La Cuisine Éclectique

Foie Gras Vegetal

2015-12-11T06:35:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by this recipe from France. It uses silken tofu and chestnuts. I have used silken tofu in dips many times. But this is a very exciting twist on Foie Gras. I translated it with google translate. The ingredients will take a little bit of time to get. But I thought I would share my find.

200 grams of silken tofu

60 grams regular tofu
100 ml cream of soy
100 g of brown sugar
4 c. chestnuts
40 g of sauteed shiitake mushrooms
3 c. water and dissolved white miso to taste
60 ml of Armagnac
2.5 cc agar agar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg ground
1/2 teaspoon of seeds coriander ground
1/8 cc of ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation: In a food processor crumble the chestnuts and mix with oil, tofu, shiitake and miso. Add spices and salt, mix again. In a saucepan, heat the Armagnac for few minutes. Separately, mix 100 ml of water, the soy cream and agar. Pour over Armagnac and bring to a boil, whisking. Cook for 2 minutes and pour over the first preparation. Mix and divide into bowls, jars or metal circles. Cool Let rest in the fridge Then 1-2 hours. Serve sliced with hot toast, Some fruit, onion confit and figs.

Hazelnut & Fig Biscotti

2015-10-02T14:33:00.001-07:00

If you asked me what is your favorite nut I would say hands down a freshly roasted and skinned hazelnut ! However, they are a bit time consuming to do. So what is nice is that Trader Joes sells roasted and skinned hazelnuts. In a pinch they work really well.

This recipe is from Juliene Jones of Vergennes Laundry up in Vermont. I used mission figs in the recipe. I find they are softer then the Calimyrna figs. They are also easier to find in the market. This recipe has a lot of butter in it and is richer then a normal Biscotti recipe. In addition, because of the high nut content I would freeze some for later use.

2 1/2 cups of roughly chopped toasted and skinned hazelnuts
14 ounces of mission figs chopped into small cubes
1 1/2 cups of unsalted butter
1 3/4 cup of sugar
3 1/2 cups of AP Flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt

Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer until smooth. Add your eggs in and mix until well incorporated. Now add your flour and baking powder. Then mix in your nuts and figs. Divide dough into two. On a piece of parchment shape two logs that are two inches thick. Bake each log in a 325 degree preheated oven for 30 minutes. Cool and slice into one inch slices. Bake the slices for 18 minutes more. They will be a lovely light brown!

What is kind of interesting is the Celts thought that hazelnuts would concentrated wisdom and poetic inspiration. There is an ancient tale that nine hazel trees grew around a sacred pool, dropping nuts into the water to be eaten by some salmon (a fish revered by Druids).

When they ate the hazelnuts they absorbed the wisdom.The number of bright spots on the salmon were said to indicate how many nuts they had eaten. I may know how many pounds I have gained by how many of these really good cookies I have eaten.

Sauerkraut or Choucroute

2015-10-02T08:39:00.002-07:00

Well it is October and with really fresh cabbage at one dollar a head I thought I would make some sauerkraut. But not just any kind of sauerkraut. I thought I would add some parsnips and some spices. To get started you will need a crock.

Getting a sauerkraut pot can be expensive. The pot is not the expensive part. It is the shipping.. The pot is very heavy. Ace Hardware is the best place to buy them. You can order them online and then pick them up at the store. The company that makes them is an old USA company named the Ohio Stoneware Company. They combined older stoneware companies about fifty years ago. It is an interest story about stoneware in the USA. You can go to their website and read their story.

You can pickle all kinds of vegetables. It takes two to three weeks for them to be pickled. You can only pickle when the temperature is cooler. The crock needs to be in a cool place at 60 to 65 degrees. So a cool basement is the best place. Because of the salt content the product will not spoil. It just becomes this wonderful tang. After the three weeks you will need to can the kraut or refrigerate. I used red cabbage. But you can make the traditional with just plain old green. After this I will be pickling some rutabaga. It is my understanding that it becomes this wonderful rich and sweet condiment.

To get started one large head is about 24 cups shredded. This will reduce to about one half after completion. Reduce the amount of salt by percentage based on how many cups of vegetables. So for 24 cups add 1/4 cup plus one tablespoon of best quality salt to the vegetables. Now pound and stir the salt into the vegetables. You will now add your spices. This is very much up to you. I added two tablespoons of roasted whole coriander seeds, one tablespoon of roasted fennel seeds, one teaspoon of red pepper flakes and a few juniper berries. Place into the crock and cover with lid. Let sit for 18 hours. After this the vegetables will have given out their juices.

