta dinner. Lightly flour the pasta sheets if they stick or tear as they go through the pasta machine. Catch the pasta sheets as they come out from between the rollers without pulling or tugging. Sheets of pasta may stick to smooth surfaces such as marble or stainless steel, so keep work surfaces dusted with flour or lay the pasta sheets on clean flour sack kitchen towels. Pasta is less likely to stick to wood surfaces. If the pasta sheets get too long to work with comfortably, feel free to cut them into more manageable lengths. For most shapes, pasta is rolled as thin as the second-to-last or third-to-last narrowest setting of the rollers, but thickness is largely a matter of personal preference. Passing all of the pieces of pasta through each setting of the rollers is more efficient than sheeting 1 piece at a time, and it allows all of the sheets to dry at a more even rate. However, hand-formed shapes such as garganelli, farfalle, ravioli, and tortellini must be made with freshly-rolled pasta that hasn't had a chance to dry and harden, so sheet and form just 1 or 2 pieces of dough at a time. For long cut pasta such as fettuccini and spaghetti, allow sheets of pasta to dry a bit until they just start to feel leathery before cutting them. Strands of pasta cut from sheets that are too moist will stick to each other, and pasta sheets that are too dry will shatter when cut. Dust pasta sheets with flour if there's ever any sign of stickage, but try not to use any more flour than necessary (excess flour can be removed with a pastry brush). To cut sheeted pasta into ribbons or strands, dust it with flour and pass it through pasta machine cutters or fold it up widthwise loosely and slice it lengthwise with a knife. For other shapes, use a straight or fluted pastry wheel or other specialized tool. Cut and form shapes as follows:

Lasagna: cut the sheeted pasta into 9-inch lengths.

Pappardelle: cut the sheeted pasta into ½ to 1-inch wide strands.

Tagliatelle: cut the sheeted pasta into ¼ to ½-inch wide strands.

Fettuccini: cut the sheeted pasta into ¼-inch wide strands.

Linguini: cut the sheeted pasta into 1/8-inch wide strands.

Spaghetti: cut the sheeted pasta into strands that are as wide as they are thick.

Garganelli: cut the sheeted pasta into 1 ½ to 2-inch squares. Roll each pasta square, starting from a corner, around a rolling stick while pressing lightly against a garganelli board, forming ridged tubes with pointed ends. A gnocchi board may be used if a garganelli board is unavailable.

Corzetti: cut the sheeted pasta into circles using a corzetti cutter and press each circle, first making sure that it is well floured, using a corzetti stamp, forming large coins.

Farfalle: cut the sheeted pasta into 1×2-inch rectangles and pinch each rectangle at the center, forming butterflies or bows.

Ravioli: cut the sheeted pasta into pieces slightly longer than a ravioli plaque. Dust a pasta sheet with flour on 1 side only and lay it floured side down on the ravioli plaque. Place a small amount of filling into each depression. Using a fingertip, lightly moisten the pasta around each depression with water. Drape another sheet of pasta over the filled ravioli plaque, eliminating any air pockets as you go. Roll a rolling pin across the ravioli plaque, pressing down hard to cut out the ravioli. To remove the ravioli, invert the plaque onto a lightly floured surface. Make more ravioli with the remaining pasta pieces in the same manner. If a ravioli plaque is unavailable, sandwich evenly spaced bits of filling between sheets of pasta in the same manner, moistening the pasta around the filling with water and eliminating air pockets, and cut ravioli using a cookie cutter, ravioli stamp, or pastry wheel. Size varies.

Tortellini: cut the sheeted pasta into circles using a cookie cutter or ravioli stamp. Place a small amount of filling in the center of a pasta circle. Using a fingertip, lightly moisten the edges of the circle with water. Fold the wrapper in half over the filling, forming a half circle, and eliminating any air pockets, firmly pinch the edges together to seal. Lightly moisten the corners of the wrapper along the straight side of the half circle with water. Fold the two corners together and firmly pinch to seal. Make more tortellini with the remaining pasta circles in the same manner. Sheeted pasta may be cut into squares using a pastry wheel instead of circles. Formed in the same manner as the wontons pictured here. Size varies.

Maltagliati: scraps leftover from cutting other pasta shapes, literally "badly cut". Good for soup.

