A Plum By Any Other Name

Without Further Ado: Kitchen Sink Blueberry Walnut Bran Muffins

2012-01-25T22:31:00.001-05:00

I blame Elton. I havehad “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” stuck in my head all day. I’ve also beenstuffing my face with blueberry bran muffins. For this, I can really onlyblame myself. I can’t help it; I have a soft spot for bran—and forcertain Elton John lyrical snacks.

I’ve thought about postingthe recipe for these muffins for a while, but feared they were too plainJane. But they’re—and I hesitate to say this—too useful not to share. I hate to describe any food assuch. It sounds a bit soulless. So let’s just say I have lovingly named them “Kitchen SinkBran Muffins” because you can throw almost anything into the batter and they’lljust puff up and smile back at you from their tins.

These muffins can do nowrong. Which makes me sound a bit like a pageant mom. Truth be told, Isecretly fear that one day they’ll fall flat on their little muffinbottoms.

I will open the oven only toreveal a sad state of bran. I’ll have pushed the poor dears tothe brink. They’ll be dry and lifeless. Or too gummy, bloated withfruit. And this will reflect poorly on me. As a baker. Aneater. A person. People will start gossiping that I don’t alwayslevel off flour when I bake. Or that I pour vanilla extract straight intothe mixing bowl: no measuring spoon in sight. That I’m a savage in thekitchen. And they might be right.

In truth, I don’t evenremember where I found the original recipe. I’ve doctored it so muchalong the way, it probably wouldn’t even recognize itself. I’vescribbled. And rewritten. Crossed out and underlined. But itremains a wonderful recipe that behaves very well for cooks who have a hardtime sticking to instructions. I've thrown these muffins some oddingredients, arguably one too many fiery batons. But they haven't evenblinked.

This is a recipe that hashung with me since the beginning of my baking. So, yes, I’m decidedlybiased. A bran muffin stage mom in her own right. Nevertheless, they haveyet to disappoint. I suspect they’re not the kind. They couldn’t if theytried. And even if they did, I’d love them anyways.

KitchenSink Bran Muffins, This Time Presenting: Blueberry Walnut

Ingredients:

1.25 cup bran

1 cup flour (this time: 1/2all purpose and 1/2 whole wheat)

2.5 tsp baking powder

1 tsp spices (this time: 3/4tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg)

Pinch of salt

1/3 cup milk (this time:whole milk)

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup honey

2 tbsp sugar (this time:brown sugar)

1/4 cup oil (this time:canola oil)

1.5 cup cut up fruit and/orgrated vegetables (this time: all frozen blueberries)

1/4 cup nuts, roughly choppedor seeds (this time: walnuts)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Combine bran, flour, baking powder, spices and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, combine milk, eggs, honey, sugar and oil; fold yourflour mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined (about 10 turns witha spatula); gently fold in the fruit/vegetables and nuts. Bake for about20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the centerof a muffin.

Makes 1 dozen

Notes:

-This is an everydayeating-type of bran muffin. It's hearty. It's got guts. Aspecial occasion bran muffin can be found here. (I know, you didn't think therewas such a thing. And I'm not certain there is. It's just a littlefancy.)

-I'll often grate ~1/2 cupzucchini or carrots and add them along with 1 cup fruit. Diced apples arenice, too. If you are using frozen fruit (as I did with the blueberries)you can mix them straight into the batter, no defrosting necessary. Itjust may take a wee bit longer to cook.

-Because I eat these so often(and I am a dietitian, after all) I calculated the nutrition info awhile backand thought I'd pass it along, or what I've managed to save of the calculation. They have about 200 calories and 4 grams of fiber. Not bad for amuffin. More importantly, I enjoy eating them.

Spicy Tomato Basil Soup, So Long Winter Chill

2012-01-16T12:53:00.000-05:00

It was so cold in myapartment this past weekend and it wasn’t until I realized I was wearing anear-flapped fur hat and a bathrobe over my street clothes that I decided theheat situation needed to be remedied. Pronto. So I packed upmy laptop, put on a scarf, and headed out to a bar that I knew hadelectrical outlets … and a fireplace.

Don’t get me wrong. Mycreaky old apartment has a lot of charm. It has high ceilings, glass doorknobs, and big beautiful windows that leak out a maddening amount of heat ongray January days.

Apparently, I've decided tocircumvent this issue by developing a weekend drinkingproblem. I suppose I can think of worse things—like, say, having to bathewith an ushanka on—but fixing up a steaming bowl of tomato basil might not beas hard on my liver. Also, I’m not actually Russian. So, weshould probably get back to soup.

Especially this soup. Which I am pleased to say does not contain a drop of alcohol(!). Though—if I’m being completely honest here—its origins did come about afterplans for making bloody marys fell apart one Saturday. (A leopard doesn’tever really change her spots, now does she?) I was left with a big bottleof tomato juice and some time to kill. What resulted was a soul-warmingsoup. And, if I may be so bold, I haven’t found a comparable recipesince.

The bit of butter in the soupgives it a little richness, while the habanero kicks in some heat. Andthis warmth is particularly welcomed on blustery winter days. Don’t letthe tomato juice throw you, it makes the whole soup process very lowmaintenance. In fact, I forgo the blender entirely and leave the sautéedonions and basil bits alone. Let’s just say it’s good enough this way tokeep me at home, far away from cozy bar stools.

You'll want to make this soupon a lazy winter day when you’re looking for an antidote to the Boston chill. You can casually tend to it on the stove top, perhaps with a drink inhand. Lillet would work well for such a role. As would a Barbera. Though, to be clear, this soup is fully capable of warding off the cold,all on its own.

Spicy Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients:

~2 tbsp olive oil, plus extrafor drizzling

1 small onion diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 habanero pepper, seedsremoved and pepper flesh minced

Kosher salt

Black pepper

6 cups tomato juice

¼ tsp cumin

¼ tsp coriander

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp flour

~1/2 cup packed basil,divided

Instructions:

Heat a large saucepan onmedium heat, add the olive oil and onions and saute until the onions arenearing translucent; then add garlic and habanero, season everything with saltand pepper, and stir occasionally until the garlic and pepper soften.

Add the tomato juice andspices to the pan and stir to combine. Mash together the butter and flourand add it to the tomato mixture. Cut the basil into thin strips and addhalf to the pot. Let the tomato soup simmer until it thickens and getsrich in flavor, about 45 minutes or so. Add the remaining basil; tasteand add additional salt and pepper as needed.

Makes about 5 cups

Notes:

-This is a casual recipe,taste and adjust as you go. It gets better the longer it sits. Thisis not usually true with people that sit on bar stools. Or maybe it is.

-Let the bar come to you:a Lillet cocktail whileyou cook.

The Silence of Fleur de Sel Caramels

2012-01-10T22:29:00.000-05:00

I’ve been trying to resolve howto roll out the red carpet for these caramels. They’re so good they’ve left me a bit blocked, without astately introduction or even the end bits of a few rose petal descriptors to pave the way. I googled “how tomake a grand entrance,” because I thought some glitzy adjectives might helpungunk things. But I’m pretty surethese caramels don’t have to worry about wearing the perfect outfit, nor dothey need to manicure their nails or remember to relax their face muscles. Which is apparently what it takes to make a head-turning entry. Heck, I don’t do any of that. My face is all squinty andunladylike-looking just thinking about it.

So, I’m stripping away theglamour. The shoe doesn’t quitefit anyhow. Sinking yourteeth into them is a luxury, but there is something decidedly more romantic andhonest about these caramels. Theyaren’t really fancy at all. They’re intimate.

