As the mercury of summer rises, who wants to crank up the oven to bake dessert? Summer is the time for chilled and frozen treats to indulge your sweet tooth cravings. Ice cream always tops the list of summer favorites, whether you make a batch at home or take an evening drive over to your neighborhood ice cream shoppe. Within a short driving distance from my home on Long Island are two such meccas: McNutty's in Miller Place and Hollywood Sweets in Ridge both serve up that creamy decadence which defines summer. Both venues offer quality ice cream in an array of flavors, and an extensive selection of toppings and cones for even the most creative minds of sundae construction. A much better option than chasing after the good humor truck for some not-so-good corporate frozen glop on a stick. For anyone taking a weekend trip to Mystic, Connecticut, do not come home without stopping at Drawbridge Ice Cream in Mystic, where you will experience the creamiest example of ice cream indulgence. For New York city day trippers, a cup of gelato from a gelato stand in Little Italy will take the chill off and send you right to heaven.
Cheesecake can be a refreshing summer dessert option, especially when the farm stands can provide ingredients for some luscious and opulent toppings, like blueberries or raspberries. Some other chilled oven-free desserts include panna cotta, an Italian custard which can be crowned with fruity toppings like strawberries, traditional French chocolate mousse, old-fashioned ice box cake, and Brian's favorite: peanut butter chocolate mousse pie. We first had this dessert at a resort on vacation in St. Thomas. I then tried to duplicate it at home and, in my humble beginnings as a home cook, managed to accomplish that using a lot of short-cut processed ingredients. I wanted to surprise Brian today with his favorite, only this time I took my years of learned culinary skills and set out to make this dessert with better ingredients, and I amped up the wow factor with an added topping. The result: well let's just say I don't think we need to do a pre-rinse before running his plate through the dishwasher, or the pie dish for that matter!
PEANUT BUTTER-CHOCOLATE MOUSSE PIE
Ingredients:
14 chocolate graham crackers or chocolate wafers, ground in food processor
1/3 cup sugar
1 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup melted semi-sweet chocolate
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Lindt dark chocolate bar, chilled, then broken into shards
1/2 cup salted roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
5 peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly combine graham cracker crumbs, 1/3 cup sugar and melted butter. Press into bottom and up the sides of 8 or 9-inch pie dish. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the peanut butter, melted chocolate and condensed milk until well blended. In a mixer bowl with a wire whisk attachment, whip heavy cream, 3 tablespoons sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream mixture into peanut butter mixture until well incorporated. Empty contents into prepared pie crust. Place in freezer for at least six hours. In a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients, then cover the top of the frozen pie with this mixture.
Should serve six, but it never does seem to go that far in this house! This dessert covers all the bases: a cookie crust, that sinfully creamy frozen mousse filling, the chocolate-candy-nuts topping ... no one who loves that all-American flavor combination of peanut butter and chocolate will be disappointed.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
A Taste of the Tropics
Remember your Caribbean vacation? I sure do. Life is so relaxed, yet the food and the music are so lively. I've never understood the typical American tourist who goes on vacation, stays in a five star resort, and dines in the resort's Americanized restaurant on chicken fingers and french fries! Whenever Brian and I go on vacation, sure we stay at the resorts, but we usually boycott these eateries and seek out the dining establishments where local inhabitants serve up their local fare. We've never been disappointed, and usually end up adding a local cookbook to our shopping list of must-buy souvenirs. As a couple who embraces food of all nations, tropical dishes are no exception.
Tonight I will be serving it up hot with grilled Jamaican jerk chicken. Jerk is a very spicy marinade which is not only great on chicken, but I have used it on pork tenderloin and also shrimp. There are many variations of recipes for a jerk marinade, probably as many as there are Jamaican grandmothers; but the one important commonality among them is the ingredient of the habanro pepper, also referred to as the Scotch bonnet pepper. It is one of the hottest peppers in the world, so it gives a jerk marinade plenty of heat. We'll be cooling things down with a pitcher of mojitos, a Cuban cocktail containing mulled mint, simple syrup, rum, lime and seltzer. The coolness of the mint and the fizziness of the seltzer make this a very refreshing drink. For a side dish I am making black beans and rice. Just about every Caribbean locale dishes out beans and rice or peas and rice on the side. I came up with a version of my own which seems to work well not only as a side for Caribbean food, but also with Mexican food and southwestern fare as well.
