I suspect you’re wondering, “Who is Anne Leblanc?”
Probably, you’re also dying to know if Pistachio Avocados are grown in the States?
In addition, Readers of my blog often ask me about food blogging. Who? What? Where? When? and How?
In this week’s short Post, I’m offering a 3-for-the-price-of-one Special by answering all these weighty questions.
Our French Fridays with Dorie recipe is Anne Leblanc’s Pistachio Avocado. As Dorie explains, this really can’t be called a recipe. It’s more about being a great idea followed by a list of ingredients.
My Ingredients
The late Anne Leblanc was of Huilerie J. Leblanc fame. According to Dorie, this French company still makes some of the finest, fullest-flavored nut oils in the world. Buy them here or in speciality food stores. More than a decade ago, Ms. Leblanc suggested that Dorie pair a ripe halved avocado with pistachio oil to be offered as a easy side to crab, shrimp and lobster salads or grilled meats. After halving the avocado, sprinkle with fresh lemon juice and Fleur de sel (sea salt) and pour Pistachio Oil into its hollow cavity in the center. It’s simple and simply delicious.
Avocado with Meyer Lemon olive oil and Dukkah
With apologies to Anne, I improvised with ingredients I had on hand. My oil was Sonoma Harvest Meyer Lemon olive oil. I sprinkled Dukkah, a Middle Eastern nut and spice blend, over the top. Although I bought my Dukkah at Trader Joe’s, I love this flavorful combo and will make my own in the future. Find the recipe for Dukkah here or here or here. This was a delightful snack.
Avocado with Meyer Lemon olive oil and Dukkah
The results of the State of Food Blogging Survey, conducted by Foodista and Zephyr Adventures, were released this week. Not surprisingly, our FFWD group mirrors the Survey profile.
Although not pretending to be uber-scientific, here’s a brief re-cap by Allan Wright of Zephyr Adventures: “Six-hundred and seventy-nine food bloggers completed a 32-question online survey. The respondents were primarily Citizen Bloggers (77%) with a minority of Entrepreneurial Bloggers promoting their own company (19%) and the remainder connected to corporations (4%). Based on the respondents, food bloggers tend to be from the United States, female, between the ages of 25 and 44, and either married or living with a significant other. [The number of food bloggers 65 or older, like me, isminiscule.] Forty-two percent are parents and 81% are employed or self-employed full or part time. Forty-two percent of respondents have no background related to food blogging while 58% have some related experience.
When asked “Why do you blog?” 87% of respondents replied, “Food is my passion.” Four additional answers that drew heavy response included: to make a name for myself in the food world; Writing is my passion [like me] ; In hopes of turning my blog into a job; and, to have a voice so I can say what I want to say.”
To see the entire survey’s interesting results, go here.
Many of my FFWD colleagues had their own interpretation of this week’s avocado recipe which you can see at our group Link.
And, it seems, I’m not alone. According to food historians, the main ingredient of the earliest soups on record, dating to 6,000 BC, was hippopotamus. (To keep that in perspective, Cleopatra lived from 69-30 BC.) Most cultures proudly claim their own particular classic. To scroll through more than forty of them, from Erwtensoep (Netherlands) to Kimchi jigae (Korean) to Pho (Vietnamese) is a unique culinary experience.
This week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe choice, Asparagus Soup, seems rather ho-hum by comparison. Au contraire. It’s finally Springtime in the Rockies. Delicate, young asparagus stalks stand proudly in our produce bins, ripe for the plucking. I grabbed the 2 1/2 pounds necessary for this delicious soup and got to work. Yes, I was supposed to be in Paris this week, the first of my three-week trip to France. I’m not. More about that later.
Instead, I had time to trim off the woody bottoms of the asparagus stalks, boil the remaining parts for 4 to 5 minutes in a large pot of water and then blanch them. Although Dorie suggests retaining the asparagus water for the liquid, which I did, you could also choose to use vegetable or chicken broth.
