december – crepes gateau, chocolate and
caramalized orange
two dips to dunk your abundant and crisp summer
vegetables in as you loll by the pool, bask at the ocean, lounge
around the lake, or throw ice in your bathtub!
august 2004 -
bagna cauda, hot anchovy and garlic dip
this hot dip is a pleasant contrast to the chilled fresh seasonal
vegetables. in italian, bagna cauda literally means "hot bath."
what a way to bathe our palates!
makes 1 1/2 cups
1/2 cup oil-packed anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
8 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup olive oil
6 garlic cloves, or more, finely chopped,
fresh chopped parsley and basil for garnish
combine the butter, olive oil and garlic in a medium saucepan
over low heat. stir constantly till the butter melts. add the
finely chopped anchovies and the sun-dried tomatoes, stir well.
set aside for at least 2 hours before using as a dip for crisp
raw vegetables.
this is great with freshly washed spinach and bibb lettuce leaves,
meaty red and yellow peppers, delicate baby squash, sweet carrots,
snowy white mushrooms, and still crunchy blanched broccoli and
cauliflower.
bacon scallion horseradish mustard
this mustard is so fabulous, inexpensive and robust, you'll wish
you were home alone to consume it all. change the life of many
a zucchini as you crudite and dip. an ordinary grilled cheese
sandwich becomes...a messenger from above. slip and slide it under
the skin of your chosen poultry before grilling. add it ala minute
to a lightly herbed yogurt sauce for grilled salmon. it's also
perfect to use as a dip for roasted new potatoes. just do it.
makes 3 cups
1 cup dry mustard, such as coleman's
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped crisp cooked bacon
1/2 cup finely chopped scallion
4 large eggs
2 tsp. dried tarragon
1-2 tsp. creamed horseradish
mix the mustard and the vinegar in a non-aluminum saucepan; let
sit for 10 minutes for the mustard to dissolve. whisk in the sugar,
eggs and the tarragon. cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly,
until the mixture thickens and is very hot to the touch, but do
not boil. stir in the bacon and the scallions. immediately remove
to a bowl or decorative glass jar and cool to room temperature.
this mustard may be kept tightly covered in the refrigerator for
several months. i double dare you to keep it that long.
september 2004 - ratatouille
1 eggplant, chopped
3 peppers (green, red, orange), chopped
head of garlic, chopped
1 green tomato, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
½ an onion, chopped
½ cup red wine
28 oz. can of tomatoes
8 oz. can of tomato paste
pour some olive oil on the bottom of a pot and turn the stove
to medium. put all chopped vegetables in the large pot on the
stove. saute for five minutes. add red wine. stir all vegetables
together. pour in the can of tomatoes and the paste. stir this
mixture for 20 minutes and then cover. let simmer for an hour
and 40 minutes. serve over pasta, polenta or risotto.
using a cutting board smash the garlic, salt it and mince it
very fine. place it in a large bowl and add the egg yolks. add
the saffron threads to dissolve them slightly. whisk in the olive
oil very slowly until you obtain a smooth mayonnaise consistency.
serve with boiled potatoes, seasonal vegetables, fish and
cold roasted beef or lamb.
october 2004 - apple tart with almonds and
pistachios
350g short crust or puff pastry
350g cooking apples
3 eggs
3 tbsp apricot jam
2 tbsp thin cream
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp ground almonds
2 tbsp chopped pistachios
butter
heat the oven to medium hot (220oc). peel and slice the apples.
grease the bottom of a baking tin with the butter and lay in the
pastry. prick the base several times with a fork. spread over
the apricot jam and layer on the apple slices. bake for 20 minutes.
meanwhile, beat the eggs lightly and stir in the cream, sugar,
almonds and pistachios. remove the tart from the oven, cover with
the egg mixture and return to the oven to bake for a further 15
minutes. allow to cool before removing from the baking tin.