Yes, they are technically unnecessary. But that’s what gives them personalityand makes them so intriguing. Irecently met someone who bought a secondhand copper fondue pot for his kitchen: because he thought it wise to have one. Just in case. Because, hey, you neverknow. Sometimes fonduehappens. And one never knowswhen.

That’s how I feel aboutthese caramels. You might need to know how to make them someday. And eating them sure doesn't hurt, that's for sure. These lovely little ladies deliver,much like a big bubbling pot of warm cheese would.

Surprisingly, they aren’t toohigh maintenance, assuming you have a pot, a pan, and a candy thermometer. You’ll spend some time watching the sugargurgle on the stovetop too, but it’s well worth it. These caramels hold theirform; they are chewy with a nice salty bite, which lends an almost earthyquality and keeps them from being too prim and proper.

And when you’ve finished. When the kitchen is cleaned, and thecaramel has set and been cut, and you sit down and have your first taste, theworld goes quiet. You can’t thinkof anything more necessary at the moment. The sea salt and silence has it. And perhaps that’s the best descriptor of all.

Fleur de Sel Caramels

Adapted from Gesine Bullock-Prado of sugarbaby

1.5 cups heavy cream

2 cups sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 tsp fleur de sel sea salt, divided

Line a square baking pan (I used an 8 x 8 inch) with foil and grease the top part of the foil (the part facing you) with a neutral-flavored oil, like canola oil. In a large saucepan combine cream, sugar, and corn syrup over medium-low heat; stir occasionally until the sugar has melted, then raise the heat slightly (to medium) and continue to stir until the sugar mixture boils.

Once the mixture boils, stopstirring and cook until the sugar reaches 257 degrees (125 degrees Celsius) ona candy thermometer; you'll want to stay close by during this time, in case themixture starts to bubble up. (If it does, remove the saucepan from theheat until it quiets again.) Once the temperature is reached, immediatelyremove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the butter; add in the vanillaand 2 tsp of the salt and stir again to combine.

Pour the caramel into yourpan and sprinkle with the remaining salt; let the caramel sit at roomtemperature until it sets and is cool enough to cut (this will take an hour orso). Cut the caramel into small squares and wrap them individually in waxor parchment paper. (Prior to wrapping them you may want to press a few extragrains of sea salt into each piece; this is what I decided on.) Store thecaramels in an airtight container for up to a week.

Makes about 50 pieces(depending on your cuts)

Notes:

-Wholesome Sweeteners makes an organic cornsyrup that I just love. The salt was from here. (Spoiled!)

-I left the wrapped caramelsout accidentally for a few days without an airtight container, but they didn'tgo all hard on me. They have such a lovely toothsome quality.

-sugarbaby (yes, inall lowercase letters; the punctuation nerd in me is freaking) awonderful, wonderful cookbook. And it's as entertaining as it istempting.

A Spicy Resolve of Red Lentil Hummus, And Other Things

2012-01-04T19:47:00.001-05:00

Another year has poofed. The hopes of 2011 have gone up in smoke. We’ve arrived at a symbolicfresh start. And I stand at the edge of 2012 emptied handed, with noneatly folded, nicely written resolutions to share. Each year I simplyresolve to live life a little more. To really feel it.

Last year I baked pie. Made lace curtains. Finally conquered madame brioche. Sent morehandwritten notes. Saw Paul Simon sing “ The Sound of Silence.” Mastered the charcoal grill. And drank my fair share of dark and stormies.

This year I have a new set ofwishes. Listen to more Chet Baker. Drink rosé on random Tuesdays. Ease into silence. Shell more oysters at home. Conversationallywork in the word “honey.” Not fret about the dangers of homemademayo. Remove “should” from my dictionary. Wear the canary yellowfascinator I bought last year out of the house at least once. Put in ashade garden. And continue to nurture the traditions I’ve sown.

I’ve been working on thesetraditions for a few years now. I reset my wishes in January. Eatsalt water taffy on the Cape in June. Buy a glass pumpkin every October.And make lentils at the start of every new year. Like any good Italian ~~should~~would be well advised to do. While I don’t participate in resolutioning, Ido believe a little luck never hurt a gal. And this is where the lentilscome in.

At the very least, itcertainly isn’t terrible to have this creamy lentil hummus around. It’s aplucky spread with some serious heat and a gracing of roasted garlic. Andits charming orange hue takes very well to some Ethiopian flavors I’ve grownquite found of. So after a quick whirl, the red lentils are laced withthe likes of berbere, a blend of about a dozen warm spices that I found in alittle metal tin at the South End Formaggio. If you can’t track it down,you could tackle making your own. Or even just add a fewof the spices commonly found in berbere; cayenne pepper, paprika, ginger,cardamom, and coriander come to mind.

It’s a lovely little dip tolet linger in your fridge. Will it help with your hopes for 2012? Probably too soon to tell. But honey, it’s worth a shot.

Spicy Red Lentil Hummus

Ingredients:

6 cloves roasted garlic (seedirectly below)

~ 2 cups dried red lentils

6 cloves

2 bay leaves

kosher salt

1.5 tsp berbere spice (seenote)

1/2 tbsp chili garlic sauce

Juice of 1/2 lime

2 tbsp tahini

3 tbsp olive oil, plusadditional for drizzling

Roasted garlic

You can roast garlic bycutting about 1/4 an inch off the top of a garlic head. Rub the head witholive oil and cover it completely with foil; bake in a 425 degree oven untilthe cloves are sweet, slightly browned, and melty (about 45 minutes give or take). Gently squeeze the cloves out of their skin. You'll have extra.

Instructions:

In a saucepan, add lentils,cloves, bay leaves, and a pinch of salt and combine with enough water to coverthe lentils by 1 inch; cook until the lentils are softened (about 10-15minutes). Drain any excess water, remove the cloves and bay leaves, andplace the lentils in a food processor along with the remaining ingredients;puree. Salt to taste and adjust with additional seasoning as needed. Drizzle with more olive oil (about a teaspoon or so) before serving.

Makes about 2 cups

Notes:

-Berbere is an Ethiopianspice blend that often includes fenugreek, dried chiles, paprika, ginger,cardamom, coriander, nutmeg, cloves, garlic, and allspice.

-This hummus is also fantasticwith some crumbled feta on top.

-Oversized homemade croutonsproved to be the perfect vehicle for the spread. Carrots also. It'sspicy, so you'll want something that won't fight with it.

Here's to Rosemary Pear Sparkling Cocktails

2011-12-29T20:55:00.000-05:00

We are on the eve of a newyear. Can you hear the noisemakers andbalcony whoops yet? Well, they arecoming. So break out your sequins orput in your earplugs. Bothreactions are perfectly acceptable. For me, it’s hard to resist going out on ahigh note, whatever that might mean.

One year I spent New Year’swith a loved one, a lobster, and a comfortable red couch. Another Eve I started it off bycracking open some oyster shells. And ended it by ordering a glass of gin at a bar that was veryunfortunately out of green olives. This year, things won’t likely be quite so … spirited. Though, I am planning to make it past midnight.

At the moment, I look to thechairman of the board and some bubbly for a little celebratoryencouragement. Sinatra’s advice:come in out of the rain; those torches you carry must be drowned in champagne.

The bubbly doesn’t sing quiteas loudly as old blue eyes, but it coaxes to do much of the same. And if we use sparklingwine, it presents us with a very lovely canvas to gild. Should you feel so inclined.