Arrange short cut pasta in a single layer and dust long cut pasta generously with flour and form loose nests on pasta screens, lightly floured parchment-lined baking trays, or towel-lined baking trays. Alternatively, hang long cut pasta on a pasta rack. Pasta may be left at room temperature like this to dry for up to several hours or cooked immediately. Cook in a large pot of boiling, salted water until al dente. Cooking time is usually only 2 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pasta and how long it has been left to dry.

The Final Word on Macaroni and Cheese

2011-10-01T21:19:00.000-07:00

Macaroni and cheese used to be a tangle of steaming spaghetti with butter and cheese melting into it and a generous grinding of black pepper on top. All gooey and stringy, that's how my mom would make it when I was a kid. She cooked the pasta beyond al dente until it was tender, and she must've used cheddar or mozzarella or possibly Monterey jack but I can't remember for sure. She was never one for sauces.

Then one day, I had dinner at a friend's house and discovered the joy of macaroni bathed in a cheese sauce. It came in the form of Velveeta Shells and Cheese. I know it seems odd to give Kraft credit for one of my formative food experiences, but I still remember it as the moment that I, an impressionable teenager, tasted a creamy cheese sauce for the very first time.

(For the record, I never ate the stuff in the blue box. For some reason, my little brother was crazy for that crap, but not me.)

So now when I close my eyes and imagine the perfect comfort food macaroni and cheese, the dish the kid in me idealizes, I think of a velvety cheese sauce flavored boldly with real cheddar cheese. And I imagine an effortless recipe that is a cinch to quickly throw together on a whim and can be made with ingredients that are always on hand.

It's elusive, this macaroni and cheese I dream of.

For or a long time I thought it didn't exist at all. Most versions that I have had…that I have myself made don't live up. Macaroni and cheese made with roux-based white sauce doesn't quite do it for me because it tastes more like the white sauce than the cheese, no matter how expert the execution and fine the ingredients. It doesn't have the right creaminess either. Besides all that, why should a dish so humble require at least 45 minutes, the use of both the stovetop and the oven, and the dirtying of two pots, a colander, and a baking dish? Boxed macaroni and cheese and deli versions don't even come close, since they employ processed cheese and various neon orange powders in lieu of real cheese.

Researching stovetop recipes proved fruitless, as most called for evaporated milk, which seemed gross, or thickening the sauce with egg, which seemed out of place, or both.

I got to thinking…Why drain the cooked pasta, losing all its precious starch just to use a different starch to thicken the sauce? Why not take advantage of the pasta's own starch for thickening the sauce? And why not cook macaroni and cheese more like it was risotto, adding only as much liquid as the pasta will absorb? I literally ran into the kitchen and started cooking. It was nothing less than a eureka moment!

Thus, Lucy's Ultimate Mac & Cheese was born. I must say, even if it borders on bragging, that I'm really proud of this recipe. The texture and flavor are exactly what I'd been looking for ever since I was a kid. It requires little more time or effort than the packaged stuff, and the only cleanup is one pot and one spoon. It's a stovetop recipe, so you can make it even in the summertime when it's too hot to turn on the oven. Oh, and leftovers, should there be any, reheat nicely in the microwave. I think you'll agree it really is the ultimate.

Lucy's Ultimate Mac & Cheese
Printable Recipe

1 pound elbow macaroni
1 quart milk
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon powdered mustard
1/8 teaspoon granulated garlic
Generous pinch cayenne pepper
12 ounces, or more, shredded sharp cheddar
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 to 2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Combine the macaroni, milk, butter, mustard, granulated garlic, cayenne, and 3 cups of water in a medium, heavy pot. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring constantly and adding more water as necessary any time the macaroni looks dry, for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the macaroni is just tender. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheddar, Worcestershire, and Tabasco. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6. The trick to this recipe's seductive creaminess is constant stirring from the time the pot is put on the heat and making sure there's enough water in the pot. There will be plenty of liquid in the beginning. When the mixture comes to a boil, the starch from the pasta will make it thicken, creating a creamy sauce. The sauce will reduce and continue to thicken as it simmers and as the pasta absorbs water. Adjust the heat so that it cooks at a lively bubble. Too slow, and the pasta will take forever to cook. Boil it too fast, and it'll be hard to monitor the level of the liquid. Toward the end of the cooking time, there should still be enough sauce in the pot to just cover the macaroni—if not, or if you like it creamier still, add more water a little at a time, keeping in mind that the cheese will thicken the sauce considerably. It's best to incorporate the cheese off the heat. Do not boil the mixture once the cheddar has been added, or it will have a grainy texture. And speaking of cheddar, why stop at 12 ounces when you can add a whole pound? Or mix it up—consider substituting a portion of the cheddar with provolone, mozzarella, and/or Parmegiano for a different flavor and some stringy action. Top with toasted buttered breadcrumbs or some such crunchy thing if you must, but I prefer to appreciate the creaminess unspoiled.