BLACK BEANS AND RICE
Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup brown rice
2 cups chicken stock (I like Kitchen Basics, nothing in there that you wouldn't use if making your own)
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 15-ounce can black beans
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute until transleucent. Stir in the garlic and saute for one minute. Stir in the oregano, salt, pepper and rice, until everything in the skillet is combined. Add the stock, tomatoes and beans. Stir, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the rice is tender.
Serves four.
This is a recipe that is meant to be tweaked of you want to experiment with combinations more specific to your menu's ethnicity. You could substitute red beans for the black ones. Or you could switch out the brown rice for white rice, add some saffron, and use pigeon peas instead of the black beans. Or instead of tomatoes, use a cup of diced bell peppers in whatever color strikes your mood and maybe add a teaspoon of chili powder. When you're the cook, you get to play with your food!
Remember, ambience makes the meal more enjoyable and memorable. Music is one key ingredient, so with this dinner I'll be putting on CDs of reggae greats, Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. Table setting for a tropical meal should include boldly-colored tropical blooms in the vase and vivid shades, such as turquoise, in either the table linens or the plates. Some strategically placed sea shells on the table will work too.
Tonight I will be serving it up hot with grilled Jamaican jerk chicken. Jerk is a very spicy marinade which is not only great on chicken, but I have used it on pork tenderloin and also shrimp. There are many variations of recipes for a jerk marinade, probably as many as there are Jamaican grandmothers; but the one important commonality among them is the ingredient of the habanro pepper, also referred to as the Scotch bonnet pepper. It is one of the hottest peppers in the world, so it gives a jerk marinade plenty of heat. We'll be cooling things down with a pitcher of mojitos, a Cuban cocktail containing mulled mint, simple syrup, rum, lime and seltzer. The coolness of the mint and the fizziness of the seltzer make this a very refreshing drink. For a side dish I am making black beans and rice. Just about every Caribbean locale dishes out beans and rice or peas and rice on the side. I came up with a version of my own which seems to work well not only as a side for Caribbean food, but also with Mexican food and southwestern fare as well.
BLACK BEANS AND RICE
Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup brown rice
2 cups chicken stock (I like Kitchen Basics, nothing in there that you wouldn't use if making your own)
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 15-ounce can black beans
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute until transleucent. Stir in the garlic and saute for one minute. Stir in the oregano, salt, pepper and rice, until everything in the skillet is combined. Add the stock, tomatoes and beans. Stir, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the rice is tender.
Serves four.
This is a recipe that is meant to be tweaked of you want to experiment with combinations more specific to your menu's ethnicity. You could substitute red beans for the black ones. Or you could switch out the brown rice for white rice, add some saffron, and use pigeon peas instead of the black beans. Or instead of tomatoes, use a cup of diced bell peppers in whatever color strikes your mood and maybe add a teaspoon of chili powder. When you're the cook, you get to play with your food!
Remember, ambience makes the meal more enjoyable and memorable. Music is one key ingredient, so with this dinner I'll be putting on CDs of reggae greats, Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. Table setting for a tropical meal should include boldly-colored tropical blooms in the vase and vivid shades, such as turquoise, in either the table linens or the plates. Some strategically placed sea shells on the table will work too.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Buy Local
It's a great time to be a Long Islander. The farm stands are all brimming with fresh produce, colorful, bountiful, and bursting with flavor. Excursions to these venues also offer spontaneous surprises on the dinner table.
Tonight I made roast salmon with a creamy mustard sauce, farfalle pasta with homemade pesto and chopped plum tomatoes, and the farm stand's contribution: a medley of sauteed squashes with garlic and fresh herbs. As the slices of squash browned in the pan, the aroma was comforting and enticing.
Yesterday we snacked on local blueberries and grilled local corn on the cob with dinner. If you are fortunate enough to live in an area with farm stands to browse, take a ride to them at least once a week, see what looks good, and plan the dinner menu around your purchase. Summer is prime time for fresh corn, tomatoes, summer squashes, peppers, eggplant, herbs, berries, watermelon and peaches. Local is always fresher, because the provisions have not had to be transported across the country. Many farm stands carry other locally-produced foods, such as cheeses and honey. While you're browsing, there are often some fun, whimsical items to dress up your patio, deck or garden.
Another plus to being a Long Island dweller: the wine scene. The entire twin forks are peppered with vineyards and, as with produce, I feel good about supporting our local growers, thus making the effort to pour locally-produced wines with dinner.