Now make a brine of four and one half cups of water and three tablespoons of salt. Heat until the salt has dissolved. Cool and add to the crock. Add your weights. Bubbles will appear as it starts to ferment. This is a good thing. Acid is forming. Check every couple of days that the brine is covering the vegetables and skim off any foam. When the bubbles stop and the tang is there the kraut is done. At this point you will refrigerate or process by canning for 15 minutes.

Have fun by trying all kinds of vegetables or even make kimchi. I will share my adventures with fermentation soon.

Happy Octoberfest !

Double Trouble Cookies

2015-09-05T08:04:00.002-07:00

I mentioned in my earlier post about this recipe. The cookies are really delicious and very easy to make. They are a two toned treat made with chocolate and toffee. As the name suggests they are really double trouble.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a mixer place 1/2 cup of room temperature butter with 1/2 cup of vegetable shortening. Mix until blended. Now add 3/4 cup of sugar and 3/4 cup of brown sugar to the mixer and mix until blended. Now add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and 2 3/4 cup of flour. Mix and divide in two.

With one piece of the dough piece add 1 cup of toffee pieces and in the other 2/3 cup of melted dark chocolate and 2/3 cup of dark chocolate chips. (The better the chocolate the better the results.)

With a small scoop place 1/2 of each dough on to a parchment lined cookie sheet. Flatten to 1/4 inch and you have to use parchment because if you do not the toffee will stick to the cookie sheet.

Bake for 13 minutes and let cool before removing from parchment.

Pickled Pimento Peppers

2015-09-05T07:26:00.000-07:00

It is getting to the end of the season for really fresh produce. At a farm stand I picked up some fresh red pimentos. They are similar to red peppers, but have a distinctive flavor.
They are marvelous added to all kinds of dishes.

I removed the seeds and roasted them to add more flavor. To make the brine you will need to place in a sauce pan the following to warm through.

1 cup of sugar
4 smashed cloves of garlic
2 teaspoons of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper
1/8 teaspoon of saffron
1 teaspoon of Aleppo pepper
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
1 1/2 cups of water
1 bottle (12 ounces) rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of good olive oil

Add you roasted peppers to the brine. Can and seal in boiling water for 10 minutes.

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread

2015-08-29T10:53:00.002-07:00

Zucchini and more zucchini ! I found out a few secrets to really good zucchini bread. First shred them on the finest shredding disk and toast your walnuts before adding them into the batter. In addition, I really love these mini loaf pans. It is great for portion control and all those lovely chewy corners. Another thing is to preheat your oven twenty five degrees higher and once you throw them in the oven turn down to the baking temperature. You will get the best rise this way. The recipe is adapted from better homes and garden fall baking magazine. They have a really yummy recipe for double trouble cookies. Half toffee and half chocolate chip. The chocolate chip half has a chocolate dough too! It is a really great issue.

3 cups of AP flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
2 extra large eggs
2 1/2 cups of finely shredded zucchini
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla paste
3/4 cup of dark chocolate pieces
1 cup of toasted walnut pieces

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and then turn down to 350 degrees. Spray your baking pan with baking spray. Now place all the wet ingredients into a mixer and mix well. Now add in all the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Place into pans and bake until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool if you can. It is very good with a cup of hot tea.

Beef Stir Fry with Gochujang

2015-08-28T12:09:00.000-07:00

I was checking out my neighborhood Korean grocery store looking for the much talk about Gochujang. Gochujang is a heavenly fermented chile paste. It comes in different heat intensities. I recommend getting the medium heat, because I like adding additional fresh chiles to my dishes. You can add this condiment to any number of things. Talking to a Korean friend would be fun for more ideas. Gochujang is becoming increasingly more popular in Western cooking too. To make the stir fry easy I bought a tray of beef stir fry. You can of course cut up your own. But it is so easy to purchase a prepare one at a store. The following is a list of ingredients:

1 package of beef stir fry
2 bok choy sliced
1 small young zucchini sliced
1 small onion slices
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 package of shiitake mushrooms quartered
1 tablespoon of ginger diced
1 yellow bell pepper sliced
1 tablespoon of Gochujang
1/4 teaspoon of five spice powder
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon of curry powder
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons of shaohsing rice wine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 Fresno chile sliced

3 tablespoons of cornstarch to dust the beef

Begin with heating a pan with peanut oil on high. Place a small amount of beef in a plastic bag and add one tablespoon of corn starch. Shake the sealed bag. Add the beef in batches to a smoking hot pan. Flash fry until lightly brown and remove to a plate. Repeat until all meat is seared. Now added a little more oil and add the onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, bottoms of the bok choy, garlic, ginger and chiles. Lightly brown and make the sauce. To make the sauce, place in a bowl the brown sugar, Gochujang, rice wine, brown sugar, soy sauce and spices. Now your vegetables should be lightly browned. At this time add the zucchini, bok choy tops, beef and sauce. Cook until the zucchini is lightly browned. I hope you had your rice cookers going. I love my rice cooker and I recommend basmati rice. You could also cook up some Asian noodles too. Enjoy the dish it is really delicious.