Okra Curry

2011-09-24T21:16:00.000-07:00

This is one vegetable I simply cannot pass up. It's not too common here (another thing I miss about living in Texas), so whenever I see it I get very excited. On a recent shopping trip, I scored some okra and cooked up this Indian-inspired dinner off the cuff.

Then I got lucky again at the farmers market and made the same dish for the second time in as many weeks. It was such a winner, with the okra's flavor and texture in the starring role, and a variety of aromatic spices playing the supporting cast. A meal that makes your taste buds sing and one you can feel good about eating too!

Okra Curry
Printable Recipe

2 tablespoons canola oil
¼ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1 yellow onion, julienned
10 ounces okra, cut into ¾-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon minced ginger
¾ teaspoon garam masala
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
Generous pinch cayenne pepper
1 14 ½-ounce can diced tomatoes
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced cilantro

Combine the oil and mustard seeds in a large, heavy sauté pan, cover, and heat over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the mustard seeds begin to pop. Add the onion and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the okra and sauté another 1 to 2 minutes, or until it turns bright green. Add the garlic, ginger, garam masala, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne and sauté 1 to 2 minutes more, or until fragrant. Add the tomatoes (along with their liquid), reduce the heat to low, and cook covered for about 15 minutes, or until the okra is tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a platter, sprinkle with the cilantro, and serve immediately.

Serves 4 as a healthy, vegetarian main course, as long as there's plenty of cooked basmati rice to go with it. Perfect in the summertime, when okra is in season. Select small okra, no larger than your pinkie finger, as it’s the most tender. Garam masala is an Indian spice blend which includes roughly equal parts of toasted and ground cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black peppercorns, cumin, and possibly coriander or nutmeg. You can find it at most well-stocked grocery stores, or, if you are feeling more adventurous, you can make your own.

Huckleberry Picking

2011-09-15T11:24:00.000-07:00

It's gotta be hard to make a living if you're a bear. Just imagine being a 250-pound black bear with nothing to eat in the summertime but huckleberries—it would take forever to get full. No wonder they do nothing but eat all day. The hubby and I went huckleberry picking for the first time ever last Sunday, and we gave up in less than three hours. We were hot and tired, our backs hurt, we were covered in bug bites, and all we had to show for our labors was barely a pound and a quarter of berries. If we were bears, we would be poor, skinny bears indeed.

But seriously, our trip to the Sawtooth Berry Fields, in the Indian Heaven Wilderness in the shadow of Mt. Adams, was fantastic, and I must say our haul of wild huckleberries has inspired me to get baking! Huckleberries may be tiny, but they pack a ton of flavor. And since they aren't particularly juicy, they don't sog out baked goods. They're everything a blueberry wishes it could be. I'd only ever had them once or twice before, but now that I know, I'm using huckleberries wherever blueberries are called for—huckleberry muffins, huckleberry pancakes, huckleberry waffles…you get the idea. I'm actually thinking that the huckleberry may be the one berry best suited to baking. Hmmm, better to test that hypothesis…

Huckleberry Teacake
Printable Recipe

5 ounces (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
9 ounces cake flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
10 ounces sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 ounces sour cream, at room temperature
6 ounces huckleberries
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter a 9×3-inch round cheesecake pan, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, and butter the parchment. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on high for 3 to 4 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time until thoroughly combined and then beat in the vanilla extract. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then ½ of the sour cream, then 1/3 of the flour mixture, then the remaining ½ of the sour cream, and then the remaining 1/3 of the flour mixture, mixing on low for only a few seconds after each addition until just combined, and stopping the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Gently fold in the huckleberries. Do not overmix. Transfer to the cake pan and spread evenly. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the edges of the cake start to shrink away from the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and finish cooling completely. Dust with plenty of powdered sugar, cut into portions, and serve.