SUMMER SQUASH MEDLEY WITH HERBS
Ingredients:
Tonight I made roast salmon with a creamy mustard sauce, farfalle pasta with homemade pesto and chopped plum tomatoes, and the farm stand's contribution: a medley of sauteed squashes with garlic and fresh herbs. As the slices of squash browned in the pan, the aroma was comforting and enticing.
Yesterday we snacked on local blueberries and grilled local corn on the cob with dinner. If you are fortunate enough to live in an area with farm stands to browse, take a ride to them at least once a week, see what looks good, and plan the dinner menu around your purchase. Summer is prime time for fresh corn, tomatoes, summer squashes, peppers, eggplant, herbs, berries, watermelon and peaches. Local is always fresher, because the provisions have not had to be transported across the country. Many farm stands carry other locally-produced foods, such as cheeses and honey. While you're browsing, there are often some fun, whimsical items to dress up your patio, deck or garden.
Another plus to being a Long Island dweller: the wine scene. The entire twin forks are peppered with vineyards and, as with produce, I feel good about supporting our local growers, thus making the effort to pour locally-produced wines with dinner.
SUMMER SQUASH MEDLEY WITH HERBS
Ingredients:
4 zucchini, sliced into quarter-inch slices
2 yellow summer squash, sliced into quarter-inch slices
4-6 small pattypan squash, sliced into quarter-inch slices
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a large saute pan on medium-high heat. Add all the squashes and saute, allowing the slices to start browning. Add minced garlic and continue to saute until squash is very tender. Stir in the herbs, season to taste with salt and pepper, continue to saute for another minute, then serve.
4-6 servings
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Comforting Farewell
As I steal a glance outside the window, the atmosphere is grey and promises to rain; the thermometer is hesitant to nudge above a chilly forty degrees. While the raindrops begin to pelt the window pain, friends upstate will have a different scenic view as they watch snowflakes tumble down like dice to coat the grounds yet again. Such is the ushering in of spring here in the northeast. Although spring began over a week ago and we certainly have been taunted with bright sunny days and temperatures which broke the rules as they climbed to seventy in March, we still have those days to remind us that winter does not want to go quietly into its good night. Soon we will have plenty of opportunity for cold salads and lemonade and for firing up the barbecue grill. For now, we should make the most of those last vestiges of chilling temperatures and seize these days to make just a few last meals of what we like to call comfort food.
Comfort food is very simply that: food which is comforting. Comfort dishes are often cold weather fare, because to prepare them is comforting as the oven or the pot on the stove provides a warmth which permeates our home. The aromas are also comforting as they are scents which make one feel like they have gone to best place on earth. A perfect example for me is the smell of Italian foods and ingredients. Whenever I walk into an Italian pork store, all the scents of roasting garlic and eggplant, simmering tomato sauce, broccoli rabe being sauteed, and the wafting fragrance of sausages and cheeses are all comforting to me; it is aromatherapy as its best. I experience the same sensation at home when a lasagna is baking in the oven. Comfort food also warms us through and through when we savor that first mouthful of bubbling macaroni and cheese that just made its trek from the oven to the table, bringing forth the sensation of being enveloped in a warming blanket. Comfort food is also reminiscent as the lifelong favorite dish teleports us back to childhood, memories of coming home from school to the aromas of a homemade dinner being prepared by mom, our original provider of comfort, security and love. Those cravings to prepare such dishes years later are merely a desire to return to those carefree days of experiencing the feelings that emerge when dining on fare which says 'I love you, I will comfort you, I will keep you warm and safe.'
Everyone's tastes vary, as do their ethnic backgrounds, and so comfort foods are diverse; the ultimate experience however is best achieved with homemade variations. There is also something very satisfying, and comforting about trying to duplicate a dish that mom used to make, then tasting it and being instantly brought back in time as you conclude 'Oh, yeah, wow, that's it, that's exactly how I remember it!' Because, as defined above, many of these dishes come from quite far back in our family trees, they are usually very basic fare that can often be taken for granted in these times of gourmet cooking as celebrity chefs tempt us with new and exotic ingredients. Some of the most popular entrees to make the top ten list of favorite comfort foods include macaroni and cheese, lasagna, beef stew, meatloaf with mashed potatoes, roast chicken, chili, spaghetti with meatballs, chicken stews and hearty homemade soups. Comfort food can also be a pick-me-up, something in the way of a treat. Homemade apple pie, brownies and chocolate chip cookies fit that bill. Again, basics which were made at home for generations. While ingredients may be tweaked occasionally for some updated 'wow' factor, there are times when the familiarity of the basic original incarnation can still be the most comforting.