The undertonesof rosemary offer up a gentle kick, reminiscent of the recentholiday. While the pear lends a certain cozy sweetness to help us all settleinto winter. The effect is subtle,but it’s a festive change of pace from straight bubbles.

So who knows what old Eve andher year ahead will serve up. It’sblank at the moment. Best we cando is toast to it all. To the lastdrinks of the year and to whatever the next round may bring. Here’s to those that serve sparklingcocktails. Bless them all.

Rosemary Pear SparklingCocktails

Ingredients:

Forthe rosemary pear syrup

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

1 ripe pear, cut into slices

3 sprigs rosemary

Pinch of salt

Forthe cocktail

Rosemary pear syrup, to taste(recipe above)

A bottle of sparkling wine

A lemon, the zest and a fewtablespoons of lemon juice, for garnish

Additional sugar, for garnish

Instructions:

Prepare the syrup the nightbefore you plan on using it by combining the sugar and water in a mediumsaucepan on medium heat. Add the pear, sprigs of rosemary, and salt andheat until the sugar dissolves and the pear softens (about 10 minutes or so). Letthe mixture cool and then place in the fridge (pears and rosemary included)overnight.

To make the cocktail, preparea small plate filled with a few tablespoons of lemon juice and another smallplate filled with a few tablespoons of sugar. Dip the rim of a cocktailglass into the plate with lemon juice and then gently roll the edges of theglass in the sugar. Place a few spoonfuls of the chilled syrup into thebottom of your glass; top with sparkling wine and garnish with lemon zest.

Notes:

-This is not a seriousrecipe. Taste and adjust as you go. Heck, drink the whole bottle if youhave to in the name of research.

-You'll likely have leftoversyrup. It wouldn't hurt to drizzle it over pears dotted with blue cheese.

-I left the skin on my pear. Youcould certainly peel it, should you wish to do so. If your pear happensto break up a bit during the cooking (mine held together) I imagine it'snothing a quick strain couldn't fix prior to serving.

Gingerbread with Espresso Glaze ... and Elves

2011-12-21T22:31:00.000-05:00

Pull up a chair, grab a hot chocolate or some warm mulled wine, and settle in for a moment. Let me tell you a littleChristmas story. It’s about a girl who dreams of making gingerbread andfruitcake every year in December.

She envisions candying citrus peels and pickling cherries in maraschino liqueur in her tiny kitchen for the fruitcake. She dreams of eating hunks of gingerbread with bits of spicy sugared ginger forbreakfast and sipping peppermint tea, while beautifully wrapped gifts lay underher tree. Except, she can never get her act together in time.

This December, things would be different.

She enliststhe help of some elves—otherwise known as Justin and David—who have hearts ofgold. David also has a heart that is slightly blackened and a wee bitcynical. Justin’s heart commonly includes the characteristics of an eightyyear old grandfather and it would bleed cloves and molasses if it could. She loves this about them. She finds these traits beyond endearing.

And so she is happily lured into an eight hour Christmasbaking project. The sweets list includes peanut brittle; fancy glass-bottomedwalnut polvorones; gingerbread (finally); and sugar cookies laced heavy-handedly with peppermint icing reminiscent of Dr. McGillicuddy’s mentholmintschnapps. (You can probably guess which elderly elf was behind thementhol.)

Sinatra’s “Christmas Waltz” plays nearly every hour as the delicate dance of Christmas cookie madness carries on. The day is filled with joyful laughter,some Christmas traditions of yore made anew again, and a frosting of goodold-fashioned holiday bitterness. And, oh yes, there is also gingerbread.

The gingerbread is dark and laced with cloves,cinnamon, and ginger. It’s denseand assertive in its flavors. It’severything a good gingerbread should be. It also includes a deep espresso icing as awonderful compliment: for the day of Christmas baking, as well as for thegingerbread itself. This icing isnot to be left off. Trust the elves on this one.

So while there is no fruitcake this year, our little friend is notworried. There is always nextyear. Right now there is thereminder of a month filled with really wonderful Christmas memories. Andif this happens to involve some gingerbread, well then, that’s just icing. Wishing you and yours the same thing too.

Gingerbread with Espresso Glaze

Adapted from Joanne Chang's Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe

Ingredients:

Forthe cake

1 cup (2 sticks) unsaltedbutter, at room temperature

3/4 cup packed dark brownsugar

3 tbsp freshly grated ginger

2 eggs

3.5 cups flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp freshly ground grainsof paradise (or black pepper)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves(freshly ground, if possible)

1.5 cups unsulfured molasses

1 cup boiling water

1 tsp baking soda

Forthe espresso glaze

1 cup confectioners' sugar

2-3 tbsp espresso

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9 x 13 baking dish (or alternatively some smallerdishes, such as brioche tins, as pictured). Using a stand mixer with a paddleattachment, cream butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy (about2 minutes). Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together grated ginger andeggs. On low speed, slowly add the egg mixture to the creamed buttermixture until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat again toensure the mixture is fully blended.

In a medium bowl, sift flour,baking powder, salt, ground ginger, grains of paradise (or pepper), cinnamon,and cloves. In another medium bowl, mix molasses, boiling water, andbaking soda together. (The mixture will foam up quite severely.)

On the mixer's lowest speed,add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture and mix; addin half of the molasses mixture until well combined (scraping down the sides asnecessary) and then add in half of the remaining flour mixture until combined. Add the rest of the molasses mixture, mix well, and then add theremaining flour and mix until combined (about a minute or so), stopping toscrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure everything is well combined.(Lots of combining going on.)

Bake for 50-60 minutes (orless if you are using individual tins: ours took about 40 minutes). Meanwhile, make the espresso if you do not have any on hand. Thecake is done when it spring back or a cake tester comes out clean. Letcool on wire racks.

Whisk the confectioners'sugar and espresso together until it is smooth and pourable. While thecake is still warm, pour glaze over the top and let sit for one hour beforeserving.

Makes one 9 x 13 cake (or anumber of smaller cakes: hard to say when you start snacking)

Notes:

-If you don't have access toespresso, you can brew double strength coffee as a substitute.

-The cake can be storedairtight at room temperature for up to three days. I've stashed myleftovers, frosted and all, in the freezer and they've still been quite good.

-Grains of paradise are alittle bit more floral than black pepper. I had some around and thought,what the heck, it will be a nice change of pace. Don't make a specialtrip for the grains.

-This is another instance where Ms. Chang is queen. Her recipes still have yet to do anything but please. I think her cookbook has been the best investment I've made all year. (Santa, not to be too bossy, but if you are in need of last minute gifts for others: take note.)

Rum Raisin Ice Cream Pa Rum Pum Pum Pum

2011-12-15T22:25:00.001-05:00

The season is getting on. I’ve been bottling Christmas spirit and hoping for a small Christmas miracle that I’ll make it through in one piece. My tree currently leans slightly to the left. I’ve already overdone it on the nog. And I wish the rest of my holiday gifts would just buy and wrap themselves already.

But hey, sugar plum. Life’s not so rough. Especially when it involves a little nip of rum blended into a custard base dotted with boozed up raisins. In this case, the finest gifts it brings.

It just so happens that I have a good friend that is a very good pastry chef. And he has some very good desserts on his menu at Harvest restaurant: some of the best that I’ve tasted in Boston over the seven years I’ve lived here. The man knows how to bake; his passion for it is beyond charming. And he was gracious enough to share his recipe for rum raisin ice cream with me. Tis. the. season.

I could list off Brian’s “on paper” points. He’s taken home “Best in Show” dessert titles. He works with Mary Dumont. Before her, he was at Henrietta’s Table in the Charles Hotel. He’s certainly no slouch in the kitchen.

