Not for one moment do I begrudge water-deprived California a drop of moisture. After suffering through five years of drought, losing 102 million trees in its stricken forests, this state needed a miracle. Obviously Mother Nature heard the plea, tweeted Mt.Olympus and Zeus, the Greek god of clouds, rain, thunder and lightning answered the call. That’s my story. Sticking to it. As we know, however, sometimes Zeus, who rules the skies, goes overboard.
Salted Olive Crisps
Okay, okay, enough with the silliness. For me, 2017 will be remembered as the Winter of Rain. With apologies to the late Debbie Reynolds, may she rest in peace, I’ve gotten very weary of singing and dancing in it. To be clear, however, everyone living here is thrilled to see rain gauges rising. As am I.
The payoff is those winter showers brought April flowers, They’re spectacular. Unprecedented is the word used by wildflower experts. After 5 years of drought, the trees, however, cannot bounce back.
“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” (Thanks, Dolly.)
Our feathered friends are happy – so much to eat and sing about. House Finch
Despite the inclement weather I chalked up another glorious winter. Wary of wasting a moment, that clock’s always ticking, and despite too much indoorness, I buddied up with Solitude. Christopher Knight, the now-outed hermit who lived for 27 years in the Maine wilderness, opined to his biographer, Michael Finkel, “There isn’t nearly enough nothing in the world anymore.”
The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel Penguin Random House photo
Whatever he meant by that, I decided to treat nothing as a luxury, building each day on that idea. It definitely worked for me. To my mind, I thrived. Honestly, that I could pull off four months of my definition ofnothing so happily was eye-opening to me. But, twenty-seven years of it, kill me now! I am very ready to return home.
Last Saturday my food blogging colleague, Katie, and her husband, Marcel, and daughter Alaia, came for lunch, a 3-year tradition. I made a Herbed Parmesan Dutch Baby from Melissa Clark’s newest cookbook, Dinner, Changing the Game. More about Clark’s cookbook next time.
Before my signing off from Cali, last Saturday Katie Baillargeon, her husband, Marcel and almost-five Alaia, joined me for lunch. I first met Katie, a professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara, in 2012 when I joined French Fridays with Dorie. She also organized and is now our Cook the Book Friday’s administrator. This is the third winter we’ve broken bread together, a record-breaking 5 hour lunch despite my setting off the smoke alarm while making it. I was mortified. Surprisingly, the meal was salvaged and the haze lessened (in about 30 minutes), There is much to admire about this young family.
Alaia played on the beach, climbed trees and ate a grilled cheese sandwich.
This is my last post from Cambria. I’m in Death Valley for Easter and then will fly from Las Vegas to Atlanta to visit the Carter Presidential Library. It’s the 12th of the 13 presidential libraries I have seen. I regard these under recognized libraries as the uncrowned jewels of our historic heritage. Then, Colorado-bound.
According to the Locals, the most delicious strawberries are grown in Santa Margarita and are now available at our Cambria Farmer’s Market.
This week’s CooktheBookFridays recipe is Salted Olive Crisps, usually served with apéritifs before dinner. I’ve shared the recipe and my personal tips below. One of my most delicious meals this winter was Iron Skillet Roasted Mussels. So simple. So easy. If you own a cast iron skillet, be open to the possibilities.
Carizzo Plain National Monument is a region of 250,000 acres and is the largest native grassland remaining in California. The San Andreas fault cuts straight through it. The unique Soda Lake, pictured here, is shallow, white, and alkaline, with no external drainage.
IRON SKILLET ROASTED MUSSELS by Sharon Kramis & Julie Kramis Hearne, The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 leek (white part only), rinsed well and chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded (discard any that won’t close)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
PREPARATION:
1. Combine the wine, butter, leek, and red pepper in a 10- to 12-inch cast iron skillet or 5-quart Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the mussels, and cover either with a lid or heavy tinfoil. Cook until the shells open and the mussels are plump, about 8 minutes. Discard any that won’t open.
3. Sprinkle the parsley over the top and season with a dash of salt and pepper. Serve right from the skillet or Dutch oven with a leafy green salad and sliced baguette or rustic country bread.
Meal is Over.
SALTED OLIVE CRISPS by David Lebovitz, My Paris Kitchen
1. Rather than the 30 minutes David suggested for baking the loaf mixture, I baked it for 45 minutes.
2. Because I wanted a bit more crisp, I put the finished slices under the broiler for 1 to 11/2 minutes.
3. These Salted Olive Crisps are better eaten immediately. Although they can be stored up to one week in an airtight container at room temperature, I needed to ‘crisp them again” at 325 degree heat for 3-5 minutes.
