Yes, I've been on a break for a few months from writing but I'm back! Happy New Year everybody! Here's to a great 2009!
Would you like to attend a very elegant dinner at the St. Francis hotel with beautiful wine and food- an inspirational evening of revelry, silent auction, extraordinary speakers and a great mix & mingle opportunity? Look no further!
On March 20th, 2009, City Youth Now will be holding the Annual Celebration and Silent Auction Gala! Some of you know that I serve on the Board of City Youth Now in San Francisco; a very special organization dedicated to supporting youth under the jurisdiction of San Francisco's Juvenile Court—including youth in the foster care and/or delinquency systems. City Youth Now, located in San Francisco's Youth Guidance Center, was the first non-profit organization of its kind in the history of the United States Juvenile Court System.
http://www.cityyouthnow.org/home.php
City Youth Now's 59th Annual Celebration and Silent Auction will be held at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco, CA on Friday, March 20th 2009 at six o'clock in the evening. We are pleased to announce that City Youth Now will be honoring an outstanding member of the community who has been committed to improving the welfare of youth in the San Francisco Juvenile Court System. City Youth Now will also be bestowing The Jesse E. Williams III Memorial Scholarship to an outstanding youth in the Juvenile Probation System and The Emancipating to Real Freedom Scholarship to an outstanding youth in the Foster Care System. Applications for both scholarships can be picked up at our office. Tickets for this event start at $150 and sponsorship opportunities are available as well.
For more information, to purchase tickets for,or to underwrite this event, please contact Brittany Heinrich, Executive Director at brittany@cityyouthnow.org or 415-753-7576.
Hope to see you all there!
A chronicle of culinary exploration and discovery
Friday, January 9, 2009
Monday, August 25, 2008
A Zest For Lemons
A Zest for Lemons
As a native New Yorker, I never thought I’d be in a situation where I’d be harvesting Myer Lemons and figuring out what on earth to do with them. But, I’m in California now, with a good friend who has 2 magnificent trees resplendent with Myer Lemons in her backyard in sunny Oakland.
This friend does not have a culinary bone in her body but what she lacks in interest, she makes up for in enthusiasm; I wanted to come up with some easy and fun ideas for my friend so she could take advantage of her harvest and create a new dimension to gift giving and entertaining.
Here are some simple ideas for a delicious twist on lemons-
Vodka Lemonaide- No explanation required, this is the best summer cocktail around, served in a martini glass with a lemon twist.and a sugar rim on the glass.
Lemonade- Kind of obvious I know but for many, an afterthought! Squeeze the juice of about 12 lemons in a pitcher. Fill the pitcher with water to take the liquid up to the top of the vessel. Add about ¼ cup to ½ cup of sugar depending on your taste and you’re set!
Lemon Pasta- This satiny lemon sauce is beyond it and does not require advanced cooking. Mix together the juice of 1 meyer lemon with a couple egg yolks and about ½ cup cream and toss into ½ lb. egg pasta with freshly grated parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Sumptuous.
Preserved Lemons- The perfect complement to roast chicken or pasta and a great hostess gift. Take your lemons, cut in half. Squeeze their juice into a beautiful jar, and put the lemons in with skin side facing out after coating inside of lemon with kosher salt.. Throw in spices if you want but I prefer pure lemons. Let the jars sit for 1+ months and you’re good to go. If you’re giving as a gift, tie some ribbon or raffia around the neck of the jar and you have a beautiful kitchen gift for a friend.
Deep Fried Vegetable basket with Myer Lemons- decadent spin on tempura veggies. Deep fry coated lemons, asaparagus, artichokes, green beans and you have a fun tempura basket.
Lemon Bars- The summer classic with buttery, shortbread crust
Limoncello- This is so simple to make and delicious. Pour a bottle of vodka or grain alcohol into a bowl. Peel about 7 or 8 lemons and put the lemon skins in the bowl of alcohol. (you can save the actual lemons in the fridge for some future cooking project). After a week or 2, strain the alcohol and discard the lemon skins. You will now have a yellow liquid! Mix with simple syrup and bottle and you have created Limoncello.
Meyer Lemon Marmalade- This is one of the first projects I did with my friend and it yields a very sweet jam.
Lemon Wreath- Okay, this is not a food, but if you have an over abundance of lemons, try buying a round, wire wreath form at a craft store. Get some wire and work boughs of lemons on the branches with green leaves around the wreath form to create a stunning lemon wreath. These are beautiful but don’t have a long life. Still if you’re looking for something new to do, they are lovely while they last.
As a native New Yorker, I never thought I’d be in a situation where I’d be harvesting Myer Lemons and figuring out what on earth to do with them. But, I’m in California now, with a good friend who has 2 magnificent trees resplendent with Myer Lemons in her backyard in sunny Oakland.
This friend does not have a culinary bone in her body but what she lacks in interest, she makes up for in enthusiasm; I wanted to come up with some easy and fun ideas for my friend so she could take advantage of her harvest and create a new dimension to gift giving and entertaining.
Here are some simple ideas for a delicious twist on lemons-
Vodka Lemonaide- No explanation required, this is the best summer cocktail around, served in a martini glass with a lemon twist.and a sugar rim on the glass.
Lemonade- Kind of obvious I know but for many, an afterthought! Squeeze the juice of about 12 lemons in a pitcher. Fill the pitcher with water to take the liquid up to the top of the vessel. Add about ¼ cup to ½ cup of sugar depending on your taste and you’re set!
Lemon Pasta- This satiny lemon sauce is beyond it and does not require advanced cooking. Mix together the juice of 1 meyer lemon with a couple egg yolks and about ½ cup cream and toss into ½ lb. egg pasta with freshly grated parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Sumptuous.
