Syrup & Honey

Daring Cooks: Salmon en Croute

The 2009 Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Simone of Junglefrog Cooking. Simone chose Salmon en Croute (or alternative recipes for Beef Wellington or Vegetable en Croute) from Good Food Online.

A simple recipe (check it out here), but one that I've never tried, for a busy time of the year - Excellent choice, Simone! Now, that's not to say there isn't some skill involved. After all, I did make several impactful errors on this one. So, let's learn from my mistakes by focusing on the two most severe.

 
1. An optional aspect of the challenge was to make your own shortcrust pastry, which I was happy to make but then totally botched. The dough was a bit too crumbly and once cooked was a little dense as opposed to soft and flaky. I think I added too much water and I think I handled the dough too much, so the butter didn't stay as cold as it needed to. Next time I'm sticking to the food processor method, which I lazily abondoned this time so I wouldn't have to clean the processor.

2. I overcooked the salmon. So bummed to ruin a piece of fish! I mean, we ate it, and it had good flavor, but the texture wasn't very pleasant. It's important for all types of salmon (and fish, for that matter) not to overcook, but I think wild caught salmon in particular cannot handle overcooking.

 
The good thing I did get out of the challenge was the sauce. This will be a good one to have in my back pocket when I need something quick and very flavorful. I approximately followed the recipe, the only significant change being that I added several cloves of garlic (of course!). In the food processor (see, I didn't want to have to clean it twice, or really three times because I made hummus earlier that day) combine 8 oz cream cheese with a cup of watercress, a cup of spinach, three garlic cloves, and puree. Season to taste and you're done.

Moving right along...Stay tuned as later this week we're diving into Christmas cookies. 11 days, people!

Fiddletown

Last week we returned from our pilgrimage to Damas Vineyard in Fiddletown, CA...the home of Ben's aunts, site of our wedding, and hands down our favorite place to be. It was a peaceful retreat filled with delicious and nourishing meals, outdoor enjoyment, and of course, good company (Thanks Deb and Mara!).

 

We were spoiled by Deb and Mara's wonderful home cooking, and almost everything we ate was local, if not estate grown - right down to the olive oil. I was tempted to detail every last thing we ate, but thought better of it and have pared it down to some of the highlights of the trip. Hey, it's the holiday season and we're all busy, right?

 

I was really looking forward to pomegranate picking. Have I told you before I love interactive food? Picking pomegranate seeds forces you to slow down (lest you get squirts of juice all over your clothes...I borrowed a red shirt just in case) and focus on the food. Tart-sweet pomegranates are always delicious (I call them adult Gushers), but I think the labor beforehand makes them taste even better.

 

Ben is a big juice fan but I usually stick to water...although I could become a convert (at least for a treat) after the juices we had with breakfast, but they would have to be as we had them: freshly juiced. From left to right: fuji apple, pomegranate, pear. The apple juice was super sweet and pleasantly thick; the pomegranate juice was pomegranate intensified, and also pleasant with a splash of sparkling water; the pear juice was good but not as sweet as I expected. A discussion about making pear eau de vie ensued (Do it, Mara!), which led to the addition of honey (from their bees in San Francisco) that brought the pear juice to the next level. So the outstanding question is whether I should get a juicer. I'm so tempted now but worried about space in the kitchen. What do you think?

  
A favorite dinner: roasted rabbit with herbs, red cabbage and mashed turnips. I don't think I had ever eaten rabbit before this meal and was pretty excited to try it. I've read that it's gamey but if that's the case, then certainly not unpleasantly so. I really loved it, actually, and thought it tasted pretty rich, so I was surprised to find out it's a relatively lean meat. I will definitely try it again, and Ben and I have been eyeing this Tom Colicchio recipe. I love all cabbage but the red cabbage was given an additional boost by the aforementioned fuji apple juice. I peeled and cut the turnips, and since I've already taught you in this post that preparing your own food instantly makes it taste better, they were delicious. Adding a little cream and garlic didn't hurt either.

 
This white bean soup was elevated by a different kind of labor - and no, I don't mean resorting to heavy duty equipment to to cut the frozen ham hock. I mean the time spent stacking firewood and moving and burning branches. Enjoying our lunch by the dwindling bonfire on a crisp afternoon was extremely satisfying. Some collards were added, as well as a drizzling of rosemary olive oil, and accompanied by garlic sourdough toast.