4. Like baking mandelbrot or biscotti, this is a labor intensive recipe that requires an olive that is not too damp and a very sharp bread knife. While I enjoyed making this once, it’s probably a recipe I won’t bake again.
CooktheBookFridays is an international group virtually cooking through David Lebovitz’s, My Paris Kitchen. To see what my colleagues baked this week, go here.
Beautiful coastal Tinytips, an annual wildflower, and our dead California coastal oaks. A heartbreaking site prevalent throughout the state.
This week’s post, falling on March 17th, was shaping up so nicely. Today is St. Patrick’s Day, a time even for Irish wannabes to make merry. Take advantage of this holiday to laugh and be spontaneously rambunctious. I dare you. Erin Go Bragh.
Also worth sharing, my recent 5-day trip to Monterey, a coastal city located in the northern part of California’s Central Coast. I have a whale of a tale to tell. (FYI, the whales were Humpbacks.)
Now here’s when my post veers off-track. In homage to the mischief making-leprechauns amongst us, I made SweetPaul’sMrs. Frings’ Irish Soda Bread. Memo to self: Bake this more than once a year. My Cook-the-Book-Friday’s recipe this week is DavidLebovitz’sCaramel Pork Ribs. With those ribs I decided to try Crispy Salt-And-Vinegar Potatoes, a delicious choice.
Located in Castroville, California, the Artichoke Capital of the World, family-owned Pezzini Farms has produced Heirloom Golden Globe artichokes for over 80 years.
David Lebovitz’s Travers de Porc au Caramel flopped. (I decided I’m less embarrassed to fail in French than English.) It was painful to toss out 3 pounds of pork ribs. Plus, while making the caramelized sauce in my dutch oven, I burned my arm three times. Being a glutton for punishment, I’m posting a photo of the ribs. This recipe didn’t work for me. I hope my CTBF’s blogging buddies can save me.
The unsuccessful ribs visiting with the successful Fingerling Potato Chips.
Monterey trip. Check. Irish soda bread. Check. Crispy Salt-and-Vinegar Potatoes. Check. Caramel Pork Ribs. Fail. I’m at 75% this week. Lame.
FIELD TRIP: WHALES, MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM & STEINBECK
Driving the Pacific Coast Highway is arguably the most gorgeous scenic drive in America. If I’m headed north out of Cambria, it’s the road I travel. Not this year. In the storm-battered Big Sur area, due to the collapse of the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge to the north and eroding landslides to the south, the highway has been closed indefinitely. While economically devastating to so many, I was still able to leave early one beautiful morning to drive the longer US 101 route to Monterey.
There are almost 12,650 acres of strawberries planted in Monterey County.
The acclaimed Monterey Bay Aquarium was my first stop. Although I planned to spend the day at the Aquarium, with Time and Spontaneity being my friends, I still spent the first ten minutes putting together my day’s schedule. (I really don’t do “spontaneity” well.)
A staff member at the Aquarium suggested I go to The Fish Hopper on Cannery Row for my lunch break.
By day’s end, because I had been simpatico with my wristwatch, I managed to enjoy all four auditorium films, watch five feeding sessions and visit the exhibits in a leisurely manner. Exceeded my expectations.
John Steinbeck’s beautiful boyhood Victorian home in Salinas. It was built in 1897 in the Queen Anne style. I had lunch in the dining room’s restaurant.
The next day I drove to the 90-mile long Salinas Valley, located 25 miles from Monterey, to spend the morning on a fascinating agricultural tour with Evan Oakes of Ag Venture Tours. The valley, affectionally called “America’s Salad Bowl”, produces 59% of our country’s lettuce, 53%, broccoli, and is the state’s #1 producer of many of the 43 fruits and vegetables grown there. Oakes let me personalize the tour with my choosing to visit small producers rather than big boys, like Dole, Driscoll and Earthbound Farm. Would go again.
by Oprah.com
In the afternoon I went to Salinas and walked in the footsteps of author John Steinbeck who was awarded both the Pulitzer Prize (The Grapes of Wrath) and Nobel Prize in Literature (1962). After visiting his home and having lunch in the dining room’s restaurant, I spent the afternoon at the National Steinbeck Center. Not enough time.
Our Naturalist on board the Elkhorn Slough Safari said we had encountered 78 Southern Sea Otters. Also called California Sea Otters, these otters may be cute but they aren’t cuddly!
