Plant a Garden--Even a Small One...

That line is from Food, Inc.

Here is my small garden...fresh herbs make me happy. That is Gia surveying her domain over the garden. She leaves the garden alone. Good thing. Good dog.

Check back later today, too--my friend Corbin is guest blogging for me. I cooked with Corbin at Jack's Firehouse in Philadelphia and again at Cobblefish in Philadelphia, too, where he was head chef. He's a great chef and was a fun person to work with. I can't wait to hear his blog topic.

May 17, Day 17 aaaaannnd....Tools to Use!

Monday mornings are difficult for me to blog...weekend is over, I baked, but that's for my TWD...Barefoot bloggers are not inspiring me...I was lazy in the cooking category...wanted to test a recipe, Mr. Babette wanted to eat out (Mac's Speed Shop in Charlotte rocks...best. bbq. brisket. ever.)...

But I have to go back to talking about tools. This week, I'll sing the praises of the stick blender/immersion blender like this one by Kitchenaid. Here's the photo of mine:

I first saw these in home kitchens in Spain, when I lived in Sevilla for a year...Seemed smart, but I wasn't cooking much then and didn't think much of it...then when I started working in professional kitchens, we used the burr stick...don't ask me if that's an official name, but that's what we called it--I would pureed 5 gallons of avocado gazpacho at a time with one of those babies...it came nearly to my waist, it was that big and that powerful.

So then you started seeing them on the market and I snapped a plastic one up for about $20...but I'm like my friend Celia--I pretty much only cook on HIGH. So when I pureed a hot soup, I kind of melted the business end of the stick blender...it was also hard to clean, what with poking around that little blender blade (made harder by my mis-shaping of it in the hot liquid, too...)

Then Kitchenaid came out with the blender with a detachable, all metal stick (it goes into the dishwasher, no problem--thanks, Celia for asking for clarification...) AND varying speeds --(I remind you: no, I have no business dealings with Kitchenaid. I just happen to love the mixer AND this blender). I don't worry about hot, I don't worry about cleaning...this stays in a cabinet right next to the stove top and it gets used. Often.

Makes great soups, sauces, dressings and yes, even mayo...(you MUST try homemade mayo if you never have...yum...)
(There are some neat little attachments these days, too--I may NEED the whisk!)

Here. Try that homemade mayo:

2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 cups oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk yolks with mustard using stick blender. Slowly slowly SLOWLY start dribbling (very technical culinary term: dribbling) in the oil. Be patient...it will come together and look like mayo all on its own. When you like the consistency, stop. Whisk in lemon juice, salt and pepper...

Best use? Dip homemade french fries in this, the way they do in FRANCE! BELGIUM! COOL PLACES! This is a decadent, lovely use of mayo. Of course, homemade mayo is great ANYWHERE you use it...

Note: Some of you may balk at using raw egg yolks. Should you choose to, you can poach an egg and use that yolk. I have NOT tried this. I buy my eggs from someone I know and use them up quickly. I would probably NOT give raw egg mayo to small children (in fact, I didn't give it to my kids when they were, say 8 and younger...)...Use caution, know that a lot of places warn against raw eggs. Also, use this mayo up quickly, too--you can half the quantity and make less...this is not a long shelf life item. As with any mayo-based dish, keep it COLD. Don't take this on a summer picnic...you know, just to be safe (safer)...

May 16: Photo Sunday...Sour Oranges at Cross Creek

I took this shot of sour oranges one warm Florida November day as I wandered the gardens at Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' home in Central Florida (now Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park). The home where she wrote is preserved much as it was when she lived there. Her idea was to write and supplement her income with the proceeds from the harvest of sour oranges on the property.

Although I'm not so sure how well she did with the oranges, the trees are lovely, as are the grounds of her home. The oranges have a starring role on the menu at The Yearling, the restaurant just up the road a ways, where they make a sour orange pie, with a sour orange curd (like lemon or key lime curd in those pies)...I love it. I loved my day at Cross Creek. I love this photo.

A quote from MKR:


“Enchantment lies in different things for each of us. For me, it is in this: to step out of the bright sunlight into the shade of orange trees; to walk under the arched canopy of their jadelike leaves; to see the long aisles of lichened trunks stretch ahead in a geometric rhythm; to feel the mystery of a seclusion that yet has shafts of light striking through it. This is the essence of an ancient and secret magic.” 

I felt a bit of that magic the day I took this photo.

May 15, Day 15 of the Blogathon: 10 Food Blogs I Love...