conversions
1 kg = 2.2 lbs
0.45 kg = 1 lb
1 lt = 1.06 qt
0.95 lt = 1 qt
30 g=1oz = 2 tbs
60 g = 2 oz = 1/4 cup
115 g = 4 oz = 1/2 cup
180 g = 6 oz = 3/4 cup
225 g = 8 oz = 1 cup
450 g = 16 oz = 1 pint
november 2004 - torta di mandorle
this recipe came to me through danby seldin who was in our first
tuscan oven class with duke university. she worked at weaver street
market in pastry. i believe she told me it was her grandmother's
or her mother’s recipe. i would love to hear more of her stories.
at any rate, her recipe has been slightly modified with sambucca
and meyer lemon marmalade. i hope you, and danby, approve.
makes 1 tart
1/2 cup almond paste
1/3 cup sugar
2 t butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1 t sambucca
1 tsp. citrus zest
2 t all purpose flour
1/2 cup preserves or marmalade
use a kitchen aid type mixer with the flat paddle attachment.
blend the almond paste and the sugar till one mass. add the butter
and blend till neither is identifiable. add the eggs, sambucca
and lemon, then add the flour. smooth ½ cup of your chosen marmalade
in the bottom of the unbaked tart shell. add the almond filling
and bake at 375 for 30 minutes.
december 2004 - crepes gateau, chocolate
and caramalized orange
makes about 12 crepes 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup water, more as needed
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
3 tablespoons melted butter combined with 1 tablespoon vegetable
oil
for the crepes:
grab a blender and make the crepe batter.
combine the flour, the eggs, milk, water, and salt and 3 tablespoons
of melted butter and blend at high speed for a few seconds. turn
the blender off and scrape down the sides and process again for
a few seconds. it will look like heavy cream. pour the batter
into a large bowl and set aside for at least 30 minutes before
using.
while the batter is resting, prepare the fillings.
when ready to make the crepes, heat the crepe pan over high heat
until a drop of water evaporates instantly. use a pastry brush
to lightly brush the surface with the butter/oil combination.
with a small ladle pour 2 ounces of the batter onto the hot pan
surface. tip the pan so the batter quickly covers the bottom of
the pan. the ideal crepe is paper thin, unlike the ideal chef.
you may have to do this a few times to get the hang of it. cook
the crepe for a minute or till there is a rim of golden brown
around the edge.
turn the crepe with a spatula and cook the other side for about
a minute.. slide crepe off onto a large plate, and continue the
process with the remaining batter.
chocolate ganache filling
12 crepes
16 ounces semisweet chocolate, chips or chopped
8 ounces heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract or orange flower water
place the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. then heat the
cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until the cream is
very hot and near to boiling. pour this into the bowl with the
chocolate. allow it to sit for a minute, add extracts, then stir
the melted chocolate and cream together until shiny and thick.
store at room temperature for as long as two hours before using.
caramelized orange syrup
zest and juice of 1 orange
flesh of 2 tangerines, chopped (no seeds please)
1 cup sugar, caramelized
place the cup of sugar to be caramelized in a medium size heavy
skillet. first and most important is that hot sugar burns as badly
as hot oil. and since it is so sticky it continues to burn while
it is stuck on you. so. i have never had a problem with anyone
getting burned but i always give this warning: use gloves, mitts,
whatever to handle the pan. do not consider or even think of tasting
the hot sugar with a finger. ok here we go. turn the heat to medium
high and prepare to watch the sugar until it’s finished. this
will take approximately 5 minutes. the first signs of the sugar
caramelizing will be the edges of the sugar melting into a light
brown liquid. do not stir the sugar at this point. just wait.
in another minute or so you will notice the middle of the sugar
is beginning to melt as well. i use the general rule that when
half the sugar in the pan is melted, then it is okay to stir.
you can use a wooden spoon or one of the new fancy heat-proof
rubber scrapers. stir gently until all the sugar is melted. remove
the pan from the heat and add the juice and tangerines. this will
splash and sputter at you because the caramel is so hot. be careful!
layer the crepes by spreading with the chocolate ganache and
continue till all crepes are used. pour the sauce over the stack,
slice in wedges and serve.