 

Although our anniversary was over a month ago, this trip was also a celebration of our first year of martital bliss. Deb and Mara did an amazing job vacuum sealing the top of the wedding cake, so it was not only edible but still really good! Layers of almond and chocolate cakes with lightly sweetened mascarpone and chocolate frosting, each with amarena cherries mixed in, and the whole cake covered in a rich chocolate ganache - we looooved our wedding cake.

 
I can feel the Fall rapidly slipping away here in Virginia, but it was alive and well in Fiddletown. The seasons may change, but I will be trying to keep my mindset as peaceful as this view.

Homemade Ricotta

A bonus to last month's Daring Baker's challenge was to make your own ricotta or mascarpone, and while I didn't squeeze it in before Thanksgiving, I knew I wanted to tackle both of these. I started with the ricotta, using Lisa Michele's recipe (host of the last challenge). So simple and utterly delicious.

  
Seriously, all you need to do is bring 8 cups milk, 1 cup cream, and a tsp of salt to a boil, add 3 tbsp lemon juice and - voila! - the curds form and all you need to do is strain out the whey. I was worried because I just bought cheesecloth but it doesn't look very effective (I'm pretty sure the cloth should be woven more tightly) but I think you could probably even strain this in a regular old mesh strainer and be fine. In addition to being effortless to make, the cheese is rich, creamy, and so versatile.

 

One of our favorite uses has been to spread the ricotta on homemade pizza in tomato sauce's stead. We recently had a couple friends over for another weeknight dinner party and served one such pizza as an appetizer. We oven roasted some grape tomatoes the day before and used those plus sauteed spinach as toppings. It was a hit. Actually, the entire meal was a success...here's what we served:
 
Speaking of dinner parties, I plan to highlight some of our ventures in entertaining in upcoming posts. I suspect we aren't the only ones doing a lot of this kind of thing during the holiday, and I would love to share with you tips and lessons learned, as well as seasonal menus! 

Now I'm off to learn how to make mascarpone. Hmm, tiramisu perhaps? ...

Can Can, Part II

Ben and I wound down from Thanksgiving (or mentally prepared for the kickoff of the holiday season?) with a secluded weekend in Wintergreen. The plan was to spend time hiking, reading, and preparing nourishing meals...a no frills back-to-nature kind of retreat.

And it was, with one exception. We realized that by leaving Friday after work we wouldn't get to the mountains until well after dinner time, so we decided to treat ourselves to yet another meal at Can Can Brasserie. While we've had consistently great food there, this meal was truly something special. In fact, the dessert was proclaimed Ben's favorite dish. Ever. He commented that it was worthy of its own blog post. So, here we are...But rather than only describe the finale I want to you to hear about the entire show, from start to finish...

 

Orange, golden beet, and fennel salad: Goat cheese, pistachio, arugula, and pink peppercorn ginger vinaigrette...these are a few of my favorite things. One thing I love about eating out is getting ideas for home cooking, and this is going on the to-make list. A refreshing fall inspired salad and the perfect way to start the meal.

Seared scallops: Butternut squash puree, currants, brussels sprouts, and bacon. As I was perusing the menu and started reading the ingredients in this dish I swear my eyes got bigger and bigger until I saw bacon, at which point they almost popped out. Each of these components is wonderful on it's own, but they also work synergistically together. Are you drooling yet?

Grilled pork belly: Black eyed peas, roasted cabbage, and roasted pepper pork jus. Ben said pork belly might be cheating. I said an inferior dish should have thought of pork belly. But seriously, it's not just the crispy pork or fat that dissolves upon contact with your tongue, the other aspects of the dish sang as well: the earthy black-eyed peas were creamy but not overcooked, the roasted cabbage was slightly sweet, and the sauce tied everything together.

Goat cheese cake: The reason for this post...Black, white, and pink peppercorn ice cream, pear compote, and pear caramel sauce. I will be linking back to this post after I attempt to recreate this dessert; I already have some ideas for how I might be able to make a replica of...okay something similar to...okay let's admit it will probably be something of an ersatz twin to its awesomeness. The cake had an interesting texture, like it was made with cornmeal and a good amount of fat; I was surprised when I could taste the goat cheese, although I'm not sure I would have picked it out without knowing the name of the dessert. The compote and caramel sauce somehow managed to achieve richness and lightness in one taste, and paired perfectly with the not-overly-sweet-yet-very-much-dessert-like ice cream. You'll just have to try it for yourself.

