Today’s Post is a stroll down Memory Lane. Join me. I think you’re going to like it.
My mantle is filled with Christmas cards received from my French Friday with Dorie blogging colleagues. Many of the cards have food-related scenes and many are handmade.
This week’s FFWD recipe is Chicken, Apples, and Cream à la normande, a sweet, rich stand-alone main course, honoring its namesake. The French region of Normandy is recognized for its apples, brandy-like Calvados, cream, Camembert and butter. Four of those five ingredients are in this dish. Yes, Dorie does admit it’s ‘decidedly rich’.
This was the first recipe I ever made from Around My French Table. Ibought the cookbook when it was first published in September 2010 but didn’t even know about the French Friday group. Always a Dorie disciple, I trusted when she wrote, “This dish is more luxurious, far fancier, and much prettier than either its ingredient list or the brief time it takes you to pull it together would lead you to believe.”
She is as good as her word. Chicken, the Normandy way, was as delicious then as it is this week.
Mise en Place – I always gather all the ingredients I need for the recipe on a tray. For this recipe, I used three chicken breasts instead of four and doubled down on the apples and mushrooms.
Following that meal and about six months later, I read about a FFWD group that, every week, makes a specific recipe from Dorie’s cookbook and then blogs about it. At that time my lifestyle, as you might remember, had changed drastically. Although I had adjusted as best I could, what I missed most about being alone and leaving our Colorado life was cooking, companionship at meals and entertaining family and friends. This group, I thought, might just put me back in the food business.
I joined up.
Naturally as I gathered the ingredients for this week’s recipe and put it together, I thought about my two years with the Doristas. In today’s New York Times (12/13/12), reporter Leslie Kaufman wrote an article about Deb Perelman, discussing the evolution of her popular food blog, Smitten Kitchen, into a best-selling cookbook. Kaufman talks about blogosphere friendships as important, developing “in a 21-st century way.”
I browned organic chicken breasts in oil and butter for 3 minutes on each side. Note the large pan.
Later I pulled up our FFWD Link on Facebook. Adriana Angelet who was born and raised in Puerto Rico and writes her blog, http://greatfood360.com, in Spanish and English, had left a comment and picture. “I am a little emotional today. Thank you for filling my tree with so many wonderful wishes.”
She was referring toour FFWD Christmas card exchange. Alice Bush, A Mama, Baby, & Sharpei in the Kitchen, who lives in England, suggested it and many of us signed on. She organized us and gathered addresses. Might I suggest that if Alice were in charge of America’s budget negotiations, that pesky fiscal cliff problem would be solved. We not only received our list but also our marching orders: mailing directions, deadlines and international postage costs – to Europe, Australia, Brunei, and the like. I love this woman.
Our virtual friendships which developed “in a 21-st century way” have turned snail mail and personal notes.
Alice Angelet, who lives in Puerto Rico and blogs on GreatFood360.com shows us her tree filled with Christmas cards from her FFWD friends.
For the past two years (and, more for those who joined on 10/01/10) our FFWD group has cooked and baked and blogged, sharing both our successes and failures, every single week. Surprisingly, and, I think I can speak for everyone, we began as colleagues with a common interest and have evolved into supportive, good friends.
So much has happened to us in the past year. We’ve welcomed a new baby (Emily) and calmed the jitters of a nervous but beautiful bride (Jessica). Ei moved to Naples but figured out how to keep cooking. Paula closed her Buenos Aires cafe and continues to be a good sport with recipe choices despite seasonal differences. When we’re making soups and daubes, it’s her summer.
Liz, Cher and Tricia sent their high school graduates off to college – always a lump-in-the-throat, heart dropping moment. Hey, Moms, send food. Kathy and Diane live in East Coast areas where Sandy was especially vengeful. Betsy went into the “bee business”. (You don’t want to know.) Mardi spent the summer in France and took us along virtually. I lost my husband and many others, including Andrea, lost loved ones.
Add apple, onion and mushrooms to the pan with the browned chicken breasts. Add more olive oil and butter, if needed, to be sure the added ingredients are well mixed and glossy. Then add chicken broth and simmer for ten minutes. Salt and pepper generously throughout the cooking process.