Makes 1 9-inch cake, serving 8. Huckleberries have a short summer season. Small blueberries make a fine substitute if huckleberries are unavailable. If you can get your hands on it, use Tahitian vanilla, which has a uniquely floral character. Use a springform pan if you don't have a cheesecake pan.

Financiers

2011-09-09T17:26:00.000-07:00

Financiers are said to resemble a bar of gold, and they are so good, they're certainly worth their weight in the precious metal…

These little French cakelettes are crisp around the edges and moist and tender within. They are as rich as their name implies, full of almonds and brown butter. Though they need no embellishment, financiers take well to whatever fruit is in season, be it berry, stone fruit, apple, pear, or citrus. Sometimes they masquerade as hazelnut or pistachio flavored. And on occasion, chocolate flavored. Both the unbaked batter and the finished cakes have good keeping qualities. Best of all, financiers are effortless and take mere minutes to whip up. My favorite cake of the moment.

Yesterday, I harvested all of the Italian prune plums from the little tree in our garden and promptly baked a batch.

Plum Financiers
Printable Recipe

5 ounces (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, diced, plus more for greasing the tins
5 ½ ounces sugar
2 ½ ounces all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the tins
2 ½ ounces almond meal
5 ounces egg whites, at room temperature
3 Italian prune plums, halved, pitted, and thinly sliced

Heat a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat until very hot but not smoking. Add the butter and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until browned. Transfer the butter to a bowl and let cool.

Whisk together the sugar, flour, and almond meal in a large bowl. Whisk in the egg whites until thoroughly combined and then whisk in the butter until thoroughly combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 1 to 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Butter and flour 12 financier tins and divide the batter among them. Fan out the plum slices atop the batter in each financier tin. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until golden brown and the edges of the financiers start to shrink away from the tins. Let the financiers cool in the tins for about 10 minutes. Invert onto cooling racks and finish cooling completely.

Makes 1 dozen financiers. If you do not have traditional rectangular financier tins, use a muffin pan and adjust the baking time accordingly. The brown butter should be cooled but still melted when you mix the financier batter.

Flooded with Figs

2011-08-28T22:55:00.000-07:00

The little fig tree in our garden is loaded with maturing fruit. Any day now we're gonna have more ripe figs than we know what to do with. There are way too many for just two people to eat, so I fixed some to share with you, dear reader.

They're stuffed with Brie, wrapped with prosciutto, grilled, and drizzled with balsamic vinegar and honey. Enjoy!

Though figs certainly mean summertime, it's already fall in my head. That's because registration for fall Clark College classes just opened. I hope you can join me in the kitchen for Make Fresh Pasta at Home!, Love in a Bowl: Delectable Soups, Pâte à Choux: Easy & Heavenly, and Quick Breads: Muffins & Scones. And would you believe I've already submitted class proposals for the winter quarter?! Such is the life of cooking instructors and recipe developers—we're always thinking a couple of seasons ahead.

Grilled Figs with Brie & Prosciutto
Printable Recipe

8 figs
1 ounce Brie, cut into 8 equal pieces
4 thin slices prosciutto, cut in half lengthwise
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey, preferably orange blossom honey
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, preferably Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena

Heat the grill to high. Cut a deep slit into the stem end of each fig, almost but not quite cutting them in half lengthwise. Stuff each one with a piece of the Brie. Wrap a piece of the prosciutto around each fig. Thread the figs onto skewers and drizzle with the olive oil. Add the skewers to the grill and cook without disturbing for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they release from the grate and the prosciutto is crusty and brown. Using tongs, turn the skewers and continue to cook over high heat another 1 to 2 minutes, or until the Brie is melted. Drizzle the figs with the honey and balsamic vinegar and serve immediately.

Makes 8 hors d'oeuvres, serving 4. Choose figs that are ripe but not too soft for this recipe. Vary the dish by using blue cheese or goat cheese (any variety from fresh chèvre to aged Le Chevrot to the Brie-like Florette) in place of the Brie.

A Big Salad for Dinner

2011-08-19T17:02:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year when what you want for dinner is a big salad. The farmers market is bursting with lovely yellow and green beans, tender lettuces, sweet tomatoes, and earthy potatoes. Put that all together and a big salad is exactly what you get.