And really, you should go to Can Can. Certainly you have something shopping to do in Richmond, or maybe you just need to unwind at Maymont Park. At any rate, it's not that far away and it's not hard on the wallet (especially at lunch or brunch), so eat there! And invite me, please.

 
I'll leave you with a few images from our relaxing weekend. I would say it's back to the grind, but fortunately we're leaving Wednesday for a long weekend in Fiddletown to belatedly celebrate one year of marital bliss. I hope you are all finding ways to make this a peaceful holiday season - I know we are!

Daring Bakers: Cannoli

The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone, as ingredient/direction guides. She added her own modifications/changes, so the recipe is not 100% verbatim from either book.

 

To be honest, I don't at all feel like writing about food today, especially a rich dessert like this one. If it weren't the day after Thanksgiving, though, I'm pretty sure I'd be pumped about it. I like that the challenge once again brought me out of my comfort zone, this time through deep frying. Not something I'd normally do, but fun to mix it up a bit.

I don't have words of wisdom for you or a photographed tutorial, because I pulled this challenge together hurriedly on Wednesday evening, but it must be a good recipe to have worked even in my haste! I never knew that wine was an ingredient in cannoli (or that the singular is cannolo...awesome). I was using some leftover malbec from the night before, and didn't have quite enough so supplemented with a little cranberry juice. I switched up the filling by significantly reducing the amount of confectioners' sugar. Other than that, just follow the recipe and you're good to go. Oh, and definitely use a pasta maker to get the dough very thin...I'm amazed by anyone who rolled out this tough dough by hand.

An optional aspect of the challenge I didn't make time for was making homemade mascarpone or ricotta for the filling. I was so looking forward to it so am still going to make these. In fact, I have some ricotta straining in cheese cloth downstairs right now. I'll report back on my results. Thanks Lisa Michele for a great challenge!

Baking Class at Stove

Ben, my friend Liz, and I recently took a cooking class at the restaurant Stove, taught by chef/owner Sydney Meers. Actually, this particular one was a baking class dedicated to desserts. At $65 per person, the 5 hour experience isn't a steal, but it's no rip off either. Check out these five reasons you should go to the next class...

1. Syd is a cool guy. I felt a little awkward at the beginning of class. Even though I was with a couple people I know, I was also working with people I'd never met. There were about 20 people there, and we were divided into tables of 5...maybe a few too many people in total. However, Chef Meers defined the atmosphere with his laid back but straight-forward attitude and casual sense of humor (read: PG-13), so I eventually chilled out and found my groove in the class.

 
2. Chef Meers knows food. He took time at the beginning of class to talk through each of the recipes, including how to shop for quality ingredients. Frankly, I found it mostlyboring and felt we should be jumping right into things, but there were definitely some golden nuggets in the lecture. One reason Stove's food is so great is Chef Meers' dedication to high quality ingredients, so I did enjoy tidbits such as the percent of fat I should be looking for in cream and the difference between Kraft "cream cheese" and the real thing (closer to goat cheese in flavor and texture). Since he's local, he can also tell you where to buy hard-to-find items.

3. You get to watch the chef in action. Don't expect much one-on-one instruction, but still expect to learn. There's just something about seeing how to do it. I particularly benefited from watching Chef Meers fold egg whites into a cake batter. I know how to exhibit confidence when folding while still being gentle so as not to deflate the batter, but I noticed he spread the whipped egg whites over the top of the mixture first, like frosting (and repeated this motion a couple times during the folding process), to make it more efficient. Neat!

 
4. You get to eat. A lot. So, maybe 10 slices of cake is a bit much for one afternoon. Especially after Liz and I squeezed in as much taste-testing as we could along the way. The over abundance of sweets combined with coffee meant only one thing: afterward we cooked up some steak to have with red wine for dinner. And, since we got to bring home binders of the recipes prepared in class (or, formulas as Chef Meers would say), we can make the desserts again when we actually have the time to savor them. 

5. You don't have anything better to do. Okay, maybe that's not entirely accurate, but the point is you should get out there and try something different! One of his classes early next year will probably be bread-making, and you should join me there. It's not posted yet, but check back here later in the year for details.

