sis. boom. [blog!] by Trevor Kensey

Chard Pancakes with Soft-Boiled Egg A "Food Revolution" for French Friday's with Dorie!

2013-05-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

In addition to it being Friday someone somewhere has also declared today "Food Revolution Day". I thought calling it "Friday" was good enough really as Friday's have always a cause for celebration in their own right. They don't need the extra help but this particular Friday supposedly is a day when the world will come together to sing Kumbaya while those of us who cook can teach those who don't about preparing and eating good food.

Food Revolution Day's official website goes on to explain that the day is "a chance for people to come together within their homes, schools, workplaces and communities to cook and share their kitchen skills, food knowledge and resources." When I first heard about it through the Dorista tom-tom I thought "damn, does Jamie Oliver know about this?" Well it turns out he did. He's the guy in charge. So we can blame him for messing with Fridays.

To commemorate this annual food awareness holiday (which this year must share the day with National Cherry Cobbler Day) my fellow Doristas and I are celebrating by doing exactly what we were going to do anyway: prepare good food and then tell you about how we made it.

I'm sure the Dorista turnout for Food Revolution Day will be high seeing as there is no better way to to get 100% compliance than to not require anything special of the celebrants.

Every other Friday we take the time to carefully consider our menu, ask questions of each other, and then cook our selections in unison. For Food Revolution Day we are just going to cook whatever the hell we want. This suggests that the Doristas prefer to take Food Revolution Day to its extreme and treat it more like Food Anarchy Day.

I chose to celebrate Food Anarchy, um, Food Revolution Day by cooking up a batch of the Chard Pancakes I had missed from a few weeks ago. I'm a big fan of chard and I'm a big fan of pancakes so I was fairly certain this combination would set off the fireworks to celebrate a revolution. Around a real French table these would be called farçous - pancakes loaded with greens and they are typically served as either an appetizer or main course.

My verdict? Meh.

I found their taste to not be very revolutionary at all. Kind of plain. Even with lots of good butter and salt I just couldn't get too excited. Chard pancakes weren't going to be fomenting revolutions in my kitchen. Dear Husband certainly didn't rush to pickup arms and start fighting. Nope, the established Dinner Specials would maintain their positions of dinner-power.

Dorie's recipe made quite a few pancakes and just because The Chard Pancake Revolution failed to materialize I wasn't going to waste them. I was tempted to give them a toss but I've had enough meals at my sister's house to know that food doesn't always have to taste good. Wasting them wouldn't be sending a good message to our revolutionaries would it?

So instead I got creative and the next morning I put a soft-boiled egg on a few of them, served 'em with a big glass of champagne and called the whole mess "brunch". Then it hit me: when you put a soft boiled egg on something, anything, you are committing something of a revolutionary act. A Food Revolutionary act but still a revolutionary act nonetheless. They were quite good this way. They were chic even.

Or maybe it was just the champagne but I never underestimate the revolutionary power of a runny, soft-boiled egg. Putting an egg on food changes it suddenly and quite often radically. Isn't that what a revolution is?

Dump a runny egg on something, anything, and whatever you had been conditioned to think about it previously must now be thought of in a completely different manner forever more. Appetizers and dinner become breakfasts or brunches. Sides become whole meals.

Eaten for breakfast with toast soldiers, scooped out onto a few stalks of roasted asparagus, topping hamburger, or dumped onto a salad (or peeled and squashed onto some chard pancakes) a runny egg is magic. It transforms the ordinary into something else entirely.

You can get this magic with a poached egg or a fried egg as well but I rarely use those methods because making soft boiled eggs is so much easier and this steaming method first taught to me by my Nana makes a perfect egg every time.

Chard Pancakes
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's "Around My French Table"

Recipe can be found here.

Soft-Boiled Eggs
Serves as many as you want. Method legitimized by Cook's Illustrated.

Fill a saucepan large enough to hold your eggs with 1/2 inch of water. No more!
Bring the water to a boil. With only 1/2 inch of water this should take no time at all.
Place your eggs in the pot, lower the temperature to medium, and cover.
Set your timer for 6 minutes
When timer goes off, quickly remove the cover and put the pot under running cold water. Let cold water run into the pot for 30 seconds until cool to the touch. If your water doesn't run cold you can do what I do and toss a few ice cubes in the pot to help out
After 30 seconds remove the eggs. They are actually still warm and tasty inside.

Feel free to adjust the 6 minute time to your preferred level of done-ness. For me 6 minutes produces an egg where the white is cooked solid and the yolk remains runny.

You might have to make a slight adjustment depending on the size of your eggs or whether your refrigerator is colder or not but once you get your number you won't have to change it whether you are cooking two eggs or eight.

This dish was an assignments for French Friday's with Dorie, a cooking group working its way through Dorie Greenspan's culinary tome "Around My French Table". We generally avoid including the recipes in our posts. However, wherever there has been a significant adaptation by me or where the recipe has already been publicly posted by Ms. Greenspan or her publishers or hundreds of other bloggers I will either include it here (only when adapted) or provide a direct link. Please feel free to contact me via the link provided on my page if you need any assistance finding a French Friday with Dorie Recipe.

Coupétade Haiku French Friday's with Dorie

2013-05-10T00:19:00.000-07:00

Baked up like breakfast

Dorie says it is dessert

Editor mistake?

Why should I argue?

So what if it can be both?

(I'll vote for breakfast.)

So is this dish French?

It does have their toast in it.

the French know their toast!

Coupétade

(Full recipe from "Around My French Table" can be found here.)

Its one of those things that was good but now that I know what it is all about I'd do it all differently. Like high school. This recipe (which can be found at this link) seemed good on paper if not terribly special. I figured it would be a good enough place to start seeing as I had no experience with any baked french toast dishes before. (Despite this recipe being found in the dessert section I never once considered it that. I resisted any experimentation (orange zest? a splash of cognac? something?) opting instead to play it straight. (I used apricots, cherries, and a throw of pistachios.)

I've made plenty of bread puddings but the extra step of cooking the challah into french toast before baking changed it up unexpectedly so the tops of the slices cooked a lot differently than I had expected. (I used the same sesame loaf challah from the local bakery that was the perfect base for my Stuff on Toast last week. Well not the same loaf but one exactly like it.) I overlapped the slices in the dish for no other reason that I wanted to use it all. The exposed parts of the slices were a bit darker, more chewy, and probably a lot more carmel-y than coupétades are supposed to be -- but it tasted quite good anyway.

It tasted like breakfast.

A Real Agave Margarita

2013-05-06T18:40:00.006-07:00

In case it escaped your notice last Saturday was Kentucky Derby Day, the day where bourbon reigns supreme. You would think I would be up on any sport that celebrates bourbon more than I do but know precious little about the Derby other than I heard the whole thing was over in 2 minutes 2.89 seconds this year and most spectators were drunk. I had every intention of getting drunk as well while posting a requisite Mint Julep recipe -- but realized that I would rather clean the garage instead.

I suppose I just have too much to do and getting drunk for a 2 minute event didn't fit into my plans.

Besides, the Internet doesn't need another mint julep recipe and who drinks a mint julep anywhere other than at Derby party?

"Great to see you Tom, Helen...come in. Hey, can I get the two of you something to drink?"

"Oh, I'll just have a have a beer Bill, and you know Helen, she'd just love a mint julep!"

Nobody really does that do they? So lets move on to something more practical, shall we?

The day after Derby Day was Cinco de Mayo, a day when all across this great land of ours people celebrate a Mexican holiday that they have absolutely no idea what it is about. Here is a hint: it's not about cheap nachos and beer specials. And in case you are that lady I overheard at the supermarket it is not "the Mexican July Fourth". They have another day for that -- and what does that mean anyway?

Here in Southern California, where we live on what used to be Mexican land, we use the day to celebrate Mexican heritage, culture, and pride...and cheap nachos and beer. But if you prefer to celebrate it with a cocktail it should only be a margarita. Most origin stories have the drink invented just over the border at either Ensenada's Hussong's or at the Rancho La Gloria Hotel in Rosarito. Some Texans will also try to lay a claim to inventing it but then Texans try to lay claim to everything -- so there is always that to consider.

The very best margarita, however, is the one being offered to me because proximity must count for something. I will generally accept it even though I know I will have to lie and tell you that your radioactive colored, cloyingly sweet concoction tastes "fantastic". While I am saying it I will be scanning the room for fresh limes and plotting to pour an extra shot of tequila in it while nobody is looking.

Because I'm a giver I thought I would finish out this post with a list of thoughts and suggestions in case one day you find yourself making a margarita for me. You are free to enjoy them any way you prefer and I certainly won't stop you. (I only care care about the ones I have to drink anyways.)

Please do not blend my margarita. If blended margaritas are something you insist on inflicting on the world please refer to them by their proper name and offer me what is called a "frozen margarita". This will spare you from witnessing my disappointed face while you hand me a snow cone when I was expecting an actual cocktail. Refer to it correctly I can either politely decline or accept and initiate a plan to spike my drink with more tequila later. Like 30 seconds later when my drink is a watered down mess.
I understand that frozen drinks can have a certain celebratory quality about them, especially in summer time, so if you have your heart set on serving a frozen margarita consider doing what our dear friend does and freeze the margarita-lime mixture in an ice cube tray so you can blend those (with a little ice) into your tequila. I know. Genius, right?
Using a mix is completely unnecessary. You don't get to say that you "make the best margaritas" if all you do is add a mix to tequila. (The same goes for adding water to brownie mix by the way.)
Don't add fruit. I know they are called "Strawberry Margaritas" or "Mango Margaritas" and everyone oohs and aahs when you serve them but I consider them dessert, not cocktails. Also, since I'm not a college girl that you are trying to get drunk you should just skip serving me these.
Abstain from adding Triple Sec or any other liqueurs. This is especially true if you use an already too-sweet mix. I know they are called "Cadillac" in some effort to make you feel posh for ordering them but this is just a ploy to coax you out of an extra $5 in exchange for 25 cents worth of liquor. What you get for your money is a cloying mess.
Salt or no salt? Always ask. Most people have a preference so don't assume everyone likes it the way you do. And for Pete's sake don't use table salt! After suffering a mouth full of metalic tasting table salt it is no wonder so many people think they prefer no salt margaritas. I like them both ways ('natch) and my preference depends on my mood and the local air temperature. (For some reason I crave a salted rim only when the weather is really, really warm.)

I know I'm am sounding picky here and perhaps I am. The truth of the matter is that the very best margarita is the one being offered to me so I am very unlikely to refuse it even if you haven't taken any of my suggestions.

I hope you will try to make a margarita sans mix if you haven't done so before. Before you know it you will be juicing margarita citrus in your $200 citrus press like we do.

"Buy a bottle of margarita mix and you will drink margaritas only until the bottle is empty. Teach a man to mix a margarita with fresh citrus and he will drink them for a lifetime."

Or at least until the limes run out ; which at our house that just never happens.