Cinnamon Sugar Rhubarb Muffins

2015-08-21T07:14:00.001-07:00

When I see really fresh thin ruby red rhubarb I cut it up and stick it in the freezer. These muffins are a really delicious use of the frozen rhubarb. When you melt the butter pour it over the frozen rhubarb to defrost the rhubarb. As I mentioned before in my blog freezing rhubarb really helps in the baking processes. This is an easy and very addictive muffin recipe. You can swap out the rhubarb for peaches, apples, berries.....

For the muffins:
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 stick of unsalted butter melted
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups 1/4-inch-diced frozen rhubarb
For the topping:
3 Tbs. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a muffin tin with foil baking cups. I really like foil baking cups.They are so much better than the paper ones.To make the muffins use a mixing bowl to combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt and whisk to blend.

In a another bowl mix together the buttermilk, rhubarb and melted butter, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Lightly stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients until the batter just comes together.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups, using a large ice cream scoop.

Now in a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle 1/2 tsp. of the cinnamon sugar over each muffin.

Bake the muffins until they’re golden brown for 18 to 22 minutes. Watch the tops of the muffins because the sugar will burn. Cover lightly with foil close to the end of cooking if getting to dark.

For more baking, PBS will be airing the new British Baking Competition in September. I think these muffins would definitely get the heads up!

So Good !

Slow Roasted Pork Belly With Fava Bean Purée

2015-07-11T11:28:00.002-07:00

Having some day's off gave me a chance to fire up the smoker. Pork belly is a cheap cut of meat that requires a long cooking time. You can of course make bacon out of pork belly, but frankly there is such delicious gourmet brands out there that the the time spent is not worth it. However, smoked pork belly is another matter. It is so delicious that you will become addicted. A little goes a long way. I paired the dish with fresh seasonal fava bean purée. The season for fava beans are so fleeting that you have to get them quick. Peeling them is a time consuming affair. After they are peeled little effort is involved. So have patience you will be rewarded for your efforts.

First thing is that you will have to marinade the pork belly. The following is the ingredients.

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup of good scotch whiskey
1/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon of mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons of fresh grated ginger
1 minces Fresno chile
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 large garlic clove minces
1 teaspoon of onion powder

Vacuum sealing is best. But if you do not have one just suck out as much air as possible from a heavy duty plastic bag. Marinade overnight in refrigerator.

Drain belly from marinade and place marinade in sauce pan. Boil marinade for a minute or two. You will use this to brush on your belly every thirty minutes.

Fire up your smoker and bring the temperature to 250 degrees. I used apple wood. Alder would also be good. Make sure your water pan is always full. You can even fill the water pan with apple cider. Smoke for three and one half hours. Pork should be about 195 degrees. Make sure to check your smoker every thirty minutes to see if you have enough chips and moisture. At this time you will baste with marinade. Allow the fully cook belly to rest before cutting.

To make the purée you will have to peel your beans. If you have never peeled fava beans it requires a fair amount of time and effort to peel. The first peeling removes the heavy outer shell. Then in salted boiling water place these beans in the water for thirty seconds. Drain and remove the second shell. To make the purée you will place some olive oil in a sauce pan. Place the beans and one minced clove of garlic. Sauté until tender. Place in a food processor with a little bit of stock. Purée. Now add salt, pepper, fresh thyme leaves, smoked paprika and a splash of lemon to your taste.

Gribiche Sauce and the Swiss Kitchen Witch

2015-07-03T15:18:00.001-07:00

Sauce gribiche is traditionally served with cold seafood and meats. It is also superb with steamed or roasted vegetables. The word gribiche is an old Swiss French word meaning witch. The tradition of an ugly witch who scares kids into eating vegetables and stuff. In the Nordic countries you will see a kitchen witch in many homes. I do not think you will need a "Gribiche" to get any one to eat this sauce.

They made a silent movie in the 1920's with the name. It was about a small boy being adopted by a wealthy lady. The little boy becomes bored and gets into all kinds of trouble....

To make the sauce you will need to hard boil an egg and have one cup of fresh herbs. I used basil and this is not traditional. But very good. Traditionally tarragon, chervil and parsley were used. Having none of these on hand I used basil. You will also need some capers and cornichions.