Another Chocolate Cake

(...but not just another chocolate cake)

Both of my sisters are scrappers. For those unfamiliar with this term, I mean they make scrapbooks. You probably know some people who do this, but not many can do it like my sisters. In fact, they get paid for their layouts by companies like Fiskars and Better Homes and Gardens.  

Let me tell you about another term I learned from my sisters: scraplifting. This involves using someone else's design or ideas in your own work. The word is often used in a negative context ("She totally scraplifted that from so-and-so"), although scraplifting can be acceptable if credit is given where due. I have a lot to say on the matter of intellectual property, but I suppose this isn't the forum for it, so I'll just leave it at that!

The reason I bring up scraplifting is because this cake is "totally scraplifted"... or the recipe equivalent at any rate. I browse food blogs for ideas and actual recipes but don't usually post them here unless I've made changes to improve them or otherwise make them suit my taste.

This chocolate cake, though, did not need any alterations. I made it just as it is listed here, at La Tartine Gourmande. I just wanted to share it with you because it's absolutely wonderful! The blogger, Bea, describes it as "a chocolate cake with character" and that is so true...In addition to the usual suspects (chocolate, butter, eggs, sugar), this cake has hazelnut, buckwheat, and quinoa flours as well as applesauce (homemade, of course). Chocolate is still a powerful player, but I could really taste the hazelnuts and Ben noticed the applesauce right away. A satisfying dessert, for sure, but I can tell you I will be serving this for breakfast at my future B&B.

I had time this morning for a five minute photo shoot, which went a little something like this...

 
Yup, cake for breakfast.

What drew me to this recipe, and Bea's blog altogether, is the use of different types of flour. I've been experimenting a bit on my own, but I think my progress would quicken if I tried some recipes that actually work so I can compare these with my failures up to this point (like pumpkin bread that tastes like straight up biting into buckwheat). La Tartine Gourmande is also an inspiration because the journaling is absolutely captivating and the photos are beautiful. Stop on by if those are things that tickle your fancy.

 

Speaking of blog love, Shaz at Test with Skewer was so sweet to pass on to me this One Lovely Blog Award, which I graciously accept! The idea is that now I'm supposed to pass this on to other bloggers I've recently discovered...but because this is not a chain letter someone-will-die-if-you-don't-forward-this-in-ten-minutes type of thing, I'm going to keep this in my back pocket for now. Greedy, I know, but trust that I will certainly be paying it forward in the future!

Applesauce

Until recently, I bought those individually packaged applesauces at the grocery store. Me, the person who tsk tsks her mother for buying individually packaged yogurt (Wasteful packaging! Added sugar!) just because it's convenient succumbed to a similar convenience...until now. Now I know how ridiculously easy it is to make your own applesauce. Like most homemade foods, it tastes exponentially better than the store-bought stuff, and you have complete control over the flavors and ingredients.

 
Leave it to me to wait until the tail end of apple season here in Virginia. I didn't even get around to planning a trip to an orchard until they were pretty much shutting down shop...oops. Add that to next year's to-do list. I still got my fill of local apples, though, from Wood's Orchards Farm Market in Hampton. I purchased a few of each of the six varieties above to taste and experiment with. This post is not a lesson in apple varieties, but here is a good site to check out if you haven't tried all the above.

 
I got a whole peck of fujis because they're perfect for snacking and their sweetness would be a great base for applesauce. So, let's talk applesauce basics. The only real hurdle is that you need to peel and core the apples, but once this prep work is out of the way, you need only quarter them, add water to a deep pan or a pot, and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally until very soft (some apples practically turn to mush but this isn't a bad thing). From there, you can either mash them to get chunky applesauce, or do as I did and puree them.

I've found a good ratio is about five medium apples to one cup water. Beyond that, the variations are limitless. Think: other fruits (how about some citrus juice instead of water?), spices, herbs, etc. Add whole spices and remove before pureeing or mashing. Below are three that I would definitely recommend trying.

Traditional cinnamon: 3 fujis, 2 granny smiths, 1 cup water, and a cinnamon stick. I added a generous amount of ground cinnamon at the end because I like mine with a bit of kick. While nothing surprising here, this was crazy better than store-bought. I think the mix of sweet fujis and tart granny smiths is a winner.

