How do I adequately explain this week’s menu choices, Croque-Forestier and homemade Rosemary Potato Chips. That was more of a dilemma than turning Russet potatoes into crisps all gussied up with rosemary and flaky salt. Pete Wells, The New York Times food columnist, threw the appropriate descriptive words in my lap yesterday morning. In touting a recipe he wrote, “it’s such a festival of textures and tastes, it makes you grateful to have working teeth and a tongue in your mouth.”
ROSEMARY POTATO CHIPS…”you can’t have just one.”
Why should I search for words when he nails it?
Linda first put together Marie-Hélène’s Apple Cake which, came out beautifully.
Real chefs have sous-chefs. This week I was a real chef. Linda Stein and her husband, David, who are Floridians, bought a home here in the late Eighties when Michael and I moved to Aspen. I’ve known this woman twenty-five years and while she can, she doesn’t. Cook. That’s why it surprised me she wanted to learn to bake the highly-touted Marie-Hélène’s Apple Cake, my Dorie favorite. When I suggested she also help with this week’s recipes, she was All In. (Full Disclosure: She had no clue it would be my first-ever frying adventure.)
Ending my four-year Around My French Table adventure was a bit-of-a-heart tug. But, we cooked the book which was the goal. Erasing the accustomed French from my Fridays? Not so simple. To lick my wounds I turned to a bookcase stuffed with cookbooks I’ve never cracked. Buvette, The Pleasure of Good Food, by Jody Williams had caught my eye since receiving it (a year ago). Williams is a protégé of Italian phenom Mario Batali, who writes in her Foreword that Buvette ‘captures Jody’s pure unadulterated genius.”
Linda brought me an apron entitled Plateau Royale, translated, a fancy seafood platter. As you see, the seafood is Bling which, incidentally, she thinks I need! Too nice for cooking but fun to show off.
Every recipe I’ve made from Buvette takes a whimsical detour from the tried-and-true. While most of you are familiar with the classic Croque-Monsieur or Croque-Madame, the Forestier is less well-known. Whether vegetarian or not, this Croque, meaning to crunch in French, can march in sync with all comers. To change the Monsieur into a Forestier, simply exchange ham for a mixture of mushrooms roasted in olive oil, salt, sage and rosemary. Yum. The recipe is at the end of my Post.
The Croque Forestiers, ready for the oven.
Who really has the time to make homemade potato chips anyway?
Slice. Soak. Dry. Fry. Pringle has nothing on these chips.
After making Buvette’s homemade Rosemary Potato Chips, I may never buy another bag. Homemade chips are, I promise you, élégant and simple to create. If you have 2 Russet potatoes and canola oil, you’re in business. Of course, I’ve never before fried anything in 3” of oil which worried Linda a lot. My kitchen is tiny. When I tossed those first potato disks into the 350-degreeF oil, I noticed Linda, All of Her, was splayed against my kitchen wall. I admit to some splashes and splatters but no serious burns.
Yes, it is. Absolutely delicious.
In closing I must acknowledge this date, September 11. It will forever be a heavy-hearted day for Americans and the world. That’s why I tried to make this week’s Post light-hearted by saluting America with a dressed-up grilled cheese sandwich and a favorite (junk food) snack. God Bless America and blessing to everyone in the world who mourn loved ones lost on 9/11/01.
If you dare to try, you’ll love these recipes.
CROQUE – FORESTIER by Jody Williams, BUVETTE, the pleasure of good food
Makes 4 Sandwiches
Ingredients:
Béchamel Sauce (makes 3/4 cup)
1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3/4 c whole milk
Coarse salt
Mushroom Mix
10-12 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp rosemary, minced
1/2 tsp sage, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Sandwich Ingredients
2 Tbsp whole grain mustard (note: I used 1 Tbsp)
8 slices rustic, artisan bread, 1/2 to 3/4” wide
1 c coarsely grated Gruyère cheese
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat the oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Make the mushroom mixture. Pour olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add mushrooms with rosemary and sage. Cook until mushrooms are browned, about 5-6 min, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Next, prepare the béchamel sauce. Combine the butter, flour and nutmeg in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until barely browned, about 2-3 min. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and begins to pull away from the edges on the pan, 3-4 min. The mixture should be the consistency of thick pudding and stick to the spoon. Season with a pinch of salt and set aside.