Take the yolk from the one hard boiled egg and pass it through a sieve. Cut the whites into tiny cubes. Mix 11/2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard with 1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt into the egg yolk. Now whisk in drop by drop 1/3 cup of safflower oil and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Now fold in the egg whites, two tablespoons of capers, 1 tablespoon of minced cornichions and 1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar. Now add in the minced herbs and taste. Adjust for salt and pepper to your liking. The sauce will keep for a week in the refrigerator.

Madeira Cake and "The Perennial Tea Room"

2015-07-03T10:42:00.000-07:00

Wandering early morning in the Pike Place Market is a ritual. In the early morning the market is at its best. The venders are just setting up and the crowds are not there. In a little nook there is a tea shop called the Perennial Tea Room. I was buying some Keemun tea when I noticed a tea cook book. It was written by Anthony Wild. He is from Yorkshire and the buying agent for his sisters company. The company is Taylor's of Harrogate the famous tea company.

Spending time in the company of East Indians you will come to love high tea. The book has recipes for all the necessities for a high tea. Like Tinker's Cakes, Barm Brack and even Fat Rascals. The Madeira cake looked especially good. It is a sugar crusted cake soaked in lemon syrup. There is not a drop of Madeira in the cake. It was meant to be eaten with a glass of Madeira in the 18th century.

The cake is very easy to make. You will need to preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixer you will place:

1cup plus two tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup of sugar

Beat until it is light and fluffy. Now add five eggs one at at time. Then sift 2 1/2 cups of cake flour with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and two teaspoons baking powder. Gradually add to you batter. Then place the mixed batter into a prepared loaf pan.

Bake for one and one quarter hours. For the syrup heat 4 tablespoon of lemon juice, two tablespoon of sugar and one tablespoon of light corn syrup. Skewer the warm cake all over and pour the warm syrup over the still warm cake in its tin. Chill the cake to form the sugar crust.

I may try the courgette and double ginger cake next. It has been very warm here in Seattle and a lot of us will have plenty of courgettes ! The blossoms are so lovely. They make a nice complement to cheese ravioli with lemon.

Buttermilk Ice Cream with Fresh Blueberry Sauce

2015-06-28T12:44:00.001-07:00

Buttermilk reminds me of my grandparents. They liked to drink cold buttermilk. They would talk about milking the cow and making butter during the depression. Everyone suffered back then. My father was a vertigo orphan being passed down from relative to relative. His parents finding work only occasionally.

But for my grandma she remembered the good parts of neighbors coming together and playing cards. My grandfather being Amish was use to going without. For him electric lights and running water were a blessing. After the First World War and looking after the Calvary horses he was happy to have a home with a bed. From my loving Grandparents, I learned that their is such happiness in the simplest of things. Trout fishing and mud pies for one. My mother and my uncle were blessed to have such loving parents. This recipe would be made in a hand crank ice cream maker. Peach ice cream was my families favorite. We would sit on the front porch and take our turns adding salt and ice. One of us would be cranking the maker. So while fresh peaches are not in season this will be equally as good.

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup sugar

¹∕8 teaspoon of kosher salt

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

6 egg yolks

2 cups buttermilk

Put the cream, half of the sugar, salt and vanilla in a saucepan. Whisk to combine. Bring the cream to just a boil. While the cream is heating, combine the yolks and remaining sugar in a bowl. Using a whisk, beat until mixture is pale and thick. Once the cream has come to a slight boil, whisk about one third of the hot cream into the yolks and sugar mixture. Add another one third of the mixture, then return the combined mixture to the saucepan. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture constantly over low heat until it thickens slightly and coats the back of the spoon. This mixture must NOT boil or the yolks will overcook.

Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Whisk in the buttermilk and bring to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight. Whisk mixture again before pouring into the ice cream maker.

Pour the mixture into the mixing bowl of an ice cream maker and process. Takes about forty minutes.

Blueberry Sauce:

2 cups fresh blueberries

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon of fresh lemon rind

1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

Bring all to a boil in a sauce pan and then refrigerate. Now add to the sauce some Creme de Cassis and serve over ice cream !

Seasonal Preserves From Provence

2015-06-12T05:58:00.001-07:00

I am reading a captivating book about the regional traditions of French Cuisine. It was written by none other than Elizabeth David in 1960. France was a simpler time then. Charles De Gaulle was Prime Minister and he was a strong leader. Now times are troubling with a socialist prime minister. No one would have thought in 1960 that you would have a socialist as a prime minister. Such are the sad times economically the country has gone through. Many would like to go back to 1960.

So for those of you who would I suggest reading her book. You will begin to understand what is at the heart of french regional cooking and Provence has a tradition of really fantastic preserves. It is a family affair where grandmothers and numerous family members argue over a large copper pot steaming and bubbling with fresh seasonal fruits. Cherries are in season and with the winds of Provence spinning in my head I thought I would attempt to make their famous cherry jam.