This was a blogthon topic this past week, but since my email has been screwed up, I didn't see it until I solved (halfway--at least now I can find all missing emails) my problems...But it seems a perfect time to list the blogs I love.

1. 5 Second Rule. I met Cheryl Sternman Rule at Greenbrier. She was funny, she'd won a scholarship for the event (that is a very big deal) and she went home and started writing her blog...I love it--she is STILL funny, often touching, she writes killer recipes and takes killer photos of the food to match. Visit!


2. Cafe Lynnylu. I just discovered Lynnylu when she commented on one of my posts...I always try to reciprocate by commenting back...when I went to Cafe L. I found good writing and great photos (you will find photos to be a recurring theme of the blogs I love best.) Lynnylu has a Thirsty Thursday post that I love...a new cocktail for every week. Now there's a woman I could kick back with.

3. I visit Dorie Greenspan's page often. She recounts her travels,  and I remain hopeful that someday (SOON) I will change my life to live part of the year here, part of the year there (there can be France, Italy, Spain...or probably a whole bunch of other places--Buenos Aires? Okay. Japan? Okay, too. India? Distinct possibility....)


4. Orangette. I am a huge fan of Orangette, who wrote A Homemade Life, which I wrote about here..her blogging got very light when she and her husband (who she met through her blog!) opened a restaurant--but she's coming back, and I look forward to more frequent posts. Her book is filled with recipes that I feel I need to try almost the minute I put the book down. Her creamed cabbage is on regular rotation in this house.

5. I love Fig Jam and Lime Cordial by my friend, Celia, who is a frequent commenter here. I met her through a food lovers' forum, which I don't visit often enough these days, but her blog introduces me to new ideas (the cottage loaf! I may have to try this) AND she took the time to get some welder's gloves into the mail to me...umm, did I say SHE LIVES DOWN UNDER??? We've never met, but she made sure someone heading back to the States dropped these into the mail for me. And today? Today there's the lovliest poem there. It made me misty. I love seeing what Celia is up to. Celia? It has been lovely getting to know you this way. One day we will meet!

6. La Tartine Gourmande Again, I love the photos here...There's something so special about good photography, and she gets it right..

7. Perhaps not a blog, but another site I visit often is Cook's Illustrated. I pay for the subscription as well--the techniques they talk about, the reasons behind why food acts the way it does--all that is valuable to me as a recipe developer..

8. This one is grudging admiration..because I wish *I* had developed it. food52, by (skinny) Amanda Hesser of NYT and Merrill.  It's good. And they care about the stuff I care about. Love the current post: Showdown with Cook's Illustrated, where dueling recipe testing methods take place.

9. Ack! Only two spots left...but I read so many more!..I'll give a nod to Chocolate and Zucchini, one of the original blog-to-book blogs...I dream big. But here, I do love the essay quality of all her posts...again, something I aspire to (oh, that and a book...and living abroad...)

10. I cannot decide, therefore, I direct you to a non-food blog I won't live without: dooce.com. Some hate her, but I think she is funny as shit, thoughtful, sometimes poignant, raunchy, she loves her family fiercely and has come to terms with having been raised in a religion she thinks is whacko. I can totally relate. She also loves photography. (Told you that would be a recurring theme!) Go. Read Dooce. Love Dooce.

6 Kitchen Rules I Routinely Break--You Should Too

There are some absolutes in a professional kitchen, some from home kitchens--things we do just because...well, we do... And some of them are great...and some simply don't work for me. So here you go...things that might make my first chef (Hi, Peter Hoffman, owner of Savoy in Tribeca!!) or my mom or my nana shudder...

1. I wash my black cast iron pan. Look, I get it--layers of flavor settle into the very being of the pan. Romantic. Flavors down the centuries. Blah blah blah.

No. Just no. Here's why. I might be cooking up onions and garlic one day...and then making biscuits for shortbread (sweetISH if not sweet sweet) the next. I don't WANT the flavors to be there.

So while I may not scrub with Dawn and a scrub brush, water always hits the pan after use. Mind you, so does a coating of oil and then I pop it into a still warm oven. It is pretty damn nonstick at this point and I love it. (Buy Lodge: Made in America....) But really? Wash it.

2. While we are on the subject of washing, I give my mushrooms a rinse. I was taught to patiently wipe the shrooms with a damp paper towel...washing them would make them act like sponges, I was told. Well...I'm not that patient. Now I toss them into a colander and give 'em a quick shower, shaking off excess water before popping them into a hot pan. Me? I don't think they suffer.