Sadly, not everyone has had the good fortune of growing up in a stable home with daily homemade dinners being served. Don't worry, such individuals have found their comfort foods too. Sometimes the foods which are most comforting to us might not stem from our youth, but have come about through our culinary journeys as we delve into cooking and fine dining. Someone with an Italian background might discover Thai food or Indian food at some point in their life's timeline and fall in love with that. Something about the scent and flavor of a coconut curry may become something that they just can't get enough of because it takes them to that comforting and happy place every time. I have had a similar experience. My mother was a fantastic cook and provided us with home cooked meals every evening, many of which were French delights which I fully enjoy and appreciate to this day. French dining is among my top two favorites. It is rivaled, however, only by Italian food, which I have always enjoyed but only savored occasionally at home. There has always been something about the creamy, cheesy texture of a northern Italian pasta sauce that would draw me into the savoring process of consumption. The sight and sound of a tray of lasagna being pulled from the oven, the melted cheese browning and the bright red sauce bubbling, wins me over every time. Ironically, I hear that my mother prepares plenty of Italian dishes at home now. Perhaps, as did I, she discovered her new comfort food.
So what are my personal favorites? Classic Italian dishes, particularly heavy pasta entrees such as fettuccine alfredo, lasagna and pasta carbonara. Eggplant parmigiana is also very high on my list, as is escarole and cannelini bean soup served over toasty garlic bread. Possessing the sweet tooth that I have, I also find any good pastry or baked confection to be comforting and for that I am definitely all-inclusive as to the origin, whether it's an American gourmet cupcake with mounds of frosting on top, a French eclair or Napolean, a bubbling hot fruit pie or an Italian cannoli.
Winter is coming to an end, the warmer days are imminent. Enjoy one final hurrah with your baking dish or big pot and cook up a meal of your favorite comfort food as you say farewell to the cold and the snow. Enjoy your favorite today, treat your family to their favorites in the coming days, and be sure to pass those favorite recipes down to your children so they can always return to their comforting days for years to come, even if only for an occasional meal.
Comfort food is very simply that: food which is comforting. Comfort dishes are often cold weather fare, because to prepare them is comforting as the oven or the pot on the stove provides a warmth which permeates our home. The aromas are also comforting as they are scents which make one feel like they have gone to best place on earth. A perfect example for me is the smell of Italian foods and ingredients. Whenever I walk into an Italian pork store, all the scents of roasting garlic and eggplant, simmering tomato sauce, broccoli rabe being sauteed, and the wafting fragrance of sausages and cheeses are all comforting to me; it is aromatherapy as its best. I experience the same sensation at home when a lasagna is baking in the oven. Comfort food also warms us through and through when we savor that first mouthful of bubbling macaroni and cheese that just made its trek from the oven to the table, bringing forth the sensation of being enveloped in a warming blanket. Comfort food is also reminiscent as the lifelong favorite dish teleports us back to childhood, memories of coming home from school to the aromas of a homemade dinner being prepared by mom, our original provider of comfort, security and love. Those cravings to prepare such dishes years later are merely a desire to return to those carefree days of experiencing the feelings that emerge when dining on fare which says 'I love you, I will comfort you, I will keep you warm and safe.'
Everyone's tastes vary, as do their ethnic backgrounds, and so comfort foods are diverse; the ultimate experience however is best achieved with homemade variations. There is also something very satisfying, and comforting about trying to duplicate a dish that mom used to make, then tasting it and being instantly brought back in time as you conclude 'Oh, yeah, wow, that's it, that's exactly how I remember it!' Because, as defined above, many of these dishes come from quite far back in our family trees, they are usually very basic fare that can often be taken for granted in these times of gourmet cooking as celebrity chefs tempt us with new and exotic ingredients. Some of the most popular entrees to make the top ten list of favorite comfort foods include macaroni and cheese, lasagna, beef stew, meatloaf with mashed potatoes, roast chicken, chili, spaghetti with meatballs, chicken stews and hearty homemade soups. Comfort food can also be a pick-me-up, something in the way of a treat. Homemade apple pie, brownies and chocolate chip cookies fit that bill. Again, basics which were made at home for generations. While ingredients may be tweaked occasionally for some updated 'wow' factor, there are times when the familiarity of the basic original incarnation can still be the most comforting.