I made two batches of jam. One with Rainier Cherries and one with Bing Cherries. You can use this recipe for either one. Do not mix the varieties however. You can even make a bitter pie cherry jam using this recipe. You will just need to slowly increase the sugar content to your liking.

French cherry jam has brandy in it. For the Rainier Cherries they pare nicely with Disaronno a almond liquor. For the bing I use a combination of Grand Marnier and Courvoisier a cognac.

Pitting cherries is something you do by listening to some wonderful music or watch a interesting TV show. There are some great equipment for cherry pit removal, I used a very simple hand one. You will need two and one half pounds of fresh cherries.

This recipe will make about two pints.

6 1/2 cups of cherries pitted
1 1/4 cups of sugar
1 lemon juiced
1/4 cup of pectin powder
1 airport size bottle of brandy

Bring all the ingredients with the exception of the pectin to a boil and refrigerate over night. Now strain the cherries from the juice and set aside. Boil the juice and add the pectin. Add the cherries and cook until you get the consistent you like. I then pour the jam in canning jars. Process the jars for ten full minutes in boiling water. You will hear the clink and then they are sealed. I love this jam over ice cream, in crepes, and even over cheese cake.

Asparagus is in season too. Pickled asparagus is great with Prosciutto. The French would pair with a lovely French Ham and if times where better white asparagus Aigre-Doux.

Enjoy!

Abigail Johnson Dodge Chiffon Cakes

2015-05-30T07:33:00.001-07:00

I was really excited when I read the recipes of Abigail Johnson Dodge in Fine Cooking. Here is someone who has great talent. I made the espresso chocolate marble chiffon cake and was amazed. Inventive and utterly delicious. She has a book coming out and here is a link to her website.

www.abbydodge.com

For the cake:

7 eggs and 1 egg white

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa.
(I used dark unsweetened)

2 tablespoons of coffee liqueur

2 tablespoons of instant espresso

2 1/4 cups cake flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon table salt

2/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup canola oil and 1/3 cup peanut oil (my change up)

(peanut oil will keep your cake moist longer)

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

4 ounces of dark chocolate

I skipped the chocolate glaze

Heat your oven to 325 degrees. Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites until soft peaks. Set aside .

Add 5 tablespoons of hot water to the cocoa powder in a small bowl. Stir until it is a thick paste. Set aside. In a mixing bowl place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt. Mix and then add the sour cream, egg yolks, oil and vanilla paste. You can use extract, but vanilla paste is better. Now separate the batter in two bowls. Two one of the batter add the cocoa paste. The 4 ounces of chocolate grated in a food processor. Now add half of the egg whites and fold gently. To the other batter add the liqueur and espresso powder. (Dissolve the espresso powder in the liquor before adding.) Now fold in the remaining egg whites. In a angel food pan alternate adding in the two batters. Bake for one hour and invert.

Yum !

Roasted Hazelnut Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberries

2015-04-25T07:43:00.001-07:00

Ricotta pancakes are very moist and have lots of extra protein. Very little flour is used in making them. They freeze well and make a quick breakfast. Just take them out of the freezer and nuke. Top with fresh berries, maple syrup, honey or jam.This recipe has freshly roasted hazelnuts for added flavor. If you are not a nut person they can certainly be left out.

4 eggs separated
3 tablespoons of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
2/3 cup of flour
1 1/2 cups of ricotta
1 teaspoon of vanilla paste or vanilla
3 tablespoons of freshly roasted hazelnuts chopped

Separate the eggs and whisk the egg whites until they reach soft peaks. In a separate bowl blend all the dry ingredients. To this bowl add the egg yolks, ricotta and vanilla. Now add in your dry ingredients and blend until the batter just comes together. Add in a third of the egg whites. Mix until the batter is lightened. Now gently add in the rest of the egg whites.

Heat a frying pan to medium high. Grease ring molds and place on frying pan. Gently spoon in the batter to fill the molds. Remove molds when the batter is set. Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Flip pancakes and remove to warm oven until all are done.

Top pancakes with butter, berries and syrup. You can also top with jam or fruit curd.

Braised Rabbit Rillette

2015-04-18T06:05:00.000-07:00

Rillette can be made with duck, rabbit or any game. I like rabbit as it has a wonderful mild flavor. This is how to best use the whole rabbit. The loin is saved for another use. Use rillette like a pate for fillings and sauces for pasta. The best place to buy fresh rabbit is at Blue Ribbon Meats. They will portion the rabbit as you wish. They are located at the Pike Place Market. Place your order over the phone and you can just pick it up. Mix the rillette with bechamel sauce and Parmigino Reggiano. Then it is ready for use. I add little crispy bits of pancette to the mix. I can not stress how really great stock and wine must be used!