Preserved Lemons- The perfect complement to roast chicken or pasta and a great hostess gift. Take your lemons, cut in half. Squeeze their juice into a beautiful jar, and put the lemons in with skin side facing out after coating inside of lemon with kosher salt.. Throw in spices if you want but I prefer pure lemons. Let the jars sit for 1+ months and you’re good to go. If you’re giving as a gift, tie some ribbon or raffia around the neck of the jar and you have a beautiful kitchen gift for a friend.
Deep Fried Vegetable basket with Myer Lemons- decadent spin on tempura veggies. Deep fry coated lemons, asaparagus, artichokes, green beans and you have a fun tempura basket.
Lemon Bars- The summer classic with buttery, shortbread crust
Limoncello- This is so simple to make and delicious. Pour a bottle of vodka or grain alcohol into a bowl. Peel about 7 or 8 lemons and put the lemon skins in the bowl of alcohol. (you can save the actual lemons in the fridge for some future cooking project). After a week or 2, strain the alcohol and discard the lemon skins. You will now have a yellow liquid! Mix with simple syrup and bottle and you have created Limoncello.
Meyer Lemon Marmalade- This is one of the first projects I did with my friend and it yields a very sweet jam.
Lemon Wreath- Okay, this is not a food, but if you have an over abundance of lemons, try buying a round, wire wreath form at a craft store. Get some wire and work boughs of lemons on the branches with green leaves around the wreath form to create a stunning lemon wreath. These are beautiful but don’t have a long life. Still if you’re looking for something new to do, they are lovely while they last.
Friday, August 8, 2008
THE WORST MEAL EVER
The Worst Meal Ever-
I know you’re wondering what restaurant I’m going to mention here- right? Nope, have to say I am responsible for what amounts to the Worst Meal EVER…this week…2 nights ago…yuck. I always wonder how that can happen. I mean you’re humming along in the kitchen, pretty experienced, confident, at ease, fearless. You follow the recipe- one that has worked just fine in the past mind you. And everything goes south.
It all started innocently enough when I was at Trader Joes and bought a packet of Rice Noodles to make Pad Thai. I knew I had chicken, egg, green onion & fish sauce at home so all I really needed were a couple limes, peanuts & bean sprouts and I was pretty well set. I was so pleased with myself- thinking outside the box and all, trying an atypical meal for dinner for once! Usually I’m lucky if I can whip up some sliced tomatoes and soup with bread or something equally boring.
Don’t get me wrong, I am passionate about cooking- but cooking as in the entertaining type of cooking. I know this about myself so recently I’ve been trying to get out of the rut and try new recipes for everyday living. And I have. In the past 2 weeks, I’ve made the Barefoot Contessa’s Orzo with vegetables and goat cheese (but I used blue). It was outstanding. I’ve made my sister in-law Marci’s bread recipe and her orange, ginger pork tenderloin (see my blog “Phenomenal Cooking” for the recipe). Her recipes are phenomenal, can’t get enough good… I’ve made chicken baked with prosciutto and parmesan, a roasted pear salad with mixed greens with a honey/shallot vinaigrette dressing and gorgonzola blue cheese. You see, I’ve really been trying with pretty good results! Which is why, it was quite a shock to make the WORST MEAL EVER. I mean, I was on a winning streak with one good recipe, one good meal after the other. Surely I thought, the Pad Thai is a slam dunk, I’ve made it before several times and it was great, authentic, better than restaurants good.
That was then; this is now…it started with over-cooking the noodles. Not only did I over-cook them, the bigger mistake was also cooking the noodles a good hour before I was actually ready for them. They hardened and stuck in the colander while I prepped the vegetables, cooked the chicken, scrambled and cooked the eggs. When I turned around to get the noodles I found the problematic lump of starch; but being resourceful, I forged ahead! Knowing or I should say assuming I’m a good cook I decided to improvise to fix the problem. I dumped the lump into the sauté pan, warmed it up with some garlic and olive oil… then because I’m so clever I thought it would be smart to pour in a little white wine to give it some liquid and nuanced flavor. Well, let’s just say that was not enough liquid to solve the problem. So then I added chicken broth while I tossed the rest of the ingredients into the pan. It seemed to go from bad to worse because by the time the bean sprouts got in, the green onions were a faint yellow, a vague memory of their crisp, greenness gone. Desperately I continued- adding the sugar and fish sauce. I think this is the first time in all my years of cooking Thai that I couldn’t get enough fish sauce in there to make things taste right. In all, by the time I was done, I was committed. I tried it, yes. AND IT WAS THE WORST MEAL EVER! Not quite clear on what happened here but let’s just say the rest went into the trash and I ate bologna for lunch the next day.
I know you’re wondering what restaurant I’m going to mention here- right? Nope, have to say I am responsible for what amounts to the Worst Meal EVER…this week…2 nights ago…yuck. I always wonder how that can happen. I mean you’re humming along in the kitchen, pretty experienced, confident, at ease, fearless. You follow the recipe- one that has worked just fine in the past mind you. And everything goes south.
It all started innocently enough when I was at Trader Joes and bought a packet of Rice Noodles to make Pad Thai. I knew I had chicken, egg, green onion & fish sauce at home so all I really needed were a couple limes, peanuts & bean sprouts and I was pretty well set. I was so pleased with myself- thinking outside the box and all, trying an atypical meal for dinner for once! Usually I’m lucky if I can whip up some sliced tomatoes and soup with bread or something equally boring.
Don’t get me wrong, I am passionate about cooking- but cooking as in the entertaining type of cooking. I know this about myself so recently I’ve been trying to get out of the rut and try new recipes for everyday living. And I have. In the past 2 weeks, I’ve made the Barefoot Contessa’s Orzo with vegetables and goat cheese (but I used blue). It was outstanding. I’ve made my sister in-law Marci’s bread recipe and her orange, ginger pork tenderloin (see my blog “Phenomenal Cooking” for the recipe). Her recipes are phenomenal, can’t get enough good… I’ve made chicken baked with prosciutto and parmesan, a roasted pear salad with mixed greens with a honey/shallot vinaigrette dressing and gorgonzola blue cheese. You see, I’ve really been trying with pretty good results! Which is why, it was quite a shock to make the WORST MEAL EVER. I mean, I was on a winning streak with one good recipe, one good meal after the other. Surely I thought, the Pad Thai is a slam dunk, I’ve made it before several times and it was great, authentic, better than restaurants good.