But some of my most favorite things about him are much less conventional. He’s capable of carrying on a conversation about macarons for over an hour. He’s getting "BAKE" tattooed on his wrist. I recently witnessed him impulse buy a vintage sugar crate. He also likes buffalo-fried brussels sprouts. And he’s been endearing fatherly towards men that have approached me at bars. In short, he’s a guy you want to grab a beer—or an ice cream cone—with.

And, oh yes, I should reiterate: rum. raisin. ice cream. And if you think the ice cream looks enticing, you should have seen it paired alongside sticky toffee pudding. Alas, the sticky toffee rum raisin special has ended at Harvest. But I assure you there is much more to come. The winter dessert menu he has been planning over the past few months is the stuff of dreams. Visions of sugar plum-like dreams.

In the meantime, you might want to make this ice cream. It’s hard to feel anything but tidings of joy when it’s around.

Rum Raisin Ice Cream

Adapted from Brian Mercury of Harvest

1 cup raisins

2/3 cup dark rum plus 1/4 cup divided

2 cup milk

2 cup heavy cream

2/3 cup sugar plus 1 tbsp, divided

Pinch of salt

8 egg yolks (see note below)

Soak raisins in 2/3 cup rum for 12-24 hours in the fridge. After raisins have been soaked, combine milk, heavy cream, 2/3 cup sugar, and pinch of salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a very slow boil, being careful to stir the mixture so the milk does not burn at the bottom of the pan. Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Once the milk mixture has been heated and the sugar has dissolved, slowly temper the eggs by placing a little of the hot milk mixture (about 1/4 cup or less at a time) into the bowl with the eggs. Repeat this a few times, until the eggs have been warmed. Slowly add the eggs to your milk base and cook on medium heat until the mixture thickens (and reaches 180 degrees).

Pour the custard mixture through a strainer and cool completely, ideally in an ice bath. (You can prepare an ice bath by sandwiching a smaller sized metal bowl on top of another bowl filled with ice cubes; pour your hot mixture into the smaller bowl.) Alternatively, you could cool the mixture in your fridge until it's fully chilled.

Meanwhile, strain the rum from the raisins. Set the rum aside and return the raisins to their bowl. Add another 1/4 cup of rum to the raisins and stick them back in the fridge. Meanwhile, heat the rum you set aside in a small pan with 1 tbsp sugar to create a rum syrup. Heat and reduce this liquid by about half (it should be about 1/4 cup). Place rum syrup in the fridge to cool completely.

When your custard mixture is fully chilled, freeze it according to your ice cream maker's instructions (this usually takes about 25 minutes). About 22-23 minutes in, slowly add in your chilled rum syrup and rum plumped raisins, along with the additional rum the raisins were soaked in. Let the mixture blend for a minute or two longer. Pack your ice cream in a container (with a tight-fitting lid) and cover it with parchment paper and then freeze it.

Makes about 1 quart

Notes:

-You'll want to start this recipe a day in advance and also plan for the custard base to chill for at least 4-6 hours (if you are not using an ice bath).

-Brian's recipe did not call for all the rum shenanigans I've mentioned. He simply added 2/3 cup of rum straight to his milk mixture before bringing it to a boil. I've always added booze at the final few minutes of the ice cream's freezing process. So I freaked out for a hot minute and then decided to do a little of both by making a rum syrup, as well as adding in some straight rum. It froze wonderfully. (Too much booze and your ice cream won't freeze.)

-Brian's recipe called for 12 egg yolks, but this scared me. (I don't really have a good reason why.) So I was a wuss and used 8.

Have Yourself A Merry Amount of Eggnog

2011-12-06T21:47:00.001-05:00

Let’s talk eggnog, shall we? There are two very distinct camps on the beverage. There are those forwhom eggnog ranks right up there with cream colored ponies and crisp applestrudels. People who believe it's filled with sugar and spice and everythingnice. And just to be clear here,the nice I am referring to is booze. Lots of it.

And there are those who wouldn’t dream of pairing brandy and bourbon, or some other familialcombination of spirits thereof, with egg yolks and cream. Those that justplead yuk.

I have a number of friendsthat—luckily—fall into the former category. You can only have yourself a merry little Christmas for solong drinking so much eggnog on your own. I have one friend that fondly refers to itas the abominable nog beast. He alsohas uttered the phrase “I was in it for the nog.” You can probably see why we get along. I also have a dear friend that is makingeggnog for her Christmas party this Saturday, despite the fact that she’s allergic to eggs. And I have yet another eggnog-lovingfriend who recently hosted a holiday party. Our e-mail conversation prior, about what I should bring, wentsomething like this:

Subject: The Nog

I’ve thought about it. Do you mind if I bring eggnog insteadof shrimp on Sunday? I realizewe’ve just taken the healthy train way off the tracks, but tis the season toderail. Let me know …

Subject: Re: The Nog

Since one of my most absolutefavorite things of all time is eggnog, I would love it if you brought some. Tis the season to derail, fa la la lala la la la la.

Some of her response was typedin all caps and the use of nine—yes nine—consecutive exclamation marks wasemployed. What can I say, eggnogis stuff Christmas anticipation is made of.

This is probably a good time tomention that this recipe is legendary in my family. My aunt makes it every year on Christmas Eve. And—bless her heart—she manages touse both low fat milk and low fat ice cream and somehow makes it work. Unfortunately, I don’t believe in lowfat ice cream. You might as welltell me that Santa has started wearing Spanx. So technically this is her tradition, fattened up a bit.

What is particularly special about her recipe is that the egg yolks getcooked, which means you can enjoy thick, eggy nog without having to worry aboutanything that rhymes with “hail nutella.” So, if you happen to be quite takenwith eggnog, I recommend you try this recipe. If you aren’t, well, best of luck to you.

I’m not saying I won’t befriends with someone that doesn’t like eggnog. I’m just saying I’m going to have to think about it.

Christmas Eve Eggnog

2 cups half and half

4 cups whole milk

1 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean pod, split with seeds scraped out

12 large egg yolks

1 cup dark rum

1/2 cup brandy

1/2-3/4 cup bourbon

1 cup heavy cream

2-4 tbsp maple syrup, optional

Freshly grated nutmeg to preference

In a medium saucepan, combine half and half, whole milk, sugar, and vanilla bean seeds and pod and heat on low until mixture reaches a slow simmer. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl beat the egg yolks. Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks a little bit (about 1/4 cup) at a time. Remove the vanilla bean pod. Once the egg yolks are warmed from the milk mixture, slowly add them to the saucepan with the rest of the milk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon (the temperature should be just at 180 degrees). Pour the mixture through a sieve.

Let the mixture cool slightly. Add the rum, brandy, and 1/2 cup bourbon. Refrigerate overnight. Before you are ready to serve, lightly whip the cream and add it to the eggnog. (If the cream does not blend well into the eggnog, or if you've overmixed the cream, you can whip the entire mixture to smooth it out.) Taste and add more booze, if needed. At this point, you may also decide to sweeten the mixture up by whisking in a little maple syrup. Grate nutmeg generously on top.

Makes about 10 cups

Notes:

-My aunt adds 2 cups low fat vanilla ice cream that she floats in the eggnog to keep it cold. Since I used whole milk, I didn't put the ice cream in and instead sweetened it with a bit more with maple syrup.

-At the end of the day I added a bit more booze than my aunt's recipe called for, as well as the vanilla and nutmeg. It's hard to leave a recipe alone.