A Real Agave Margarita
(makes only one but you can make another one if you want.)

2,5 oz silver tequila (or to taste. I like tasting more!)
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1.5 tablespoon water
lime for garnish
fluer de sel for rimming the glass (optional)

In a mixing glass add all ingredients except the lime for garnish and the salt. If you are salting the glass drag a cut lime around the rim of the cocktail glass and dip the rim in a saucer filled with fluer de sel. Fill the glass with ice. Add cocktail mixture to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until well chilled. About 30 seconds. Strain contents of shaker over the glass and garnish with slice of lime.

Creamy Mushrooms and Eggs (AKA "Stuff on Toast") French Friday's with Dorie

2013-05-02T03:00:00.000-07:00

If I were going to write a cookbook entitled "Around My Childhood Table" filled with all the stuff I ate as a kid I would certainly include a dozen different versions of this dish. All of mom's versions, no matter the ingredients, were always referred to as "Stuff on Toast". Each night mom felt pressured to rustle up a decent dinner for us kids without time for serious menu planning her creativity and a loaf of bread would take over.

"Mom, what's for dinner?"
"I don't know. Probably Stuff on Toast."

Yay! This was certainly not a bad thing as far as we were concerned. She was as artful with her interpretations as Dorie Greenspan is here with hers. Mom would cream up whatever she had on hand, put it on toast and then call it dinner -- all much to our delight. Half a bag of frozen vegetables, leftover creamed spinach and a package of chipped beef or canned tuna -- even week-old hard boiled Easter eggs and a bag of peas would be transformed with the help of a small amount of cream and some seasonings. And toast, of course.

Far from an appetizer, Stuff on Toast is a fancy breakfast, an elegant brunch, a smart lunch, or a week-night dinner. Its no real recipe, but it is everything. And gosh. Don't we know by now that with a runny egg on top it is at home at even the fanciest of French Tables?

Serving Stuff on Toast on a crispy slice of challah with a dusting of fresh herbs certainly gives this lowbrow dinner concept a highbrow panache that my mother never really bothered with. But not by much. Who knew we were eating fancy French food way back when?

Creamy Mushrooms and Eggs (AKA "Stuff on Toast")
From Dorie Greenspan's "Around My French Table"

Stuff
Herbs
Cream
Eggs
Toast

Choose your stuff. Melt a tablespoon or two of butter in a pan and cook some chopped shallot or a couple tablespoons of finely chopped onion until just soft. Add your stuff and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until soft. When your stuff is soft, add 1/2 cup cream and bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, 3-5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add about 2 teaspoons of fresh herbs. Dorie uses mint and rosemary but I love stuff with tarragon or even oregano if your stuff suits it.

Spoon stuff over a piece of toast and add an egg. Dorie suggests a poached egg on top and offers a few methods. Lately I haven't bothered with poached eggs when soft boiled are so much easier. I'll save my method for another, more 'revolutionary' post.

The actual recipe by Dorie provides more detail than I do. If you thrive on actual instructions the full recipe can be found here.

The Gold Rush Cocktail

2013-05-01T16:27:00.002-07:00

This past weekend's warm weather forced a brief moment of anxiety upon me as I had to contemplate the impending close of "Bourbon Season". Saying 'goodbye' when I am not quite prepared is always awkward for me but eschewing bourbon for the season can be painful. When temperatures start to heat up I know I will eventually hit the seasonal "bourbon wall" (that point at which the qualities which make bourbon such a lovely fall and winter tipple prevent it from summer consideration). The unseasonable April heatwave caught me off guard.

I did not want to say goodbye.

So I fought back! I went in search for a bourbon drink refreshing enough and capable of staving off what I call the Annual Great Gin Migration. (I switch to gin in the summertime.) At least for another few months or until the dead heat sets in and I actually start to crave my gin.

I found it in the Gold Rush.

There is a lot about this drink to love. Probably because I already loved it once. It is really just a Hot Toddy but served chilled cold. I didn't know you could do that to a toddy but you can! It is sweet (but not too sweet with my recipe), strong yet refreshing, and unmistakably bourbon. The inclusion of bourbon may keep it off most trendy summer cocktail menus but it shouldn't. A lot of end-of-bourbon-season angst could be avoided!

I'm presenting the recipe here as one that can be easily scaled up, premixed and then stored in a mason jar in your refrigerator for future consumption. The recipe makes two but save that extra one for yourself because you will certainly want it. If you'd rather, make the honey syrup in advance to knock these out one at a time and at whatever proportions suit your guest's fancy. Personally, I found it more refreshing to scale the honey down a bit and add the tiniest of seltzer "float' to the top -- your mileage may vary. With or without the seltzer this is a winner and the ingredient list guarantees this drink can always be at hand. Next time up I think I will try my hand at infusing lemon verbena or thyme into the honey syrup.

What gin?

The Gold Rush Cocktail
Makes 2 drinks

2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons very hot water
4 oz bourbon (1/2 cup)
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
seltzer water
lemon for garnish

To an empty measuring glass or mason jar add the honey and hot water and stir until thoroughly mixed. Stir in the bourbon and lemon juice. Continue mixing until thoroughly blended. Serve immediately or p0ut the jar into the refrigerator until you need a refreshment that only bourbon can satisfy! When ready add contents of jar to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake for 1 minute. Strain over a rocks glass filled with ice. Float 1-2 tablespoons of seltzer water on glass (optional) and garnish with lemon. Drink. Repeat.

Ispahan Loaf Cake French Friday's with Dorie

2013-04-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

Things have not always been so rosy between me and foods flavored with rose. I couldn't stand them. Rose flavored foods became unavoidable for me however after I marrying into a rather large Persian family. One with a legendary Persian cook in the form of my mother-in-law. She with a menacing bottle of rose water in her household pantry. Rose became my destiny as I was called on to sample all manner of expertly prepared Persian dishes flavored deftly with rose; everything from rice, braised dishes, spiced nuts, creamy desserts and baked pastries -- even 'bastani" which is a favorite ice cream flavor.

As a Westerner I was amply familiar with rose oil, of course. The fragrant rose flower's oil has been used as a luxury scent in perfumes and cosmetics by all cultures since it first production in ancient Persia a millennia or so years ago. The byproduct of creating this oil is rose water. When you make the oil by distilling fresh rose petals you necessarily create a ton of rose water as a byproduct.

I gather the ancient Persians had to find some sort of use for it seeing as it was so abundant, right? Todayit is the staple food ingredient nearly synonymous with Persian culture.

To my sensibilities, however, it reminded me of my grandmother's powder room. Blech. I would sample it politely but never indulged it too much.

I wasn't going to make this cake named for the most famous of the Persian roses when it came up in the French Friday's with Dorie group rotation until I realized it would make a perfect dessert to take to one of my mother-in-laws storied feasts. If you can't beat them, join them. Right?

But while making it something remarkable happened: I realized I didn't hate it so much. I'm not saying I loved it, I just didn't hate it so much. OK. Maybe I even kind of liked it. It intrigues me now. And now that I have a menacing bottle of rose syrup of my very own (and extract and rose water) I will feel I should work at finding new uses for it to share with expanded family. Cocktails anyone?

The power of love indeed!

The recipe as written makes a cake that didn't really impart much rose taste despite the inclusion of both rose extract and rose syrup. Even skeptical taste buds like my own ached over its noticeable absence. Instead of feeling relief I found I was willingly looking for ways to amp up the flavor. I doubled the extract called for and when even that wasn't enough I adding a heavily flavored the glaze to get more flavoring on the cake.

This way, I figured, if you want a more subtle tasting morsel you could eat around the glaze but by including the glaze on your fork you could have a rosey mouthful to transport you back to Persia. The need for this leads me to believe that all rose flavorings are not created equal. When and if you make this please tread carefully and mix in the flavoring slowly until you get to your desired tolerance...I mean taste level. A small amount of rose will enhance the raspberries quite elegantly.

Too much extract and you will find yourself transported to my grandmother's powder room. Blech.

Ispahan Loaf Cake
adapted from Dorie Greenspan as she adapted it from Pierre Herme

4 tablespoons rose syrup. I used 1883 brand which is a bar syrup. I would not buy this again as its just as easy to use rose water and simple syrup.
2 tablespoons half and half
2 cups almond flour
1 cup confectioners sugar plus more if you wish to add the glaze
3 eggs separated plus 1 whole egg
3 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon rose extract or to taste
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 pint raspberries

Center a rack in an oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 x 5 loaf pan and dust with flour, tapping out the excess. You know what to do here, right? Sure you do.

Get the dry ingredients ready. Sift the almond flour with the confectioners sugar and a pinch of salt into a medium bowl and set aside. Mix the rose syrup into the half and half and set aside. Set up your stand mixer with the whisk attachment and a large bowl and whip the egg whites until they start to set. Add the 3 tablespoons sugar and continue to whip until they get gloss and hold firm. Don't over beat!

In the stand mixer start the batter. Put the dry ingredients and the butter in the bowl with the paddle attachment and turn on medium speed, scraping as needed, until well creamed. About 3 minutes. and the egg yolks one at a time and after the preceding yolk has been incorporated. Add the whole egg. Add the rosey half and half and 1/2 the rose extract.

Sample the batter to test. Do you taste rose? If not, add a tiny bit more extract and beat for another minute. And so on until you can taste a subtle rose note somewhere short of your grandmother's powder room.

When you are ready, scrape 1/3 of the egg whites into the bowl and stir to lighten the batter and then fold in the rest of the egg whites in three additions alternating with 1/3 of the flour. Use a rubber spatula until all is incorporated. Don't over fold! Its better to under fold than over fold.

To make the cake put 1/3 of the batter into the pan and smooth out. Dot the bottom with one half of the raspberries. Cover them carefully with a heavy 1/3 of the remaining batter. Dot with the last of the raspberries and then cover with the last of the batter.

Lower the oven temperature to 300 and slide the loaf pan in directly on the rack and bake for 60 minutes or until a knife can be inserted and removed cleanly without batter sticking to it. This cake bakes slowly so don't worry if you need to bake longer. Make sure it is done and the top is a golden brown and gives a springy touch and pulls from the side of the pan. Remove from oven and let fully cool on a rack.

To make the glaze put 1/2 cup confectioners or glazing sugar in a bowl and add 1/2 teaspoon of the rose extract and mix with a fork. Add up to 1/2 tablespoon of cold water until the glaze comes together and mixes smooth.

When the cake is fully cool set on a wire rack over a baking pan and drizzle with a spoon to cover. Let set. Enjoy!

It was all I could do not to throw rose petals around this photo shoot.

Browned Butter Bourbon Blondies

2013-04-25T11:58:00.000-07:00

I forgot to include the chocolate chips in the post title up there so why not go for broke in the picture text? It's what we food bloggers are doing nowadays (to the irritation of some) and more is always better, right? suppose I should have called them "Browned Butter, Bourbon, and Chocolate Chip Blondies" but that seemed a bit like piling it on unnecessarily and besides, I wasn't feeling so good about adding in those chips anyway. Where are you supposed to draw the line with this add-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink trend anyway? (There is only so much real estate on these photos kids.)