That was then; this is now…it started with over-cooking the noodles. Not only did I over-cook them, the bigger mistake was also cooking the noodles a good hour before I was actually ready for them. They hardened and stuck in the colander while I prepped the vegetables, cooked the chicken, scrambled and cooked the eggs. When I turned around to get the noodles I found the problematic lump of starch; but being resourceful, I forged ahead! Knowing or I should say assuming I’m a good cook I decided to improvise to fix the problem. I dumped the lump into the sauté pan, warmed it up with some garlic and olive oil… then because I’m so clever I thought it would be smart to pour in a little white wine to give it some liquid and nuanced flavor. Well, let’s just say that was not enough liquid to solve the problem. So then I added chicken broth while I tossed the rest of the ingredients into the pan. It seemed to go from bad to worse because by the time the bean sprouts got in, the green onions were a faint yellow, a vague memory of their crisp, greenness gone. Desperately I continued- adding the sugar and fish sauce. I think this is the first time in all my years of cooking Thai that I couldn’t get enough fish sauce in there to make things taste right. In all, by the time I was done, I was committed. I tried it, yes. AND IT WAS THE WORST MEAL EVER! Not quite clear on what happened here but let’s just say the rest went into the trash and I ate bologna for lunch the next day.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Southern Food & Beverage Museum- Hurricane Katrina, Donations Needed
Do you have some cookbooks you're not using/have never used that are collecting dust? Here's a great way to help out others and put those books to good use.
GREAT idea!
(Excerpted from Dianne Jacob 6/08 Newsletter)
Katrina-Damaged Museum Needs Cookbooks
Alumnus Laura Martin Bacon sent this email: Liz Williams, president of the Southern Food & Beverage Museum, estimates the museum lost over half of its cookbook collection to Hurricane Katrina. Liz needs cookbooks, and lots of them.
The museum seeks culinary books about the American South and volumes from areas that have influenced Southern foodways. This means all new and used food-themed books, in all conditions (food-spattered and beat-up is just fine), dealing with cuisines from all over the world. Liz emphasizes that they're seeking everything from professionally written cookbooks and culinary histories to community cookbooks and pamphlets. Send your donations to:
Liz Williams
Southern Food & Beverage Museum
1 Poydras Street, #169
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
Include your name and address so the museum can acknowledge your generosity. For more, visit http://www.southernfood.org/
Take a moment to look at your cookbooks, even if you just have 1, that can make a difference!
GREAT idea!
(Excerpted from Dianne Jacob 6/08 Newsletter)
Katrina-Damaged Museum Needs Cookbooks
Alumnus Laura Martin Bacon sent this email: Liz Williams, president of the Southern Food & Beverage Museum, estimates the museum lost over half of its cookbook collection to Hurricane Katrina. Liz needs cookbooks, and lots of them.
The museum seeks culinary books about the American South and volumes from areas that have influenced Southern foodways. This means all new and used food-themed books, in all conditions (food-spattered and beat-up is just fine), dealing with cuisines from all over the world. Liz emphasizes that they're seeking everything from professionally written cookbooks and culinary histories to community cookbooks and pamphlets. Send your donations to:
Liz Williams
Southern Food & Beverage Museum
1 Poydras Street, #169
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
Include your name and address so the museum can acknowledge your generosity. For more, visit http://www.southernfood.org/
Take a moment to look at your cookbooks, even if you just have 1, that can make a difference!
Monday, May 26, 2008
Phenomenal Cooking
Phenomenal Cooking
That sounds pretty exciting doesn’t it? As you know I love to cook, and it happens that most of my family members are exceptional cooks as well. So imagine what happens when you put 4 of us together for a week on vacation… phenomenal cooking! It all started when my mother planned a special week of golf in Florida at her house inviting myself and my 2 wonderful sisters (sisters in law) as well. The only agenda was golf, sun, pool and each of us would take a night to cook and where needed, we would pitch in to do, “team cooking”. Sounds good doesn’t it?
Let me paint the picture for you: sunny, balmy Southern Florida near Naples at the Gulf Coast. Leisurely days, beautiful home and gourmet kitchen. Golf lessons by day, with one alligator sighting. That was about as relaxing as you could ask for and then swimming, movies and cooking with family in the late afternoon & evening.
Here’s how the menus panned out, each meal was outrageously good and unmatched by any restaurant. Dessert? M & M’s! Even gourmets love a good treat…
Pam’s Menus:
Crispy Roasted Duck caramelized with Cherry Basil Sauce
Avocado and grapefruit salad with homemade Red French dressing
Oven roasted Asparagus
Mom made this meal and it was absolutely delicious, over the top….
Roast Duck
Roast your duck at 250 degrees for 3 hours. Take out of oven and tent with foil until ready to finish. Do not refrigerate. When ready to finish, put back in oven at 450 degrees to crisp for 20 minutes… then spread your cherry basil sauce over the bird and roast at 425 for 10 minutes to caramelize. It will be succulent and juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside.
Avocado and grapefruit salad drizzled with homemade Red French dressing (a family recipe over 100 years old.) This is a composed salad of grapefruit and avocado sections on Boston lettuce.
Oven roasted Asparagus- Roast at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Salt & Pepper to taste and butter.
Red French Dressing Recipe- Courtesy of Pam Ytterberg. This recipe was handed down from Pam’s side of the family from her mother, Elsie Tillinghast Brown.