We cherish our pets, losing them is hard. We’re all pulling for Braveheart. Krissy dropped out to care for her family but, after a long absence, just returned. We’re glad. Trevor got his computer stolen, Rose, her camera. Pretty traumatic if you’re a food blogger. Many of us have changed jobs, moving on up!!! Congratulations. And, our fearless leader, Dorie Greenspan, has opened a wildly successful new baking enterprise in New York City called Beurre & Sel.
Dorie at the counter, Beurre & Sel, her unique cookie shop in New York City Photo: Travel & Leisure Magazine
We’ve never lost a beat, knocking off 52 recipes each year. (This is a 5-and-then-some-year project.)
These friends that I’ve met “in a 21-st century way” welcomed me with kindness and generosity and did put me back in the food business. Sometimes virtual becomes the real deal.
To see if my collegues liked the Normandy dish as well as I did, go here. If you would like to make this tasty entree, go here.
My neighborhood friends, Adriana and Michelle, both share late-Fall birthdays with me. Each year we celebrate this with a girls-night-out together. Being that the three of us are at our local gym by 5 am each week-day morning before starting our busy work day, our girls-night-out is not the norm. It’s 5:30pm pizza at our favorite local joint. Pitiful, huh?
Since I will be moving back to Aspen soon, this year’s celebration will probably be our last together. Because my FFWD recipe this week was to be Beef Cheek Daube with Carrots and Elbow Macaroni, we decided to push the dining hour forward by an hour or two (7pm) and enjoy a girls-night-in (at Chez Hirsch).
Although decorating the Christmas tree is #@%!!& times two, the end result makes me happy. Each decoration is a joyful memory, I believe, of a past well-lived. We all thought the tree contributed greatly to the evening’s festive spirit.
If you recall, Michelle, a lawyer and judge, also graduated from culinary school. She’s a pro. Sicilian-born Adriana, who learned at the elbow of her talented mother, Pina, is a wizard with fruits and vegetables. We all contributed to the success of our deliciously flavorful dinner where, in this case, pictures are more tasty than words.
We began with french champagne, Bollinger, served with Dorie’s Herbed Olives (which just taste better and better). And, birthdays = presents. Michelle always keeps Adriana and me up-to-date with kitchenware and, this year, she didn’t disappoint. (More in later Blogs.) Adriana, ever the foodie was generous with wine and chocolates and real Italian pannettone “from the old country”. I brought them momentos from my South American trip, handmade Chilean scarves.
This daube was to be anchored by Beef Cheeks — yeah, Moo! Moo!. Although I’m an Iowa girl, this ingredient had me stymied. My tried-and-true Whole Foods could not get me beef cheeks nor could my two local butchers. I used, per Dorie’s suggestion, boneless beef chuck roast. (I now know that Beef Cheeks can be found at Latino/HIspanic/Mexican grocery stores.) Lesson learned.
Although I made the daube the day before, adding carrots, onions, bacon, wine and beef broth, I didn’t add the macaroni nor finely chopped bittersweet chocolate (the secret ingredient) until the last moment. Love the steam.
Adriana’s glorious salad, something we request over and over again. For our birthday celebration, she didn’t disappoint.
In May 2011, Michelle spent a culinary week in Italy, learning, cooking and writing about Italian cuisine. She carried this bottle of Brunello Di Montalcino 2003 back as a gift for me. I had saved it for the perfect evening………this was it. Like Adriana’s salad, this wine did not disappoint either. Fabulous.
Michelle spent an entire Saturday (serious, not kidding) making croissants. Might I just mention that she is a perfectionist? She then froze them individually (as dough). She brought a cookie sheet of croissants, already proofed, to my house and we baked them off just before dinner. They were as good as they look.
A bowlful of beef daube with carrots and macaroni, something that I will make often this winter. No complaints from my guests, either.
There were a number of champagne and wine toasts during our evening together. I think this toast with Michelle was suggesting she return to Italy for more wine!