What started their life as ordinary blondies were made extraordinary with the just an addition of the ever-popular browned butter tweak and a heavy splash of bourbon. Bourbon, it can't be said loud enough, makes everything taste better which is why you see a splash of it popping up in just about every good thing blogged this past year. I even saw it in splashed into salad dressing. Mm... Lately, I've been finding that an extra splash of bourbon in my bourbon has been helping my attitude as I deal with garage contractors and insurance companies every day after work.

These blondies would have been sublimely perfect and certainly in no need of additions should I have stopped after adding the bourbon. Like every other food blogger I know, however, I couldn't resist the cheap temptation to add chocolate. Or something. Its what we food bloggers do. We add things. It would be a very boring food blog world out here if we didn't. Believe me. If we didn't add things we'd all still be blogging about the same buttermilk biscuits or brownies but because we add things you get cheddar, onion and jalepeno bacon biscuits or caramel brownie nutella marshmallow brownies.

Adding chocolate here felt somewhat like cheating though. At least to me. Like shooting fish in a barrel. The easy way out. I wish I had either left them plain (with bourbon of course --which is now the new "plain") or had gotten a bit more in touch with my creative self. I have a cabinet full of coconut (regular, sweetened and toasted), dried cherries, candied orange peel, peanut butter and peanut butter chips, bananas, banana chips, and so on. I could have added any of these but no. I added chocolate chips. I'm a wuss.

I have always thought that the whole point of a blondie was that it was to be something of an "anti-brownie". The butterscotchy yang to the brownie's overplayed chocolate/cocoa yang. By rights, shouldn't that mean blondies should contain no chocolate at all? Ever? What was I doing upsetting the natural order of things and letting down my own creative self all at the same time? Shame on me.

But they were good. Great even. Damn.

Clearly I tossed in these chocolate chips on impulse because I knew they would get cheap, quick applause. And it worked. Almost too well. Chocolate chips took them so far over the edge I could not get any work done for a full hour after setting them out on the lunchroom table at the office.

"O.M.G. did you make those weird brownies in the lunch room?"

I laughed but tried to not be so obvious to the fact that I was laughing at her poorly structured thought -- which she actually uttered aloud in "Internetspeak". (I hope that doesn't become a thing as popular as browned butter or bourbon.)

"You so totally need to make these again!"

I will. But next time I'm adding bacon. So there.

Bourbon Browned Butter Blondies

Bourbon Browned Butter Blondies
adapted by chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts/pieces -- toasted
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons browned butter, cooled
3/4 cup brown sugar (I used dark)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons bourbon
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare an 8 x 8 baking dish by cutting a length of parchment to fit and allow paper to come up over the top edge by a comfortable margin.Cut another piece to do the same on the opposite side. ( Since you may be using sharp scissors to cut the parchment or the jagged edge thingie on the box, please refrain from ingesting your first splahs of bourbon until after you have put your sharp objects safely away.)

Spray with cooking spray and set aside.

Brown the butter by melting it over medium heat, stirring and swirling, swirling and stirring consistently while it is cooks. The butter will sizzle and bubble and bubble ans sizzle as the solids turn a toasty color and butter starts to smell nutty. As the bubbling subsides and the solids get browner the butter is done. Remove it quickly to a large mixing bowl where it can stop cooking and start to cool down.

Check your drink and see if it might need an extra splash of bourbon.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar to the butter in the other mixing bowl and mix until well combined. Add the egg to the sugar/butter mixture and continue mixing. Blend in bourbon, vanilla and mix until incorporated. Fold in dry ingredients from their bowl and mix until just incorporated. Don't over mix!

How is that drink?

Add chocolate chips (or any other add-ins your heart desires) and mix until just distributed. Fold batter into mixing pan and spread out evenly. Bake in oven until the top is shiny, golden brown and starting to crackle. 22-24 minutes depending on the amount of add-ins. Use a toothpick tester so you do not over bake. Cool in pan and then lift out by the parchment paper. Cut into squares with a clean chef's knife.

Cue applause.

Lemon Steamed Spinach French Fridays with Dorie - Happy National Haiku Day!

2013-04-17T08:46:00.002-07:00

Its simple, really.

Catalogue annoyances

then find perspective.

Dude, you have a job.

Those you love came home last night

Who cares about "stress"?

So what if your late
and never post on fridays?
Get over it girl!

Still, I have to eat
and not much time for cooking.

(Food blogger problems.)

And I have to choose
drop dead simple foods such as
lemon-steamed spinach

Guess what today is?

The day we all celebrate

haiku poetry.

Lemon-Steamed Spinach
adapted for National Haiku Day from Dorie Greenspan's "Around My French Table"

Haiku Ingredients:

* 2 bags of spinach

* grated zest of one lemon

* some olive oil

Haiku Recipe:

Set up your steamer

add then boil the water

now you are ready!

Dump spinach in bowl

lightly toss with olive oil

add zest (and some salt)

When you are ready

just add it all to the steam

and cover the pot.

Cook to your pref'rence

it only takes a few minutes.

Like cooking haiku!

Apples in Cardamom-Lime Syrup

2013-04-15T11:29:00.002-07:00

When life gets a tad complicated and I notice that my usually bright and sunny disposition appears challenged I often opt to take a short culinary recess and liberate myself from my responsibilities here as the witty, cutting-edge world-famous food blogger and raconteur you rely on. Did you miss me? Sis Boom periodically goes dark for small bits of time while I seek solace. I then decree (to myself only) that only simple food will exit the kitchen while I, um, sort my shit out. Any culinary 'to do list' I have amassed will get pushed back to the recipe cabinet and the stack of cookbooks I keep by the bed get carried back to the garage were they will not tempt.

Three ingredient meals and those that I can more or less assemble from Trader Joe's "treasures" are the primary menu choice during these times. Any time I save in the kitchen has been re-purposed into late office days, work travel, visiting in-laws, and once again, coping with an accidental destruction of 1/3 of my house due to a neighbor's plumbing failure. Oh, and then there is that matter of a friend who is a bit upset with me. (More that one later...)

It is going to be like this for a few more weeks. I hope you like simple food too as that is what I will be pumping out here on Sis Boom Blog this week and next. Even if I could find more time most of my cooking gear has been spirited away by Water Mitigation Elves to a facility for safekeeping and cleaning. No coeur a la creme molds, mini loaf pans, canning pots, muffin tins, 8, 9, or 10 inch spring form or madeleine pans at my house. Oversized roasters, pizza stones, pans that leave pretty grill marks, bundt pans (regular and mini), and pans for popovers have all been removed. Unless you can make it on a cookie sheet or in a Le Creuset dutch oven I don't want to hear about it. (I wouldn't trust the insurance company with my Le Creuset so it has to stay nearby. Lets be real.)

And speaking of madeleine pans, my friend Madeleine the financier called yesterday to tell me that she isn't speaking to me ever again. It seems she wasn't too fond of my last post. I pointed out the irony of her spending nearly an hour on the phone telling me she didn't want to speak to me ever again and then she yelled at me for another 30 minutes.

I tried my best to be apologetic but we both knew what would eventually happen anyway.

Once our conversation gradually allowed for me to share with her my soggy garage woes and about how all my pots and pans where now on vacation at a 'restoration facility'. I explained to her that we have decent insurance but these kinds of things always come with extra hidden costs which we can ill-afford seeing as we haven't yet recovered from the time this happened two years ago. I laid it on very thick and did my best to sound worried. I saw my moment.

"What are you going to do for the money?", she asked.

"I was thinking I would fly to Vegas to look for a handsome Arab man who knows where Cartier is located."

Cue laughter. Friends again. So simple.

So, how do you like them apples?

Apples in Cardamom-Lime Syrup

It doesn't get any simpler than this easy dessert. Or breakfast. It can easily be both. The method belongs to nobody but this particular flavoring comes courtesy of Alice Medrich and her "Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts". The appeal here is not just simplicity and versatility but by April I can't ignore an apple dish that does not rely on cinnamon or nutmeg. While I never tire of apples, I get cinnamon/nutmeg fatigue with my first wiff of it back in October.

For all of these reasons, this dish gets play at our house all year round. What doesn't get eaten at dessert with a scoop of ice cream or crème fraîche gets repackaged as yogurt parfaits in the morning.

Apples in Cardamom-Lime Syrup
adapted from Alice Medrich's "Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts"

3 apples, preferably firm. I mixed Granny Smith and Gala, skins left on. Cut into 8-10 wedges.
1 1/3 cups water
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 3/4 cups sugar
16 cardamom pods, gently smashed so seeds can escape

Combine all ingredients except apples into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat while you call your insurance company and leave a message because nobody ever picks up the phone when you call. Turn the heat down and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to dissolve sugar and steep the cardamom.

Add apples to syrup and then weigh them down with a salad plate or saucer that is smaller than the pan but not so small as to let apples 'escape'. The plate should keep apples submerged while they simmer for 8-10 minutes or until just tender when pierced with a toothpick or sharp knife. Put the sharp knife away so its not easily accessible when your neighbor comes finally comes around but forgets to apologize.

Remove from the heat and let the apples cool to room temperature (1 hour) without removing the saucer. Apples are best served chilled and will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for up to one week.

Financiers French Fridays with Dorie

2013-04-12T16:44:00.001-07:00

I know this sounds like a remarkable coincidence but have a friend named Madeleine who is a financier. No, really. I do. Thinking of her now as I write this makes me giggle -- probably because "madeleine" and "financier" both have associations with small French cakes. She probably knows this because she is crazy smart, being a financier and all. She's also crazy fun and whenever I spend time with her we end up getting into loads of trouble so I my giggles could are probably the result of the memories I have of the many madcap adventures we have shared ever since our 20's.

I have been pondering for weeks about which crazy tale of Madeleine the financier's I would share in a post about these delectable, petite cakes I cooked up for this week's French Friday's with Dorie assignment. I have also been excited about the ton of extra time I would have to craft a hilarious Madeleine story seeing as how these financiers (the cakes) are quite easy to figure out and take no time at all bake up. They are practically fool proof so I had really been looking forward to a low-stress hour or two to write a masterpiece.

No such luck!

Unfortunately I made the mistake of telling Madeleine the financier about her impending infamy with my readers so she screamed at me,

"Absolutely not! Do not write about me in your blog!"

I had to agree not to tell you anything about her in order to keep the peace. So I will have to postpone telling you the story of the time Maddy and I went to Las Vegas and except for the hour or so it took us to check in and get back downstairs to the casino (where she met a very handsome Arab man) I would not see her again until two days later when at the airport she would show up sporting a sparkly diamond tennis bracelet I had never seen her wear before. So dressy for airport travel!