The next two days I spent at Moss Landing, a quirky fishing village located 18 miles from Monterey. I took a nature trip into the unique Elkhorn Slough seeing, among many things, 78 Southern Sea Otters. I also took a pelagic trip and saw humpback whales, always a thrill, and a black footed albatross. The albatross, which circled our boat three different times, was a Life Bird for me. This pelagic trip was a time when I didn’t want the camera to get in front of the experience, so no photos. More whale trips planned.
Named for American marine biologist and conservationist Rachel Carson, this former supply vessel was acquired by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in 2011. Located at Moss Landing, founded by David Packard and funded by his foundation, MBARI is doing phenomenal work in understanding our oceans. The Rachel Carson is equipped with the most sophisticated exploring tools and equipment. It was exciting to learn about and to actually see this vessel. Science in Action.
A perfect trip. No glitches. Best of all, sunshine.
“May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks. May your heart be as light as a song. May each day bring you bright, happy hours. That stay with you all the year long.” Irish Blessing
Mrs. Frings’ Irish Soda Bread from Sweet Paul by Staffer, Paul Vitale
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick of butter (8 TBS) at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 lb. raisins
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp.baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. Caraway seeds (optional)
1 and 1/2 cup buttermilk
DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Mix butter into dry mixture by hand until clumps disappear.
3. Slowly add in the buttermilk by hand until you can form one big clump of dough.
4. Place in 8 or 9 inch round, springform, or cast iron pan that’s been coated with butter and flour.
5. Bake until deep golden brown at 400 degrees for 50-60 minutes, checking at the 40 minute mark. (My soda bread took 45 minutes.)
6. Remove from oven, place on rack and drape with damp cloth until cool.
7. Slice and enjoy with Irish butter!
TIP: I love the taste of caraway, but not in my soda bread!
TIP: If you wish and to make your bread sweeter, top with sparkling white decorating sugar before popping it into the oven. (After Step 4.) It is coarse-grained and will not melt. It’s available from King Arthur’s, Michael’s, where Wilton products are sold, or Amazon.) I did not use it.
Crispy Salt-And-Vinegar Potatoes, Bon Appétit. Adapted for the Kitchn by Gina Eykemans
6 Servings
INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved, quartered if large, OR fingerling potatoes, halved
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more if necessary
2 tablespoons olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)
Covered with olive oil and ready for the oven, I was not a fan of the purple fingerlings but only because they didn’t look appetizing to me.
DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine potatoes, 1 cup vinegar, and 1 Tbsp. kosher salt in a medium saucepan. Add water to cover by 1”.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender, 20–25 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
3. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Mix the potatoes in a bowl with olive oil until generously coated. Evenly spread the potatoes out onto the prepared baking sheet. Salt the potatoes.
5. Bake for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, broil the potatoes until crispy, stirring every five minutes to ensure that they don’t burn. Allow them to crisp up to your liking — this might take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Once they are crispy, remove them from the oven. Drizzle lightly with remaining 1-2 Tbsp. vinegar.
7. Season with flaky sea salt salt and sprinkle with chives.
8. Serve immediately.
TIP: Although I used variously colored fingerling potatoes, stick with the lightly-skinned variety which are better-looking eye candy. .
As I walked to The Gant’s front office recently, I was followed by a young man and his son headed in the same direction. During that 3-4 minute walk, the little guy, probably 6, never stopped asking questions, one after another. Honestly, not one breath. How is that possible? At some point I glanced back, smiling. The Daddy caught my eye and said wearily, “All the time.”
Last month CNN named The Gant among twenty of America’s most beautiful hotels. That honor, I decided, transformed me into the legitimate adult version of Eloise who lived at The Plaza Hotel. Of all lifestyle possibilities, my residing in a 144-condo resort hotel in Aspen was never a consideration nor was flying to the moon or summiting Everest. Be careful what you don’t wish for.
ROASTED TOMATO & FRESH MOZZARELLA PASTA by Chris Scheuer
I never considered this a long-term solution. But after three years I’m parked, having quickly surmised to either embrace the nature of this hustle-bustle complex or move on. “Your brain doesn’t know how old it is,” observed Paul Nussbaum, president of Pittsburgh’s Brain Health Center. “What it wants to do is learn.”
Nearby The Gant, the Aspen Mountain gondola runs all summer.
Maybe wrapping my head around such a wacky lifestyle idea was asking too much learning from my brain. Every week I have new neighbors. There are weddings and conferences and events. The Gant is a big house full of happy people on vacation. Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, it is not. For someone who values privacy and likes to be anchored, this is a stretch.