4. Stir the mustard into the béchamel sauce and, dividing evenly, spread béchamel on one side of each slice of bread, making sure to spread the béchamel from corner to corner on each slice. Place the bread on the prepared baking sheet. Top 4 of the slices with mushrooms and some grated cheese. Put the remaining béchamel-coated bread slices, béchamel side up, on top of the mushroom/cheese mix. Top sandwiches with remaining cheese and sprinkle with Herbes de Provence. Bake sandwiches until cheese is melted and tops are starting to crisp, about 10 min. If you want the top to be more crispy brown, put under the broiler for 1 or 2 minutes. Serve immediately.
MY TIPS:
1. Gruyère cheese is a prefect melting cheese and acknowledged, with its distinctive flavoring, as ideal for baking. If you must, substitute with Comté or Beaufort.
2. Great for entertaining as a nibble, lunch, or casual supper, you can assemble a tray of croques early, refrigerate and when needed, slide into the oven.
3. Just adding chips, whether homemade or not, and cornichons makes a meal.
4. For Croque-Monsieur, exchange the mushroom mixture with ham. For Croque-Madame, place a fried egg on either version.
ROSEMARY POTATO CHIPS by by Jody Williams, BUVETTE, the pleasure of good food
Serves four
INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon very finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 Russet potatoes, peeled
Oil, for frying (corn, peanut, vegetable, canola, or grapeseed oil all work well)
DIRECTIONS
1.In a small bowl, stir together the rosemary and the salt and set aside.
2. Using a mandoline or a very sharp knife, carefully slice the potatoes into thin rounds no more than 1/8 inch thick. Place the sliced potatoes into a bowl of cold water and let them sit for at least 20 minutes or refrigerated overnight to release some of their starch.
Drain the potatoes and dry thoroughly on paper towels.
3. Pour enough oil into a large, heavy pot so that you have at least 2 to 3 inches of oil, but make sure the oil does not fill the pot more than halfway. Set the pot over high heat and let it heat until the oil reaches 350°F on a candy thermometer. If you don’t have a thermometer, place 1 slice of potato into the oil and when bubbles form around it and it is really sizzling, you will know that your oil is hot enough for frying.
4. Carefully add a few handfuls of your dry potatoes to the oil, being careful not to crowd the pot. Fry the chips, stirring occasionally with a wooden or slotted spoon, until the potatoes are lightly browned and crisp, about 3 minutes, 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the potatoes to a paper towel–lined plate to drain while you continue frying the potato slices in batches. Once all of the chips are fried, sprinkle them with the rosemary salt mixture and serve immediately.
My Tips:
1. I used a OXO mandoline to slice the potatoes into 1/8” discs, the perfect size.
2. It is essential to soak the starch from the potato slices for at least 20 minutes or overnight, refrigerated. It is also essential to DRY THEM THOROUGHLY with a paper towel before frying. Although this was probably not what she’d envisioned, this was Linda’s task. (Thank you, Linda.)
3. Two Russet potatoes make about 100 chips. It was plenty for us to sample and to share with The Gant’s front office staff.
Mrs. Frings’ Irish Soda Bread. Let’s pretend the Pacific Ocean is the Irish Sea.
Know this. Sweet Paul, creative guru, lifestyle magazine editor and chef, is Norwegian. My people, on my Mother’s side, were Welch coalminers. Between us, we have not one drop of Irish blood. But last week Sweet Paul sent me a new recipe for Irish Soda Bread, something I make once a year. He’s in the game.