-Gosling's black rum was as lovely here as it is in a dark and stormy.

Sour Cherry Pie with Whole Wheat Pâte Brisée: We Survived

2011-11-30T19:29:00.001-05:00

“White meat is forwusses.” This is what my brothersaid at the Thanksgiving table last week. It is entirely possible he wasclutching a drumstick at the time.

This past holiday was not forweaklings. We had a 16-pound henturkey that my eighty-eight year old grandmother lugged up from her basementfreezer. We debated on just how drunk Frank Sinatra sounded in his holidayrecord with Bing. And my little cousin quietly (okay, not so quietly) tried to plot a Monopoly coup when I secured hotels onboth Boardwalk and Park Place.

It was a take-no-prisoners kindof holiday. And I was well aware that the pie had better deliver. Luckily, no one took the pie pan and heaved it out thewindow. It was quite good,actually. In fact, I do believeI’ll likely live to make pie again.

The whole wheat pâte brisée was purely accidental. It was mysecond attempt at making this Thanksgiving's pie crust. It's best not to get into the first attempt details. Let's just say it ended in some pretty unfortunate pastry carnage. I don't want to implicate the bread flour, but it knows what it did.

As for the sour cherries? No one in their right mind likely has them right now. They were collateral damage from a freak farmers' market "accident" this summer. At the time I desperately neededover fifty dollars worth of sour cherries to, ahem, store in my freezer.

These mistakes made for alovely pie. An “I can absolutelyeat this for breakfast” kind of pie. And lunch. And dinner. It was a take-no-prisoners nutty, flaky, cherry-filled pastry. And it certainly madeitself at home with the rest of the holiday.

Sour Cherry Pie with Whole Wheat Pâte Brisée

Ingredients:

Pâte Brisée Crust

Adapted from Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe by Joanne Chang

1.75 cups white whole wheat pastry flour

1 tbsp sugar, plus additional sugar for dusting

1 tsp kosher salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 12 pieces

2 egg yolks

3 tbsp whole milk, plus 1 additional tbsp after the pie is filled

Cherry Filling

1 cup sugar

3 tbsp corn starch

1/4 tsp salt

5 cups whole sour cherries, pitted

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp unsalted butter

Crust Instructions:

To made the crust, use a kitchen aid with the paddle attachment or handheld mixer and mix together flour, sugar and salt for about 10 seconds or until combined. Scatter the butter over the top of the flour and mix on low speed for about 1 minute or until the butter is about the size of pecans and the flour holds together when you pinch it.

In a small bowl, whisk the yolks and 3 tbsp of milk together and then add to flour mixture; mix on low speed for about 30 seconds or until the dough barely comes together. (At this point it will not look like dough, it will look like a shaggy flour mixture; be careful not to overmix it.)

Dump the flour on to an unfloured space and gather it together into a tight mound. With the palm of your hand push the top of the mound down and out, smearing the dough as you go. Repeat this about once or twice on each part of the dough until the butter is smeared throughout and you can see streaks of it (this should take about 6-10 smearings). Gather up the dough and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. It needs to rest at least 4 hours (or up to 4 days) in the fridge before it is ready to be used.

Pie Instructions:

When the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Take the dough out of the fridge and allow it to soften slightly to make it easier to roll. Meanwhile, to make the filling, whisk sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium bowl; stir in cherries, lemon juice, and extracts and set aside.

Divide dough into 2 equal pieces; on a floured surface, form 1 piece of the dough into a circle and roll it out until it is 12 inches in diameter. (Using your rolling pin, roll the dough out in one direction instead of rolling your pin back and forth. Pause to shift the dough ninety degrees to ensure that the dough rolls out evenly.) Once the first piece of dough is rolled out, place it on a plate in the fridge until it is ready to be used.

Repeat your rolling with the second dough piece. Then, roll this dough round gently around your rolling pin and then slowly unroll it on to a 9-inch pie pan; gently coax the dough into the pan by pushing the edge of the dough so that it slides into the bottom of the pie pan and then press the dough gently into the bottom of the pan. Let the excess dough hang off the sides of the pan.

Pour the filling into the middle of the pie pan, dot with 2 tbsp of butter. Roll the other dough round loosely around your rolling pin and unroll it on top of the filling. Trim the excess dough so that it is 1/2 inch from the lip of the pie pan, using a knife. Crimp the top and bottom crust edges together. Cut about eight 2 inch slits into the top pie crust. Brush the top crust with 1 tbsp of milk and sprinkle with sugar (about 1 tbsp).

Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes; reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for about 50-60 minutes longer. Check occasionally to make sure the pie edges aren't browning too much; cover them with foil to prevent further browning, as necessary. The pie is done when the crust is golden brown and the cherry juices are bubbling. Let cool on a wire rack, about 4 hours, before serving.

Yields one sweet pie

Notes:

-I combined a few different recipes to come up with this one, including this one from Bon Appetit. I wanted to use Chang's pâte brisée because I "get" how she explains pastry. And, let's be honest, this was a high stakes pie mission. Chang uses all purpose flour for her crust. If you want to do a whole grain crust you'll want to use pastry flour, otherwise just use regular flour. The crust turned out great, whole wheat and all.

-If you are using frozen cherries, you can heat your cherry filling ever so slightly in a pan just until the cherries soften. You don't want the mixture to be hot, nor do you want the cherries to still be frozen when you pour it into the pie pan.

-The instructions for this recipe are a bit intense. I know. And for this I am sorry.

Pecan Bars: A Prelude to Thanksgiving (And Tribute to Pat Benatar)

2011-11-22T23:00:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving. It's coming. I'm doing most of the cooking this year. And I just got off the phone with my mother.

Mosteveryone that cooks has a bête noire in the kitchen. I can talk turkey all day long. Cranberry sauce? Bring it, New England. Dinner doesn’t scare me. But pie? Pieterrifies. This is the first yearI’m attempting it. The pieconversation with my mother went something like this:

Me: “I’m making the pie crusttonight.”

Mom: “That’s nice, honey.”

Me: “I was psyching myself upfor it on my walk home.”

Me: “I was humming “Eye of theTiger.””

Mom: “How about “Hit Me WithYour Best Shot?”” “I saw Pat Benatarthis summer.” “So I can say that.”

This was the pie pep talk I precisely needed tohave. We’ll see how it all goes down. Butfor now: fire away.

For those that want to forgothe whole potential pie disaster—or for those that simply don’t get jazzed by Rocky Balboa orPat Benatar—these bars are a lovely substitute for pecan pie. I was lucky enough to attend a Cook’sIllustrated cocktail party a few weeks ago. They served wonderful broiled shrimp with coriander and lemon, Spanishtortilla with garlic mayo, chocolate pots de crème, and what looked to be fairly innocent pecan bars.

The bars are simply beyond. Theyhave a slightly salty edge with a dose of bourbon that helps to prevent them frombeing too sweet, as can happen with pecan pie. Cook's Illustrated was gracious enough to share their recipe withme. And for this, I will beforever thankful. Since makingthem, they’ve inspired a few OMGs, some cursing about having to wear spandex, and avague kidnapping threat.

So consider making the bars as aprelude to Thanksgiving. Or as piebackup. Just in case. Regardlessof how the pie turns out, it’s nice knowing that these little numbers are ready for action. As for the pie? Put up your dukes, let’s get down toit.