While I haven’t set aside longtime personal perceptions, I have rearranged their possibilities. For example, last week a family of five, 3 boys with bikes, moved in next door. They were good kids but one night the racket was over-the-top. Not good, I thought, until I listened. “USA, USA, USA,” they hollered. More whoops. Michael Phelps & Co. were gold-digging in Rio. Their excitement knew no bounds. I flashed back to earlier noisy Olympic moments with my girls and poured a glass of wine.
David’s tomatoes, ready and raring to be roasted
I came home in mid-July to find a humongous bear trap in my building’s parking lot. Since a bear had gotten too familiar with a paying guest, it needed to be captured and moved. (I still cheered for the bear.) I already knew it was collared, meaning it had been caught in the trap before. Fool me once. Shame on you. Fool me twice. Shame on me.The bear, not a fool, was a no-show.
Thinking that our lovable bear lives in nearby Aspen Grove Cemetery, founded in 1889 and the resting place for Aspen’s pioneers and war veterans.
Everyday I look for a Happy: The Grandpa who was paying his two pre-teen granddaughters each $100 to climb Aspen Mountain with him! ( Memo to Emma & Clara: No.); Entrepreneurs Peter (4) and Lily (3), pitching their lemonade stand at a prime Gant pathway yesterday, Mom shadowing the operation. Business was brisk. The money, Peter told me, is going to St. Jude’s ‘so kids can have operations.’ Love that Mom; And, Vice-President Biden and his family spent a week-end here this summer, a thrill for the staff and paying guests.
THIS IS A QUICK-and-EASY SUPPER. FEW INGREDIENTS AND QUICKLY MADE.
Eloise ends her story with,“Ooooooooooooooooooo I absolutely love The Plaza.”
Silly it may be, but “Ooooooooooooooooooo I absolutely love The Gant.”
Carved of Colorado Yule Marble by Sculptor Gregory Tonozzi, this statute sits in Aspen Grove Cemetery. This marble was also used for Lincoln’s Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknowns in Washington DC. One of the finest white marbles in the world, it is still being shipped from nearby Marble to Europe and Asia.
Life is about expectations and our CooktheBookFridays choice, CHERRY TOMATO CROSTINI with HERBED GOAT CHEESE, is a keeper. David’s roasted tomatoes are the prize this week. I made one batch for the crostini and another for Chris Scheuer’s ROASTED TOMATO AND FRESH MOZZARELLA PASTA. While fresh cherry or grape tomatoes are plentiful, Chris suggests always keeping some in the fridge for pizzas, salads, sandwiches, the possibilities are endless.
CHERRY TOMATO CROSTINI with HERBED GOAT CHEESE
MY PARIS KITCHEN by David Lebovitz
Serving Size: 4
INGREDIENTS:
(Note: I purchased herbed goat cheese.)
Roasted Cherry Tomatoes:
AFTER BEING ROASTED
1 1/2 pounds cherry tomatoes, stemmed and halved
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
handful of whole, unchopped fresh herbs (any combination of rosemary or thyme sprigs, bay leaf and basil or sage leaves)
sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Toasts:
4 thick slices bread, such as ciabatta, a country bread or a sourdough that is not too dense
olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled
a few leaves of fresh basil, sage or flat leaf parsley to garnish
DIRECTIONS:
Roasted Tomatoes:
1.Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2.Combine the cherry tomatoes, olive oil, sliced garlic and herbs in a baking dish or pan that will hold them all in a snug single layer.
3. Season with salt and pepper, mix well and spread them out in a single layer.
4. Roast the tomatoes in the oven for about 45 minutes, stirring once or perhaps twice during baking, until they’re wilted and their juices are starting to concentrate — and perhaps brown a bit — in the bottom of the baking dish or pan. (The baking time will depend on the material of the baking dish and type of cherry tomatoes used.) Ideally, you want the tomatoes to juice, and for the juices to thicken and concentrate.
5. Scrape the tomatoes and any juices into a bowl and let cool to room temperature.
6. They can sit up to 8 hours, and improve the longer they sit. When ready to serve, make the toasts.
Toasts:
1. Evenly brush the bread with olive oil.
2. Place them on a baking sheet in a preheated 350ºF oven and toast for about 5 minutes, until light golden brown.
3. Remove from the oven and when just cool enough to handle, rub the slices generously with the garlic clove.
4. Let cool to room temperature.
SERVE:
1. Thickly smear each piece of bread with the fresh herbed cheese.
Set each one on a plate.