Sweet Paul
As for me, I’ve visited and driven across the Emerald Isle, coast to coast. One of my Life’s thrills was seeing the spectacular Book of Kells at Trinity College in Dublin. And I’ve read Thomas Cahill’s “How the Irish Saved Civilization” from cover to cover. I’m in the game also.
For this one day, March 17, everyone is Irish and that’s cause for blarney, hoopla, and Mrs. Frings’ Irish Soda Bread. A peasant bread, simply made with basic ingredients: flour, baking soda (used as a leavening agent instead of yeast), salt and soured milk to moisten and activate the soda, it represents Ireland’s soul. Bake it for dinner. Serve it warm. Wrap the remaining leftovers tightly and toast the next morning. Sublime.
HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY, EVERYONE
Restraint is a wonderful thing. We left very little for toast tomorrow.
Mrs. Frings’ Irish Soda Bread by Paul Vitale (adapted by Mary Hirsch)
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups Flour
1 stick (1/2 cup) of cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1/2 cup Sugar
1 to 1 and 1/2 Cups of Golden Raisins (your discretion)
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
1 1/2 cup Buttermilk, shaken
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
3. Mix butter into dry mixture by hand until clumps disappear.
4. Slowly add in buttermilk until you can form one big clump of dough.
5. Toss the raisins into the clump of dough and knead into the dough.
6. Place in 8 or 9 inch round or springform pan that is been coated with butter and flour OR form into freestanding round loaf which you put on parchment paper to bake.
7. Cut an X into the top of the bread with a serrated knife.
8. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. When you tap the loaf, it should have a hollow sound.
9. Remove from oven and place on rack and drape with damp cloth until cool. Slice and enjoy with Irish butter!
Baby Beet Tarte Tatin from River Cottage Veg, authored by Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall, an October Cottage Cooking Club recipe choice.
By no stretch of the imagination would you call me a Vegetarian. My granddaughter, yes. Close friends, you bet. But, me, absolutely not. That’s why it’s surprising that lately Deborah Madison, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Yotam Ottolenghi and I have become best buddies. I’m in awe of these three cookbook authors whose recently published cookbooks make vegetables sexy.
River Cottage Veg, 200 inspired vegetable recipes, by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
For the past 6 months, since joining Cottage Cooking Club, I’ve been exploring Whittingstall’s River Cottage Veg, 200 inspired vegetable recipes. This month I baked his scrumptious Pumpkin & Raisin Tea Loaf (no butter, no oil) and Baby Beet Tarte Tatin. Both recipes were unique, compelling, flavorful and dinner guest-worthy. Visit my October 7th Post, devoted to his Tea Loafhere. Find the recipe here.
Pumpkin & Raisin Tea Loaf
Tarte Tatin is a classic, of course, if you use apples. With beets? Not so classic. “But,” as HF-W writes, “the principle of caramelizing some delicious round sweet things, topping them with puff pastry, then flipping upside down, works equally well in the savory interpretation.”
Baby Beet Tarte Tatin
I simplified the preparation by purchasing vacuum-packed, ready-to-eat baby beets. My puff pastry of choice is DuFour Pastry Kitchens, available in grocery stores. Basically, halve the beets, caramelizing them and then fitting snugly into an 8-inch ovenproof container. Having already cut out a puff pastry disk to fit the dish, place it over the beets, patting firmly and tucking its edges down the pan’s side. After 20 minutes in the oven, the pastry should be a puffy, golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes before inverting it carefully onto the serving plate. Top with the vinaigrette (recipe included) or crumbled feta cheese. Serve immediately.
Spicy Chickpea & Bulgar Soup from Plenty More, a cookbook authored by Yotam Ottolenghi
Baby Beet Tarte Tatin is an excellent appetizer, first course, entrée side or, as I found, delicious lunch. I enjoyed this with a bowl of Ottolenghi’s Spicy Chickpea & Bulgar Soup, a recipe from Plenty More, his latest cookbook published this month. What I love about Ottolenghi is his no-holds-barred attitude regarding ingredients. There’s a whole vegetable world out there with its accompanying flavorings and spices that I’ve never met.