You see scrumptious roasted mini-veggies. I see frittata. Bernie Grauer Photo
After cooking leeks, onions, shallots and garlic in olive oil and butter, everything but the asparagus is thrown together and left to simmer for 15 minutes. The asparagus comes to the party for the last 5 minutes.
Working in batches, I pureed the soup in my food processor. To be fair, I blitzed the heck out of it for a smooth but thick result. Salt. Pepper. Done.
My Veggie Frittata to accompany Dorie’s Asparagus Soup
Since I didn’t go to France last Friday, I was included in a special birthday celebration on Saturday. My friend, Charlotte, who is not only an extraordinary musician but also a Weber whiz, sent me home with the leftovers from her roasted mini-vegetables platter. The resulting frittata worked wonderfully with this soup. Thanks, Char.
A perfect lunch on my Aspen porch. Creme fraîche and crispy bacon topped the soup.
About France. Last Thursday afternoon I drove to Denver, checked into an airport hotel, confirmed my flight and booked the early morning 5am shuttle to catch my plane. Later in the evening I decided this was not a good time for me to travel. Better to stay on this side of the Pond than the other for now. Yikes. But I went with my gut feeling, folded my wings and returned to Aspen. A disappointing decision in many ways but the right one.
It’s Birthday Time Bernie Grauer Photo
Ruth’s Carrot Cake, the Birthday Boy’s favorite Bernie Grauer Photo
The Birthday Boy, His Cake, and His Cupcake Bernie Grauer Photo
Before I begin to talk about Food Revolution Day 2013 and Dorie’s delicious Salted ButterBreak-Ups, you must understand that when my friend, Donna, and I geared up for this Revolution, we built in some primping-for-photos time to our schedule. That was forgotten as we took this year’s theme, “Cook it. Share it.” to the max, creating four new recipes for our French Friday with Dorie dinner this week. My hair might have lost its curl and Donna forgot to lose her apron but our dinner was spectacular. Priorities, you know.
Enjoying Dorie’s Salted Butter Break-Ups with the last of the Matchbook Syrah.
Food Revolution Day onMay 17th, is an opportunity for people all over the world to come together and stand up for good food and essential cooking skills. We are congregating in homes, schools, workplaces and communities to cook and share kitchen skills, food knowledge and resources. FRD is a global day of action to raise awareness about the importance of good food and better food education for everyone. All of us here at FFWD are already passionate about these issues so this week we stand tall in revolt, honoring this effort.
BEFORE.
AFTER.
For this special May 17th Post, Donna, her husband, Bernie, and I decided to spend an evening cooking together, celebrating our many years of friendship with good food and wine. Bernie wanted to grill spatchcock chicken, Donna had bookmarked two recipes from Ottolenghi & Tamimi’s Jerusalem cookbook and I planned to bake Dorie’s Salted Butter Break-Ups, a cookie to bring to the table whole. A Cook it, Share it, revolutionary evening.
Prepping the onions for the Mejadra.
Crisping the onions for the Mejadra.
Nothing I could write would convey this night of joyful celebration as we worked our way through Ottolenghi’s complex recipes and oo’d and ah’d when Bernie’s chicken laid flat on the grill – a perfect spatchcock. We also put Bernie, a wine connoisseur, in charge of lubrication. He overachieved.
Taking the Salted Butter Break-Ups out of the oven.
The entire menu, starting with Pierre Herme’s Olive Sablés and Ottolenghi’s Baby spinach with dates and almonds salad; then, Bernie’s spatchcock chicken (the rub was citrus/savory) paired with Mejadra, another Jerusalem recipe, and ending with Dorie’s crisp, crunchy cookie monster, was wonderfully flavorful, delicious and worthy of any Revolution.
Saluting Food Revolution Day 2013
Thank you, Donna and Bernie, for sharing this very special evening with me. If you want to see how my other FFWD colleagues honored this revolt, go here.