I must instead write about these financiers so I will share with you that they are just about the most perfect morning food there is. Sweet but not too sweet, the almond flour mixed with beurre noisette (browned butter) adds the right kind of nutty flavor without any overpowering extract-based flavor you might have expected from similar offerings at trendy coffee boutiques -- the kind that might sell something similar for $3. They know who they are!

Also, like with Madeleine the financier, any first-thing-in-the-morning encounter with these cakes ought to come with a tall cup of coffee. Both madeleines in the morning will have you craving caffeine. (And she would thank you profusely bringing her one.)

Financiers are typically baked in a small rectangular shaped mold so that the finished cake resembles a small bar of gold. Gold, like the gold that some jeweler somewhere probably had to melt down to create the very expensive tennis bracelet Madeleine still sports on occasion. (She insists she has had the bracelet for a very long time but I can't recall ever laying eyes on it prior to our Vegas trip. Go figure.)

I don't own a financier pan so I guess I had to draw the line at buying one just for this assignment. I instead made due with a mini-muffin pan which worked out very nicely and perhaps contributed to what I think is the perfect size for these treats. It is nice to know that after buying rose syrup, preserved lemons, 9 inch spring form pans, Cream of Wheat, and who knows what else for French Friday's I actually do have a line I will not cross when it comes to kitchen purchases for this group!

Who knew?

(Bloggers, do the people you write about in your blog ever get so mad at you that they don't speak to you? Believe it or not it has not yet happened to me but there is always a first time. What are your experiences here? Come to our page at Facebook and let me know your thoughts on this important topic!)

Financiers
Dorie Greenspan

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup almond flour
6 large egg whites
2/3 cup all-purpose flour

Put the butter in a small saucepan and bring it to the boil over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally. Allow the butter to bubble away until it turns a deep brown, but don't turn your back on the pan - the difference between brown and black is measured in seconds. Pull the pan from the heat and keep it in a warm place.

Mix the sugar and almonds together in a medium saucepan. Stir in the egg whites, place the pan over low heat, and, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, heat the mixture until it is runny, slightly white and hot to the touch, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flour, then gradually mix in the melted butter. Transfer the batter to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, pressing it against the surface of the batter to create an airtight seal, and chill for at least 1 hour. (The batter can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter 12 rectangular financier molds (these were tested in 3-3/4 x 2 x 5/8-inch [10 x 5 x 1-1/2-cm] rectangular molds that each hold 3 tablespoons), dust the interiors with flour and tap out the excess. Place the molds on a baking sheet for easy transport.

Fill each mold almost to the top with batter. Slide the molds into the oven and bake for about 13 minutes, or until the financiers are golden, crowned and springy to the touch. If necessary, run a blunt knife between the cookies and the sides of the pans, then turn the cookies out of their molds and allow them to cool to room temperature right side up on cooling racks.

Pierre Hermé's Olive Sablés French Friday's with Dorie

2013-04-05T17:09:00.002-07:00

I say with a degree of certainty that the 'cocktail cookie' movement is never going to be one I will join and champion across the blogosphere much less turn my party guests onto by serving them at home. Oh, they're good. Very good in fact. Some are even great. So great you could easily be tempted to eat enough to ruin your dinner. What is the point of that?

I will never trust the whole appetizer thing anyways. They are one sneaky, tricky beast of a food category for me to figure out. Appetizers, well, they just mess with my head. Just considering them during the menu planning phase psychs me out to a certain degree.

Should I make fabulous appetizers and risk my guests having no appetite left for the main course when it rolls out? Or do I forgo a show stopping appetizer tray and lead my cherished guests to the incorrect conclusion that I am a thoughtless host. What to do, what to do?

Usually I just stalemate to a few salted nuts and some olives. Yawn.
I can tell you that I won't be making cocktail cookies for a Certain Someone ever again. Turns out that Certain Someone doesn't have much self-control so downed just about the entire plate. Then, like a fool, I reflexively re-staged the appetizer tray. Big mistake. Huge mistake. Some people just can't resist salt and sweet in the same bite. Certain Someone, this is you.

Oh, and Certain Someone, if you are reading this? That dinner you barely touched was better than just about anything I had cooked in recent memory. Everyone said so. Well everyone who stopeed at just one or two cocktail cookies! You pushed your food around the plate pretending to eat but I knew what had happened. And when plates were cleared it was painful to see yours sitting on the counter with my culinary triumph sitting on it. Pummeled with your fork.

Like just about anything I suppose some cocktail cookie iterations are better than others and many are better than these. In truth, I preferred David's Seaweed Sables from last June. These Olive Sablés, however, do all they are supposed to do: delay hunger for an hour or two (if you only have a couple!) while priming the palate nicely for a sip of wine. It doesn't hurt that they look good sitting on an appetizer tray and are interesting enough to spark conversation if you have nothing worthwhile to talk about. What more do you want from an appetizer?

The dough should chill for at least several hours as it is a bit loose and probably much better to let it sit overnight in the fridge. You should use an oil-cured, meaty and chewy olive and not the tinned olives I used. Regular canned won't contribute enough olive flavor. My olives were not briney enough so based on the Dorista comments floating around I not only added a heavy 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the dough, I dusted the prebaked rounds with fleur de sel which is what probably inviting the over-consumption by a Certain Someone. That whole sugar and salt thing. Sigh.

Pierre Hermé's Olive Sablés
Adapted from Dorie Greenspans's "Around My French Table"

1 large hard-boiled egg, white discarded
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
6 Tbsp Potato Starch
15 Tbsp unsalted butter - room temperature
1/3 cup olive oil (a fragrant olive oil is best - the olivey the better!)
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
5 oz tin of pitted black olives, chopped - my tin said 'cured' but did not have much brine taste, hence the next ingredient:
1/2 teasp salt but fleur de sel for sprinkling on cookies pre-baking

Grate the hard-boiled yolk onto a piece of wax-paper. Put the flour and potato starch in a strainer set over a large bowl and sift into the bowl, whisk to thoroughly blend.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter on medium until creamy. Add the olivie oil, the grated yolk and then the confectioners' sugar in that order and reduce speed to low. Spoon in the dry ingredients and mix on low until the dough just comes together. Add the chopped olives and mix until distributed evenly. The dough is very soft but if its too soft to work with you can chill it for a few minutes in the refrigerator.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, divide it into thirds, and shape each piece into a log about 1 1/2 inches (3,5 cm) in diameter. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for at least several hours. If you're in a hurry, you can freeze the logs for an hour or so. I like to open up paper towel rolls and keep them wrapped in those so they hold a nice round shape. Shhh...that is my secret.

When you're ready to bake the sables, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and working with 1 log at a time, slice the cookies 1/4 inch thick and arrange them on the baking sheet. Bake these one sheet at a time and always use a cool cookie sheet.

Bake the sables for 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheet at the midway mark, or until the cookies are firm but not colored. They may turn golden around the edges, but you don't want them to brown. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool, and repeat with the remaining logs of dough, making sure to use a cook baking sheet each time.

Pork Meatballs with Saffron Sauce

2013-03-04T17:58:00.003-08:00

Lets face it, appearances do matter. You could make these Pork Meatballs with Saffron Sauce like any other meatball dish and roll the meat into perfect spheres but after seeing these why on Earth would you want to? Once your dinner guest set eyes on these golden pear-shaped meatballs they will have forgotten everything they learned in kindergarten about judging a book by its cover and decide right then that they love them.

They may not even care what they taste like. Heck, they may not even remember what they taste like.

Does it even matter whether or not I tell you that these Pork Meatballs with Saffron Sauce actually are delicious? Tell the truth, haven't you decided already that these taste incredible? Haven't you already pinned them to your "Things I Already Know Taste Amazing" Pinterest board? I did, but then I already know they taste, um, amazing. If you were the one who judged them purely based on their appearance then that would have worked out well for you. They are indeed sublime. Lucky you.

Its like the time I purchased a very expensive bottle of wine for no other reason than I liked the way the label looked and thought it would enhance my table setting. True story. And you know what? That wine turned out to be incredible. Just like these meatballs. So I get it that judgement based solely on appearance can be wrong, but isn't it fascinating how often we are right?

For this dish the pork is just delicate enough to fully embrace the distinctive flavor yielded from poaching in the saffron-spiked cooking liquid. Once the meatballs are done egg yolks and splash of lemon juice get whisked in to finish up the sauce. The flavors suggest that incredible Chicken B'stilla we made a few years years back although these meatballs are a lot less trouble to make -- even though the fancy presentation suggests otherwise.

Pork Meatballs with Saffron Sauce

16 ounces ground pork
2 ounces bread crumbs
4 sprigs of thyme
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
zest of line lemon, juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs, separated
generous pinch of saffron threads
12 oz chicken stock
sage leaves, garnish
salt and pepper to taste

To make the meatballs put the port, breadcrumbs, thyme, parsley, lemon zest, cloves and 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Add the egg whites and mix together 6-18 well and divide into 16-18 portions. If desired, roll into pear shapes with one end being wider than the other.

Heat a deep frying pan or enameled casserole and add saffron threads to let them toast gently and just for a moment. When you can smell them you are close to burning them so pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs and simmer gently, turning them every now and then to cook evenly. Cook for 30-45 minutes until cooked through.

Before serving beat the egg yolks with lemon juice. Remove meatballs from pan to plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Turn off the heat and whisk the egg mixture into the saffron sauce. Heat through gently while constantly stirring until the sauce has thickened. Correct seasonings as needed. Position meatballs on serving platter or plate them with white rice, etc. Pour sauce around meatballs and garnish with sage.

Chicken Parts Diable for "French Friday's with Dorie"

2013-03-01T15:39:00.001-08:00

I know there are some people who are not fans of good quality French Dijon mustard but I don't really care much to know them let alone feed them. OK, sure, that may be a bit harsh so lets just say I wouldn't jump at the chance to feed them. Besides, anyone who isn't a mustard person might not be very happy with my culinary hospitality anyway since a good Dijon ends up in quite a lot of what I serve.

So, if you don't like mustard you had better move along...there's nothing to see here...just keep moving...

Mustard takes the staring roll in this hearty dish. Over the years this dish has been pretty much a staple of my everyday cooking. If you were ever so inclined to have dined at Chez Boom regularly I am bound to have served this to you at some point or another. This is even more true if you were part of a "group feed" I was responsible for since Chicken Diable is highly scale-able, dead-simple to make and will hold its own when set out on a buffet.

When mom first taught me the ways of this dish she just called it "Mustard Chicken" (or pork, or beef, or whatever) and we favored it because it is one of those dishes that read 'fancy' but was made using ingredients usually at the ready in our pantry. You can substitute just about anything here except the mustard, of course. No cream or half and half? Just use milk. Its healthier anyway.