Plenty More, Yotam Ottolenghi’s latest cookbook
For this soup I did have the spices on hand, cumin, coriander and caraway seeds. Garlic, onions, carrots and celery added flavor and crunch. Bulgar wheat was a first time-ingredient for me but Bob’s Red Mill brand carries all kinds of Natural Foods, Mixes and Flours in our grocery stores. Harissa Paste, I knew about but had never used. My advice? Perhaps, less heat? Use 1 TBSP instead of 2 TBSP. For stock, vegetable, chicken or water work equally well. Instead of the Creamed Feta Paste garnish, I cut calories and just sprinkled feta chunks on the top. This soup is goodness.
Spicy Chickpea & Bulgar Soup topped with Feta Chunks
Deborah Madison waded deeply into the veggie business in 1997 with the publication of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, a James Beard Foundation Book Award winner, and, now, a classic. But it’s her recently published Vegetable Literacy, a celebration of the plant kingdom’s diversity, which has been captivating. Nostalgic moment, my mother often cooked with rutabagas. When the Indian Summer fades and our snow falls turn serious, I’m all over her Rutabaga and Apple Bisque and Winter Stew of Braised Rutabagas with Carrots, Potatoes and Parsley Sauce.
Quite often, when I finish a three or four-hour hike, my reward is to stop by the Woody Creek Tavern, an old Hunter Thompson hangout, and have a burger, fries and beer. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. However, a journey down the veggie highway created by these three masterful chefs is well worth my time and effort also. Having it all is a good thing.
The Cottage Cooking Club is a virtual international group cooking its way through Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s excellent River Cottage VEG cookbook. Please join us in our adventure if you wish. To see what delicious fare my colleagues created this month, go here.
Here’s another delicious recipe from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Veg cookbook. I now have embraced this book of 200 inventive vegetable recipes as my own best idea. Truthfully, Andrea Mohr, a foodie in Bonn, Germany who blogs as The Kitchen Lioness, inspired me and others to join The Cottage Cooking Club and cook through this book together. In the spirit of full disclosure, my colleagues and I asked nicely, then pleaded and finally begged Andrea to mastermind and administer this group. She caved. (We love her.)
Among our October recipe choices is his Pumpkin & Raisin Tea Loaf which he describes as ‘rich and sweet, but also quite light because it doesn’t contain any butter or oil.’ Call me a skeptic but I’m an always-add-more-butter girl so this was a must-bake recipe. This was also an excellent opportunity to walk you, dear readers, through my blogging process.
Have you ever wondered, “How does Mary make this happen every week?” Why, thank you for asking. Whether a success or failure, let’s make this bread together. Here we go…..
Its thick batter is ready for the oven.
For me, there are six steps in the food blogging process:
1. Choose (or, create) a recipe. Source and gather the ingredients.
2. Make it.
3. Photograph it.
4. Serve it. Share it. Eat it.
5. Compose Post.
6. Go live on Lights on Bright No Brakes.
_________________________________________________________
Choose, Source and Gather
After choosing a recipe (Pumpkin & Raisin Tea Loaf), I first gather ingredients already on hand and list those that are not. Luckily I already had eggs, lemons, ground almond meal, sea salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Before buying those additional (and, sometimes pricey) remaining items, I consider substituting ingredients and making do with what I have in my pantry/fridge. Instead of 1 cup of Muscovado sugar, an unrefined brown sugar with a strong molasses content and flavor, Google claims I can use plain brown sugar. To convert Hungarian High Altitude Flour which I use for baking, into self-rising flour, I know to add 1 1/2 ts of baking powder and 1/2 ts of salt per cup. (I live in Colorado at 8000’ altitude.) Since I was out of raisins, I substituted dried cherries. This recipe calls for finely grated raw pumpkin or squash flesh. The only item I needed to buy was a can of Libby’s pure Pumpkin Purée. Cost – 10 cents!