2. Pluck out the herbs and spoon the tomatoes and their juices onto the slices of bread.
3. Coarsely chop the herbs for the garnish, and scatter them over the top of each portion.
1 pound tofette or ditalini pasta or your choice
4 ears fresh corn (in a pinch, use 15.25 oz. canned corn, drained)
12 ounces fresh mozzarella, cubed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided)
1 recipe Garlic and Herb Roasted Tomatoes (Link to Chris’ version here)
¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Bring a medium large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta. Allow water to return to a boil, then cook pasta al dente according to package directions.
2. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain well. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and stir to coat pasta with oil. (This will keep it from drying out until you’re ready to combine it with the other ingredients.) Set aside.
3. While pasta is cooking, cook the corn ears. When cool enough, cut kernels from cobs. Cover and set aside.
4. If you prefer the cheese not to melt quickly, allow pasta to cool for 10 minutes. Otherwise, immediately combine the hot pasta with about ⅔ of the tomatoes (reserve the rest) in a medium-large bowl (be sure to scrape out all the good oil and herbs from the roasting pan). Add corn, fresh mozzarella cubes, remaining olive oil, salt, pepper. Stir gently to combine. If the pasta is too thick, add 1/4-1/2 cup of pasta water to loosen it bit, if needed. (I added no pasta water.) Add ½ of the basil and stir gently one more time. Top with the remaining tomatoes and basil.
5. Serve hot or at room temperature.
TIP: Using 1 1/2- 2 pounds of cherry tomatoes in Lebovitz’s recipe is sufficient for this pasta dish. Chris’ recipe yields approximately 4 cups of the mixture depending on size.
COOKtheBOOKFRIDAYS is an international virtual cooking group making their way through David Lebovitz’s outstanding newest cookbook, My Paris Kitchen. To see what my colleagues baked this week, go here.
Gotta be honest. I’ve not a smidgen of blood – red cells, white cells, platelets, or plasma – that runs Irish. I’m pretty sure David Lebovitz, an American living in Paris and author of My Paris Kitchen, is not Irish either. This week, however, CookTheBookFridays, our international crew cooking its way through his new cookbook, salutes our Emerald Isle brethren with his Carbonade Flamande, a hearty Belgian Beef Stew with Beer and Spice Bread.
BELGIAN BEEF STEW with BEER and SPICE BREAD
Although it may border on blasphemy to tout a Belgian stew today, David’s recipe is unique and worthy of this holiday. His Pain d’Épices, a delicious addition, is addictive. Following a LightsonBright tradition, I’m sharing my 2016 version of Irish Soda Bread. No crumbs remain.
PAIN d’ÉPICES, Honey-Spice Bread
I’m a woman of few words today. My post is simply a photo flurry. Go green, be joyous, everybody’s Irish today. Can’t we all agree on that? Let’s have some fun. You deserve it.
A FOGGY DAY on the CENTRAL COAST of CALIFORNIA
David describes Carbonade Flamande (his Belgian Beef Stew with Beer and Spice Bread) as a ‘well-seasoned beef dish’ with its main ingredients being ‘beer, beef, spice and bacon.’ This stew is unlike any I’ve ever tasted due to the addition of beer, of course, but alsoPain d’Épices slathered with Dijon mustard.
Every great stew needs onions in abundance. Peel. Slice. Dice.
After first browning the beef chunks, followed by adding onions and bacon to soften and cook, transfer the mixture to a bowl.
After adding beer, water and spices, the meat mixture is returned to the Dutch oven, spices are added and it’s left to simmer for an hour.
After a meal of Carbonade Flamande served with mashed potatoes. rice or pasta, it may be naptime.
Mr. California Sea Otter
The headliner of this stew, for me, is the classic Pain d’Épices, a chewy, dense honey-spice bread (or, cake). For taste purposes, it’s a cousin to gingerbread. This recipe, at the end of the post, earned the #1 berth on my new hostess gift list. One batter batch makes two 8” x 3 3/4” loaves.
Get to know this exquisite Pain d’Epices. Try toast, making croutons, using spreads like cream cheese or jams or serving with ice cream. The French serve it with Foie Gras. An acquired taste, perhaps.
It’s a joy to spot the threatened Snowy Plover during breeding season. Although their numbers are depleted (These pictures demonstrate Why.), the state of Cali ropes off beach nesting areas to protect these little guys. (We bird lovers thank you, California.)
The Snowy Plover sits on her nest.
Even though I was quite a distance from the plovers, they did not like me and left their nests. I quickly left and they returned to duty.
Every year I choose a different Irish Soda bread recipe to bake for SPDay. This March I revisited a decade-old recipe of the Barefoot Contessa’s. Don’t forget to slash an X into the dough to either 1) ward off the devil; 2) bless the bread; or 3) let heat penetrate into the thickest part of the bread. Your choice.