It makes no sense to me how a dish like this that has blessed my life so much over the years has taken on the devilish nickname "diable". I do know, however, that it was devilishly clever of Dorie Greenspan to add the generous splash of Worcestershire to what would otherwise be a classic mustard cream sauce. A choice that is so devilishly perfect for its pairing here with chicken parts.

Chicken Parts Diable
Original Recipe found here.

1 chicken cut into 6 or 8 pieces
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced or use a garlic press
1/3 cup dry (white vermouth)
1/2 cup half and half
4 Tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Chopped parsley for garnish

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and center a rack. Trim chicken of loose skin and pat dry with paper towels. Put a large skillet or enameled dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat and add oil. When oil is hot put the chicken pieces into the pan. Don't overcrowd so if there is not enough room, do this in batches. Cook the chicken until it is nicely browned on all sides and the chicken is cooked through. Pieces will get done at different times so be watchful. Drizzle more oil if needed to keep the pan moist. As the chicken gets done remove it to a heatproof casserole or pan with sides and cover with foil and keep in the warm oven. When all the chicken is done and in the warm oven you can start the sauce.

Lower the heat to medium and toss the shallot and garlic into the pan and stir to keep moving with a wooden spoon. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook until soft, 2 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the vermouth (you may use white wine as well) and stir around with spoon to pick up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. After the vermouth has bubbled up a bit, pour in the half and half then the Worcestershire and mustard. Whisk to combine until thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings. Remove chicken from oven and mix in any collected juices. Spoon sauce over chicken and garnish with chopped parsley.

Cheating-on-Winter Pea SoupFor "French Friday's with Dorie"

2013-02-22T08:09:00.000-08:00

My grandmother made two kinds of soup. One was the kind that comes out of a red and white can and the other was something she called "refrigerator soup". The can kind was always Campbell's and if we were lucky it would be Tomato with Rice, our favorite. If we were not so lucky she would treat us to one of her now infamous soup 'recipes' that involved a combination of several differing cans of Campbell's soup (such as theLobster Bisque Babs.)

Refrigerator Soup got its name from the fact that it was made using whatever she happened to have on hand in her refrigerator at the time. She would never buy anything to make soup and never followed a recipe. If it was in the refrigerator, it could be made into soup. Half a baked potato, some leftover steamed broccoli from a doggy bag, 2 pieces of breakfast sausage and a scrap of stale cheese could become a pretty delicious soup in her hands.

The downside is you had to take caution from liking any particular batch of refrigerator soup too much as the one thing you could say with certainty about it was that you would never get to have it that way again. Ever.

Nothing ever went to waste at my grandmother's house (this is the woman who could turn orange rinds into candy gifts for her friends) and refrigerator soup was a key strategic element to bag of tricks. She would scold you and either remind you about the starving children in China and share stories of the Great Depression with you if you left any scraps on your plate. Then, those scraps would become soup or if they were not actually soup worthy (a rarity) they would flavor her next batch of stock.

Refrigerator soup was pureed or sometimes it was cubed or chunky but it was always good and never appeared random. Thinking back on it I wonder now why she ever felt the need to buy soup in a can when she could turn kitchen scraps to soup gold so easily. I suppose she had the idea in her head that canned soup was actually a luxury in that way that only someone of her generation could view such a thing.

This week's French Friday with Dorie assignment reminded me of my granmother's refrigerator soup in that it too is made from stuff you might just happen to find in your refrigerator. Half a bag of peas, an onion, some old lettuce. Granny would have laughed at me for driving to the market to buy a bag of frozen peas in order to make it.

In the car on my way I could hear her voice saying to me "you don't need to buy anything! Just use that block of spinach you've had in the freezer for over a year now! You can garnish with some chopped up almonds."

Adding lettuce to the brew would have really pleased her. Its something I never would have thought to do with soup but here it lends an element of freshness to what might have just as easily tasted like canned split pea without it. Good soup Dorie!

Cheating on Winter Pea Soup
adapted from Bon Appetit

2 teaspoons butter
1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion
3 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth or vegetable broth
8 ounces frozen peas (do not thaw)
4 cups (lightly packed) sliced romaine lettuce (1/2 of medium head)
Crème fraîche or sour cream
Crumbled cooked bacon

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add 3 cups broth; bring to boil. Stir in peas and lettuce. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until peas are tender and flavors blend, about 10 minutes. Cool slightly.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to same saucepan and bring to simmer, adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls to thin soup to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide soup among 4 bowls. Top with dollop of crème fraîche and/or bacon.

Vermouth Cocktail

2013-02-20T21:54:00.006-08:00

It is a sad irony of my life that as I get older and my cocktail preference grows toward those which contain less " mixers and juice, I grow less tolerant of alcohol itself. If I imbibe any more than three drinks in a single evening I run the very distinct risk of having to say good night early while putting the bottle of Motrin on the bedside table for easy access. Yup, I've arrived at an age where I can no longer drink alcohol purely"to get drunk" or compete in drinking games. Fortunately, I have also hit the age where I don't consider this sacrifice a big problem.

I should feel grateful. Can you imagine how wrecked I would have gotten playing "Quarters" and "I Never" by having to guzzle a potent (but perfectly balanced) Negroni each time a quarter landed in my glass? Or what if I had to take a shot of Black Manhattan ever time I had to admit to never having done something in some place with some kind of something?

These days seeing as I'm forced by my advanced age to consume fewer cocktails I insist that each one counts for something. When one has a fixed alcohol allotment it becomes essential that each mixture isn't too sweet or too watered down with mixer or blended ice. I want cocktails to savor, not gulp. A vodka cranberry is not going to cut it anymore. (Or lets face it, vodka period has an uphill battle to my appreciation these days.)

My preferred cocktail has to have a classic balance. A spirit, a liqueur, an acid, some sweetness, and a bitter. We are told that these are the elements of every classic cocktail, right? How nice for us that vermouth has all of these elements in a single pour!

I've been obsessing about a premium sweet vermouth called Carpano Antica which is about as good as vermouth has a right to taste. Perfectly balanced and flavored with notes of licorice, herbs, figs, cocoa, and sweet cinnamon yet it is bone dry without a hint of cloying aftertaste. Its ridiculous how good this stuff is.

Its worthy of sipping all on its own but a Manhattan or Negroni made with Carpano is a pure joy. I used to think it was the whiskey or bourbon that made the difference where these elixirs were concerned but its not, its the vermouth.

Lately I've been enjoying Carpano mixed into a classic vermouth cocktail. As an aperitif it pleases a discerning palate with its wondrous complexities and doesn't have me excusing myself to go to bed too early if I have two. Whats more, it sets up your appetite for the meal ahead which is supposed to be the whole point of a cocktail, right?

Vermouth Cocktail

2 oz. premium sweet vermouth. Please try for Carpano Antica these days.
1/4 teaspoon kirsch or Grand Marnier
2 dashes Payschaud's Bitters
Lemon peel for garnish (not optional)

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass. Stir well until chilled, about 45 seconds. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Twist lemon peel over drink and use as garnish.

Coeur à la Crème

2013-02-15T08:36:00.003-08:00

If you get the impression from this photo that I am hostile towards Valentine's Day, let me assure you that you are not mistaken, I am. I owe it no loyalty and consider it something to be vanquished rather than celebrated. The day has tried earnestly to sour me on love -- but ultimately failed as it left me with experiences which taught real life lessons more efficiently than pithy greeting card copy can.

But reading sappy life lessons on love is not why you visit Sis Boom Blog and this heart shaped blob of milk-fat is one of the sappiest of all Valentine's Day desserts. (It was chosen as this week's French Friday's with Dorie assignment.) So it compels me to share with you the story of my 25th Valentine's Day. The one with Dr. Frank.

I was 25 years old and because I had suppressed all dating activity until I exited college, this phase of my life was characterized by the premature sense of urgency I felt each time possible romance presented itself. It was as if each chance at love was my last chance passing me by when, of course, the sweet-spot for love hadn't even started. At twenty five I was not the bitter food blogger you see before you today. I had not yet soured on the Valentine's Day ideal.

And then I met Dr. Frank.

Dr Frank was "all that and a bag of chips" when I met him. In fact, he was holding a bag of chips while cruising me heavily at my local supermarket. His overt and unashamed manner was something I had not yet experienced out in public quite like this. I actually turned my head to look behind me to make sure it was me he was staring at. The reflexive action of a guy who had survived the previous 15 years by becoming invisible.

I botched the meeting with my inexperienced and awkward small talk that never allowed for either of us an opportunity to "close the deal". I scampered off sheepishly to the safety of my bachelorhood.

We would meet again several months later at a party thrown by a mutual friend. Dr. Frank recognized me and proceeded to flirt even more shamelessly than before. His confidence had me under a spell. He showed me attention and asked me if I would like a cocktail; all the qualification necessary to secure a date with me in those days. By the end of the evening I was head-over-heals and began planning our wedding and eventual retirement to the Italian countryside.

Outwardly he was everything I would ever want. Five years older than me, he was handsome beyond measure, successful, confident, unashamed, and most importantly interested. Inwardly he was, well, actually I hadn't quite learned how to see inside people yet.

Dating Dr. Frank was never easy but always exciting and passionate. I could never count on him to call when he said he would and most of the time I never knew when I would see him next. This made it difficult for me to work out my own internal Dr. Frank fantasies but it did make it easier for me to project onto him any reality I felt he should have.

"He just forgot to call because he's under a lot of work stress right now."

Did I mention the sex was great? I had a lot to learn then about dating and relationships but when Dr. Frank and I were actually physically together I would forget all about such things and just feel good that we were together and we were boyfriends.

We had dated all of 3 months by the time Valentine's Day rolled around and I knew this would be the special Valentine's Day that I craved! The 25 year old me who never dated anyone for that length of time anxiously (albeit passively) waited for Dr. Frank's invitation.

Surely he had planned something special!

Dr. Frank eventually would call to invite me to the local hot restaurant doing Valentine's menu. I would get the double satisfaction of romantic prix-fixe dinner date with my hot guy I but also the pubic presentation of us as a couple that hadn't quite materialized yet. Our coupled happiness would be on display for all to see.

In hindsight there were probably many signs I chose to ignore which would have indicated the night (and our relationship) would not end well. Dr. Frank didn't pick me up that night as usual in his pride-and-joy Mercedes but instead asked me to meet him at the restaurant.

"He's so busy taking care of patients so I don't mind at all."

Even thought I did. After I parked my car and walked in, alone, I was walked back to our table by the host who knew just about everyone in town by name. To my astonishment there were four other people there sitting at the table with my boyfriend.

Dr. Frank saw my approach, stood up, and then came over to kiss me hello. He then proceeded to introduce me to our table-mates: there was Tom (his "ex" who was very handsome), Darrel (his "other ex" and even more handsome), and finally Carlo and Michael -- whom he introduced as "the other guys I'm dating right now".

Um...huh?