Tuna Salad Niçoise*
Printable Recipe

12 ounces fingerling potatoes
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 shallot, minced
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme
½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon minced Italian parsley
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 7.8-ounce jar canned oil-packed tuna
Freshly ground black pepper
2 hard-cooked eggs
4 ounces haricot vert, trimmed and blanched
6 ounces cherry tomatoes, quartered
4 ounces mesclun greens
¼ cup Niçoise or Kalamata olives

Place the potatoes in a medium pot and add enough water to cover by several inches. Add several large pinches of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to a plate. Let rest for about 15 minutes, or until just cool enough to handle.

Whisk together the red wine vinegar, shallot, mustard, thyme, rosemary, and parsley in a medium bowl. Continue whisking while adding the oil in a thin stream. Drain the tuna and whisk the oil from the tuna into the vinaigrette. Season the vinaigrette to taste with salt and pepper. Cut the potatoes into quarters when they are cool enough to handle and toss with enough vinaigrette to coat in a medium bowl.

Cut the eggs into sixths and flake the tuna. In separate bowls, toss the haricot vert, tomatoes, and greens with enough vinaigrette to coat.

Mound the greens on a platter. Arrange the potatoes, haricot vert, tomatoes, eggs, olives, and tuna decoratively atop the greens. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette and serve immediately.

Serves 2 as a main course. This composed salad hails from sunny Nice in the South of France. The flavor depends largely on the quality of the tuna, so splurge on the best you can afford. Personally, I like Ortiz Bonito del Norte. Any yellow-fleshed potatoes may be used. Haricot vert, which are French green beans, are very slender and more tender than other varieties. They are often available at gourmet grocers and farmers markets. If you cannot find them, use the smallest green beans you can find. You can also use a combination of green and yellow wax beans.

*For a related Seared Tuna Salad Niçoise recipe and everything you ever wanted to know about searing, plus dozens of fabulous searing recipes, look for my book Seared to Perfection in stores now.

Summer Baking

2011-08-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

While the rest of the country has been suffering through what seems to be the hottest summer ever, temperatures here in the Pacific Northwest have been unseasonably cold. I don't mean to rub this in for those of you who live in the inferno area, but we haven't had a single 90-degree day yet. Would you believe today I actually donned a fleece jacket? All this is to say that I don't mind turning the oven on when I feel like baking with summer berries.

Blueberry Cobbler with Lemon-Crème Fraîche Biscuit Topping
Printable Recipe

Unsalted butter, for greasing the baking dishes
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Grated zest of 1 lemon
6 ounces crème fraîche
¼ cup heavy cream
1 ¼ pounds blueberries
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Turbinado sugar

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Butter 4 individual baking dishes. Whisk together the flour, ¼ cup of the sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Blend together the crème fraîche and cream in a small bowl, add to the flour mixture, and stir until just combined.

Combine the blueberries, remaining 2 tablespoons of the sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a large bowl and toss to coat. Divide the blueberry mixture among the baking dishes. Divide the dough among the baking dishes, dropping it by the tablespoonful onto the blueberries. Sprinkle the cobblers with the Turbinado sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbling around the edges. Let cool slightly and serve.

Makes 4 individual cobblers. Blueberry and lemon is a flavor combination made in heaven. Huckleberries may be substituted for the blueberries. Perfect with vanilla or lemon ice cream.

I Really Needed That

2011-08-03T19:40:00.000-07:00

It's the height of summer. Time to play outside, fun in the sun. Time for bright smiles, laughter, and lots of sunscreen. It's just that I haven't been feeling any of it. I didn't plan on talking about it here because this is supposed to be my happy place, but it's been hanging over me like a cloud and I can't seem to think about anything else—I was laid off from my day job three weeks ago. It makes me want to retreat inside and close all the blinds. It makes me worry and fret. It makes me feel guilty and inadequate and fills me with self-doubt, like so many others in the same situation right now. It makes me want to hide.

And I have been hiding.

Until the cherries beckoned. They ripened a month later than usual, but they were ready just when I needed them. So my ever-supportive husband packed me up in the car, and we drove into the Gorge for a day of bike riding and cherry picking.

I really needed that. The fresh air and exercise did me good. The big hug from the owner of the cherry orchard did me even better.