Irish Soda Bread dough
Last year I borrowed Sweet Paul’s recipe, totally different from Ina’s but delectable as well. You’ll find his recipe here.
Sweet Paul’s Irish Soda Bread (2015 photo)
RECIPES
Shamrocks (thank you, Trader Joe’s) and Seaglass, Shells and Moonstones collected from the public beaches.
PAIN d’EPICES (Honey-Spice Bread) from My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon whole or ground anise seed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch loaf pan and line the bottom with a sheet of parchment paper.
2. Heat the honey, brown sugar, water, and salt in a saucepan until it begins to boil. Decrease the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 cup of the all-purpose flour. Let cool to room temperature.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, anise, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and egg yolk.
5. Stir half the honey mixture into the dry ingredients. Add the eggs, then the rest of the honey mixture, stirring until smooth. (If any bits of flour remain, whisk the batter briefly to break them up and incorporate them.)
6. Scrape the mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 20 minutes, loosen the sides of the cake from the pan with a knife, then tip the cake out onto a wire cooling rack and cool completely. If possible, wait a day before slicing. Pain d’Epices will keep for at least 1 week at room temperature, if well wrapped. It can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
David Lebovitz also has an excellent post on Pain d’Epices here.
IRISH SODA BREAD From Barefoot Contessa at Home, by Ina Garten, 2006.
INGREDIENTS
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for currants
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk, shaken
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 cup dried currants
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is mixed into the flour.
3. With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest together in a measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Combine the currants with 1 tablespoon of flour and mix into the dough. It will be very wet.
4. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf. Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan and lightly cut an X into the top of the bread with a serrated knife. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound.
5. Cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
TIP: I never use grated orange zest when baking this bread. I sometimes add a teaspoon of caraway seeds. Since I could not find currants, I used raisins but prefer currants.
Our group can only reprint My Paris Kitchen’s recipe if they are already on the Web. If you wish the stew recipe, please e-mail me. Cook The Book Fridays is an international group cooking its way virtually through David Lebovitz’s newest cookbook. To visit our link or join us, go here.
Last summer a good friend returned to Aspen after a week of sifting through, sorting and discarding boxes she’d left behind in her mother’s attic. “I had so many dreams and hopes back then,” she told me rather regretfully, “that I’ve never fulfilled.”
WINTERY FRENCH LENTIL SOUP with BISON MEAT and CARROTS, spicy and hearty
Color me shocked. As she later acknowledged, her life is privileged and bountiful. And while those early dreams and hopes have been unrealized, I suggested they were just replaced. “Yes,” she replied, deciding she would buy into that.
Melissa’s friend, Linda, made this fantastic paper art typewriter for me. I actually used a typewriter once upon a time.
At Thanksgiving dinner my family returned to this same subject. Melissa and Stephen are turning 50 this year. This has brought them up short, of course, a pause for soul-searching. Like many of you readers, they are peddling overtime with businesses, raising two teenage daughters, countless responsibilities. But during our annual “I am thankful for” pre-dinner grace, they both made it abundantly clear there is no place they’d rather be. To their two girls, who do realize they are running their parents ragged, those were reassuring moments.
There something beautiful about fresh carrots just pulled from the earth.
While I’ve been somewhat haunted by my friend’s revelations, I hadn’t had time to run through my personal hopes and dreams checklist until recently. My recent 1,500-mile car trip equaled thinking time. I’ll not only share those thoughts but also showcase Wintery French Lentil Soup with bison beef, carrots and red wine. It’s a quick and hearty meal adapted from Lori Lynn Hirsch’s blog, Taste with the Eyes. For sweets, try my faux Chaussons aux Pommes made easily with homemade applesauce.
The Chaussons aux Pommes are ready for the oven.
Although Lori Lynn and I are not related, I was attracted to her blog because of name coincidence. I subscribed because she is a fantastic cook. Her French lentil soup hit all my buttons and provided a home for my fresh carrots. In trying to introduce more grains to my diet, the lentils, a grain legume, were perfect and, as Lori wrote, ‘eating lentils in the new year is said to bring luck and prosperity.’
The Garlic Bulb after it’s had a haircut and been coated with EVOO. Now, into the oven.
Another change I’m making in many recipes now is to roast my garlic instead of mincing/sautéing it. Liz Berg at This Skinny Chick Can Bake and Peggy Gilbey at Spiced Peach Blog persuaded me that soft, caramelized cloves are a sweeter, user-friendly addition to cooked food.