Make It
After the ingredients are “in house”, I carefully re-read through the entire recipe 2 or 3 times. For this tea loaf, I pulled out my electric mixer, two bowls, preheated the oven and greased the proper-sized loaf pan. There was nothing very complicated to pulling this recipe together. Since I was folding stiffly beaten egg whites into a thick batter, I needed to lighten the batter, a technique often required in baking.
After an hour in a 375 degree oven, this bread needs to cool down.
Smile for the Camera
Throughout the baking process, I look for photo ops. Not claiming to be Ansel Adams nor a threat to Annie Liebovitz, I still like to include 5 or 6 photos in each Post. Hopefully my camera skills have improved during the past three years but I’m still clearly an amateur.
Serve It. Share It. Eat It.
This has been challenging since I cook for One. Food is expensive. With hunger being a worldwide issue, who can tolerate waste? My freezer capability is limited. Luckily, except when traveling, I seldom eat in restaurants. Over time I’ve learned to successfully halve and third recipes, tinkering with ratios and proportions. When possible, my Posts are planned around social/food events. Happily, the employees here at The Gant, where I live, are skilled (and, grateful) taste-testers. I shared this Pumpkin & Raisin Tea Loaf with the off-season crew (They liked.) No food goes uneaten.
Before slicing and, only if you wish, sprinkle with powdered sugar. It’s actually rich and sweet enough without the ps.
Compose Post.
Since I’ve spent more time in the newsroom than the kitchen, writing the Post is my favorite part of this adventure. Just love to write. Besides blogging about my chosen recipe, I also weave an anecdote through the piece, highlighting an event, experience, story or thought. To my mind and because I am not a food star like most of my colleagues, entertaining my readers through words is important. It takes 6 to 8 hours to write each Post. (Yeah, it does.)
Go Live on Lights on Bright No Brakes.
#%&@%#
The Good News: Maintaining a food blog requires technical skills, social media expertise and staying current.
The Bad News: Maintaining a food blog requires technical skills, social media expertise and staying current.
Every time I put up a new Post, it’s a challenge. My tech expert, Zoe Zuker, who redesigned my site, has tried to make every posting step a simple task. However, her simple is not my simple. She was born knowing these things. I was not. Patience is a virtue and she has big-time patience. When Go Daddy shut down my site two weeks ago – they still have not explained themselves – it was Zoe who spent 7 hours correcting that debacle. Every time I successfully link a new Post to my social media homes – Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram, it’s a miracle moment.
You’ve just caught a glimpse of my food blogging life. Knowing you dear readers as I do, I suspect your reaction to this Post is WHY? Why do I do this? I will answer that question on my French Fridays with Dorie Post this week. Incidentally, the Pumpkin & Raisin Tea Loaf was tagged delicious by my tasting crew. Interested in low-fat but tasty? Find the recipe here.
French Fridays with Dorie, an international cooking group making its way through Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table, has been in business since October 2010. While this week’s 4th Year Anniversary is cause for jubilation and a tip of the toque to all my colleagues, I must extend the deepest sympathy to my cookbook.
My well-worn and weary cookbook, Around My French Table.
As you can see by this forlorn picture, it’s been a rough ride. I pre-ordered my book from Amazon in 2010 and it’s been my constant sidekick since first arriving at my doorstep. Sometime between the Duck Breast with Fresh Peaches (August 9, 2013) and Tuna-packed Piquillo Peppers (Sept. 20, 2013), the spine separated from its cover. My Compote de Pommes (Nov. 8, 2013) and Sugar-crusted French Toast ( Nov. 29, 2013) pages are totally ripped out and crammed back in place. And, not to seem ungrateful, but Melissa spilled rice vinegar on several pages while making Crunchy Ginger-pickled Cucumbers ( July 6, 2012) when she stepped in to help after Michael died.