I remember a piercing punch head pain followed by a cacophony of unintelligible table chit-chat my pounding heart would not let me hear while I tried to keep my composure. My WASPy upbringing had taught us not to ever show our emotions but I was struggling. Was I to already have know about these people in Frank's life? Who were they? And more importantly, why were they at MY Valentine's Day celebration?

Had this been a movie this would be the moment at which I would shout "how dare you!" and then throw my cocktail in his face and storm out of the restaurant while declaring to the onlookers that he was an asshole. I'm sure I wanted to do just that but understanding that this was no movie and WASP training is hard to break even in such circumstances, I quietly sat down to a dinner with Dr. Frank's other boyfriends.

I'm sure I realized a thorough self-debrief of the last three months would eventually take place at a later time (possibly with a therapist). For now, all eyes in the restaurant seemed to be on me knowingly and watching me to see how I will react to Dr. Frank's Valentine dinner tradition.

And besides, Carlo, one of Dr. Frank's other unsuspecting boyfriends was kind of hot.

Carlo was dark and Italian looking and we quickly bonded over the mutual unjustice done to us at Dr. Frank's, um, hands. We drank expensive cocktails on the doctor's tab while sharpening our wit at his expense. We turned our table for six into a sexy table for two and it became our first date. Despite sitting next to the wreckage of our supposed relationships we seemed determined take it on the chin and make the best of it.

Carlo too was bold and also asked if I would like another cocktail. I was single again so I was allowed to feel "smitten" again and jumped at the chance. Love was passing me by after all.

Carlo and I eventually said our tipsy goodbyes at the table to Dr. Frank and his romantic past. They hadn't paid much attention to us during dinner (gratefully) and we them so we doubted they would miss us much so we left them to the rest of their lives.

It was fun making a big show of walking back through the restaurant and to the lobby togetherholding hands and acting as if we had just had the best dinner of our lives. We kissed goodnight at the front door and Carlo offered to walk me to my car. What a gentleman!

As we passed the one true love of Dr. Frank's life, his Mercedes, Carlo quickly took out a serrated steak knife which he apparently had pocketed from the restaurant and plunged it easily into the driver's side front tire -- simultaneously deflating the poor doctor's ride home and my hopes for a new boyfriend.

It would be the last time I saw Carlo. I was finally learning the benefits of paying attention to 'the signs'. I consider lesson that my Valentine's gift from Dr. Frank and I actually remember him fondly for it. It was not the last time I would see Dr. Frank as he would return to make several key appearances later on in my life - although never with the same sense of gravitas and drama he had when I was only twenty five and in a hurry.

Damn Valentine's Day.

Coeur à la Crème
as interpreted by Dorie Greenspan in "Around My French Table"

8 oz cream cheese, softened
8 oz ..... oh heck. Just Google a recipe as they are all close to the same and Ms. Greenspan's is a bit too fluffy and soft for my taste. I prefer my hearts with a bit more substance and heft.

This dish was an assignments for French Friday's with Dorie, a cooking group working its way through Dorie Greenspan's culinary tome "Around My French Table". We generally avoid including the recipes in our posts. However, wherever there has been a significant adaptation by me or where the recipe has already been publicly posted by Ms. Greenspan or her publishers I will either include it here or provide a direct link. Please feel free to contact me via the link provided on my page if you need any assistance finding a French Friday with Dorie Recipe

Othery Lemon Carrot Confiture Third Place Winner at the OC Fair!

2013-02-12T19:12:00.000-08:00

I apologize for my tardiness in bringing you this award-winning preserve. Life has been out-of-control busy since this blog (that's me!) won the "Best of Show" prize at the 2012 Orange County Fair last summer. My genre-busting, step-by-step treatise on Mussels and Chorizo scored a big win with the judges -- my life has not been the same since. I thought I knew "busy" but nothing can ever really prepare one for the schedule it takes to compete for and then win such an award.

It takes years of training just to get your blogging skills to level required to get yourself noticed at the neighborhood and city food blog competitions. A win there doesn't buy you any rest as the pressure to keep on winning pushes you forward with more writing, cooking, and photography so you can win the sectionals and then regional blogging competitions. Talk about stamina! But then, for the lucky few, its on to "The Counties."

Once there excitement begins with an invitation to the OC Fair Culinary Competition Nominee Luncheon. There I saw 2011 winner Marilyn Johnson of Pink Martinis and Pearls for the first time. Her 2011 Best of Show triumph certainly made her the one to beat in 2012. We are now fast friends, but at this luncheon I couldn't even get near her due to her security detail and the oh-so-clingy press who hung on her every cookie-decorating word.

Following the Nominees Luncheon there were the numerous fittings with top designers. Ultimately my stylist Brad Goreski and I decided on a pair of simple pair of blue denim jeans and a grey polo shirt which was sent over at the last minute by the fine people at Hugo Boss. The shirt was a great choice as even the mavens over at Fashion Police could find no fault with it.

After the actual ceremony there was the winners press stand-up before we partied all night at the Governor's Ball. The only low point of the evening was being turned away at the door of the Saveur Magazine after-party at the Livestock Pavilion. I'm used to not getting any love from Saveur so instead I took my big blue ribbon and my entourage and crashed the Everyday With Rachel Ray after-party. (They'll let anybody in.)

Which brings us to this lovely albeit tardy Lemon Carrot Confiture...

My post-Best-of-Show life now includes the high-stress demands of producing my own Reality Show and captaining a social media empire that includes a staggering 81 "likes" on Facebook and a full 313 "followers" on Twitter. Not bad for only blogging three years! So much to do and now I need staff to do it. How on earth do other food blog superstars manage their lives and function without personal assistants to take care of life's details? (Note to self, have my people call Deb, Joy, and Ree and ask them this.)

Being très busy before Fair season even started made it necessary for me to choose a simple to make Preserved Food: Jams, Conserves, Preserves & Marmalade submission item. Food blogging is fun but nothing connects you more to the excitement of the fair than actual entering a food item into competition.

Orange County really takes its jams and jellies seriously as hundreds of jars get entered each year. There are seven categories: stone fruit, strawberry (so popular they they had to give it its own category!), other berries, mixed fruit, conserves and preserves, marmalades, and finally, other. Jars for days and each one must get tasted by the judges and somehow ordered according to 'best'.

And as exiting as my win for Mussels and Chorizo was and as life-changing as the aftermath became, I am more proud of the Third Place ribbon this confiture took home the "Other" category. The Counties had spoken and I made the third best Other in all of Orange County!

Just wow.

Lemon Carrot Confiture requires no special skills to make and the "stuff you already have in your fridge" ingredient list made it an ideal choice for busy me to submit for competition. And lest you think there is no forethought to my delay in sharing it with you let me just say that while strawberries and peaches are not exactly flavorful and abundant this time of year, you can always find decent carrots.

The earthy carrot flavors brightened with lemon and made sophisticated with a whisper of cognac will delight all you serve it to. Best with a hunk of tasty bread and a pat of cold butter. Carrot Confiture made its first appearance at Sis Boom Blog back in July when it was used as a topping for Dorie Greenspan's Corn Pancake appetizers. Again, sorry for the delay in sharing. I hope you find it was worth the wait.

Lemony Carrot Confiture
Adapted from Laura Calder

1 lb carrots, trimmed and peeled.
1 3/4 cups sugar
zest of one lemon
Juice of 2 lemons, to taste
10 whole almonds, chopped fine
2 tablespoons cognac

Slice the carrots into 1 to 2 inch pieces and put in a medium saucepan. Cover the carrots with water and bring to a boil. Continue cooking until carrots are very soft. Strain carrots from water and then put into a food mill and puree. Return the puree to the saucepan and add the sugar and lemon juice and stir until the mixture is "glassy and jammy". Add zest and quickly stir to mix well. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped almonds and then the cognac.

Either let cool and refrigerate until using or add to hot sterilized jars and process in a water bath for 5 minutes.

Fresh Orange Pork Tenderloin(A French Friday's with Dorie Haiku Post: Recipe Edition!)

2013-02-07T23:11:00.003-08:00

Pork cooked with citrus

Chopped onion and cardamom

This is French cooking?

Cutting tenderloin

seems like something of a crime

when you could roast it.

But I cut the 'loin

(and added some blood orange)

cooking time cut too

The resulting dish

Nice enough for our dinner

Next time I roast it.

Fresh Orange Pork Tenderloin
recipe found by here, served here with butternut squash and brussels sprouts.

(Haiku recipes

can take quite a lot of time

So maybe next week?)

This dish was an assignments for French Friday's with Dorie, a cooking group working its way through Dorie Greenspan's culinary tome "Around My French Table". We generally avoid including the recipes in our posts. However, wherever there has been a significant adaptation by me or where the recipe has already been publicly posted by Ms. Greenspan or her publishers I will either include it here or provide a direct link. Please feel free to contact me via the link provided on my page if you need any assistance finding a French Friday with Dorie Recipe.

Chicken Curry with Peas Alone or as a Pot Pie

2013-02-07T22:20:00.001-08:00

Back in my twenties when I wasn't the glamorous, well thought of domestic entertainment guru and internationally famous food blogger that I am today, I did something I've never before admitted to. I knew it wasn't the best thing to do but still, I did it.

So here goes my admission: I once served dinner guests food that I had brought home the night before in a restaurant doggy bag. When I look back on it today it seems pretty ballsy. But then?

Am I the only one here who has ever done this?

We are close now so I must feel freer admitting to such things. Three fourths of a very large asparagus risotto went home with me one night because I didn't want to waste it, it was very, very good, and I remembered that I had to have a nice dinner ready for my boyfriend and his friends the next evening - one I hadn't spent any time at all planning.

These were back in the days when my cooking and entertaining skills hadn't grown to match my already seeded desire to become the domestic kitchen god you now know me to be. I did what I thought any quick thinking, ambitious boyfriend would do in such situations and merely 'refreshed' the risotto with some chicken stock and served it along side a roasted something or another.

So I ask you: was I just being a frugal executive chef or was I a fraud? I somehow managed to avoid any direct questioning on the fare that would giveaway my culinary deception but the joke was ultimately on me. My boyfriend and guests went on and on about my show-stopping risotto to the exclusion of everything else I had painstakingly prepared for the evening.

"Honey this is the most amazing risotto I have ever had! How did you make it? What is that spice?"

"That's my secret dear!

And it was. I never told him despite his many pleas for me to make "that rice" again. Resentment would build up when he never once asked me to make "that pecan pie". The pie I had spent an entire afternoon making. The pecan pie that was decorated with over 50 handmade chocolate leaves learned from a Martha Stewart pie book. It took a 100 leaves just to get the 50 perfect used. Yeah, that pie.

I grew to hate the continuing pressure to avoid rice altogether after that. Really, all Italian food had to be avoided so the topic of "that rice" would not come up and beg the question of when I was going to make it again.

It was a relief when that relationship fell apart and I could escape the burden of carrying such a secret. In the end, it was worth it as I do hate to waste a good risotto. .