Pecan Bars

Adapted From The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Ingredients:

Bars

1 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and chilled

Filling

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup light corn syrup (I used brown rice syrup)

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 tbsp bourbon

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 large egg

About 1.5 cups whole pecans

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Liberally butter an 8 inch square pan. Pulse flour, sugar, chopped pecans, salt, and baking powder in a food processor for about 5 pulses; sprinkle butter on top and pulse about 8 more pulses, until the mixture looks like course cornmeal. Pour the mixture into your buttered baking pan and press it down evenly with the back of a measuring cup. Bake until the crust begins to brown and you start to smell it, about 20-24 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the filling combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, bourbon, vanilla and salt in a large bowl to dissolve the sugar; whisk in the egg. When the crust is done, pour filling over crust; sprinkle with pecans and bake until the pecans start to brown (about 25-30 minutes) rotating the pan half way through.

Let the bars cool completely before cutting and serving.

Makes about 16 bars

Notes:

-Cook's recommends laying foil down (and greasing the foil) to help remove the bars when the time comes. Lazily, I just buttered the pan and hoped for the best. While the first bar was a little tricky to remove, my bars came out just fine. And so I'd say the foil is up to you.

-I had the brown rice syrup leftover from an ice cream project I'll blissfully be sharing in a few weeks. I used the Lundberg brand because I'm not a huge fan of corn syrup as a general rule. Baker's choice.

-In the interest of full disclosure, I didn't have a square pan and so I used a round one and just cut squares out of it. It was absolutely fine (and this allowed for bar scrapes).

-Many thanks to Cook's Illustrated. And a happy Thanksgiving to all.

By Chance, Spiced Banana Bread with Cinnamon Crumble Topping

2011-11-15T21:19:00.001-05:00

This banana bread happened bychance. I was hungry forcomfort. I had gone to the marketto make roast chicken and ended up with a bunch of bananas in my bag that didnot belong to me. I believe in thingslike that. I took it to meanthat I desperately needed banana-related baked goods in my immediate future.

As a general rule, I’m not goodat anticipating banana bread. Youhave to buy bananas and then get comfortable with them sitting quietly, turninginto what look like intensely spotted yellow and brown giraffe necks. I just can’t get relaxed about thatsort of thing. But I can get relaxed about eating banana bread. So I let them ripen. Andthen got to work.

This bread has since been slatheredwith warm memories. I made it fora trip I took with some friends to the Adirondack Mountains. On Saturday morning, we stoodaround the camp kitchen island and sliced off bits while we chatted and thecoffee pot worked overtime. As wereduced the bread to a mere nub, my mother flipped enough pumpkin pancakes tofeed a forest of lumberjacks.

Welaughed a lot that weekend. Wetasted wine from a local winery called Montezuma, tried on fur hats, talkedabout hot cinnamon-sugared donuts, and visited quite possibly the mostquintessential general store on the East Coast.

We also enjoyed our fair shareof banana bread. And so I’ve begunthink of this recipe as living in the company of warm friends and briskmornings. It’s spiced withcardamom, ginger, and allspice and the crunchy cinnamon sugar crust just begs to bepaired with a good cup of coffee and a companion or two. It’s a fairly new recipe to me, but italready feels seasoned. It’s just that kind of bread. The kind that makes you thankful for good friends andoverripe bananas.

Spiced Banana Bread with Cinnamon Crumble Topping

Adapted from Molly Wizenberg from Orangette

Ingredients:

The bread

1.5 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cardamom (freshly ground if possible)

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 bananas)

2 large eggs

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup water

(Plus butter and additional flour for the loaf pan)

The topping

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2.5 tbsp packed dark brown sugar

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9 x 5 loaf pan. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, spices, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, combine the banana, eggs, oil, honey, and water. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir until combined. Pour the batter into the buttered and floured loaf pan.

In a small bowl, mix the topping ingredients; sprinkle the topping on top of the batter. Bake for about an hour or until a toothpick or cake tester comes about clean. Cool the bread in its pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes and then remove the bread from the pan. (Run a knife along the edges of the pan to loosen it; it may take some gentle coaxing and slight side tilting to remove the loaf, but you should be able to do it without losing much of the crumb topping.)

Yield: 1 loaf

Notes:

-The cardamom really comes through in this loaf. It's a nice change of pace from a standard banana bread and goes well with the crunchy cinnamon topping, but feel free to leave it off if you aren't keen on the spice.

-You may be inclined to forgo the topping, but it really makes the bread and moves it one step closer to coffee cake. And this is a very, very good thing.

-This is a version of a version. Molly Wizenberg attributes this recipe to Bakesale Betty and Bon Appétit.

Channel Your Inner Fancy: Eat Parker House Rolls

2011-11-09T21:27:00.000-05:00

Black wide-framed sunglassesand buttery leather elbow gloves. Maybe throw in a string of pearls. Not the images you had in mind for dinner roll consumption? These are not just any doughy dinnercompanion. These are Parker Houserolls. And they just call forfancy.

The (now Omni) Parker Househotel here in Boston was first founded in 1855. It is the oldest continuously running hotel in theStates. And it’s famous for itspast regulars, including literary heavyweights like Emerson, Thoreau,Hawthorne, Longfellow and presidential chums like Grant, FDR, and JFK. Jack proposed to Jackie there. Arguably, their rolls make the hoteljust as noteworthy.

I am well aware that recipes for Parker House rollsare everywhere. I recentlystumbled across a recipe in a family heirloom: The White House Cookbook, published in 1894. The cookbook has a stunning portrait of the“bride of the White House,” Frances Tolson Cleveland; glassware placementinstructions for stately government dinner receptions; and a recipe for Parker Houserolls.

Unfortunately, I didn’t havethe "one half cupful of fresh yeast," nor was I feeling adventurous enough to wing approximating a piece of butter “the size of an egg,” as the recipe suggested.Luckily, Harvard Common Press had graciously sent me the New England Home Cooking cookbook. And it has a lovely recipe for Parker House rolls. (Albeit, a recipe with a tad morebutter.) Believe me, the extra is worth it. It's an easy way to add a little luxury to your day.

I also added parsley bits andlittle flecks of sea salt on top of the rolls, which I borrowed from the John Doryrestaurant in New York. They servea version of Parker House rolls that accompany a platter of raw shellfish. Some may scoff that this recipe is not “traditional.” I’m not certainthat even the Parker House recipe published in The White House Cookbook in 1894 is traditional or that Harvey Parker himselfwould know the difference.

What I do know is that theserolls are exquisite. Buttery, luxurious, and absolutely worth making. They may be a bit old school. But they’re classic. And they’ll make any occasion a littlemore special. No playboy marriageproposals, presidential dinners, or soft leather gloves necessary.

Parker House Rolls

Adapted from New England Home Cooking by Brooke Dojny

Ingredients:

1/4 ounce regular rise yeast ( 1 package)

1/4 cup hot tap water (about 110 degrees)

1.25 cups whole milk

1/4 cup sugar

11 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (plus additional for brushing rolls)

3-5 cups flour (or more as necessary)

1 egg yolk

2 tsp kosher salt

oil for greasing

2-3 tbsp fresh parsley, minced

a few pinches of fleur de sel (optional)

Instructions:

Combine yeast and hot water in a small bowl; set aside until yeast bubbles (about 10 minutes). Combine milk, sugar, melted butter, 2 cups of flour, egg yolk, and salt in a large bowl (or the bowl of a kitchen aid with a dough hook attachment). Add yeast mixture into bowl and stir well. Add 1 cup more of flour and knead by hand or by dough hook (5 minutes by machine with the dough hook or about 10 minutes by hand). The dough should get smooth and elastic; continue to add more flour until the dough is soft and workable (not sticky). Transfer to a bowl greased with oil. Cover and let rise until it doubles in size (about 1.5 hours).