Sadly, not everyone has had the good fortune of growing up in a stable home with daily homemade dinners being served. Don't worry, such individuals have found their comfort foods too. Sometimes the foods which are most comforting to us might not stem from our youth, but have come about through our culinary journeys as we delve into cooking and fine dining. Someone with an Italian background might discover Thai food or Indian food at some point in their life's timeline and fall in love with that. Something about the scent and flavor of a coconut curry may become something that they just can't get enough of because it takes them to that comforting and happy place every time. I have had a similar experience. My mother was a fantastic cook and provided us with home cooked meals every evening, many of which were French delights which I fully enjoy and appreciate to this day. French dining is among my top two favorites. It is rivaled, however, only by Italian food, which I have always enjoyed but only savored occasionally at home. There has always been something about the creamy, cheesy texture of a northern Italian pasta sauce that would draw me into the savoring process of consumption. The sight and sound of a tray of lasagna being pulled from the oven, the melted cheese browning and the bright red sauce bubbling, wins me over every time. Ironically, I hear that my mother prepares plenty of Italian dishes at home now. Perhaps, as did I, she discovered her new comfort food.
So what are my personal favorites? Classic Italian dishes, particularly heavy pasta entrees such as fettuccine alfredo, lasagna and pasta carbonara. Eggplant parmigiana is also very high on my list, as is escarole and cannelini bean soup served over toasty garlic bread. Possessing the sweet tooth that I have, I also find any good pastry or baked confection to be comforting and for that I am definitely all-inclusive as to the origin, whether it's an American gourmet cupcake with mounds of frosting on top, a French eclair or Napolean, a bubbling hot fruit pie or an Italian cannoli.
Winter is coming to an end, the warmer days are imminent. Enjoy one final hurrah with your baking dish or big pot and cook up a meal of your favorite comfort food as you say farewell to the cold and the snow. Enjoy your favorite today, treat your family to their favorites in the coming days, and be sure to pass those favorite recipes down to your children so they can always return to their comforting days for years to come, even if only for an occasional meal.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Sweets For Your Sweet
February brings to mind Valentine's Day. Remember when we were kids? Valentine's Day was mainly for cutting out crafty Valentine hearts, exchanging cards with your classmates and eating those pastel heart-shaped candies with the timely sayings stamped on them? My Daddy always remembered to present his little girl with a heart-shaped box of chocolates. The bakery windows would display their wares of heart-shaped cookies, cakes and other sweet confections. Our parents would let us stay up to watch 'Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown' on television. All sounds fun and blissfully carefree, doesn't it?
While they may not air Charlie Brown holiday specials as much as they once did and many of us no longer have hours to wile away with the art supplies, and those pastel heart candies just don't taste very good to our grown-up palates as they once did, we can still have a lot of fun and eat very sweetly for Valentine's Day. In lieu of cutting out pink and red paper hearts, turn to the kitchen and explore what sort of edible hearts you can cut out of cookie dough instead.
When Brian and I spent our first Valentine's Day together during our dating years, I remember making him a big pink heart-shaped sheet cake. It was made from a strawberry cake mix, covered with store-bought strawberry frosting and trimmed with red icing piped around the edges. I presented it on a big sheet pan, and surrounded the cake with heart-shaped cookies that I made using my grandfather's old cookie press. It was quite the presentation, perhaps even a bit overwhelming. I've come a long way since, having experienced the bravery required in the quest to discover that baking from scratch really isn't that daunting after all, especially when you have the right tools and the right ingredients. With all of the big baking holidays falling during the cooler months, baking is a perfect indoor activity in which to escape from the cold winter outdoors. It brings the family together, it warms the home, the holiday themes incite creativity in the cake and cookie decorating and the sweet enticing aromas emanate throughout the house.
Baking is an exact science. Whereas in cooking one can simply throw in ingredients on a whim without measuring each and every one, baking is almost like a chemistry experiment: if you don't put the exact right amounts of each ingredient called for, the mixture will not come together the way you intended when baked. That said, the first three important gadgets to have in your kitchen are at least two sets of measuring spoons, one for dry ingredients and one for liquid; a set of measuring cups as well as a graduated glass measuring cup, preferably a two-cup version. The set of measuring cups are ideal for measuring dry ingredients such as flour and sugar, and the glass cup is perfect for liquids. Also valuable in your kitchen, for baking and cooking alike, is a set of nesting glass mixing bowls. That way you'll be able to measure out and keep separated your ingredients as you prepare everything to be heaped into the mixer, bringing me to the next point. One of the most crucial additions that you can treat yourself to for your kitchen would be an electric stand mixer, preferably a Kitchenaid as they are powerful and durable. This will make short work of mixing batters, whipping cream and kneading doughs, and allows you to multitask. Start a collection of quality nonstick bake ware as well, including sheet pans, round cake pans, square cake pans, loaf pans, muffin pans and a bundt cake pan. Williams-Sonoma carries a gorgeous heart-shaped bundt pan which I purchased a few years ago when I made Brian a chocolate-Chambord cake for Valentine's Day.