3. I cook ALMOST exclusively with extra virgin olive oil. I'm told it's a waste of money, but...hmm. I like the flavor...(sometimes, I know, I really DO want the non-flavor of vegetable oil and that is in the house..)...and it's what is at the side of the stove. And I like the flavor, did I say that already?

4. I don't buy expensive nonstick pans. Don't put your money into nonstick pans if that coating is on the inside of a $100+ pan. Heck, don't do it if the pan is $30+...I haven't come across a nonstick surface that lasts forever--not the way I cook, at least. And no, I don't use metal, I wash them by hand...but ultimately, I toss them and buy a new set of nonstick pans...once a year. And I don't spend a lot (check out Ikea)...(or do what I  plan to do and replace them all with cast iron eventually...cast iron that I WASH...)

5. I use skim milk almost every time they say milk, no matter what--yes, even in baking. This is another form of lazy, because unless I plan, skim is what's in the fridge. I've never had it not work...I think some things may lack some depth of flavor, but...not enough that the family notices.

6. I keep butter and some eggs always at room temperature. I have never used margarine, only butter--and I do not like rock hard butter...not at home, not in a restaurant (it's always a mark against a place if they bring be bread and rock hard butter...) Now this doesn't mean there's a pound of butter on the counter...At most, there's one stick in a covered glass butter dish. I guess if you don't have A/C, this wouldn't work in the height of summer, but other than that? Always there. Same goes for some eggs. I go through eggs relatively quickly, so this isn't a problem for me (although if my mom visits, we play the she-puts-the-eggs-into-the-fridge, I-take-them-out-of-the-fridge dance...until I snap and say: LEAVE THEM ON THE COUNTER. IT'S WHERE I WANT THEM..) Again, I used them up quickly and if I'm baking, I want eggs at room temperature...So if half a dozen are on the counter for a few days? No. Harm. (Again, YMMV if you live in a hot climate with no A/C)....

Bonus Item: SUBSTITUTE, PEOPLE, SUBSTITUTE!!! I have experienced cook friends and family call me now and then and ask: Can I substitute red onions for yellow? Can I use white wine if I don't have sherry? Can I use sherry if I don't have white wine? Chicken thighs instead of breast? Will bourbon work for whiskey? YES, OF COURSE YOU CAN AND OF COURSE IT WILL.
Again, these are some experienced cooks asking. No, of course sherry doesn't taste like white wine. (But onions DO taste like onions)--I can't begin to tell you the recipes I make...when I at times only have half the ingredients. Be bold. You really can't ruin it by subbing one veg for another or one wine for another. (Okay, so there's the time DH wanted a whiskey sour and subbed Scotch for the whiskey? That? THAT didn't work...) (Caveat: The same doesn't hold true in baking, as I bear witness to time and again in my rough attempts at baking...Baking is for precision...cooking is not!)

Potluck Thursday: Babette Bakes Brioche

I've decided to use Thursday to introduce you to some of my old, favorite posts, posts I made long before anyone was reading. I still think I was particularly clever and funny in this ode to brioche, Dorie Greenspan's brioche, to be exact...It's long because I'm putting three posts together...but then again, making brioche was a long process, too. If you make it to the end, you might notice I froze a part of the cinnamon roll...that my daughter discovered and thought was BAD (it was unbaked!) and she PITCHED. It took me a long time to get over that... (Originally posted April, 2008)


Day 1: The Marathon Begins...
Dorie Greenspan is a delight. I had the incredible good fortune of meeting her recently at The Greenbrier. In fact, I had the funny and near-silly experience of sharing a bar of Vosges Chocolate Bacon bar with her. Picture about 10 avid food writers, food literature readers, food magazine editors...I think it was Dorie who did the honors of breaking it into pieces for everyone to experience. It was passed around the table like a communion plate. We all took a shard of chocolate...Then someone read the near zen-like instructions from Vosges on how to enjoy the chocolate...At one point we all had our eyes closed...no sounds were being made...and then you couldn't keep us quiet...because of COURSE we all had opinions. (For the record, we didn't like the chewy texture of the bacon left in our mouths when we let the chocolate melt first...some of us liked it more when we chewed right into it, releasing salty, smoky, sweet all at once...)

But this post isn't about the chocolate. It's about my discovery: Dorie's Brioche. I got the lowdown from the insiders: The Brioche is to die for. And the sticky pecan buns--to die for a second time...So when my signed copy of Dorie's Baking: From My Home to Yours arrived in the mail (no way I was dragging those pounds and pounds of books home on the plane...), I had to get started on the brioche.

I knew enough that the process would be easier if I made the dough the day before...Clever me: I'll throw it together at 10 PM and get it right into the fridge. Mmmhmmm.