Lightly oil 1-2 casserole dishes (depending on the size of your dishes) Punch the dough down and divide into 2 pieces. Take 1 piece and roll the dough out until it is about 3/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Using a 2-3" biscuit or cookie cutter (or the inside of a small glass or coffee cup, if necessary) cut out rounds of dough. Take the sides of each round and pinch them together at the bottom, so that each round becomes slightly more circular and ball-like in shape (roll the dough a bit with your hands to smooth it out, as necessary).

Place the dough rounds on your greased casserole dishes no more than 1/2 inch apart. Repeat with the second half of the dough. Combine any remaining scraps and repeat again. Brush the tops of the rolls with additional melted butter and top with parsley and fleur de sel, if desired. Cover loosely and let rise for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake rolls until golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. Transfer rolls to a wire rack to cool.

Makes about 20 rolls

Notes:

-These rolls freeze brilliantly after they have been cooked and cooled.

-They are also so good that they'll be making an appearance at my Thanksgiving. Move over mashed potatoes.

-Parker House rolls are often folded in half before baking. You can certainly do this if you wish. I like my rolls straight up.

-Side note: one of my favorite things about the hotel is that it is supposedly haunted.

-Random aside: check out my work on the November/December issue of Talking Writing, an online literary magazine.

How to Avoid Being a Zombie with Wasabi Avocado Dressing

2011-10-30T20:55:00.001-04:00

By all reasonable accounts I should be deathlyill by now. I’ve been working alot. Which means I haven’t beensleeping a lot.

So how am I not a straight up walking corpse? How am I stillusing coherent words (mostly) instead of simply grunting or moaning? Why am I still among the living? I'mtrying hard not to suggest that this dressing is behind it all. I'm trying hard not to suggest that it might possess—what some might call—mythical properties. I'm also pretty sure I heard somewhere that wasabi had antimicrobial properties. But I digress. The fact is, I've been eating it daily. Okay, sometimes twice per day.

And I’ve been waking up every morning. Primarily: alive. Secondarily: not hacking up things. So itcould very well be the dressing. We can't rule anything out, that's allI'm saying.

Don’t get me wrong. This dressing will notwrite a 15 page paper for you. Nor will it pry cold pizza out of yourhands at 1 am when you are eating your feelings.

It's a take on green goddessdressing, it's just been a bit electrified. In a refreshing way. It’s lovely with cucumbers or even as a spreadon a salmon sandwich. It also goads you to eat yourvegetables. And these are all good things on suboptimal sleep. Your body needs the extra support. It’s also a good thingif you seem to be developing a bit of a stress gut. Hypothetically.

So my spin on this dressing: while it may not transform you into feeling like agoddess, it may help you feel a little less like a zombie.

Wasabi Avocado Dressing

Ingredients:

Juice of 1 lime

1 avocado

1-2 tbsp wasabi paste

2 scallions, roughly chopped

Handful of Italian parsley leaves (~1/2 cup)

1/2 cup greek yogurt (2%)

3-4 tbsp mayo

1-2 tbsp olive oil

2-4 anchovies, rinsed

splash of rice wine vinegar

Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Makes about 1.5 cups

Notes:

-I gave variable amounts because I've found salad dressings work best for me when I adjust things to taste. I'm keeping it loose here.

-If you aren't really keen on the kick of wasabi start with 1 tbsp.

Pedaling in Sauteed Cabbage with Apples

2011-10-23T10:42:00.000-04:00

The French have a way withwords. So how do you make spinningyour wheels sound charming? Yousay you are pedaling in sauerkraut. The French say: pédaler dans la choucroute.

Last year I was shipping offto Paris around this time. Thisyear it’s not so much Paris as it is work, school, or—perhaps very soon—thelooney bin. Take your pick.

Safe to say, impossibly chic Frenchwomen need not apply here. I’mknee deep in some pretty unglamorous funk at the moment. But what I’m realizing is that we’reall up to *here* in it, so it’s best to just slap on some waders and trudgearound in the muck.

Thus, I decided to make use ofsome cabbage. Because, well,pedaling around in sauerkraut made me hungry. Except I didn’t feel like waiting for cabbage to fermentinto sauerkraut. Best not to letthings fester, anyhow, when you have a short fuse. So the cabbage got sautéed with some butter and apple slicesand finished with apple cider vinegar and cognac. (After all, a woman can’t live on pure brandy alone.)

It was just what Ineeded. An uncomplicated fall dish, both tangy and sweet. Quite comforting. So you’ll likelyfind me at the market stocking up on heads of cabbage and trudging through thenext few weeks. Cabbage is a lotlike life. Sometimes itstinks. Just add some brownsugar and brandy and make the best of it.

Sautéed Cabbage with Apples

~4 tbsp butter, divided

1 small white onion, thinly sliced

Kosher salt to season

1 apple, cut into thin strips

A pinch of grains of paradise, ground (alternatively, just use freshly ground black pepper)

1/2 head of cabbage, shredded or thinly sliced

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp brown sugar

Splash of cognac (or other brandy)

Heat a pan on medium heat and add about two tablespoons of butter. Add onion slices, a sprinkling of salt, and saute onions until they are nearly translucent; stir in apple slices and grains of paradise (or pepper). Cook until apples soften and then add the cabbage and vinegar; season with salt and cook until the cabbage softens. Add about 2 more tablespoons of butter, brown sugar, and brandy and cook a minute or two more.

Makes about 4 cups

Notes:

-The grains of paradise add a nice floral note, but don't let not having them derail you from making this dish. You can easily just substitute black pepper.

The Best is Yet to Plum: A Rosemary Plum Tart Restart

2011-10-11T19:50:00.000-04:00

Let me level with you. Life currently is not so dreamy at themoment. I’ve neither had my cakenor eaten it recently, should you want a food-related idiom. In fact, if we’re using cake as anexample here, you might say I was holding a big bowl of batter and dropped it. My life batter has splattered everywhere.

I’m still cleaning up the little bits from underneath cabinets and between small crevices. So I don’t have a lotto say except that I'm staying away from recipes that contain batter at the moment. No need to let my metaphorical life become a true kitchen disaster.

I'm starting from scratch. I'm going back to basics. Back to plums. And back to Ina Garten. Her tart recipe was the first dessert I successfully made. It's the kind of recipe that your cookbook opens up to because the pages have been creased and spread so many times.

The recipe is easy and it delivers every time, which is more than I can say about a lot of other aspects of my life at the moment. I'm confident this won't always be the case. And, while I love tarts, I do have more to live for. I can only hope there will be even better recipes ahead. You could say, the best is yet to plum.

Rosemary Plum Tart

Adapted from Ina Garten

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

3/4 cup walnuts, chopped

3/4 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed

3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, diced (1.5 sticks)

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp rosemary, minced

2 pounds ripe Italian prune plums, sliced

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine flour, walnuts, and brown sugar in a large bowl; add butter, egg yolk, and rosemary and mix by hand until the mixture comes together. Press 3/4 of the mixture into the bottom of a 9" tart pan (or spring form pan). Spread plum slices over the crumb mixture in circular pattern and sprinkle the remaining butter mixture over top. Bake for 40-50 minutes until the tart is bubbling and slightly brown.

Makes 1 tart

Notes:

-Lavender leaves also works quite nicely here, as well. (If you know my blog, you know I love the stuff.)

-This tart is best eaten the day it's made.

-If Italian prune plums aren't available, regular run-of-the-mill plums work just fine too.