½ Cup Vegetable Oil
¼ Cup Cider Vinegar
1/3 Cup Catsup
2 Tbsp Sugar 1 tsp Prepared Mustard
2 Tbsp Grated Onion 1 tsp Salt
Juice of ½ Lemon 1 tsp Paprika
Mix Ingredients until emulsified and serve.
Beef Tenderloin
Zucchini “Canoes” stuffed with mixed vegetables
Homemade Ciabatta Bread
Beef Tenderloin- Season with Alderwood Smoked Salt or salt of your choice. Grill to preferred rareness.
Zucchini Canoes- Hollow out zucchini horizontally and blanche. Then stuff with chopped tomatoes, garlic, zucchini & basil. Top with bread crumbs and bake at 350 degrees until heated through.
Marci’s Menu:
Pork Tenderloin sandwich on Homemade Ciabatta Bread
Mixed Greens Salad with Beefsteak Tomatoes
I can’t even begin to tell you how delicious this is…this is Marci’s own recipe and you will love it!
The Pork is marinated in an amazing orange, ginger marinade:
2 individual pork tenderloins
½ tsp Salt
½ Tbsp cracked black peppercorns
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger root
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 or more to taste Tbsp brown sugar
1 Cup orange juice
1 Tbsp orange zest
Mix ingredients well and cover or place in plastic bag with the tenderloin to marinate overnight if possible or at least for 1 hour.
When ready to cook, reserve marinade. Roast or grill until cooked through. Slice in thin slices. Cook marinade on stove top until reduced by at least half. Serve over sliced tenderloin.
Next take 1/2 cup mayo & 1/2 cup yogurt and curry and mix together. Spread the curry/mayo spread liberally on ciabatta and then spread a layer of mango chutney on top of that on one of pieces of bread. Next, add slices of pork tenderloin
This was served with a salad of mixed greens and sliced, ripe, beefsteak tomatoes tossed with vinaigrette.
Kim’s Menu:
Barbequed Chicken with bourbon barbeque sauce
Roasted Corn on the Cob
Tomato Salad
This all-American meal so hit the spot! It was hot and humid out and this summer menu satisfied. It was delicious; the chicken was perfectly grilled, cooked expertly by Kim. It was moist on the inside with no dryness and a crispy delicious skin.
The Barbeque sauce is non-smokey barbeque sauce mixed with bourbon and the result is phenomenal! You could add 1 or 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar to thicken if desired.
The corn cobs were put in the oven, husks left on and roasted at 375degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Once you take the corn out the oven, corn silk slides right off and the husks do as well.
The Tomato Salad was created by cutting up chunks of beefsteak tomatoes and mixing with ground salt and pepper to taste.
We could not get enough of this meal, it was wonderful…
Susan’s Menu:
Chinese Homemade Potstickers
Chinese ribs with honey glaze
Thai Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
Pad Thai
This was an amibitious menu for one meal but made for a lot of fun and delicious left overs! Assembling the potstickers was a group effort and a simple and fun thing to do that involves the whole party as you prepare this meal. We had a lot of fun doing this! The ribs are succulent and quite easy to make and the Satay is delicious.
Potstickers
1 Package round pot sticker skins
4 Cups Chicken Broth
1 lb ground pork
2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
4 tsp soy sauce
4 tsp sherry
4 tsp sesame oil
Marinate the ground pork in the ginger, soy sauce, sherry and sesame oil for 4 hours or overnight is best.
4 Tbsp cilantro
2 cups chopped napa cabbage
4 Tbsp finely chopped green onions
Mix the cilantro, cabbage & green onions into the pork mixture. Mix well
Drop 1 Tbsp of filling into the center of the potsticker skin. Dip index finger into water and circle perimeter of potsticker wrapper. Fold wrapper over the filling to make a half circle and press closed. Sit upright with filling side on plate. To cook, heat a few Tbsp of oil in a pan, put pot stickers in hot pan and fry til bottom is golden brown. Then pour 1 cup chicken broth into pan, cover over medium heat to cook until most of liquid is gone. Remove lid and cook another minute to absorb last of liquid then remove cooked pot stickers from pan. Repeat until all potstickers are cooked.
Chinese Ribs with Honey Glaze
The basis of this recipe came from the China Moon Cookbook by Barbara Tropp, “Maltose-Glazed Baked Spareribs” but I have made numerous revisions to create an easy to use recipe. Credit for the idea goes to Barbara Tropp who I admire as a subject matter expert in Chinese cooking.
1 Rack Baby Back Ribs cut in half and put in large zip lock bag
Marinade for Ribs:
¼ cup sherry or rice wine
2 tsp peppercorns
¼ Cup chopped ginger
3/4 cup chicken stock
Pour marinade ingredients in zip lock bag and refrigerate overnight for best results
Honey Glaze: ( You may want to double this recipe because it is so good. The quantity below makes just enough for one recipe)
¼ cup Hoisin Sauce
¼ cup Sherry
2-3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
2 tsp Chinese Chile Sauce
¼ cup Honey
1/3 cup finely chopped green onions
1 Tbsp finely chopped or grated garlic
1 Tbsp finely chopped or grated fresh garlic
Put all the ingredients for the glaze in a pot on stove, mix and simmer for approx 3 minutes. Remove from stove and reserve for glazing ribs. As it cools it will thicken.
Preheat over to 425 degrees. Remove ribs from marinade and discard ziplock bag with marinade. Rub Ribs (top and bottom of rack) with a mixture of 3 Tsps brown sugar, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, 1 Tbsp garlic.
Place ribs meat side up on cookie sheet and cook at 425 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and coat top and sides of ribs with Honey Glaze, letting it pool a little on top of ribs. Save extra glaze to pour over ribs at dinner. Put ribs back in oven at 425 degrees and cook 10 to 15 minutes until glaze has carmelized. ( You can expect that the glaze that drips off ribs onto pan will burn and smoke when you are cooking but the glaze on the ribs won’t burn so that’s fine.) Remove from oven and let rest for 10 to 15 minute and then cut into individual ribs. Serve on platter, drizzle extra glaze over ribs. Garnish with green onions.