When the garlic cooled, I squeezed the caramelized cloves into the soup.
Chaussons aux Pommes are a gussied up apple turnovers. Using apples from my Talley Farms Fresh Harvest box, I made one-step, no fuss applesauce and, with puff pastry, baked some sweet nibbles for snacks, dessert and breakfast. The recipes are below.
When it’s low tide I usually walk down the stairs to the tidal pools. Not this week. Sometimes the Pacific gets unruly.
Now, back to hopes and dreams. In the past three years as I dismantled our home, I cornered the market on that walk down memory lane. While there’s been some wishing I’d have done things differently or made wiser choices (don’t we all), that’s all shoulda, woulda, coulda poppycock. I was a halfwit at 21 when Melissa was born. Now, 50 years later, I consider myself a candidate for Mensa!
Although I prefer the applesauce in my slow cooker to be chunky, I do mash it up for the turnovers.
Each twist and turn in Life, I guess, is a building block to realizing dreams and fulfilling hopes and handling those damn disappointments and regrets. Frankly, I threw so many hopes and dreams at the wall, the odds were that something was gonna stick.
If you don’t wish to sprinkle cinnamon/sugar on the pastry, that’s fine. I just found it more flavorful because I purposely don’t add sugar to the applesauce.
Today my only shock is that after a big bump or two, I was able to rebuild a happy life again. Perhaps I just put my dreams and hopes in different costumes. After Michael died, all I wanted was to return to my Aspen home and friends. To do that, there were compromises which I elected to make. Then I revisited my passions, writing and the nature gig, and morphed them into possibilities which now consume my daily life. And, what I do best, being a grandmother, is a glorious role I play seriously. That’s it. Presently, my hopes and dreams are reimagined in those pursuits.
This is a Surf Scoter. These ducks hang out at the San Simeon pier with their relatives, the Black Scoters.
I might suggest to my friend to be more gentle with herself. Success or failure cannot be measured by something packed in a cardboard box for 45 years. However, her one innocuous comment has given me pause and will also hopefully stimulate some conversation at your house this week.
the San Simeon pier located near the Hearst Castle
WINTERY FRENCH LENTIL SOUP
Adapted from Lori Lynn Hirsch, Taste for the Eyes
INGREDIENTS:
3 T. olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 roasted garlic bulb
3 carrots, thinly sliced
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. chile powder (or to taste)
4 to 5 c. beef stock
1/2 c. of red wine
1 lb. Bison ground meat, cooked and drained
12 oz. french lentils, steamed (I like Trader Joe’s pre-cooked)
salt and pepper
parmesan, grated
large handful of cilantro, rough chopped
DIRECTIONS:
1. Roast Garlic (directions below)
2. Heat Oil in Soup Pot. Add onion and cook until soft. (If you’d rather use 4 minced garlic cloves, add them after onions are softened and saute for a minute or two until lightly golden.)
3. Then add carrots, cumin, chile power, softened roasted garlic cloves and beef stock.
4. When carrots are al dente, add Bison meat, cooked lentils and red wine.
5. Simmer for 10-15 minutes
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Place soup in warmed bowls. Dust with Parmesan and garnish with parsley or cilantro.
ROASTED GARLIC
INGREDIENTS:
1 whole head of garlic
2 tsp. Extra-virgin Olive oil
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Remove the papery layers off the garlic, keeping the bulb intact.
3. Trim the top off the garlic, as shown (1/4” to 1/3”).
4. Drizzle EVOO over garlic bulbs, rubbing your fingers lightly over the top so oil sinks through.
5. Wrap tightly in foil and bake for 45-55 minutes.
6. Let garlic cool before squeezing into the soup.
CHAUSSONS aux POMMES
APPLESAUCE
1. Peel 12 Apples (more if you wish)
2. Add Cinnamon Sticks, if you wish.
3. Put in Slow Cooker and add 1/2 cup water.
4. Set at Low and Cook for 8 hours (or, overnight).
CHAUSSONS aux POMMES
INGREDIENTS:
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed per package directions.
1 C. of applesauce
Cinnamon/Sugar
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 400°F.
2. Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper.
3. Sprinkle work surface lightly with flour. Roll out thawed puff pastry into 15-inch square.
4. Using a coffee mug, small bowl or large round cookie cutter,
make cutouts with a paring knife.
5. Brush each square with egg wash. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon-sugar and spoon applesauce in the center as shown.
6. Fold each in half and press edges together tightly to seal.
7. Transfer to cookie sheet.
8. Use a sharp knife to make a few slices in the chaussons WITHOUT slicing completely through the puff pastry.
9. Bake between 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
10.Sprinkle top with plain sugar.