Also important to successful baking is the use of quality ingredients. Use the best Madagascar bourbon vanilla and the best quality baking chocolates you can find, they are available in gourmet food shops. Be sure any nuts used are fresh and crunchy, not stale and soft. Even the way you handle ingredients can make a difference. One tip is to sift the measured flour and sugar through a fine-mesh sieve into the mixing bowl, this helps to remove any little balls of flour which would otherwise not be evenly distributed throughout the batter. Crack each egg, one at a time, in a separate bowl before adding it to the batter, to be sure that each egg has not spoiled. Other baking success tips? When making dough to be fed through a cookie press, use food coloring pastes instead of liquid food coloring as the liquid changes the texture of the dough and can inhibit the smooth extrusion and cutting process through the press. For whipping cream, be sure to chill the bowl and the whisk in the refrigerator beforehand. Conversely, for meringues, allow the eggs to sit at room temperature before placing them into the room-temperature bowl. Once the cake or cookies are relegated into the oven, no peeking! Each time the oven door is opened, even for a few seconds, the oven temperature drops enough to retard the baking process.
So what will you be baking this Valentine's Day? The choices are infinite. How about heart-shaped meringue shells, filled with strawberry ice cream and sprinkled with shavings of chocolate and sliced strawberries? Heart-shaped linzer
Whether you choose to indulge in dinner out at your favorite Italian or French restaurant or dine in on a home-cooked romantic feast, make the evening special. Enjoy your sweet confections by a cozy fireplace and put on some romantic jazz. Alternatively, enjoy your chocolate fix as a movie treat as you pop a romantic comedy into the DVD player. My personal favorites of the genre include 'When Harry Met Sally,' 'Moonstruck' and 'Father of the Bride.' We may have grown up, but having found our true Valentine just makes the holiday that much more meaningful; now the luscious desserts and the entertainment are just the icing on the cake. Now I'm off to prepare my shopping list of ingredients to create a batch of decadent red velvet cupcakes ... with truffles on the side!
While they may not air Charlie Brown holiday specials as much as they once did and many of us no longer have hours to wile away with the art supplies, and those pastel heart candies just don't taste very good to our grown-up palates as they once did, we can still have a lot of fun and eat very sweetly for Valentine's Day. In lieu of cutting out pink and red paper hearts, turn to the kitchen and explore what sort of edible hearts you can cut out of cookie dough instead.
When Brian and I spent our first Valentine's Day together during our dating years, I remember making him a big pink heart-shaped sheet cake. It was made from a strawberry cake mix, covered with store-bought strawberry frosting and trimmed with red icing piped around the edges. I presented it on a big sheet pan, and surrounded the cake with heart-shaped cookies that I made using my grandfather's old cookie press. It was quite the presentation, perhaps even a bit overwhelming. I've come a long way since, having experienced the bravery required in the quest to discover that baking from scratch really isn't that daunting after all, especially when you have the right tools and the right ingredients. With all of the big baking holidays falling during the cooler months, baking is a perfect indoor activity in which to escape from the cold winter outdoors. It brings the family together, it warms the home, the holiday themes incite creativity in the cake and cookie decorating and the sweet enticing aromas emanate throughout the house.
Baking is an exact science. Whereas in cooking one can simply throw in ingredients on a whim without measuring each and every one, baking is almost like a chemistry experiment: if you don't put the exact right amounts of each ingredient called for, the mixture will not come together the way you intended when baked. That said, the first three important gadgets to have in your kitchen are at least two sets of measuring spoons, one for dry ingredients and one for liquid; a set of measuring cups as well as a graduated glass measuring cup, preferably a two-cup version. The set of measuring cups are ideal for measuring dry ingredients such as flour and sugar, and the glass cup is perfect for liquids. Also valuable in your kitchen, for baking and cooking alike, is a set of nesting glass mixing bowls. That way you'll be able to measure out and keep separated your ingredients as you prepare everything to be heaped into the mixer, bringing me to the next point. One of the most crucial additions that you can treat yourself to for your kitchen would be an electric stand mixer, preferably a Kitchenaid as they are powerful and durable. This will make short work of mixing batters, whipping cream and kneading doughs, and allows you to multitask. Start a collection of quality nonstick bake ware as well, including sheet pans, round cake pans, square cake pans, loaf pans, muffin pans and a bundt cake pan. Williams-Sonoma carries a gorgeous heart-shaped bundt pan which I purchased a few years ago when I made Brian a chocolate-Chambord cake for Valentine's Day.