Chicken or Pork Satay
Bamboo Skewers- soak in water so they don’t burn on grill
1 ½ lbs pork or chicken – slice into 3 or 4 inch strips
Marinade:
½ to ¾ Can Coconut Milk
1 Stalk Fresh Lemon Grass sliced or crushed
3 cloves garlic thinly sliced or grated
½ tsp seeded and finely chopped chile peppers
1 or 2 Tbsp Fish Sauce depending on individual taste
½ tsp sugar
1 Tbsp Curry Powder
Put chicken or pork strips into marinade overnight ideally or at least 2 hours.
Thread meat onto skewers and grill, turning occasionally until cooked. Placed cooked skewers on platter and serve with peanut dipping sauce.
Peanut Sauce:
½ cup canola oil
¼ tsp curry powder
1 can coconut milk
3 ½ Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 cup chunky peanut butter or less, (gauge consistency of sauce, start with ½ cup and you can always add more if you want thicker.)
3 kaffir lime leaves or 1 Tbsp lime juice
1-3 Tbsp fish sauce to taste
1 Tbsp red curry paste (this is hot so use caution, start with ½ Tbsp and taste before adding entire tablespoon)
2 tsp Tamarind powder or paste ( if you don’t have this, or can’t find ingredient just skip it or add 1 tsp lime juice.)
On medium heat on stove, heat oil. Add curry, coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar and curry powder. Stir frequently, add peanut butter, tamarind, until sauce thickens. Add Kaffir lime leaves and remove from heat. Remove leaves when ready to serve.
That sounds pretty exciting doesn’t it? As you know I love to cook, and it happens that most of my family members are exceptional cooks as well. So imagine what happens when you put 4 of us together for a week on vacation… phenomenal cooking! It all started when my mother planned a special week of golf in Florida at her house inviting myself and my 2 wonderful sisters (sisters in law) as well. The only agenda was golf, sun, pool and each of us would take a night to cook and where needed, we would pitch in to do, “team cooking”. Sounds good doesn’t it?
Let me paint the picture for you: sunny, balmy Southern Florida near Naples at the Gulf Coast. Leisurely days, beautiful home and gourmet kitchen. Golf lessons by day, with one alligator sighting. That was about as relaxing as you could ask for and then swimming, movies and cooking with family in the late afternoon & evening.
Here’s how the menus panned out, each meal was outrageously good and unmatched by any restaurant. Dessert? M & M’s! Even gourmets love a good treat…
Pam’s Menus:
Crispy Roasted Duck caramelized with Cherry Basil Sauce
Avocado and grapefruit salad with homemade Red French dressing
Oven roasted Asparagus
Mom made this meal and it was absolutely delicious, over the top….
Roast Duck
Roast your duck at 250 degrees for 3 hours. Take out of oven and tent with foil until ready to finish. Do not refrigerate. When ready to finish, put back in oven at 450 degrees to crisp for 20 minutes… then spread your cherry basil sauce over the bird and roast at 425 for 10 minutes to caramelize. It will be succulent and juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside.
Avocado and grapefruit salad drizzled with homemade Red French dressing (a family recipe over 100 years old.) This is a composed salad of grapefruit and avocado sections on Boston lettuce.
Oven roasted Asparagus- Roast at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Salt & Pepper to taste and butter.
Red French Dressing Recipe- Courtesy of Pam Ytterberg. This recipe was handed down from Pam’s side of the family from her mother, Elsie Tillinghast Brown.
½ Cup Vegetable Oil
¼ Cup Cider Vinegar
1/3 Cup Catsup
2 Tbsp Sugar 1 tsp Prepared Mustard
2 Tbsp Grated Onion 1 tsp Salt
Juice of ½ Lemon 1 tsp Paprika
Mix Ingredients until emulsified and serve.
Beef Tenderloin
Zucchini “Canoes” stuffed with mixed vegetables
Homemade Ciabatta Bread
Beef Tenderloin- Season with Alderwood Smoked Salt or salt of your choice. Grill to preferred rareness.
Zucchini Canoes- Hollow out zucchini horizontally and blanche. Then stuff with chopped tomatoes, garlic, zucchini & basil. Top with bread crumbs and bake at 350 degrees until heated through.
Marci’s Menu:
Pork Tenderloin sandwich on Homemade Ciabatta Bread
Mixed Greens Salad with Beefsteak Tomatoes
I can’t even begin to tell you how delicious this is…this is Marci’s own recipe and you will love it!
The Pork is marinated in an amazing orange, ginger marinade:
2 individual pork tenderloins
½ tsp Salt
½ Tbsp cracked black peppercorns
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger root
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 or more to taste Tbsp brown sugar
1 Cup orange juice
1 Tbsp orange zest
Mix ingredients well and cover or place in plastic bag with the tenderloin to marinate overnight if possible or at least for 1 hour.
When ready to cook, reserve marinade. Roast or grill until cooked through. Slice in thin slices. Cook marinade on stove top until reduced by at least half. Serve over sliced tenderloin.
Next take 1/2 cup mayo & 1/2 cup yogurt and curry and mix together. Spread the curry/mayo spread liberally on ciabatta and then spread a layer of mango chutney on top of that on one of pieces of bread. Next, add slices of pork tenderloin
This was served with a salad of mixed greens and sliced, ripe, beefsteak tomatoes tossed with vinaigrette.
Kim’s Menu:
Barbequed Chicken with bourbon barbeque sauce
Roasted Corn on the Cob
Tomato Salad
This all-American meal so hit the spot! It was hot and humid out and this summer menu satisfied. It was delicious; the chicken was perfectly grilled, cooked expertly by Kim. It was moist on the inside with no dryness and a crispy delicious skin.