TIP: Let cool. (Applesauce can burn your tongue.) They will de-pouf a small amount.
After a hale and hearty Vive La France we put on our biggest, soooo American smiles to honor the people of Paris and friends in France.
Last Saturday evening I planned to have dinner with friends before leaving Aspen for the winter. Then, Friday the 13th happened. Paris was bloodied. France, bruised. The six of us, who had all experienced and enjoyed the City of Lights as well as the country itself, were shaken.
Donna Grauer set a beautiful table for the evening. Note the tiny towers at each place setting.
After watching the events play out throughout the next day we decided to do what our friends abroad would wish and still gather together for food, wine and friendship. Only, we decided, this evening would be more about France. So it was.
Irish Whiskey Soda Bread and not Baguettes?
Our menu, already set, was appropriate: Bruschetta with Burrata and Sautéed Capers and Shallots; Leafy greens covered with a tangy tarragon dressing; Farro With Mushrooms and Roasted Pine Nuts, a recipe adapted from Martha Rose Shulman; followed by French cheeses and fruit. The only oddball was my proposed contribution, Irish Whiskey Soda Bread.
Not only was this not French, it wasn’t even St. Patrick’s Day, the appropriate time for such fare. Remembering French cooks, who aren’t into waste, are ingenious with leftovers, I mounted my defense. Although I did damage to my bottle of Jameson’s Irish Whiskey for last week’s Irish Coffee recipe, my leftover supply is still ample and needs to be used. The verdict? Soda bread instead of baguettes.
We brought out the champagne flutes for this well-considered rosé produced at the Jolie-Pitt chateau in France.
For our special toast our hosts, the Grauers, brought forth a wine they’d been gifted of 2014 Provençal rosé produced on the 150 acres of vineyards at Chateau Miraval owned by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Wine Spectator had ranked their first vintage at number 84 on its list of the top 100 wines of 2013. A perfect touch.
Add the eggs/buttermilk/irish whiskey mixture to the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt and butter crumbly mixture and you’ve got it!
There’s little we six Americans can do to heal wounds and lessen grief. It’s a helpless feeling. All of us DO send thoughtful solace with appreciation for the wonderful times we’ve all experienced in France ….. and, will again. That’s what our evening was about. Vive la France.
Not much kneading is “kneeded” to form the dough into a round. Don’t forget the X slit before sliding it into the oven.
This evening proved there is no need to save this Irish soda bread for just one holiday. The slight flavor of Irish Whiskey lends its zesty flair to the raisins, currants and caraway seeds. It’s soft-textured and, unlike the breads we usually enjoy, more cake than bread. With no yeast, soda bread rises because of the reaction by the acid in the buttermilk to baking soda. It is perishable, however, only lasting two days. Think toast on Day Two.
After the meal, the leftovers and crumbs
Although the lights on my blog will go dark for the next three weeks, my personal light will continue to shine brightly. I leave Aspen this week-end and will be spending Thanksgiving for the ninth year with my family at Death Valley National Park. Shortly after the holidays I’ll fly to Quito, Ecuador and, eventually, the Galapagos. I anticipate this to be the trip of my lifetime and am grateful for the opportunity.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL.
Note the men, waving, with yellow gloves, who are hanging the winter lights at The Gant
Magical.
IRISH WHISKEY SODA BREAD adapted from HOMEMADE WINTER by Yvette Van Hoven
Day Two – Soda Bread makes perfect toast.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup mixed raisins and currants
2 teaspoon caraway seed
4 tablespoon Irish whiskey
8 cups all-purpose flour (In the altitude? Use High Altitude Hungarian Flour)
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, cold
2 cups buttermilk, or more or less as needed for a month dough
3 eggs
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet or line with parchment.
2. Mix the raisins/currants with the caraway seeds and whiskey and let soak for 15 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Slice and cube the cold butter. With your fingers, work in butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
4. Pour the raisin-whiskey mixture through the flour mixture.
5. Beat two eggs and blend them into the buttermilk.
6. Pour that over the flour mixture and knead until it comes together in a ball – no longer.
7. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form a smooth ball of dough. Form the dough into a round.
8. Place it on a prepared baking sheet.
9. In a small bowl, beat an egg and brush it over the top of the loaf. (You won’t need to use the entire beaten egg.) Use a sharp knife to cut an ‘X’ into the top of the loaf as shown in the picture..
10. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted through the center of the loaf comes out clean and the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, 45 to 50 minutes. Check for doneness every 5 minutes after 35 minutes.