1 pound rabbit legs
1 onion minced
3 carrots minced
1 stock of celery minced
6 cloves of garlic
6 cups of home made chicken stock
2 ounce of pancette minced
1 cup of white wine
7 tablespoons of bechamel
1/4 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano
Fresh thyme, rosemary, sage and bay leaf
Kosher salt & pepper

Heat up a cast iron pot until smoking and add in some olive oil and butter. Saute the rabbit until it forms a lovely golden crust. Salt and pepper the rabbit as it is browning. Remove to a plate and add in your onions, celery and carrots. Saute until they have a little color. Add in your garlic and saute a few more minutes. Now add in the wine, spices, stock and rabbit. Bring to a simmer. Cover and place in a 325 degree oven and cook for two hours.

Remove pot from the oven and cool. Now remove the legs and take the meat off the bones. You will discard the bones. Strain the liquid and place in a sauce pan. Reduce the liquid to a sauce. Add the rabbit meat and the sautéed pancetta. Place in a jar and cool in refrigerator. When ready to use add the cheese and bechamel.

Challah

2015-04-17T15:39:00.001-07:00

As a child, I would go to my Jewish neighbors homes. This traditional braided loaf is served for Friday night dinner. I changed up the recipe adding milk and butter. This dairy challah would not be served with meat for Friday night dinner. The traditional recipe uses oil and water. The dairy version is more tender then the pareve version. It is with fond memories that I make this bread.

3/4 cup of whole milk
2 tablespoons of honey
1 1/2 teaspoons of yeast
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons of butter
2 1/2 teaspoons of bread flour
3/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 large egg beaten for glaze and some poppy seeds

Warm the milk to 115 degrees and add the yeast to the milk. In a food processor add all the rest of the ingredients. Turn the processor on and add the milk with the yeast. Process the dough until it is very elastic. Place in a oiled bowl and cover. Let rise until double in size.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Now punch down and divide into thirds.
Roll each third into ropes about fifteen inches. Braid the dough and cover. Let rise again until just shy of double in size. Beat egg and glaze top of loaf. Top with a sprinkle of poppy seeds. Bake for thirty minutes or until internal temperature is 190 degrees.

Anadama Bread

2015-04-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

This recipe brings me back to my health food days. The dough is sticky and is a little bit tricky. I use a food processor to knead the dough and get the right consistency. The recipe is from Bon Appetit. I like this variation as it has all kinds of seeds. Once it is put together, very little effort is involved. Make sure you place a piece of foil over the loaf while baking. Otherwise it will become very dark. The bread keeps well and makes the best toast!

In a food processor place:

1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup of mild molasses
2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
2 tablespoons of melted butter

Now in a bowl place 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast in one cup of warm water. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water.

Now add the yeast water to the food processor and process for five minutes..

Now to the dough add:

2 tablespoons of white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon of black sesame seeds
4 teaspoons of flax seeds
2 teaspoons of poppy seeds

Mix well and place in a oiled bowl. Let rise for two hours in a warm place. I use my proofer and set it for 78 degrees. It should have doubled in size. Now punch down and let rise for another one hour. Now shape dough in log and place in a 8 x 4 pan. Let rise for one hour and fifteen minutes. When the bread has risen over the edge, brush with a beaten egg. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 50 minutes.

If you are a bread baker I highly recommend a bread proofer. They now make one for home bakers. You have to get them quick. They go out of stock as soon as they are available. They can not make them fast enough! You can make cultured butter and yogurt in the proofer too. King Arthur is the source for them.

Nero All'Arancia Gelato

2015-04-03T11:59:00.000-07:00

I love making gelato. This recipe is very easy and comes from Sicily. The interesting thing about this recipe is that it does not use eggs or cream. The thickening is whole milk and cornstarch. It takes five minutes to make and if you have an electric ice cream maker you are set.

This recipe is adapted from a book by Rosetta Costantino. She is a wonderful chef and works in philanthropy. You must check out her works!

Place two cups of whole milk in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Now set aside and place four ounces of bittersweet chocolate and one half a cup of unsweetened cocoa in pan. Stir till the mixture is well incorporated. In a bowl place one cup of sugar and three tablespoons of cornstarch. Stir to mix. Now add this to the pan. You will then add one more cup of milk and 1/2 teaspoon of orange extract. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and refrigerate.

Now process in your ice cream maker and you will have traditional Sicilian gelato. I add in mini chocolate chips, but traditionally they add in candied Sicilian oranges.