The "two-fer" nature of today's post reminded me of my youthful risotto indiscretion. Guess what? I kinda did it again just recently with this Chicken Curry with Peas. I repackaged leftovers from my refrigerator into a last minute dinner party offering. I just happened to have a huge pot of it in the refrigerator left over when a need to entertain came up "all of a sudden." Pie crust really is transformative, isn't it?

Last week's Shaved Asparagus Galette with Mascarpone and Jarlsberg post went up as part of our cookbook giveaway for "Savory Pies" by Greg Henry (which got love from the Huffington Post by the way!). Ever since I've had savory pie on the brain. (If you haven't yet entered there is still time so use the widget below to enter the contest.)

Who could blame me for reasoning out that one pot of chicken curry leftovers in the fridge plus a one frozen pie crust in my freezer equals 4 entrees for a dinner party? If only all dinner parties were as easy!

Was my new dinner party math wrong? Would you have done this for guests? I didn't think I would but there it was on our table.

In my defense at least this time I actually made everything!

One night's dinner to become the next nights exotic pot pie!

Chicken Curry with Peas Pot Pie
There is still time to enter to win a copy of Greg's book "Savory Pies". Using this widget to enter:

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Chicken Curry with Peas (Pot Pie)

Chicken Curry with Peas (Pot Pie)

1-1/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4-inch strips or chicken tenders
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2-1/2 teaspoons curry powder, divided
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, best quality such as Swanson
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup frozen peas (no need to thaw)
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup plain low fat (2%) or whole milk Greek yogurt (do not use nonfat)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Sprinkle the chicken evenly with 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon curry powder and set aside. Heat 1-1/2 tablespoons of oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned but still pink in spots, about 3 minutes. Transfer the partially cooked chicken to a clean bowl and set aside.

Add the remaining 1-1/2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and set heat to medium. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger and remaining 1-1/2 teaspoons curry powder and cook until fragrant, about a minute more. Whisk the chicken broth and cornstarch together to dissolve the cornstarch, then add to the skillet along with the sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the sauce is nicely thickened, about 5 minutes.
Add the peas and partially cooked chicken to the skillet, turn the heat down to low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, a few minutes.

Off the heat, stir in the yogurt and cilantro and season with salt, pepper and sugar to taste. Serve with basmati rice.

For pot pie you can gently reheat, put into oven proof bowls, cap with a pie crust, and bake at 400 degrees until puffy and golden.

Take your bows.

Chocolate-Almond Tweed Torte You Just Gotta Love It!

2013-02-04T17:22:00.000-08:00

This is another of those posts where I get to tell you how incredibly blown away I am by a recipe at once so simple, using only a handful of ingredients, yet achieving extraordinarily elegant and sophisticated results. How anything as easy to make as this Chocolate Almond Tweed Torte can have any right to impress anyone I don't know...but I'm not complaining. I just love it when that happens!

Not only do I not have time to complain, I don't have time anymore to seek out show-stopping impressive desserts that are certain to get high marks for technical merits. Having said that I also don't want to sacrifice points for artistic interpretation either.

But a "Tweed Torte"? I surprised myself for even stopping long enough to take a look at this dessert named for a scratchy, moisture resistant wool twill used for old coats and bad hats. This name didn't signal "sophisticated" to me but since I was desperate to audition some gluten free options for a future dinner gathering I was planning I decided to give it a go. Also, I had all the ingredients in the pantry and I just love it when that happens too.

It seems that Tweed Tortes are usually made with ground up walnuts but once I discovered that almonds, like chocolate, were also on the list of Top Ten Aphrodisiac Foods I decided I wanted to switch things up a bit in the name of love and so in they went. Almonds and chocolate are a natural combo so I knew I wouldn't be in any risky territory here.

The use of almonds here actually drives the dessert up a notch or two on the sophistication ladder suggesting less brownie in its flavor profile and instead giving the palette more of a Julia Child's famous Reine de Saba avec Glaçage au Chocolat impression. And seriously, any time you can do something like while also adding in another food with aphrodisiac qualities to the mix, shouldn't you want to?

Chocolate-Almond Tweed Torte
inspired by Alice Medrich

1 cup almonds
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
9 ounces 70% chocolate (bittersweet - good quality please)
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 large egg whites (approximately 1 cup)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Put oven rack in the center and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 inch springform pan or spray with cooking spray. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade push the almonds with 1 tablespoon of the sugar until finely ground and pebble-y. Remove almonds to a bowl and wipe the processor bowl with a paper towel to remove oils. Add the chocolate and 1 tablespoon of sugar and pulse the chocolate until it crumbles up into a coarse meal of various sizes from small until no larger than 1/4 inch pieces. Add the chocolate to the almonds. Add salt and combine well and set aside.

With an electric mixer beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar in a large, clean, dry bowl at medium until the egg whites are creamy white and soft peaks form when the beaters are lifted. Slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat at medium until the egg whites get classy and stiff, but not dry.

Pour half of the chocolate almond mixture over the egg whites and fold in with a rubber spatula until nearly incorporated. Add the remaining chocolate almond mixture and continue folding until evenly incorporated.

Scrape the batter into the prepared spring-form pan and spread evenly with the spatula. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the torte is puffed and golden brown on top and will spring back when gently touched with your fingers. You can insert a toothpick to test for doneness as well. Toothpick will come out moist and will have melted chocolate on it but it should not have any actual batter on it.

Cool the torte on a rack until just warm or room temperature. As it cools it will pull away from the pan.Where it doesn't you can use a small metal spatula or knife to run around the edge and separate the edges before removing the spring-form. Transfer to serving platter and serve with whipped cream.

Brown Sugar Squash & Brussels Sprouts en Papillote (A French Friday's with Dorie Haiku Post: Recipe Edition!)

2013-01-31T23:30:00.000-08:00

Is this a recipe:

Throw veggies in some foil

Put into oven.

Just like when roasted

only you have to wrap them

Not as good either

Still they are quite good

And the method is easy

Delicious flavor

[I made a delicious Shaved Asparagus Galette with Mascarpone and Jarlsberg from Greg Henry's "Savory Pies" cookbook! Use the widget below to enter our cookbook give-away to win a copy of your own. Jump to the our new contest page for details or just go to the widget below and enter. Subscribing to this blog, "liking" us on Facebook, tweeting about the giveaway, or just plain leave a comment on the post itself all will get you an entry into the contest. But use the widget please!
Contest ends February 11th.]

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Brown Sugar Squash & Brussels Sprouts en Papillote

adapted from Dorie Greenspan's "Around My French Table"
Recipe Haiku!

1/2 lb peeled butternut squash, cubed
8 small Brussels sprouts, halved
1/2 apple, peeled, cored, and cubed
2 tsp olive oil
Salt & freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp brown sugar, or less to taste
4 fresh sage leaves

Preheat the oven

400 degrees will work

Cut some foil squares

Veggies and apple

Some oil, salt, and pepper

brown sugar and sage

Wrap up in foil

Seal them well and put on pan

Bake thirty minutes

Thise dish was an assignments for French Friday's with Dorie, a cooking group working its way through Dorie Greenspan's culinary tome "Around My French Table". We generally avoid including the recipes in our posts. However, wherever there has been a significant adaptation by me or where the recipe has already been publicly posted by Ms. Greenspan or her publishers I will either include it here or provide a direct link. Please feel free to contact me via the link provided on my page if you need any assistance finding a French Friday with Dorie Recipe.

World Championship Onion Dip

2013-01-31T13:53:00.003-08:00

Though I am not ashamed of it at all and speak about it freely with anyone I find that every so often I will have to make a specific point of coming out to tell people. There is something about me that they don't seem to otherwise pick up on by themselves. There are some circumstances where to not say something just makes things a bit awkward.

I don't like football.

There, I said it.

Whatever 'sports gene' there is that allows for someone to be a football fan did not show up in my genetic code.

I realize that the "nature vs. nurture" debate will roar on but consider this: I have never once had an iota of interest in team sports and yet my sister practically came out of the womb calling audible and arguing with the referee (doctor) that gave me the First Down out of the womb instead of her. Heck, even Sis' childhood bedroom was once decorated with gridiron wallpaper and a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader poster. I, on the other hand, would stay up at night sewing curtains and doing the research necessary to turn my bedroom into an exact replica of a Nancy Lancaster's drawing room at Kelmarsh Hall.

If you start talking football to me you will see my eyes glaze over in just a few seconds as inside my head I desperately work out some strategy or another to end the discussion as soon as possible. Sports conversations longer than 10 seconds could reveal my "T" and while I"m not ashamed of it, I would prefer not to be subject to judgement either.

I actually managed to get all the way through high school before university social pressures would would coerce me into learning enough intricacies of the game, its teams, its customs, its rules to fake enjoyment of it. If I couldn't love the game I would at least pretend to love the game and make everyone happy. Like me now?

At times when I couldn't avoid playing football I would do my best to put on a good show and get through at least a few minutes of it before wiggling my way out. After it was over I would understand with even more clarity that this particular activity just wasn't for me.

The more I faked it the more I was losing myself by being what I thought someone else would want me to be. It felt wrong.

Eventually I learned to accept this truth about myself and see how it made me special. I slowly came out and told people. First those closest to me and then, with their support, a few more. Some would either try to use it against me or tell me that they could no longer be friends with me but in the end my football-loving friends and family realized they didn't care and loved me anyway. Besides, I didn't need anyone that would reject me for this in my life anyway.

Surprisingly, many said they had suspected my secret all along and had always been just fine with it! There were just happy that I felt it was OK to speak openly about it with them. My lack of football enthusiasm rarely comes up any more except, of course, around Super Bowl Sunday when the entire nation goes crazy nuts for football.

Its like Oscar night for straight people isn't it?

Even though its not my thing I still enjoy the excitement the game brings everyone else and it is in this aspect where I find my joy and inner piece with the whole thing. Well that, and the fact that half time entertainment seems to always be chosen to appeal to people like me. (Cher, Diana Ross, Madonna, Beyonce...need I say more?)

And as much as everyone else enjoys watching the game I enjoy cooking for those who are. After Thanksgiving Superbowl Sunday is now the largest single day of food consumption in America. When you consider that most of it is in the form of chips, snacks, and other small foods you have a lot of food shoveling going on during those several hours.

What I enjoy about the trend is how America is taking snack food standbys and, as The Ina would say, turn up the volume. Chicken wings become Chili Lime Chicken Wings with a wasabi crust, cheeseburgers become Kobi Sliders with a Cabernet Sriracha glaze. Stuff like that. I love that stuff. It means that there is probably someone like me at your party who would rather cook than watch.

This onion dip is just onion dip. No trendy flavor but yes, I was tempted to crumble some bacon into it. Before food blogs and 24 hour cooking channels we used to make it by adding onion soup mix to sour cream. Now we know better.

Whether you love watching the game or you just love those who do, enjoy your Sunday. Be yourself.

World Championship Onion Dip
adapted from a Korey Provencher's Kors d'Oeuvres recipe.