If you’re a devotée of French toast baked from a rich buttery bread soaked in a batter with just enough sugar to caramelize both sides and thick, creamy vanilla custard, this week’s recipe, Coupétade, will be a palate-pleaser.
Disclaimer: What works on the palate may not be so pleasing on the hips. Served warm, for breakfast or brunch and covered with a dash of syrup, or cold, as a dessert topped with crème fraîche, this is opulence on a plate. Since I spent last weekend hiking in picturesque Moab, Utah, on an Audubon-sponsored field trip, I sampled this week’s fare free of calorie guilt-angst. More about that later.
First, make the French toast. After cutting each bread slice in half, arrange them in a cooking pan. Then, and this is the fun part, nestle-and-tuck pieces of dried fruit over, under and in-between the cooked bread. (Kids would love this job.) I used halved dates and raisins.
Next, make the vanilla custard. Pour the custard into the pan. Allow it to set ten minutes before placing into a water bath, sliding it carefully into a 325 degree oven. Bake for 90 minutes or until the custard is set.
Personally I loved this right from the oven, topped with g-e-n-u-i-n-e maple syrup. After chilling it overnight and topping it with crème fraîche, I served it as a dessert. Did I like it cold? Not so much. But, warm with syrup, right from the oven? Yum.
Last weekend I joined our local Roaring Fork Audubon Society club on a riparian and upland birding field trip in Moab, a rugged little community located about 250 miles from Aspen in the Utah desert. Although the trip was billed as a “moderately strenuous to strenuous” outingI have participated in many birding junkets. They all have been gentle in elevation and slowly paced. Regarding strenuous??? Not even close. Obviously, Roaring Fork Audubon never received that memo.
I maintain a somewhat rigorous exercise schedule, priding myself on being fit and able. Although I realized, when returning to Colorado, I would be humbled by the athletic prowess of my friends and colleagues, I couldn’t imagine it being in Moab while birding.
To be clear, the trip, led by a biologist and geologist who both birded by ear, was fantastic. A birding short course with geology, biology and ecology added as extra credit. The desert was in bloom, the birds, in love, and the petroglyphs, waiting to be discovered.
Add to that, “moderately strenuous to strenuous”.
Claret-cup Hedgehog Cactus. This cactus is pollinated by hummingbirds.
Twelve of us gathered, early Saturday morning, in a Moab parking lot. Although a friend, another volunteer Forest Ranger, and I had each booked rooms at the Ramada Inn for the weekend, most of the others were camping in the local campgrounds. So, already we felt like wusses.
The short version to my tale is the trail was steep, the rocks, crumbly and the pace, brisk. We climbed up to Hidden Valley, birding and learning as we hiked. Then we climbed further to have lunch by the petroglyphs, a surreal dining experience. The hike down to the trailhead, in mid-afternoon, seemed just as rigorous, after a long, sunny six hours of hiking.
After the initial climb up to Hidden Valley. Headed towards the peak ahead for lunch.
At the base of the trail, one of our leaders had a brilliant suggestion. “Let’s all go to Milt’s,” she said, “and have a milkshake.”
Now that sounded to me like a Plan.
“Then,” she added, “we’ll gather at 3:00pm for our afternoon hike at Mill Creek.”
Seriously? More?
Readers, I bailed. Yep, slunk off, even foregoing the milkshake. My Ramada Inn partner-in-crime continued and later reported to walking through 12” of water during the late-afternoon. Holy Smokes.
To be truthful, six hours of hiking is a long day for me and, albeit disappointed with my stamina, I was pleased with my performance. Since I have no shame, I quickly located Moab’s local’s bar, Woody’s, took a seat at the counter and ordered a cold beer. (Free pretzels.) Yep, I was the oldest female in the establishment and the only patron without a tattoo. Fun. I’ve got a month before the snow clears on Aspen’s trails when I need to be Ranger-ready. Memo to Me: Pick up your game.