Armenian Gingerbread Cookies

2014-12-20T05:58:00.000-08:00

Marks and Spencer has free shipping to the U.S. I saw on their website reindeer cookie cutters and thought of little buster. It was on Christmas Eve, that we were patiently awaiting for his arrival. Then on Christmas day, early in the morning, he arrived. When I first looked at him he looked like an indigent fairy. He must have come from Santa's workshop and did not know who we were. But all I know is we got the best Christmas present ever!

So how befitting, that on my grandson's birthday, we will make cookies of Santa's wheels.

1/4 cup of shortening
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of ginger
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 cup of mild molasses
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 teaspoon of vinegar
1 1/4 cups of flour

Mild molasses is very hard to find. But to do this recipe justice it must be used. Full strength molasses is to strong a flavor for these delicate cookies.

Mix the above ingredients in a mixer until they just come together. Shape into a flat disk and refrigerate overnight. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the dough into 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes. Bake for eight minutes until they are a light golden brown around the edges.

The smell of gingerbread is so wonderful and brings to us the holiday spirit. To decorate the cookies I used purchase icing and little candies for the toppings of the cookies.

Gingerbread was brought to Europe in 992 by the Armenian monk Gregory of Nicopolis. He left Nicopolis Pompeii, to live in Fance, near the town of Pithiviers. He stayed there for seven years, and taught gingerbread baking to French Christians.

Saffron Poached Pears

2014-12-14T13:12:00.000-08:00

I was patiently waiting for some pears to come to the perfect point for poaching. You want them to be just shy of the point at which you would eat them. At this point, the absorption of the poaching liquid is perfect. They will also not fall apart.
You can poach them whole, but it is easier to half them. I use a measuring teaspoon to scoop out the seeds.

The liquid is eight cups of water and three and one third cups of sugar. For the spices you will need one split vanilla bean, two thin slices of fresh ginger, three star anise, several alspice berries, several cloves, one cinnamon stick, one lemon sliced in half, a few black peppercorns and a good pinch of saffron.

Bring the syrup to a low simmer and add your peeled and seed pears. Put a plate on top of the pears to keep them submerged. Poach for fifteen minutes and then turn off the heat. Let the pears cool in the syrup. If not eating right away, store them in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Din Tai Fung

2014-11-22T05:57:00.003-08:00

It is a cold and rainy day and I am not in the mood to cook. So my thoughts went to family and dim sum in the international district. The Jade Garden has really great dim sum. But my daughter said that Din Tai Fung has opened a new restaurant near her home. So we took little buster and headed off for steaming dumplings.

Dim Sum is so fun for kids. It is noisy and busy with steaming trays everywhere. They have a window where you can watch many chef's making dumplings. The service is excellent and the quality of ingredients superb. Little buster was throwing chop sticks around like there was no tomorrow. The wait staff would bring him a new clean set every time they hit the floor.

The only draw back is that it is not cheap. Jade Garden charges three dollars a plate and Din Tai Fung charges ten dollars a plate. However, the quality of ingredients and service is worth the wonderful occasion.

Tangerine Curd Cake

2014-11-15T12:31:00.003-08:00

Curds can be used for so many things cakes, tarts, pies, steamed puddings, muffins, pancake topping, or on hot toast.

You can make curd from any fruit that the juice can be squeezed from orange, grapefruit, passion fruit and pineapple are just some of the variations. I happened to have some tangerines and thought they would be great in a cake.

Here is the recipe for the cake.

For the filling:

2/3 cup sugar
3 Tbs. flour
1 cup fresh tangerine juice
2 large egg yolks
2 Tbs. butter

For the cake:
2-1/4 cups cake flour
2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
2 tsp. grated tangerine zest
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup fresh tangerine juice
For the frosting:
12 Tbs. salted butter, at room temperature
4-1/2 cups confectioners sugar
Dash salt
1 tsp. grated tangerine zest
5 Tbs. fresh tangerine juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon of orange brandy

Make the filling: Combine the sugar and the flour in a heavy-based saucepan. Whisk just to mix. Add the juice and egg yolks and whisk vigorously again to combine. Put the saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture boils (3 to 4 min.). Cook another 1 min., stirring constantly (the mixture will thicken noticeably and become less cloudy). Be sure it boils for 1 min. so that the filling will thicken enough to support the cake. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap (lay the wrap directly on the filling’s surface), and refrigerate. Chill thoroughly before using.

Make the cake: Heat the oven to 350°F. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Grease two 9x1-1/2-inch cake pans and line the bottom of each with a round of kitchen parchment. Lightly flour the sides and bottom of each pan.