Like any bread, the ingredient list is short. Yeast, water, milk, flour, salt, sugar, eggs and butter. Lots of butter. But it is lovely. Once again, Kitchenaid comes to the rescue. When discussing this with Dorie, her first question was: Do you have a mixer? Apparently her first experience was with this dough, a wooden spoon and her aching shoulders. At any rate, it starts as an ugly, mealy dough.

Then the eggs go in and it looks a bit better. And then you start beating the butter in, about 2 tablespoons at a time. Here's me holding the mixer to keep it from walking itself off the counter as it works that dough...
When all is said and done, you are left with a glossy, silken mass of dough.
It is gorgeous (I happily had about 1/2 pound of lovely, yellow Irish butter on my counter to use here...)

Oh, back to my cleverness...First punch down: after one hour. Then every 30 minutes or so FOR THE NEXT TWO HOURS. Until it stops rising. And THEN you get to go to bed...I mean and THEN you get to put it in the fridge (and go to bed...)

It will be a late night...This last shot is of the dough rising on the back porch, where it's warmer.
Just did the first punch down..The dough is just so nice to touch...Do you think anyone else is out on her balcony punching down brioche dough? Now it's 12.43 a.m. Do you know where your brioche is? 

 Day 2
I woke at 7.15. Visions of brioche and pecan sticky buns by way of Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours invaded my mind...I knew I had a lunch to go to with a food professional, and I have a feeling she's bringing me some farm-fresh eggs. I don't want to show up empty handed. Brioche will be my gift.(What? What diet?)
 
So, I was anticipating a sticky mess--but I forgot what butter does in the fridge...it hardens. So the dough was extraordinarily easy to handle. I divided it. Half is for a loaf, the other half for sticky bunAnd I divided the sticky bun dough in half again, making 8 today, then rolling the other half for the freezer. One day I'll be able to take that little spiral out of the freezer at 10 p.m. and wake up to bake fresh brioche sticky buns. I am wonder woman, I am Supermom.

Let's see. The sticky buns go in about an hour and 45 minutes after prepping. The loaf, about 2 hours later...Look at my results...

And I will vouch for the taste (hey, it's in the job description: eat). A big complaint I had with a batch of sticky buns I made relatively recently was that the bread part itself was leaden. Why bother with that gooey goodness if the bread is like a rock? Well, this brioche sticky bun recipe absolutely knocks that problem out of the park. They are melt-in-your-mouth, buttery lightness. I've eaten half of one bun. 7 1/2 brioche pecan sticky buns are now staring me in the face. I'm watching out the window for my neighbor to come home so I can give her some (my town is such a pain. All the women are on "social x-ray" diets, to borrow that phrase from Tom Wolfe. But at least my neighbor has two little girls...)..then I'll be able to take a couple to the woman I'm meeting for lunch...then if I'm really inspired, I'm going to drive to Boca to deliver the remaining few to the great people at JES Publishing/Florida Table offices. They'll help me salvage my own nutritional crisis...

On to the brioche loaf...
Day 3. The Loaf



Wow. It was one baking morning. As noted below, after an early start, I had the loaf rising and the sticky buns rolled, cut and rising by about 7.45 a.m. The sticky buns were a definite success.

I did as I was told--egg wash, baked at 400. I cannot believe how lovely this turned out. As I said elsewhere, every time I make bread--even something that sounds as daunting as brioche--I wonder why I don't do it more often. Sure, this brioche recipe has 12 ounces of butter in it (that means the little loaf has half that--6 ounces..I started slicing very thin slices once I realized that...), but that's the only expensive ingredient in it...even a plain, Publix baguette costs me $1. I'd say the extra bit of money for this particular loaf? Worth it.


The bread is so rich--you SO taste the butter--I am happy eating it all by itself. A brioche purist, that's me. I could picture it with some bitter orange marmalade, though...Or I'd like to try the bostock Dorie mentions...spread stale brioche (who gets a loaf to last til it's stale?) slices with almond cream, sprinkle with sliced almonds, bake until the almond cream is puffy and hot.

But I don't think it will last long enough.

Day 4: Definition of Brioche
Brioche, noun. (bree-osh) Butter held together by bits of flour, yeast and egg.
When I toasted a slice this morning, it sizzled all on its own.
That's all. Just an observation.

Meet Carolyn Jung: The Food Gal

It's Wednesday, which means it's time to meet some of my food world friends, even those I haven't actually met face to face. Carolyn Jung, The Food Gal, blogs about her life in the food world. She knows a good empanada when she sees one and her Mother's Day tribute last weekend was a lovely tribute to an era when moms all wore dresses all the time. Head over to The Food Gal for food, photos and good stories.