And was there any doubt about dessert nor that we would lick the plates clean? Michelle made a heavenly and creamy yogurt-honey-vanilla bean panna cotta drizzled with apricot honey brought back from her summer place in Bainbridge Island, Washington. The panna cotta was enhanced by Moravian spice cookies and the last of the red wine. Good night…….
Once again, Dorie came through with a hearty, rich and rustic main course for an evening meal. I cannot praise her cookbook, Around my French Table, enough. It would be a wonderful Christmas gift. I would also like to extend my gratitude to two wonderful friends who have been unbelievable neighbors the past eight years. For this meal they both contributed the best they can make and bake and shared an evening of happiness in my home, around my table. As you all know, evenings like this, shared with friends and family, are what I love best. And, what I need.
This week it was really all about Sandy. Again, those of us who belong to this French Friday with Dorie gang were reminded of our being about much more than cooking. Soon after this hurricane had rock-and-rolled its malice and destruction up North America’s eastern coast, those of us left unscathed were checking on our colleagues.
News from them started to dribble in late Tuesday via Twitter, E-mail and Cell Phone. We all posted those updates on our FFWD Facebook page until we knew everyone was safe and accounted for albeit without power, conveniences and gasoline. Mother Nature’s power is humbling and I know we all hold the victims of this disaster in our hearts.
Mushroom and Shallot Quiche
This weeks FFWD recipe is a Mushroom and Shallot Quiche. Not too much different or unique about this quiche but it’s no-fail and absolutely delicious. “Mushrooms and shallots are a classic combination and the base of the traditional finely chopped filling called duxelles,” Dorie reminds us. “The result is a deep, earthy flavor.”
Spread 1 TBS of fresh minced thyme on the half-baked tart shell before adding the filling.
To that I would add a bold, even strong, taste. Besides salt and pepper, fresh thyme is the only herb used in this dish. Thyme bows to no one, edging out both the shallots and scallions to bring an edge to this quiche.
The classic combination of mushrooms and shallots, finely chopped, which is the basis of the filling called duxelles.
Dorie provides the recipe to this excellent quiche here. It’s fast, easy (serve warm or at room temperature) and goes well with soup, salad or on its own.
Oven-ready
This was not a sharing week at the Hirsch household, shameful as that may sound. This quiche was so tasty, I decided to eat the entire dish by myself………….yep, you got it, real women do eat quiche. To see if other Doristas were better at sharing this week, go here.
Gone. No sharing this week.
I also want to echo Diane Balch’s column this week about Voting in the upcoming American election. A democracy only works if every citizen is engaged, participating in the process. In the 2008 presidential election a disappointing 43.2% of eligible Americans did not vote.
The past few weeks I have been working for my candidates. Both parties are all about Getting-out-the-Vote. To that end, I commited to helping my Party’s choices by standing at Aspen’s HIghway 82 S-Curve at 7:30 a.m., waving signs promoting early voting and candidates while a constant ribbon of cars and trucks come into town. We’re talkin’ hundreds. Might I mention that it’s Colorado cold here – 40 degrees? God bless America.
Getting Out the Vote, 7:30am, Aspen, Colorado, 40 degrees
To be honest, it’s been crazy fun. One of my first thoughts was “Here I go, embarrassing my children again.” But, when the Thursday edition of the Aspen Times carried a picture of us in our early-morning “Get-Out-The-Vote Poster Wave”, Melissa plastered it on her Facebook Page. “That’s my mom in the middle! I don’t care what side you are on, this is a GREAT country!
This morning at 7:30A.M., the last day of Early Voting, there were eight of us, bundled up and ready to wave. We’ve always received honks, thumbs up, thumbs down, and the #$@%#@!% shout-outs. This morning, our last, and, it being Friday after all, we decided to throw in a little choreography. Yes, sign-routines. The car, truck, and bus crowd loved it, parties be hanged.