The Barbeque sauce is non-smokey barbeque sauce mixed with bourbon and the result is phenomenal! You could add 1 or 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar to thicken if desired.
The corn cobs were put in the oven, husks left on and roasted at 375degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Once you take the corn out the oven, corn silk slides right off and the husks do as well.
The Tomato Salad was created by cutting up chunks of beefsteak tomatoes and mixing with ground salt and pepper to taste.
We could not get enough of this meal, it was wonderful…
Susan’s Menu:
Chinese Homemade Potstickers
Chinese ribs with honey glaze
Thai Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
Pad Thai
This was an amibitious menu for one meal but made for a lot of fun and delicious left overs! Assembling the potstickers was a group effort and a simple and fun thing to do that involves the whole party as you prepare this meal. We had a lot of fun doing this! The ribs are succulent and quite easy to make and the Satay is delicious.
Potstickers
1 Package round pot sticker skins
4 Cups Chicken Broth
1 lb ground pork
2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
4 tsp soy sauce
4 tsp sherry
4 tsp sesame oil
Marinate the ground pork in the ginger, soy sauce, sherry and sesame oil for 4 hours or overnight is best.
4 Tbsp cilantro
2 cups chopped napa cabbage
4 Tbsp finely chopped green onions
Mix the cilantro, cabbage & green onions into the pork mixture. Mix well
Drop 1 Tbsp of filling into the center of the potsticker skin. Dip index finger into water and circle perimeter of potsticker wrapper. Fold wrapper over the filling to make a half circle and press closed. Sit upright with filling side on plate. To cook, heat a few Tbsp of oil in a pan, put pot stickers in hot pan and fry til bottom is golden brown. Then pour 1 cup chicken broth into pan, cover over medium heat to cook until most of liquid is gone. Remove lid and cook another minute to absorb last of liquid then remove cooked pot stickers from pan. Repeat until all potstickers are cooked.
Chinese Ribs with Honey Glaze
The basis of this recipe came from the China Moon Cookbook by Barbara Tropp, “Maltose-Glazed Baked Spareribs” but I have made numerous revisions to create an easy to use recipe. Credit for the idea goes to Barbara Tropp who I admire as a subject matter expert in Chinese cooking.
1 Rack Baby Back Ribs cut in half and put in large zip lock bag
Marinade for Ribs:
¼ cup sherry or rice wine
2 tsp peppercorns
¼ Cup chopped ginger
3/4 cup chicken stock
Pour marinade ingredients in zip lock bag and refrigerate overnight for best results
Honey Glaze: ( You may want to double this recipe because it is so good. The quantity below makes just enough for one recipe)
¼ cup Hoisin Sauce
¼ cup Sherry
2-3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
2 tsp Chinese Chile Sauce
¼ cup Honey
1/3 cup finely chopped green onions
1 Tbsp finely chopped or grated garlic
1 Tbsp finely chopped or grated fresh garlic
Put all the ingredients for the glaze in a pot on stove, mix and simmer for approx 3 minutes. Remove from stove and reserve for glazing ribs. As it cools it will thicken.
Preheat over to 425 degrees. Remove ribs from marinade and discard ziplock bag with marinade. Rub Ribs (top and bottom of rack) with a mixture of 3 Tsps brown sugar, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, 1 Tbsp garlic.
Place ribs meat side up on cookie sheet and cook at 425 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and coat top and sides of ribs with Honey Glaze, letting it pool a little on top of ribs. Save extra glaze to pour over ribs at dinner. Put ribs back in oven at 425 degrees and cook 10 to 15 minutes until glaze has carmelized. ( You can expect that the glaze that drips off ribs onto pan will burn and smoke when you are cooking but the glaze on the ribs won’t burn so that’s fine.) Remove from oven and let rest for 10 to 15 minute and then cut into individual ribs. Serve on platter, drizzle extra glaze over ribs. Garnish with green onions.
Chicken or Pork Satay
Bamboo Skewers- soak in water so they don’t burn on grill
1 ½ lbs pork or chicken – slice into 3 or 4 inch strips
Marinade:
½ to ¾ Can Coconut Milk
1 Stalk Fresh Lemon Grass sliced or crushed
3 cloves garlic thinly sliced or grated
½ tsp seeded and finely chopped chile peppers
1 or 2 Tbsp Fish Sauce depending on individual taste
½ tsp sugar
1 Tbsp Curry Powder
Put chicken or pork strips into marinade overnight ideally or at least 2 hours.
Thread meat onto skewers and grill, turning occasionally until cooked. Placed cooked skewers on platter and serve with peanut dipping sauce.
Peanut Sauce:
½ cup canola oil
¼ tsp curry powder
1 can coconut milk
3 ½ Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 cup chunky peanut butter or less, (gauge consistency of sauce, start with ½ cup and you can always add more if you want thicker.)
3 kaffir lime leaves or 1 Tbsp lime juice
1-3 Tbsp fish sauce to taste
1 Tbsp red curry paste (this is hot so use caution, start with ½ Tbsp and taste before adding entire tablespoon)
2 tsp Tamarind powder or paste ( if you don’t have this, or can’t find ingredient just skip it or add 1 tsp lime juice.)
On medium heat on stove, heat oil. Add curry, coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar and curry powder. Stir frequently, add peanut butter, tamarind, until sauce thickens. Add Kaffir lime leaves and remove from heat. Remove leaves when ready to serve.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Resource List: Where to Go
Resources: Where to Go…
In response to requests I’ve received from some readers, I have put together a short list of culinary resources I’ve found and go back to often. It would take weeks to research all the amazing culinary resources available to us in the U.S. and there is no inference of one being better than the other on my list. There are so many excellent resources that aren’t listed here and there is no intention of slighting them- if I had my way, I would spend my all time going around the country trying them all! This list doesn’t include all the amazing gourmet food stores out there, too many to count!