Cake Salé, Savory Cheese and Chive Bread, is my French Fridays recipe choice this week.
My book moved from Nevada to Colorado and has been on all my car trips of the past 4 years. Ironically, my odometer just rolled over the 100,000 mile marker this week. I plead guilty to the occasional chocolate stain, greasy spatter and water mark. And, I keep a treasured Christmas note from Dorie between pages 386-7. Love her chocolate eclairs. What I now understand is every recipe I’ve made has cooked up a memory journal which has turned worn and battered into a treasure.
To celebrate Year Four, this week my FFWD recipe choice is Savory Cheese and Chive Bread which the others already baked in March 2011. I missed making this savory loaf of yum. To the French it’s a Cake Salé (salé means salty or savory). “I know this looks like a good old American quick bread,” Dorie explains, “but it’s got a French soul.”
This loaf baked at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. During the last 15 minutes I sprinkled more grated cheese over the top.
Although I’ve included the recipe below, a successful Cake Salé lends itself to imagination and leftovers. Use whatever combination of hard cheeses you have on hand. Choose fresh herbs over dried. As for add-ins, plug into your creative gene. Mix in diced ham, crispy bacon bits, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, minced shallots, small pieces of cooked vegetables or jalapeño bits, for example.
My favorite way to serve this bread is lightly toasted and buttered.
This bread can be served slightly warm or when cooled completely. The French offer it with aperitifs. Cut your loaf into 8, half-inch thick slices, cutting in half again. For me, a dab of chutney is a delicious touch. It’s also perfect for brunch and really tasty with salads. Since this is not a moist bread, after a day or two it’s best when lightly toasted and buttered. Use your end crusts as croutons. Another idea? Muffins. Bake in individual paper Lotus Cups and serve with winter soups and chili.
Must Bake This. You’ll impress your family and friends. Promise.
1/2–1 teaspoon salt (depending on what cheese and add-ins you’re using)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup whole milk, room temperature
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 generous cup (about 4 ounces) coarsely grated Gruyère, Comté, Emmenthal, or cheddar
2 ounces (1/2–2/ 3 cup) Gruyère, Comté, Emmenthal, or cheddar, cut into very small cubes
1/2 cup minced fresh chives or other herbs (or thinly sliced scallions)
1/3 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
Instructions
1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter an 8-x-4½-x-2¾-inch loaf pan — a Pyrex pan is perfect here. If your pan is slightly larger, go ahead and use it, but your loaf will be lower and you’ll have to check it for doneness a little earlier.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, white pepper and cayenne together in a large bowl. Put the eggs in a medium bowl and whisk for about 1 minute, until they’re foamy and blended. Whisk in the milk and olive oil. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and, using a sturdy rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, gently mix until the dough comes together. There’s no need to be energetic — in fact, beating the dough toughens it — nor do you need to be very thorough: just stir until all the dry ingredients are moistened.
3. Stir in the cheese, grated and cubed, the herbs, and the walnuts. You’ll have a thick dough. Turn the dough into the buttered pan and even the top with the back of the spatula or spoon.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the bread is golden and a slender knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and wait for about 3 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the pan and turn the loaf over onto the rack; invert and cool right side up.
5. Well wrapped, the loaf will keep for about 2 days at room temperature or for up to 2 months in the freezer (thaw in the wrapper).
This week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe is Vegetable Barley Soup with the Taste of Little India. Très confus? Dorie admits this is neither French bistro fare nor authentically Indian. It’s a Greenspan concoction. While walking through a Parisian Indian neighborhood she spotted and bought several tiny sachets of mixed spices. Adding them to a rather conventional root vegetable and barley potage kicked its flavoring out of France and up a notch.