Why do I do this? America has a population of 157 million women. Only 46.2% of females 18 and older voted in our last national election (2010). As far as I’m concerned that’s just not good enough. If I lived in Brunei or Saudi Arabia, for example, I wouldn’t even be able to vote. If I had lived in the United States before 1920, I couldn’t have voted either. My standing on a Colorado street corner in freezing temperatures urging people to vote pales in comparison to the efforts of our Sisters who won the vote for us:
“The 19th Amendment to the Constitution, giving the right to vote to women (1920) took 72 years:
and, required 56 referendum campaigns, 47 campaigns to get state constitutional conventions to write women’s suffrage into state constitutions, 480 drives to get state legislatures to hold those referendums (5 referendum campaigns in South Dakota alone), 277 campaigns to get state party conventions to include women’s suffrage planks, 30 campaigns to get presidential party campaigns to include women’s suffrage planks in their platforms and, 19 campaigns with 19 successive Congresses.” ***
If Laughter is the best medicine and an apple a day keeps the doctor away, I’m looking at healthy. This has been a week carbo-loaded with Life’s joys and nature’s wonder. It’s also been days of peeling Granny Smith apples, tossing them in the crockpot and producing enough hunky applesauce to feed the populace of Colorado.
It’s because of joy, wonder, and, yes, even applesauce, that I am tardy in posting this week’s French Friday with Dorie recipe, a scrumptious Chicken Tagine with Sweet Potatoes and Prunes ( I used Dates).
It’s Friday. We’re scrambling to get Dorie’s Chicken Tagine with Sweet Potatoes and Dates plated. Probably not going to make the FFWD deadline. Donna, the Forest Conservancy treasurer and Fred, a volunteer Forest Ambassador, are not sympathetic to my small kitchen and lack of equipment. Fred’s wife, Cathy, was visiting her sister who lives in Portland and missed the meal.
Let me explain. First, the applesauce. My philosophy, which I have finally come to regret, is that if more is better, more, more, more is best. Granny Smith apples were on sale this week and, not wanting to miss out on a great price, I overbought. Peeling apples gulps up chunks of time.
Last Monday I celebrated my birthday. My enterprising friend, Jane, always, always, always scouts out the greatest gifts. This year she outdid herself by finding a vintage felt Ranger hat, with the label, Campaign, authenticated with “sweat” marks on its headband. I will wear it when I’m a volunteer Wilderness Ranger next Summer.
As for Mother Nature’s wonder, she dumped it here last week. It’s called snow and Coloradans are ecstatic. As they should be. This state cries for moisture and its ski resorts beg for the white stuff. Having evaded such nonsense for the past eight years while living in Nevada, I found myself ill-prepared. No boots. No mittens. No car snow scraper. You name it, I didn’t have it. I declared myself a snow emergency and took a time-out to regroup.
Two days later, Mother Nature blew into town, leaving a snowy message and erasing any hopes of more Indian Summer days.
The joys have been in bringing closure to the journey of a good man and a life well-lived. For the past three months my family and I have been discussing how best to honor Michael with a memorial of some type. Although we wanted it to be meaningful and significant, we are not a family of great wealth, charitable trusts nor much discretionary income.
As our friend, Lloyd, said in his eulogy to Michael, “He never confused his self-worth with his net-worth. Getting rich was not his goal in life. His life’s goal was taking care of his patients and he did that very well.”
While hiking in the Rockies in late August, we encountered freshman college students exploring our trail system during orientation week. They all wanted ( and, received ) Smokey the Bear stickers for their backpacks from volunteer Wilderness Rangers, Sandy (l) and Ruth.
There are all kinds of tiny, hand-to-mouth organizations in every community and Aspen is no exception. But it was a no-brainer to choose the ForestConservancy, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the White River National Forest and serving the community (that’s all of you) who enjoys it.
The FC was established in 2001 by four Aspenites concerned about the lack of government-paid personnel (Rangers) available to protect and monitor the 2.3 million acres of the WRNF. What began with four, quickly grew to fourteen (when I joined), and now is well over one-hundred volunteers who serve as Wilderness Rangers, Forest Ambassadors and certified Master Naturalists.
Hiking with volunteer Wilderness Rangers Annie (L) and Donna (R). Donna amazes me with her knowledge of Rocky Mountain flowers and vegetation. I love to hike with her. As you can see, I cannot be issued my uniform again until I pass my certification and jump through some hoops. I’m not taking this personally, the Forest Conservancy means business.