We had a picnic lunch in her garden surrounded by the most beautiful scenery.

By the time we started filling our baskets and bellies with cherries, I was feeling—dare I say—joyous again. The festive atmosphere from the hundreds of glittering streamers, hung on the trees to ward off the birds, helped cheer me up.

As did watching the silly goats munch on their share of the cherries.

Sometimes we all need a reminder of how sweet life is. Mine happened to come in the form of twenty-five pounds of ripe cherries.

That one day in the countryside was like a much-needed vacation. It's still tough some days and hard to find reasons to be hopeful. But one smile at a time. My creativity and inspiration are slowly coming back to me and so is my desire to get in the kitchen and cook. I think it's time to look for the next opportunity. Wish me luck—I'll be needing it.

Cheery Cherry Ice Cream
Printable Recipe

12 ounces cherries, pitted and quartered
1 cup sugar
2 ½ cups milk
6 large egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon Kirsch
1/8 teaspoon almond extract

Combine the cherries and ¼ cup of the sugar in a small pot and let macerate, stirring occasionally, for 25 to 30 minutes, or until soft and juicy. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, or until tender. Chill over an ice bath until ice-cold.

Meanwhile, bring the milk to a bare simmer in a small, heavy saucepan. Whisk together the yolks and remaining ¾ cup of sugar in a large bowl. Continue whisking while adding the hot milk in a thin stream. Place the bowl with the yolk mixture over a medium pan of simmering water, and heat, whisking constantly, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Immediately strain through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl and whisk in the cream, Kirsch, and almond extract. Chill over an ice bath until ice-cold. Transfer to an ice cream maker and churn until frozen. With the motor running, add the cherry mixture in a thin stream. Transfer to a container and freeze for 4 to 6 hours before serving.

Makes about 2 quarts. If your ice cream maker doesn't have an opening for adding mix-ins, transfer 1/3 of the ice cream to a container, drizzle with ½ of the cherry mixture, and repeat layering with the remaining ice cream and cherries. For the best texture, enjoy within a day or two of churning.

Gnocchi is Served

2011-07-29T14:18:00.000-07:00

A serving suggestion for Potato Gnocchi.

Gnocchi with Tomato Cream Sauce & Fresh Mozzarella
Printable Recipe

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced
26 ounces strained tomatoes, preferably Pomì brand
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 to 4 large sprigs basil, plus chiffonaded leaves for serving
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 recipe Potato Gnocchi
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, drained and diced
Grated Parmegiano-Reggiano, for serving

Heat a large, heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, cream, and basil sprigs. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 16 to 18 minutes, or until thickened and saucy.

Cook the gnocchi in 2 or 3 batches in a large pot of boiling, salted water, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they float to the surface of the water. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper and discard the basil sprigs. When the gnocchi float to the surface of the water, using a wire skimmer, transfer them from the pot to the sauce and gently toss to combine. Remove from the heat, let cool for a few minutes, and stir in the mozzarella. Arrange on individual plates, top with plenty of Parmegiano and basil, and serve immediately.

Serves 4 as a main course. Fresh mozzarella balls come in a variety of sizes, and if you want a shortcut, look for pearlini, which are so small they don’t even need to be diced. Be sure to let the gnocchi cool a bit before adding the mozzarella, or it will melt into a gooey mess. It also helps if the mozzarella is cold when it goes in. For a quick and easy variation which happens to be a weeknight favorite at my house, serve this sauce with penne rigate instead of gnocchi. And if you like that idea, you may like Penne with Tomato-Pepper Sauce & Fresh Mozzarella. This vegetarian dish has been known to satisfy meat eaters.

Authentic Potato Gnocchi

2011-07-23T11:28:00.000-07:00

What better way to learn to cook than to get into the kitchen and work shoulder to shoulder with your grandmother?

Sorta makes me wish I had a French grandmother and a Mexican grandmother and a Chinese grandmother and an Indian grandmother and an Italian grandmother. Definitely an Italian grandmother. She would've taught me to make authentic soft, pillowy gnocchi. But since I do not have an Italian grandmother, I had to figure it out for myself. I'm pretty sure my Italian grandmother would've been proud of these…

Potato Gnocchi
Printable Recipe

3 large russet potatoes (about 2 pounds)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Place the potatoes on a rack on a baking tray and bake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until cooked through. Let rest for about 15 minutes, or until just cool enough to handle. Peel and puree in a ricer using the finest disc. Spread evenly on the baking tray and let cool to room temperature.