Enjoy discovering your favorites…
Cooking Classes:
Draegers- San Mateo, CA and multiple locations in the Bay Area. This is an extraordinary gourmet food store, kitchen supply store and cooking school. Draegers attracts big name chefs and the demo classes are great.
Viking Home Chef- Walnut Creek, CA
Ramekins- Sonoma, CA
Cakebread Winery- Napa, CA
California Culinary Academy- San Francisco, CA
New School for Cooking- Culver City, CA. I can’t even begin to tell you how great this place is. Not only are the workshop classes excellent, the recipes are absolutely delicious and consistently deliver.
Sur La Table- National. I took an amazing pasta making class here that changed my life. Basically, play dough for grown ups with the added bonus of being edible and delicious.
Williams Sonoma- National
Cooks of Crocus Hill- St. Paul, MN
The Ritz- National
Border Grill/Ciudad restaurants- Santa Monica & LA, CA
Delius- Long Beach, CA. Gourmet restaurant with an extraordinary chef now offering cooking classes
Prep- Seal Beach, CA. Gourmet kitchen-ware store and excellent cooking classes!
Food Writing:
If you are interested in learning about professional food writing, writing a cook book, self-publishing etc. I encourage you to sign up for a class with Dianne Jacob in the Bay Area.
http://www.diannej.com/
Whether you want to just put together a little book of your family’s recipes and self-publish or really want to become a professional food writer/author, her writing course is excellent. Dianne addresses methods for sourcing a publisher, how to write a proposal and pitch letter, resources for self-publishing, and the how-to’s of recipe writing, writing articles etc. Dianne’s focus is also on developing your writing skills and we did several writing exercises in class which we then shared with the group.
Dianne demystifies the steps and provides you with the road map you need to start your project. Dianne is a wealth of knowledge and one of those generous people who is willing to share it all with you.
I originally found Dianne Jacob through the Writing Salon in Berkeley, CA. and she also holds classes at Book Passages in Corte Madera. You can check out her web site http://www.diannej.com/ClassesandAppers.shtml for more class info. Dianne is a professional journalist & editor and publishes a quarterly newsletter.
Dianne Jacob books:
http://www.diannej.com/DiannesBook.shtml
Grilled Pizzas & Piadinas by Craig Priebe and Dianne Jacob. Just released in April 2008 with praise from Wolfgang Puck! This is a beautiful book and if you could eat the pages, you would-the pictures & recipes look so good.
Will Write for Food If you would like to learn more about food writing, this is an outstanding book to add to your library.
Kitchen Stores/Professional Cooking Supply Stores:
Paganos- Alameda, CA. This is one of those large, old fashioned hardware stores with the unlikely twist of having a great kitchen-ware department.
Surfas- Culver City, CA. All I have to say is hold me back! I LOVE this place. Across the street from New School for Cooking. If you’re in L.A. and love to cook this should not be missed. Easy to find on Washington at National.
The Village Gourmet- Evergreen, Colorado
The Peppercorn- Boulder, Colorado. Gorgeous, extensive selection of kitchen ware, gourmet candies, beautiful linens, etc.
Chefs Warehouse- South San Francisco, CA
East Bay Restaurant Supply- Oakland, CA
Prep- Seal Beach, CA
Penzeys- Amazing spice store. Minneapolis, Tustin and many other U.S. locations
Williams Sonoma- National
Sur La Table- National
The Japan Woodworker- Alameda, CA. This is a special place and not really a kitchen store but they specialize in high-end Japanese knives, woodworking tools etc.
Forrest Jones- San Francisco, CA. I love this place, wonderful kitchen supplies, gorgeous wicker baskets, picnic baskets, place mats, chef’s knives etc.
In response to requests I’ve received from some readers, I have put together a short list of culinary resources I’ve found and go back to often. It would take weeks to research all the amazing culinary resources available to us in the U.S. and there is no inference of one being better than the other on my list. There are so many excellent resources that aren’t listed here and there is no intention of slighting them- if I had my way, I would spend my all time going around the country trying them all! This list doesn’t include all the amazing gourmet food stores out there, too many to count!
Enjoy discovering your favorites…
Cooking Classes:
Draegers- San Mateo, CA and multiple locations in the Bay Area. This is an extraordinary gourmet food store, kitchen supply store and cooking school. Draegers attracts big name chefs and the demo classes are great.
Viking Home Chef- Walnut Creek, CA
Ramekins- Sonoma, CA
Cakebread Winery- Napa, CA
California Culinary Academy- San Francisco, CA
New School for Cooking- Culver City, CA. I can’t even begin to tell you how great this place is. Not only are the workshop classes excellent, the recipes are absolutely delicious and consistently deliver.
Sur La Table- National. I took an amazing pasta making class here that changed my life. Basically, play dough for grown ups with the added bonus of being edible and delicious.
Williams Sonoma- National
Cooks of Crocus Hill- St. Paul, MN
The Ritz- National
Border Grill/Ciudad restaurants- Santa Monica & LA, CA
Delius- Long Beach, CA. Gourmet restaurant with an extraordinary chef now offering cooking classes
Prep- Seal Beach, CA. Gourmet kitchen-ware store and excellent cooking classes!
Food Writing:
If you are interested in learning about professional food writing, writing a cook book, self-publishing etc. I encourage you to sign up for a class with Dianne Jacob in the Bay Area.
http://www.diannej.com/
Whether you want to just put together a little book of your family’s recipes and self-publish or really want to become a professional food writer/author, her writing course is excellent. Dianne addresses methods for sourcing a publisher, how to write a proposal and pitch letter, resources for self-publishing, and the how-to’s of recipe writing, writing articles etc. Dianne’s focus is also on developing your writing skills and we did several writing exercises in class which we then shared with the group.