The FC collaborates with the USDA Forest Service and thirteen other partners to hike and monitor our trails. Today, more than a decade later, the FC is an indispensable arm of the Forest Service and BLM and…………always strapped for cash.
What better way to recognize a man who not only skiied these mountains for fifty straight years but also grumbled his way through three to five-mile hikes every summer with his wife. Once decided, my brother and sister-in-law made a very, very generous contribution to the FC in Michael’s name which I will match. Happily, we’re in business. A win-win for everyone.
Sometimes we even chat-up the guys we meet on the trail because they are good-lookin’ !!!
Last Friday night, three FC friends, all FC volunteers, joined me for dinner to celebrate, thus having the opportunity to sample Dorie’s FFWD recipe choice. Once again, this week’s recipe, Chicken Tagine with Sweet Potatoes and Prunes, was fabulous. Luckily, you can find the recipe here. I served this one-dish meal with Yotam Ottolenghi’s Beet, Orange and Black Olive Salad (recipe here) saffron risotto and crusty bread. Needing a light dessert, we enjoyed daughter Melissa’s crockpot applesauce (warm) over Dulce de Leche ice cream.
Mise en Place for the Chicken Tagine with Sweet Potatoes and Prunes. Notice I substituted Dates for Prunes.
Donna, who coincidentally, is the FC treasurer, loved this tagine’s spices – saffron, cinnamon, cayenne, star anise and bay leaves. “There are no sharp edges to this dish,” she remarked, “it’s just round and mellow.”
Her husband, Bernie, who is a Forest Ambassador at our beloved Maroon Bells, brought bottles of well-regarded Chateau De Paraza red wine from the Minervois AOC region of the Lanquedoc. It was fruitier than a Bordeaux with an earthy, rustic taste that complimented the tagine.
At last, dinner is served. The verdict? Tasty. Delicious. Very good.
My only tagine suggestions which I offer are:
1. For fuller flavoring, steep the saffon threads in the 1/2 cup of warmed water needed in the tagine.
2. Because it is topped with toasted chopped walnuts, I substituted walnut oil for the plain olive oil.
3. I chose Dates over Prunes.
To see what the Doristas, my colleagues who did meet the Friday deadline cooked up, go here.
AT LAST!!! Dan, who works at the front desk at The Gant, called to tell Clara, (L) and Emma (R) that Mrs. Berg’s cookies had arrived. They ran to pick up the bigggggg box.
Although Dorie calls this week’s recipe, Spur-of-the-Moment Vegetable Soup, she admits it’s really Stone Soup. She’s referring, of course, to that glorious ancient folk tale which, in 1947, writer Marcia Brown used as the basis of her children’s book entitled Stone Soup. And for writing it, Brown won a prestigious Caldecott Medal that year.
Before we get to the soup, let’s move on to dessert, Oatmeal-M & M’s Cookies baked by Liz Berg of That Skinny Chick Can Bake. In July, Liz participated in an on-line baking auction to raise money for victims of our devastating Colorado fires. After a fierce bidding war, I successfully won her cookies. We decided that she would wait to bake and send the cookies until mid-October when my entire family, including two little girls who love cookies, would be in Aspen.
Emma is older so she gets to open the box.
This past Tuesday we celebrated Michael’s Life with family and friends at a wonderful and joyful service. Our two little cookie monsters stood at the altar, in a church full of strangers, and sang like angels. Is it sacreligious to say they nailed “Amazing Grace”? It goes without saying that when the anticipated cookies arrived, even their Mother (that’s Melissa), let them each have a bag, no sharing. Thanks, Liz, you baked a great reward!
“It’s a big box, Grandma.” (Clara)
The Mother Lode.
“One bag of cookies for each of us. Thank you, Mrs. Berg.”
The vegetable soup, which was our main course for dinner tonight, was a wonderfully simple and nutritious entrée. After cooking sliced carrots, onions, celery, and seasonings in olive oil, I added chicken broth, diced potatoes and brought everything to a boil. After taking it down to a simmer for 20-30 minutes and adjusting the seasoning, I did choose to puree it. And to that pureed soup I added cooked quinoa for extra nutrition, texture and flavoring. I served the hearty soup with yellow/red beets and crusty bread for a delicious meal.