1. What pushed you to food or wine blogging?

When I was laid off from my former newspaper, the San Jose Mercury News, in March 2008, I didn't really have a Plan B lined up for what to do next. Back then, in addition to all my other writing duties at the paper, I also oversaw the paper's food & wine blog. My last day at the paper, I posted that I would no longer be doing that blog, that it had been my first experience blogging, and how I wanted to thank everyone for coming along for the ride. Now, that blog normally was lucky to get two or three comments. But when that post went up, the comments poured in. I was actually surprised that the paper left the blog going as long as it did, considering no one took up the reins, and my good-bye post was the only thing on it for months. In that time, an amazing thing happened -- about 30 or so comments poured in. Most were from long-time readers, who wrote that they would miss my stories and hoped that they would still be able to read my writing somewhere else.

I can't tell you how touching that was. So right then and there, I thought, "I'm not sure what the future holds for me yet. But one thing I can do easily right now is just start a blog.'' And so, I did. It's been so incredible to reconnect with so many folks who used to read me in the newspaper, and to develop new relationships with folks all over the world via cyberspace.

2. What do you hope to share with readers through your blog?

I think of my blog as my own little food section. It has a variety of content -- from newsy pieces to Q&A's with celebrity chefs to my family's recipes to my outings at local restaurants. With so many local newspaper food sections a shadow of themselves and so many food magazines shrinking or folding, this blog is a way to fill a bit of the void that's developed by providing useful, entertaining, and educational information about all the things we love to eat and drink.

3. Is there one post that stands out from others as one that generated a lot of commentary or maybe made you wish you hadn't posted it?

The post that I wrote about the cafe at Facebook (http://www.foodgal.com/2009/08/inside-the-cafe-at-facebook-headquarters/) generated a lot of buzz. Facebook is such a hot company right now, and one that so many people can identify with because, hey, who isn't on Facebook these days, right? Silicon Valley has long been justly famous for the perks that exist on its high-tech campuses -- from on-site pharmacies and gyms to free dry-cleaning or childcare services. Those of us who don't work in high-tech, though, are rarely privy to seeing any of this. Indeed, only employees or their guests can dine at the Facebook cafe, which is headed by a chef who used to work at some very well regarded restaurants. He invited me to come take a look, and so I was able to give sort of an insider's view of just what he does there, including the incredible gourmet meals he serves to employees, who eat for free. The post allowed readers to live -- or taste -- vicariously, which I think is why it struck such a chord.

4. Do you cook yourself? Well?  What is your go-to dish (share the recipe in a few sentences)?

 

Now that I work from home, I cook even more. So, I'm probably cooking and baking about four or five times a week. My go-to dish would probably have to be an Asian stir-fry with black bean sauce. It works with shrimp, as well as pork, beef or chicken that's been cut into bite-sized pieces, and most any veggies. I marinated the protein in a little bit of sesame oil, soy sauce and mirin (Japanese rice wine). Then I slice up an onion, mince some fresh ginger and a couple cloves of garlic. I heat up a wok with some peanut oil, and throw in my protein till it's browned, then I remove it to a plate to set aside. Then I add a little more oil to the wok, and throw in my onions, ginger, garlic and whatever veggies are on hand (broccoli florets, cut-up long beans, red peppers, green beans, zucchini, etc.). I splash in a little more mirin, then stir in a tablespoon or so of jarred fermented black bean sauce. Then, I add back in my protein, give it a stir, and it's done. Serve with steamed rice, and it's a meal.

5. Forget your favorite go-to dish; what is your idea of a perfect meal?

It varies according to my mood. It can be something as decadent as the tasting menu with wine pairings at the French Laundry or as simple as my husband boiling a couple of fresh Dungeness crabs to go with sourdough bread and a Caesar salad at home.

Bonus question if you feel like it: Do you have a dirty little secret in your kitchen? 

 

I admit that I have my share of gourmet products in my kitchen. But there's one thing I try not to keep in my house whatsoever because it's just too much temptation for me. And that's gummi bears. I once bought a huge bag of individual servings of gummi bears a week before Halloween, intending to hand them out to trick-or-treaters. Guess where they all ended up? Yup, inside my stomach. How sad is that? I have loved these chewy, colorful, little candies ever since I was a kid, and I guess I still do. I don't care what anyone says about them all tasting exactly the same. I know in my heart that the clear ones are the best.