Dianne demystifies the steps and provides you with the road map you need to start your project. Dianne is a wealth of knowledge and one of those generous people who is willing to share it all with you.
I originally found Dianne Jacob through the Writing Salon in Berkeley, CA. and she also holds classes at Book Passages in Corte Madera. You can check out her web site http://www.diannej.com/ClassesandAppers.shtml for more class info. Dianne is a professional journalist & editor and publishes a quarterly newsletter.
Dianne Jacob books:
http://www.diannej.com/DiannesBook.shtml
Grilled Pizzas & Piadinas by Craig Priebe and Dianne Jacob. Just released in April 2008 with praise from Wolfgang Puck! This is a beautiful book and if you could eat the pages, you would-the pictures & recipes look so good.
Will Write for Food If you would like to learn more about food writing, this is an outstanding book to add to your library.
Kitchen Stores/Professional Cooking Supply Stores:
Paganos- Alameda, CA. This is one of those large, old fashioned hardware stores with the unlikely twist of having a great kitchen-ware department.
Surfas- Culver City, CA. All I have to say is hold me back! I LOVE this place. Across the street from New School for Cooking. If you’re in L.A. and love to cook this should not be missed. Easy to find on Washington at National.
The Village Gourmet- Evergreen, Colorado
The Peppercorn- Boulder, Colorado. Gorgeous, extensive selection of kitchen ware, gourmet candies, beautiful linens, etc.
Chefs Warehouse- South San Francisco, CA
East Bay Restaurant Supply- Oakland, CA
Prep- Seal Beach, CA
Penzeys- Amazing spice store. Minneapolis, Tustin and many other U.S. locations
Williams Sonoma- National
Sur La Table- National
The Japan Woodworker- Alameda, CA. This is a special place and not really a kitchen store but they specialize in high-end Japanese knives, woodworking tools etc.
Forrest Jones- San Francisco, CA. I love this place, wonderful kitchen supplies, gorgeous wicker baskets, picnic baskets, place mats, chef’s knives etc.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
A Lotta Dough
Who wouldn’t want to win a MILLION DOLLARS?.... That’s what I thought.
I was amazed when I read this article about the Pillsbury Company’s Baking Contest and the lovely woman who won last month. Out of 100 finalists, her peanut butter cookie recipe wowed the judges and she was the happy recipient of the grand prize.
My first reaction when I read this article was, “why on earth have I never done this contest?” And then I remembered, “oh, I don’t like to bake”… well, I would like to rescind that sentiment because for 1 million dollars, I am happy to be a little more flexible about this rule I have made for myself in the cooking department and apply the power of concentration to overcome this personality defect.
(See Link below to Pillsbury’s official website)
http://www.pillsbury.com/BakeOff/Default.aspx?WT.ac=bo_announcement
Since all of us love to cook or we would not be writing or reading this blog, I think we need to put our great cooking skills to work- wouldn’t you like to win big bucks? I can think of a lot of things I’d do with that money including buy a house with a great kitchen to support my cooking habit, go to Lorenza D’Medici’s cooking school at her palazzo in Tuscany, go on one of those week cooking journeys with Joanne Weir, etc.
It looks like the contest has different categories you can enter under. Since the most recent contest just ended, they don’t have the dates or rules posted yet for the next one. But check it out! Read the rules and start thinking about recipes you’ve created that might be possibilities for next year’s contest. What I love about this contest despite the fact that it involves baking (which is very detail oriented), is that it involves creativity and originality by the cook. Many of you have family recipes passed down through the generations or ones you make all the time that friends and family rave about. Now’s the time to get out the spatula and apron and start practicing!
This sort of event conjures up a feeling of a different era, circa 1960’s or 70’s when you think about a baking contest, doesn’t it? But that fact is, cooking is big business these days and what a great way to promote a brand name and public interest in a product. I’m perfectly okay with that because Pillsbury is not only making cooking fun, but they are also sharing the wealth! For some good cookie dough, they’ll give you a lot of dough.
I was amazed when I read this article about the Pillsbury Company’s Baking Contest and the lovely woman who won last month. Out of 100 finalists, her peanut butter cookie recipe wowed the judges and she was the happy recipient of the grand prize.
My first reaction when I read this article was, “why on earth have I never done this contest?” And then I remembered, “oh, I don’t like to bake”… well, I would like to rescind that sentiment because for 1 million dollars, I am happy to be a little more flexible about this rule I have made for myself in the cooking department and apply the power of concentration to overcome this personality defect.
(See Link below to Pillsbury’s official website)
http://www.pillsbury.com/BakeOff/Default.aspx?WT.ac=bo_announcement
Since all of us love to cook or we would not be writing or reading this blog, I think we need to put our great cooking skills to work- wouldn’t you like to win big bucks? I can think of a lot of things I’d do with that money including buy a house with a great kitchen to support my cooking habit, go to Lorenza D’Medici’s cooking school at her palazzo in Tuscany, go on one of those week cooking journeys with Joanne Weir, etc.
It looks like the contest has different categories you can enter under. Since the most recent contest just ended, they don’t have the dates or rules posted yet for the next one. But check it out! Read the rules and start thinking about recipes you’ve created that might be possibilities for next year’s contest. What I love about this contest despite the fact that it involves baking (which is very detail oriented), is that it involves creativity and originality by the cook. Many of you have family recipes passed down through the generations or ones you make all the time that friends and family rave about. Now’s the time to get out the spatula and apron and start practicing!
This sort of event conjures up a feeling of a different era, circa 1960’s or 70’s when you think about a baking contest, doesn’t it? But that fact is, cooking is big business these days and what a great way to promote a brand name and public interest in a product. I’m perfectly okay with that because Pillsbury is not only making cooking fun, but they are also sharing the wealth! For some good cookie dough, they’ll give you a lot of dough.
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