I put together a mixture of sliced carrots, onions, celery, garlic and Provençal seasonings and tossed them together with olive oil into a Dutch oven .
After adding chicken broth and diced potatoes to the mixture, I brought it to a boil and then let it simmer, partially covered, for 20-30 minutes.
To see what stones my colleagues threw in their soup this week, go here.
After adjusting the seasonings and pureeing the soup, I added cooked quinoa to make a heartier soup.
Minted Zucchini Tagliatelle with Cucumbers and Lemon, this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe choice
If you read my Blog, it’s a given that I have great friends and a spectacular daughter. You already understand that. What you may not know is that as far as relationships with me, it’s usually Go or No. Meaning, I’m the kind of woman you either flat-out like or flat-out don’t like. Nothing middle-of-the-road. Pretty clear-cut.
Ouch.
Let’s just admit that if it’s a popularity contest, I won’t win. However, credit me with being solid, fiercely loyal, unwavering and (fun)/ny. Always got your back. If you need to laugh, I’m your girl! Promise always to make you smile.
Who knew a mandoline could cause so much havoc?
That’s why this week’s FFWD recipe choice, Minted Zucchini Tagliatelle with Cucumbers and Lemon, almost sent me kicking the can down the road. Touch-and-Go. First, with a friend. Then, with a daughter.
I’d not seen my friend, Linda, who lives part-time in Aspen, for two years. Since she’d be heading South soon after my arrival back in Colorado, we needed to make a lunch date.“Why don’t you come to my condo for lunch,” I asked, during our first telephone conversation. “I’ll do the salad we’re making this week for French Fridays with Dorie.”
“Oh, that might be fine,” she replied, cautiously. “What is it?”
I explained that we were making a zucchini, onion and cucumber salad with pistachio oil dressing and mint flavoring. “That sounds interesting,” she said, sounding optimistic.
Then, I mentioned, “It will be the first time I’ve ever used a mandoline.”
“No,” she stated emphatically. “Let’s go out.”
Normally, Linda, a former Miss Savannah, is gracious, diplomatic and kind. However, hidden behind every Georgia Peach is an Iron Magnolia. Right? “No” meant “No”. As much as she wanted to support my blogging adventures, she did not trust me with my mandoline. I realized visions of all things unappetizing must have danced through her head. In the end, we thoroughly enjoyed our lunch at “Above the Salt” in downtown Aspen.
The mandoline guard/gadget that allowed me to safely and carefully create 1/8th-inch-thick zucchini tagliatelle strips. It’s a process!!!
Soon after that, my daughter, Melissa, called. During our conversation she asked what I was cooking this week. Without thinking I described the salad, telling her I was using a mandoline for the first time. Five seconds of silence. Then, “Mom, don’t you have a potato peeler?”
Our conversation deteriorated quickly. Me, laughing, hysterically, insisting I’d be careful. Melissa, not laughing at all, insisting “my” careful might not be careful enough. “Mom, seriously, those blades are dangerous. You’re a writer. You need all your fingers.”
“Mom, I am not kidding, you’re still scattered these days and shouldn’t be using a sharp instrument.”
And then, the shot through my heart, “Well, I think you know, Mother, I won’t sleep a wink tonight.”
In the end, I used the mandoline to make beautiful 1/8th-inch-thick zucchini tagliatelle slices. I was very, very, very careful. Still, except for very, very, very special occasions, I will not be using my mandoline again. For the amateur cook, caution is prudent.
I must admit that, to me, this salad looked better than it tasted. I didn’t enjoy this dish.
After all the drama, I didn’t enjoy this salad, finding the zucchini, cucumber, onion combo rather pugnacious, battling each other for the primary taste position. The pistachio oil/lemon juice/salt dressing didn’t blend the veggies strong flavors together. Surprisingly, the mint seemed to grab the salad and play a more important role than was ever intended. Although handsome in appearance, this wasn’t a palate-pleaser for me.
If you want to try out your mandoline on this salad, you will find the recipe here. To see how other mandoline mavens fared this week, go here.