Also important to successful baking is the use of quality ingredients. Use the best Madagascar bourbon vanilla and the best quality baking chocolates you can find, they are available in gourmet food shops. Be sure any nuts used are fresh and crunchy, not stale and soft. Even the way you handle ingredients can make a difference. One tip is to sift the measured flour and sugar through a fine-mesh sieve into the mixing bowl, this helps to remove any little balls of flour which would otherwise not be evenly distributed throughout the batter. Crack each egg, one at a time, in a separate bowl before adding it to the batter, to be sure that each egg has not spoiled. Other baking success tips? When making dough to be fed through a cookie press, use food coloring pastes instead of liquid food coloring as the liquid changes the texture of the dough and can inhibit the smooth extrusion and cutting process through the press. For whipping cream, be sure to chill the bowl and the whisk in the refrigerator beforehand. Conversely, for meringues, allow the eggs to sit at room temperature before placing them into the room-temperature bowl. Once the cake or cookies are relegated into the oven, no peeking! Each time the oven door is opened, even for a few seconds, the oven temperature drops enough to retard the baking process.
So what will you be baking this Valentine's Day? The choices are infinite. How about heart-shaped meringue shells, filled with strawberry ice cream and sprinkled with shavings of chocolate and sliced strawberries? Heart-shaped linzer
Whether you choose to indulge in dinner out at your favorite Italian or French restaurant or dine in on a home-cooked romantic feast, make the evening special. Enjoy your sweet confections by a cozy fireplace and put on some romantic jazz. Alternatively, enjoy your chocolate fix as a movie treat as you pop a romantic comedy into the DVD player. My personal favorites of the genre include 'When Harry Met Sally,' 'Moonstruck' and 'Father of the Bride.' We may have grown up, but having found our true Valentine just makes the holiday that much more meaningful; now the luscious desserts and the entertainment are just the icing on the cake. Now I'm off to prepare my shopping list of ingredients to create a batch of decadent red velvet cupcakes ... with truffles on the side!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Warm Up Your Kitchen
Happy New Year Everyone!
What a way to start the year off, with substantial snowfall amounts all over the United States. I heard a report on the news that only one of the fifty states does not have snow on the ground somewhere today. Here on Long Island we just got slammed with over a foot of snow, added on top of snow from the post-Christmas blizzard ... we're running out of places to put it!
As the piles of shoveled and plowed snow grow higher and higher and the wind continues to blow, with evening temperatures plummeting, I for one would rather not venture out. My husband Brian and I love to dine out, always looking for that new dining experience, but admittedly we tend to delve into this dining adventure more frequently in the warmer months. By the time you figure out how to dress warm and trendy at the same time, pull on the coat, the gloves, the scarf, you feel like a mummy and then the thought of stepping outside of your cozy warm abode ... it all seems like a lot of work! In the winter months, we turn to making the kitchen really work for us.
Traditionally, the kitchen was the heart of the home. In some of the oldest homes that you can tour, you'll see that the kitchen was the largest room. This was the gathering place for the household, as it was also the warmest room with its blazing fire used to heat the area, cook, dry laundry, etc. Since everything was made from scratch, the families would hang out together in this great room where conversations were spoken and culinary magic took place in big cast iron pots.
Let the winds blow, let the snow fall. Next time you perform your grocery shopping ritual, plan as if you are going to be snowbound for a week. Oh yes, many people already do this. Before every predicted snow storm the local news station dispatches a reporter to one of the supermarkets where mobs of people have converged to shop and stock up as though Armageddon is on the horizon. But what are they stocking up on, the reporter queries? Milk, sliced bread and toilet paper! I have to laugh. This is New York, the northeast, it's winter, do these people really not expect snow to happen? And when it threatens, are they really to the point that toilet paper of all things may become an endangered commodity? Who needs sitcoms, this is live comedy right here. Instead, stock up on items that will allow you and your family to come together in the kitchen and pitch in to create a warming atmosphere as you prepare a dinner of comfort fare worthy of enjoyment in even the most severe of winters.