Transfer the potato puree to a large bowl, season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in the egg. Stir in the flour. Transfer to a work surface and knead briefly until smooth. Cut the dough into eighths. Roll 1 portion of dough into a ½-inch thick rope and sprinkle lightly with flour. Using a bench knife, cut the rope into ½-inch pieces. Roll 1 side of each piece of dough against a lightly floured gnocchi board or the back of the tines of a fork, pressing the other side lightly with your thumb as you roll. Make more gnocchi with the remaining dough in the same manner. As you work, arrange the gnocchi in a single layer on lightly floured parchment-lined baking trays. Let dry for up to 2 hours.

Cook the gnocchi in 2 or 3 batches in a large pot of boiling, salted water, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they float to the surface of the water. Remove the gnocchi from the pot using a wire skimmer. Serve immediately as desired.

Serves 4 as a main course. The key to making light, fluffy gnocchi is to drive off as much of the moisture from the potato as possible during baking and cooling and to incorporate as little flour into the dough as possible. (Hence, recipes that call for boiling or steaming the potatoes yield inferior results.) The dough will be a bit soft and sticky, but it should be smooth and fairly easy to knead and form. Keep your hands, work surface, tools, and dough lightly floured as you work but avoid adding excess flour. Serve the gnocchi tossed with plain butter, brown butter and sage, or your favorite pasta sauce and sprinkled with grated Parmegiano-Reggiano. Gnocchi with Tomato Cream Sauce & Fresh Mozzarella is a winning combination. Uncooked gnocchi may be frozen in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking tray and transferred to a zip-top bag when frozen solid. Gnocchi keep for several weeks frozen. Cook them straight from the freezer—do not thaw.

Of Hearts and Strawberries

2011-07-10T21:45:00.000-07:00

Strawberry season came later than usual this year, but the timing was perfect. My parents were here visiting, so we had free labor for strawberry picking! We filled up a flat in record time…

And then we emptied it in record time.

But before I proceed with the berrylicious treat made with our haul…

A big thank you goes out to Yummly for featuring my Steak au Poivre with Red Wine Sauce.

And hugs and kisses to my little brother for once again singing the praises of Seared to Perfection. Thanks, Andrew, for being my biggest fan! Word cannot express how much I love you and how proud I am of you for becoming such an amazing cook in your own right!

Coeur à la Crème with Strawberries
Printable Recipe

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 ounces powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
12 ounces heavy cream
1 ¾ pounds strawberries, sliced
1 ounce sugar

In a mixer fitted with a whip attachment, whip together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla on high for 2 to 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. With the motor running on high, gradually add the cream, stopping the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue to whip on high to stiff peaks. Divide among 6 cheesecloth-lined coeur à la crème molds set on a baking tray. Smooth the mixture into the molds using a spatula and fold the excess cheesecloth over the tops. Let drain in the refrigerator overnight.

To serve, unfold the cheesecloth from the coeurs and invert each one onto a dessert plate. Remove the molds, gently peel off the cheesecloth, and set aside at room temperature for about half an hour. Meanwhile, toss together the strawberries and sugar in a medium bowl and let macerate, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until soft and juicy. Divide the strawberries among the coeurs and serve immediately.

Serves 6. Use a high quality cream cheese such as Nancy's. If you can get your hands on it, use Tahitian vanilla, which has a uniquely floral character. You'll need about 2 pints of strawberries for this recipe. If heart-shaped coeur à la crème molds are unavailable, use little berry colanders instead. Finely woven cheesecloth is preferable—if you have the loosely woven kind, use several layers of it. If you like, flavor the coeurs with some finely grated lemon zest. Alternatively, substitute chèvre for a portion of the cream cheese.

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-14T17:56:00.000-07:00

It's what Dad wants. And just in time for Father's Day, The Oregonian's FoodDay offers up tips for cooking pork, lamb, beef, and veal chops, complete with a few thoughts on the tantalizing topic from yours truly. They even include one of my favorite pork chop recipes from my book Seared to Perfection for your cooking pleasure. Have a look for some ideas on how to create a truly memorable Father's Day feast for your dad this year.