Author Brigit Binns, who has written 28 cookbooks, welcomes us to her first cooking class of the season.
The veggies are predictable: onions; carrots; and, parsnips. The spices are not: garlic; fresh ginger; turmeric; red pepper flakes; and, Garam Marsala (coriander, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, kalonji, caraway, cloves, ginger and nutmeg). Chicken broth and pearl barley complete it. The recipe for this heart-healthy dish is included in this recent ChicagoTribune article, Cook Along with French Fridays, giving we Doristas our 15 minutes of fame.
Vegetable Barley Soup with the Taste of Little India
The Two Cheese Mavens: Lindsay Dodson-Brown of Justin Vineyards & Winery (L) and Alexis Negranti of Negranti Creamery (R) prepare for class.
Last weekend I attended author Brigit Binn’s first cooking class of the season at Refugio, her home in Paso Robles. Binns‘ twenty-eighth cookbook, The New Wine Country Cookbook, Recipes from California’s Central Coast, has been my tour guide and culinary bible since arriving here in January. I barely made the cut of the chosen twelve but for two whining e-mails to Brigit and a last minute cancellation. Who says begging isn’t helpful?
The most difficult thing about making ricotta cheese in an outdoor kitchen on a windy day is to keep the burner’s flame lit. Brigit and her husband, Casey, try to block the wind!
Everyone in the class got to play.
The class was entitled Two Cheese Mavens. Lindsay Dodson-Brown of Justin Vineyards & Winery and Alexis Negranti who owns Negranti Creamery helped us make mozzarella and ricotta cheeses. But this was a teaching lesson with sideshows. While we were making cheese, Binns and her husband, Casey, were creating delicious, homemade flatbreads dressed in tasty toppings, roasted baby artichokes and those olives, all made in their wood-burning outdoor oven. Butler poured her 2013 Rosé as well as a 2012 Viognier, and a 2010 Carignan. (More about Winemaker Butler next week.) Do you understand why I humbled myself and groveled?
This flatbread is the best I’ve ever tasted. Briget shared the dough recipe so I will share also if you contact me.
Casey made his scrumptious olives in their outdoor oven. Mine tasted almost as delicious with my conventional one. Just as tasty the next day, served cold. Quoting from page 274 of Binn’s cookbook: “Toss brine-cured or oil-cured olives with a little olive oil, scatter with some springs of fresh thyme and rosemary, and a little lemon or orange zest. Roast in a shallow pan for 10 to 15 minutes at 425 degrees until the olives are shriveled, aromatic and slightly crisp.” [Between this recipe and Dorie Greenspan’s Herbed Olives, avoid the high-priced olive bars and turn plain, inexpensive olives into Fancy Nancys – Mary]
Casey’s Olives, roasted in the outdoor oven
My olives (a different kind) with herbs, olive oil and seasoning, ready for my 425 degree oven
Just Right
The cauliflower in my farmer’s market is gorgeous so I couldn’t resist this purchase. I recently found a recipe by Chef Chad Colby for Sauteed Cauliflower Wedges with Bagna Cauda on this blog. Since I’d never made the Italian dipping sauce, Bagna Cauda, before, it was worth a try. Yummy. More about Bagna Cauda-Love in a later Post.
Sauteed Cauliflower Wedges with Bagna Cauda
About my dessert. First, you milk a ewe. Now I didn’t have to do that because Alexis Negranti and her husband, Wade, already had. Negranti, who taught us how to make mozzarella, also chit-chatted about her passion, creating different flavors of sheep milk ice cream – Chocolate, Black Coffee, Raw Honey, Salted Brown Sugar, Pumpkin, Fresh Mint – using fresh produce from local farmers. There’s much to tout about this dish of deliciousness but, for now, be satisfied that its fat content is less than 8%. As I mentioned, this was a feast…with leftovers.
Blueberry and Cinnamon Swirl Sheep Milk Ice Cream. Killer. I’m a convert.