And, that’s why I didn’t worry about the calories in my Coupétade.
To see how my colleagues coped with their calories this week, go here and to try this marvelous recipe, go here. A Happy Mother’s Day to all you Mothers, Grandmothers, generous, loving Aunts (that’s you, MIchelle) and kind, doting friends ( Adriana, you’re the one). It takes us all to get these kids raised, doesn’t it. I’m in California with my family this week. Today Melissa and I are going on a Mother-Daughter hike. Hopefully, she’ll be kind!!!
This week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe, Creamy Mushrooms and Eggs, is egg-cellent, very tasty. It’s egg-actly right for a lingering week-end breakfast, even for a brunch with friends. Or you may go frenchy and make this your dinner appetizer, as Dorie does. I found it egg-tremely filling so I will always serve this as the main event of a meal.
I may live in Colorado but these are not Magic Mushrooms. Promise.
First, I purchased a loaf of challah at my local bakery. Although Dorie suggests baking your own brioche or challah, there is no way, living at 8200 feet, that I’m willing to risk a bread-fail right now. (I’m still swimming upstream after my Cod-and-Spinach Roulade debacle of two weeks ago.) The bread is lightly toasted and serves as the base for this dish.
After putting together a mixture of wild and cultivated mushrooms at Whole Foods, it was quite simple to make the creamy mushroom sauce. Butter. Olive Oil. Shallots. Heavy Cream. Spices. If I’d had my druthers, I would have enjoyed my sauce a bit more runny and will add more cream next time.
Creamy Mushrooms and Eggs
For me, however, this week was all about the poached egg. Not only does Dorie suggest two methods for doing this, Madame Ruffly Poached Egg or the plainer Monsieur Poached Egg, she also explains how to store them for two days in the fridge. Since this dish is à la minute, that’s nice to know. I will admit to leaving the egg in the water for an additional 60 seconds, as she suggested, if we wished the yolk slightly more cooked. Yes, Julia would be horrified.
Today – Thursday, May 2 – would have been Michael’s and my 27th wedding anniversary so it was a good day to lie low, hang out in the kitchen pondering over Greenspan’s poaching methods, and write this Post. I realized it would be twicky, (thank you, Clara) to get through this first year of holidays, birthdays and celebrations without him and this is the last one, thank God.
Although Julia and Dorie love their eggs a tad more runny, Mary does not.
When we celebrated his life last year, at a service here in Aspen, I finally admitted to our friends and family that Michael and I sometimes asked ourselves, “What were we thinking?”
He was a nice Jewish boy, concluding a successful professional career, edging toward retirement. I was a nice Christian girl, editor of the local newspaper, with fire still in my belly and professional mountains to climb. But we worked like crazy and muddled through for almost 27 years. Hooray for us.
When we moved from Aspen to Henderson, Nevada, nine years ago, only Michael realized we were leaving our Colorado home to fight a medical battle we could not hope to win. Sometimes my naivety is a blessing. That’s why returning to Colorado has also been a blessing. I’ve been here only a month but already I’m successfully erasing those tough recollections of our last few years together, exchanging them with happy ones made here. Every Aspen corner and mountain trail holds a hilarious Michael moment. He was that kind of guy. Since one’s Memory Bank can only contain so much, why not load it up with the good times?
Although I suspect Sadness and Grief will always be my Wingmen, I know the only way to honor Michael is to relish and enjoy this Life we made together. When I married him long ago, he opened up doors to Life’s experiences and opportunities that my girls and I could never have known or enjoyed were it not for him. The past 9 1/2 months have been hectic, overloaded with changes. I’m not sure, but I think he would be proud of me. What I am sure about is that he sure as hell wouldn’t have stood for Creamy Mushrooms and Eggs as his anniversary meal.
To see what my colleagues poached up this week, go here. Want to try this delicious recipe. Go here. If only to learn her culinary techniques, I recommend your buying Dorie’s cookbook, Around My French Table.