You will want to stock up on ingredients for stews. There are infinite numbers of recipes for beef stews as well as chicken stews, from traditional beef stew and boeuf bourgignon to coq au vin and chicken cacciatore. Cat-cooks-chicken-cacciatore-in-her-cozy-kitchen ... go ahead, now you try, three times fast! In addition to the meats, be sure you have plenty of stocks, wine for cooking (and for drinking too, of course), canned tomatoes, beans, frozen pearl onions, peas, baby potatoes, carrots, onions, fresh herbs and any other vegetables you will need for your recipe. Have plenty of stocks, beans, pastas and spices for homemade soups. Soups, chilies and stews will simmer on the stove, some stews even cook in the oven as well, and this will warm up the kitchen as will the conversations with your family and friends who come for dinner. The aromas which emanate from the stove or oven will permeate the air, thus warming the nose as well. There are so many one-dish meals you can prepare, from just about every ethnicity on the globe: Mediterranean lamb shanks, Italian pork shanks, Moroccan chicken tajines, Cuban chicken with chorizo sausage, French bouillabaise, Spanish paella, Cajun gumbos and jambalayas, the list goes on indefinitely.
Some ways to heat the kitchen using the oven include baking a dish of lasagna or homemade macaroni and cheese; and roasting a whole chicken along with some potatoes and vegetables alongside. Any baked dessert will always be a welcome component of the menu; save the ice cream maker for August and focus for these next couple of months on homemade cookies, brownies and cakes.
If you happen to own a pasta machine and you know a blizzard is coming, stock up on ingredients to make your own pasta, homemade sauce, homemade garlic bread and a tasty salad. The when the flakes start tumbling, gather the family into the kitchen and start delegating. One person makes the pasta, another makes the sauce, etc. Everyone will be rewarded by the role they played in the preparation of this meal that just may top that of your local favorite Italian restaurant, and no one had to brave the icy chills to savor it.
How about inviting a few friends for an evening of fun in the warmth of your kitchen? A pizza party is a great way for a group of people to have fun cooking together. Have a variety of toppings available, from the traditional to the 'Oh, wow, I never thought of that, yeah, that would work!' and enough balls of pizza dough to go around. Each person gets to create their own pie. If you want to introduce a little friendly competition, pick up a bottle of wine to send home with the winner of the best combination of toppings. All you need to make with this meal is a big salad and dessert. Try making some chocolate fondue and put out a platter of tidbits to dip, like fruits, shortbread cookies, pound cake, etc. Even pretzels work, there is something satiating about the combination of sweet with salty. A couple of my favorite fondues include dark chocolate with orange liquor and white chocolate with raspberry liquor. Fondues are warming desserts that can be enjoyed by a group while everyone sits around the pot, basking in the warm glow from the flame beneath it.
It may be frigid and dark outside, but it can be warm and cozy in your own kitchen. If you feel like treating yourself to something next time you browse the shelves of Williams-Sonoma or some other cooking shop near you, pick up a brightly colored large Le Creuset dutch oven. It will become your best friend every winter for the rest of your life. Another tip, don't forget to play with your food. Experiment! Traditionally stews were made from whatever happened to be on hand. Don't be afraid to deviate from a recipe. If you happen to have an extra fennel bulb sitting in your crisper that's about to be forgotten and eventually relegated to the garbage can, go ahead and chop it up and throw it into the chicken stew, why not? The favorite all-American winter comfort food is macaroni and cheese. Leave the blue box with the packet of day-glo orange stuff on the store shelf; make it yourself and you can add any cheeses you want. Use four cheeses if you want to; again, why not? This is your kitchen, not the restaurant; you are the chef tonight and you get to add whatever your creativity cooks up. Add other surprises to your mac and cheese too, like mushrooms and truffle butter or shrimp or lobster meat, for a more substantial entree. Last tip for some winter cooking, if you have accumulated some extra vegetables that you didn't need after all, say an eggplant, a zucchini and a pepper, simply cut them all up along with a couple of other vegetables you might find, roast them. Then blend them with some stock for a quick roasted vegetable soup that can be reheated and enjoyed any time.
So let it snow, just pour a glass of wine and make the executive decision to stay in and make the kitchen work for you to warm your home and your palate as you conjure up some comfort food at its absolute best. My pantry is well stocked. Another blizzard next week? Bring it on!
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