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 small onions, chopped
1/2 shallot, finely chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (use only 1 if your balsamic is extra sweet.)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Pinch of celery salt
Recipe ingredients

Heat oil in heavy-bottom pan or Dutch oven heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, shallot, and thyme. Let cook until onions are very soft and caramel in color, 45 to 60 minutes.

Add vinegar and Worcestershire sauce; let cook until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk together cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add cooled onions and celery salt; stir to combine. Transfer to refrigerator to chill at least 2 hours and up to 2 weeks.

Don't forget to enter for your chance to win Greg Henry's "Savory Pies" cookbook! To enter jump to the contest announcement post here or look for details on our contest page. To enter use the widget to subscribe to this blog, like us on Facebook, tweet the giveaway, or just plain leave a comment on the post. All will get you an entry for the cookbook givaway that ends February 11th.

Shaved Asparagus Galette with Mascarpone and Jarlsberg(and a cookbook giveaway!)

2013-01-28T17:56:00.001-08:00

When one becomes an internationally famous food blogger all manner of amazing perks will come your way.

Or so I've been told.

I once picked up a fancy handheld egg beater at a conference once but when you factor in how much money was spent to actually attend the conference you could hardly call the egg beater a "prize".

"Look at this free egg beater! It only cost $1100 dollars!"

And fork still works best for scrambled.

If I were to become cool and popular I could score one of those all-expenses-paid trips (we call them junkets) and get taken to a new and fantastic foodie-type place.Cool bloggers actually get paid to see inspiring new food related thingies and write all favorably-like about them. Kitchen appliance manufacturers, tourist councils, exotic vegetable grower's councils, and more will often spring for the bill and take their chosen fooderatti to their trendy boutique breweries, hip equipment showrooms (replete with celebrity chefs), and even to entire foreign countries to see fun stuff foodie-like things where vodka is made from politically correct raisins or sample the current cheese rocking the cheese-world made from llama breast milk... shit like that.

For now I just dream of such a life.

Some food bloggers somehow manage to get themselves paid for writing an actual cookbook. To many in this biz we call blog getting a cookbook deal is the "holy grail" and something a great many of us should aspire to. And many do whether its admitted to publicly or not.

No publisher has accepted any of my cookbook proposals:

"Pass the Salt": Snack and Meal Ideas for the High Sodium Dieter"
"The Cocktailer's Guide to Making Ice Cubes at Home"
"Late To The Party: Cake Pops, Bacon Jam and Quinoa. A 101 Recipes for Yesterday's Food Trends"
"That Is Not Vanilla Bean, That is Dirt: Recipes From My Grandma's Kitchen"

and one I think I would be particularly good at writing:

"My Favorite Recipes from Other People's Blogs"

So while I wait patiently for a publisher to find their missing cell phone and give me a call me to discuss my writing fee I wanted to tell you about Sis Boom Blog's latest giveaway: a copy Greg Henry's new cookbook "Savory Pies: Delicious Recipes for Seasoned Meats, Vegetables,and Cheeses Baked in Perfectly Flaky Crusts"

You might know Greg from his stewardship over at SippitySup.com where he writes prolifically about the many various recipes he creates. He's quite active in the food blog community so if you are a food blogger then you also probably know him for his generosity as well.Whether lecturing at blog camps or hosting community dinner gatherings Greg has always been there offer help and advice. He was one of the first bloggers I reached out to when I was kicking the can of this thing and, well, look at me now!

Unlike many bloggers whose books are simply extensions of what they have already created online, Greg chose to focus on savory pies offering up nearly 65 different pie recipes and several crust recipes too. Yes, you will find your classics like Chicken Pot Pie and Pissaladiere in here but they act as an effective jumping off point for Greg to show off his signature ability to work just about anything into a tasty, savory pie whether it is appetizer, main course or even a hand pie.

By the last page Greg will have you questioning just what it even means to be a pie and have you you worshiping pie crust as something magic indeed!

Full disclosure: I recipe tested this galette for Greg several months ago when he reached to bloggers out asking for help. I chose this one despite prefering my pies in more orderly presentation factors. ("Galette" is a French word meaning "I can't afford a pie tin". ) I surprised myself by choosing this one but I was sure glad I did. The lunch crowd I served it to decimated it in just minutes and already the basic recipe has been modified to accommodate many different veggies.

If you do win or buy this book be sure to turn to page 10 where Greg thought well enough to mention my name with an acknowledgement! I told you he was a generous guy!

I may not have a cookbook of my own, yet, but I was pretty stoked to see my name in his!

Shaved Asparagus Galette with Mascarpone and Jarlsberg

Email subscribers will already have one entry for this giveaway in the can but by using the Rafflecoptor widget below you can enter as well and get even more chances. Be sure to use the widget to let me know of your entries! The widget will even do most of the work for you! (Best of all it will do a lot of the work for me as I discovered just how hard it was to properly administer a giveaway recently!)

To get entries into the contest:

Opt-in to the email subscription to this blog (only subscribers who confirm will be entered)
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Shaved Asperagus Galette with Marcarpone and Jarlsberg
Page 107 of "Savory Pies" by Greg Henry
As seen on Huffington Post!

Pie crust recipe of choice. The dough should be large in portion so it can roll out to at least 12 inches at 1/8 inch thick. Greg features a wonderful Cream Cheese Crust for this one.
Flour for rolling
1 pound thick or medium asparagus.
6 oz mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 clove garlic
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1/8 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
pinch of cayenne (optional)
2 oz. Jarlsberg cheese, coarsely grated
1 Tablespoon finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg yolk lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash

Prepare the pie crust dough disk and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling out. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin into a 12-13 inch round at least 1/8 inch thick. Transfer the rolled out dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and center a rack in the oven.

Cut the tips off the asparagus and reserve. Take the stalks and lay them down on a cutting board, one at a time. Using a Y shaped vegetable peeler shave the asparagus into think robins, turning the spear as you work to get as many ribbons out of each spear as possible. Set the shaved ribbons aside in a bowl and discard the woody ends and irregular pieces.

In a medium bowl beat the mascarpone, egg, minced garlic, 1/8 teaspoon salt, pepper and the cayenne into a smooth and spreadable mixture. Scape the sides to incorporate everything evenly. Spread the mixture evenly over the center of the dough circle leaving at least 3 inches around the border. Top the mixture with the Jarlsberg, then the asparagus ribbons. Be sure to leave the border clear of these toppings so you can roll it up later. Top with the asparagus tips and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Fold the dough edge over the filling, pleating as needed to form a rounded, free form, elegant galette. You do want to leave the filling exposed so don't cover it all up. Brush the exposed pastry with the egg wash and sprinkle it all with salt and pepper.

Bake until the crust is golden and the asparagus tips start to brown and caramelize, about 45 to 50 minutes checking often during those last ten minutes. COOL on the rack while still on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Good warm or at room temperature.

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Long and Slow Apples (& a French Friday's with Dorie Haiku Catch-Up)

2013-01-25T08:23:00.002-08:00

Long and SlowApples
Recipe found here. Other French Friday attempts can be found here.

Two hours to bake

In the tiny little cups

Small, smashed, elegant.

Dorista revolt!

instructions said do it but

cellophane cooking?

But, it is a hit.

something I will do again.

(I already hav.)

Go With Everything Celery Root Puree

Recipe found here. Other French Friday attempts found here.

Better than mash-spuds

it DOES go with everything

and keeps several days.

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These dishes were assignments for French Friday's with Dorie, a cooking group working its way through Dorie Greenspan's culinary tome "Around My French Table". Generally we are discouraged from including the recipes in our posts. Wherever there has been significant adaptation by me or where the recipe has already been publicly posted by Ms. Greenspan or her publishers I will either include it here or provide a direct link. Please also feel free to contact me via the link provided on my page if you need any assistance finding French Friday with Dorie Recipes.

Black Manhattan

2013-01-24T18:52:00.000-08:00

I have been alternately sipping (slowly) and staring (deeply) into this brooding, black cocktail for over an hour now and I still don't know what I want to say to you about it. .

All there is to making a Black Manhattan is to substitute Averna, a thick, sweet Italian amaro liqueur with great bitter herbal notes for the standard sweet vermouth usually called for in the classic Manhattan. This simple switcheroo changes the drink's smooth character towards a deeper, more complex and darker place. The life metaphor here is unavoidable. If only the cannibalizing of classic cocktails with ingredient modifications would always brings about this much thought and introspection!

I much prefer the current trend of switching up classic cocktails with new ingredients to inventing unusual cocktails and drinks out of whole cloth. The horror that is a Green Donkey Show never made me think this much!

So even though the modified versions are good classics are classics for a reason and I will always return to them -- but tonight's tipple, all dressed up in its black mourning clothes has a particular meaning for me now. And it is also having the desired effect so when this one is finished I will have another.

The last few weeks have been particularly tough ones and despite my natural inclination towards the positive and cheerful, my mood lately has been as dark with sadness as this cocktail is with Averna and bourbon.

In one month we said goodbye to a dear friend as her tenacious fight to hang onto a life that had already decided to reject her finally ended. This was followed shortly thereafter with news that another good friend had voluntarily given his life away. I haven't attended funerals so back-to-back since... that time.

Oh gosh. Lest this post get more maudlin than I intended let me assure you that I find it perfectly acceptable to feel sad. Its just as much a part of life as laughter and I accept that without question. So please don't be concerned. Without sadness like this the laughter won't be as joyful and I wouldn't have the warm feeling of gratitude that usually follows. I have heard it said that it is possible to feel two emotions at once -- one will make the other more acute before it cures it.

So if you don't mind, please don't ask me to 'snap out of it' or 'go outside and exercise'. Those distractions never work. Whatever you do don't tell me to smile when I don't very much feel like it yet. I'll be just fine.You'll see. Of course alcohol (if used responsibly) can help too.

Which leads me back to the Black Manhattan.

Actually it leads me back to my second Black Manhattan. So despite my previous indecision about what to tell you about this drink I have can now say unequivocally that this drink is worth a second go-round. At this rate you might guess that if you make it to the end of my post you will find out if the Black Manhattan will merits a third but let me remind you that by the time anyone chooses a third cocktail for themselves he or she is no longer choosing it for reasons of taste alone and I think I've been very clear on my dual motives for choosing this one here.

So my opinion will no longer matter if I have a third. Warranting a second is still something of an achievement at any rate.

G'night. (Is it hot in here?)

Black Manhattan

2 ounces bourbon, because it is darker and deeper than rye.
1 ounce Averna (or another Italian "amaro")
2 dashes Angostura bitters or go get crazy and do 1 dash Angostura bitters and 1 dash orange bitters.
garnish with Luxardo cherries -- or something darker.

Combine first three ingredients in an ice filled cocktail shaker or glass. Shake or mix well to chill and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with cherries.

Draw the drapes, turn off the lights, and enjoy the darkness.