In a mixer, cream together the butter, shortening, and zest. Gradually add the sugar, creaming until the mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between additions and scraping down the sides.

Add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the juice to the creamed mixture, beating well on low speed after each addition. Pour equal amounts of the batter into the two prepared cake pans. Tap the pans on the counter before putting them in the oven to remove any air bubbles and to even the batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 28 min. Cool the cake layers in the pans for 10 min. and then loosen the layers by running a knife between the cake and the edge of the pan. Remove the layers from the pans and put them on a rack to continue cooling.

Make the frosting: Cream the butter in the mixer. Add the confectioners’ sugar and salt and combine thoroughly. Add the zest, brandy, lemon juice and mix to combine. Add the tangerine juice and mix on high speed until well blended, scraping down the sides. It will be light and creamy. Refrigerate if not using right away.

Cranberry & Chambord Tartlets

2014-11-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

Chambord is produced in a Loire Valley chateau. You should goggle the chateau, as it is a story in itself. The spirit is made from red and black raspberries, Madagascar vanilla, Moroccan citrus peel, honey and cognac. Whole raspberries and blackberries are steeped in the spirits for a period of several weeks to produce a fruit infusion. This infusion produces a distinct raspberry flavor and aroma.

After the infusion is extracted, a second set of spirits is added to the fruit and allowed to rest for a few weeks. After this second infusion is drawn off, the remaining fruit is pressed to obtain the natural sugars and juice. The spirits and juices from the final pressing are then combined, and finally, the berry infusion is married with a blend of cognac, natural vanilla extract, black raspberries, citrus peel, honey, and herbs and spices.

If you have not tried Chambord, I highly recommend it. Add it to all kinds of fruit preparations.

I decided to make a fresh cranberry tart and add chambord to the mix. I topped the little tartlets with a meringue. They are really incredible.

Ingredients:

1 recipe of my never fail pie crust

1 bag of fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cups of sugar
3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon of cloves
3 tablespoons of cornstarch
several tangerines (1 teaspoon of zest and 1/4 cup of juice)
1/4 teaspoon of cream of tarter
1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
3 tablespoons of Chambord

You will need to start out making the pie crust. Roll out the dough to one quarter inch thick. Cut rounds to the size of your tart pan. I used a muffin tin. But you could use any size you would like. Chill the dough well and then cut out parchment to line the crust. Fill the lined crust with beans and bake in a 375 degree oven for fifteen minutes. Remove them from the tins and bake further until a golden brown, You want them to be quite golden. The reason is that the filling does not quite set.

Now to make the filling, add the bag of cranberries to a sauce pan. Add one cup of sugar and one and one quarter cups of water. Simmer until the berries become a mush. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and toss the solids. But the juice back into the sauce pan and add one quarter cup of sugar, one quarter cup of water, the spices, juice and zest. Combine the water and cornstarch and add to the sauce pan. Simmer the mixture until it becomes a thick jam. Now add the Chambord. Refrigerate until cool.

Now top the tart shells with the cooled fruit mixture and preheat your broiler. To make the meringue it could not be easier. Place the three egg whites into a heat proof bowl. Add 1/4 cups of sugar and the cream of tarter. Place over a simmering bowl of water. You just want the sugar to dissolve. Now take a hand mixer and beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Place the meringue over the tarts. I used a pastry bag to do this. Now place the tartlets into the broiler and toast the meringue. Watch out, as this can go quite fast.

Enjoy the tartlet !

Escarole and White Bean Soup

2014-10-26T09:18:00.001-07:00

When I find fresh escarole at my local market I break out in a dance. You just don't see it very often. I have been waiting to try this Italian classic soup. I like cooking my own beans. You can impart all kinds of lovely flavors into them. So, first take one cup of dried white beans and place them into a sauce pan. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. You will then shut off the heat and cover. Let it stand for one hour. Now drain the beans and place them back into the sauce pan. Now add water to cover. Place into the pot a fresh bay leaf, two cloves of garlic, half an onion, one stock of celery and one carrot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer. Cook for about one hour. Now shut off the heat and add two teaspoons of kosher salt. Let stand while you make the soup.

For the soup you will need one onion diced, one leek diced, one celery stock diced, and two small carrots diced. You will also dice three slices of smokey bacon. Add all the ingredients into a cast iron pot with some olive oil and brown. Now add two minced cloves of garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper and a few sprigs of fresh thyme. Sauté for a few minutes and then add seven cups of good quality chicken stock to the pot. Drain and rinse the beans removing and discarding the vegetables. Add the beans to the pot. Add one large bunch of fresh chopped escarole to the soup pot. Bring to a boil and taste for seasoning. Serve the soup topped with Parmesan cheese.