Cranberry applesauce: 2 fuji, 2 pink ladies, 1 cup fresh cranberries, 1 cup water, 2 star anise, 2 cloves, 1/2 inch segment of vanilla pod. So delicious, I can't believe it takes no additional sweetener to mellow out the cranberries enough. The spices truly make it a treat.

Curried applesauce: 2 fujis, 3 jonagolds, 1 cup water, 1 tsp curry powder. Don't be skurd. You've had sweet and savory before and loved it, and you'll love this too.

 
Hmm the success of this venture may just push me into baking my own weekly bread or more regularly making stock. It takes extra time and effort, but I'm becoming more convinced every day that it's worth it...any sacrifices have thus far been outweighed by joys such as a sense of accomplishment, newfound appreciation for more subtle flavor variations, and a home that smells divine!

Garlicky Turnip Greens and a Fried Egg

One of my favorite places to shop in Hampton Roads is the Five Points Community Farm Market in Norfolk. They have a great selection of local produce and the people are kind, helpful, and passionate about food. For example, I went today and found something labeled "creesy greens" (now I know also spelled creasy or creecy) that looked beautiful and fresh and smelled delicious, so I asked the staff what they taste like and how to prepare them. My inquiry was met with excited responses about how to use the green, and we tasted it to talk about its flavors (bitter, mustardy/horseradishy, and quite floral).

I feel like a kid in a candy store every time I go, and I have to try my darndest not to bring home more produce than Ben and I can eat. I demonstrated restraint today, only bringing home the creesy greens, turnips, sweet dumpling squash, butter, and grass-fed beef. Ben is grinding the chuck roast I got to grill burgers tonight, so I wanted to make a light lunch. Hence, garlicky turnip greens with fried eggs.

 

Don't ever throw away your turnip greens (or beet greens) unless they are yellowing or otherwise funky looking. They require a good rinsing but are otherwise deliciously bitter. For this "recipe" you could substitute collards, chard, or really any hearty green. Here's how it goes: Coat the bottom of a deep pan with olive oil and sautee a healthy dose of garlic (5 cloves perhaps) over medium heat. Once the garlic is tender, add your chopped greens (I used the greens from 3 turnips, which looks like a lot but of course cooks down significantly) and freshly ground nutmeg (If you don't have nutmeg, red pepper flakes would be a nice sub) and stir. Add a couple glugs of chicken stock, reduce to medium low heat and cover. Stir occasionally and in about 15 minutes they should be done. Season with salt and pepper.

 
Add a fried egg and you've got yourself a light yet satisfying lunch. Greens pair with nutmeg beautifully, garlic rocks, and the richness of the egg yolk cuts the bitterness of the greens. The perfect thing to hold me over until blue cheese burgers tonight.

Lara Neece Art

I am so excited to display my new banner and thrilled that its debut gives me an excuse to write about a talented friend. The banner was designed by Lara of Lara Neece Art, who painted a gorgeous bee piece, cropped it, and paired it with the blog title.

I am going to steal from her artist statement to sum up that her artwork "explores the cognizance of the living and human perceptions of and connections to nature." Lara captures this human-nature kinship brilliantly, and while I'm certain she puts substantial work into her craft, the results appear effortless. While my writing sometimes feels forced or comes out sounding a little like someone else, Lara' s art has a wonderfully organic feel to it. But don't take my word for it, check out the full bee painting, along with other samples of Lara's work, here. Better yet, if you're in the Charleston area stop by her Open Studio this Friday, November 6th, from 6:30-9:30pm to enjoy wine, food, and live music (and of course, fantastic artwork!). 

Also, I'm not friends with Lara just because her artwork is engaging - the rest of her life is, too! Follow her artistic and life journeys at her Traveling Artist blog where she writes about living on a sailboat and pursuing her dreams. She's one of those people you wish you had the guts to be.

On a side note, I'd like to add that working with Lara to put together my banner was a walk in the park. I realize I'm biased because I knew she was wonderful before we started our collaboration (see how I take credit for things I shouldn't?), but doing business with someone you like personally can be a hot mess. Lara made it easy by asking all the right questions to understand what I was looking for and maintaining ongoing communication with me. She even helped me troubleshoot some technical challenges in getting the new image uploaded onto the blog. Thanks so much Lara, and I absolutely adore my new banner!