Olive Oil Chocolate Mousse and Birthday Reflections

2011-10-03T22:05:00.000-04:00

I’m a groupie for birthdays.They punctuate another year passing. A year, quite possibly, filled with trumpets and violins. And to celebrate this cacophony that is life: you get to eatcake. Or cheesecake. Or pudding,if that’s your thing. Which istotally cool. On your birthday youmake the rules.

As I tend to do around mybirthday, I’ve been reflecting a bit. And so I’ve compiled a list of things I’ve learned over the pastyear. Also, I made chocolate oliveoil mousse. (There is no betteraccomplice for the procrastination of lists than chocolate.) Two words: worth it.

It’s rich, dense—yet also stillfairly light, as mousses tend to be—and perfect with ... wait for it ... brandy. “ Surely, this year has been more than chocolateand brandy?” you ask. Right? Crickets. Fair enough.

Regardless, please find my birthday reflections below.

-When you attempt to compile alist of what you've learned over the span of a year you may start to panic. (Ifthis is the case, I urge you to breath. Lists are stressful.)

-Just because you can freeze cake doesn’t mean you should.

-Life is short, wear the niceunderwear.

-If you drink more than onemanhattan, you will wake up looking like you had more than one manhattan.

-Sometimes love does hurt.

-If you are having troublesleeping, read Karl Marx (he's better than warm milk).

-Living in a studio apartment curtails sentimentality. There just isn’t the space. Some tangible memories are bound to be jettisoned. It's okay.

-Nothing good happens after 12am.

-When in doubt, a littlechampagne never hurts.

-You can’t make people likeyou. But you can will them todevelop unruly sideburns and receding hairlines with abandon.

-Buy flowers more than you thinkyou should.

-If it can’t be fixed with ducttape or a martini, it ain’t worth fixing.

-When you are in a rotten,no-good mood, ask Billie Holliday to join you.

-Impose no limits. (Heaven knows, anything goes.)

-Take chances and lighten up about them.

-If you are feeling like life isjust a little too much, remember: breath first. Make chocolate moussesecond.

Olive Oil Chocolate Mousse

Adapted from Tony Maws

Ingredients:

11 oz chocolate (70%)
9 egg, yolks and whitesseparated
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup extra virgin oliveoil
1/4 cup brandy
pinch of kosher salt

Instructions:

In the bowl of a kitchenstand mixer, whisk egg whites until they are frothy and then add in 1/4 cupsugar; keep whisking until medium peaks form. Place egg white mixtureinto a large bowl.

Chop the chocolate and meltover simmering water (in a double boiler), stirring occasionally. Whilethe chocolate is melting, add the yolks to the bowl of the kitchen stand mixer(it should no longer contain the egg whites at this point, but you don't need to wash it) and whisk with 1/2cup sugar until the mixture becomes thick and pale yellow. Once thechocolate is melted, slowly pour the chocolate into the egg yolk mixture, beingcareful that the yolks do not curdle. Add in the olive oil,brandy, and salt.

Fold in the egg whites and,at this point, you may decide you are done. I was a tad nervous aboutleaving raw eggs in my fridge for a few days, so I heated the mixture in adouble boiler, over simmering water, stirring (by folding) until it reached 140 degrees. (Caveat: the next day, I realized the USDA states egg dishes should beheated to 165 degrees.) Pour into glasses and refrigerate 4 hours beforeserving.

Yields about 10 (1/2 cup)servings

Notes:
-I reduced this recipe andonly made 1/3 of it. The proportions worked out great and I didn't have toomany leftovers to contend with. For the recipe above, I figured I'd keep the original amounts, as "about 3 servings" is sort of an odd recipe yield.

-The mixture will lookslightly runny when you pour it into your glasses, but it will set upand get fairly thick in the fridge.

-I realize that heating theegg whites likely reduces some of their "poof" but, for me, I woulddo exactly the same thing the next time. (Though, I might try adding abit more olive oil, it didn't come through as much as I would have expected. Despite this, I adored this mousse.)

Pasta Fazool: Now That's Amore

2011-09-24T12:56:00.000-04:00

Here’s the rub. A dairy farmer, vegetarian, hungeractivist, nutritionist, and your mother are coming to visit. So what’s for dinner? The answer for yours truly: you look to your Italian Americanroots. And you make pastafazool.

Also known as pasta e fagioli, though I prefer thevernacular I grew up with. It’swhat my mother made. It’s whatDean Martin sings about. It's when the stars make you drool just likepasta fazool.

This makes the dish sound fancy. But ‘scus-a-me, it’s actually peasant dish: with pasta,beans, and tomatoes as the base. (Which should make the vegetarian, hungeractivist, and nutritionist quite happy.) A grate of pecorino over top satisfies the dairy farmer. And, bada-bing bada-boom, everyone is bene.

It’s cheap and simple. It’s morally responsible. But, most importantly, it’shomey enough to satisfy mama.

And in my family, mama madethis often. It was a staplegrowing up, especially when dinner was needed asap. It was always welcomed, particularly when contrasted withthe frozen fish sticks and chicken potpies that were supplementedwhen time was in extremely shortsupply. (The sight of Gorton the fisherman—in his yellow rain slicker—stillsends shivers.)

This recipe is loosely based onmy mother’s recipe, which was loosely based on my great grandmother’s recipe. And so what lingers is aninterpretation of a classic dish. Feel free to adapt it as you see fit. In the end, it should be—at its simplest— a dish filled withlove. Pasta love.

Mine features homemade pastaand dried beans. Your version may feature dried pastaand canned beans. This does notmatter. What matters is that youput the passion in this dish. Shoot for a moon-hitting-your-eye-like-a-big-pizza pie kind oflove. That’s pasta fazool. That’s amore.

Pasta Fazool

Ingredients:

~2-4 tbsp olive oil, divided

1 small onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

Kosher salt and pepper

28 oz can diced tomatoes

1 tsp red chili flakes

1 cup cooked fresh homemade linguine(or 2 oz dry linguine)

~1 cup fresh basil leaves (very loosely packed), gently torn

2 cups cooked driedwhite beans (cannellini) or cranberry beans (borlotti) (or 2 cups canned)

Pecorino cheese, optional

Instructions:

Heat 1-2 tbsp olive oil in alarge saute pan on medium heat. Add onion, stir to coat in olive oil; cook until it begins to soften, about3-4 minutes. Add minced garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cookabout 2 minutes more until garlic has very slightly browned and onions areslightly translucent. Add tomatoes, red pepper flakes, a little more saltand pepper, and stir to combine; continue to cook on medium heat.

Meanwhile, boil the water for the pasta (unless you have some in reserve that you have already cooked). Salt thepasta water and add the pasta once the water reaches a rolling boil. Meanwhile, add half the basil to the tomato mixture. Continue tocook the tomato mixture, turning down the heat if the sauce starts to spatter.

Once the pasta is done,strain out the water (you may want to reserve 1/2 cup pasta water to add backto the sauce to help the pasta cling). Add the beans, cooked pasta, and therest of the basil to the saucepan with the tomato sauce and toss to combine. Drizzle ~1 tbsp over the mixture and gently stir. Taste and adjustfor seasoning, if needed. Top with sprinkle of pecorino cheese, ifdesired.

Makes ~6 cups

Notes:

-This recipe is super easy, makes great leftovers, and can be made in fewer than 30 minutes if you have all your ingredients ready to go. From college student to grandma, this dish can work wonders.

-My mom traditionally used white beans, however cranberry beans can occasionally be found at the farmers' markets here in Boston. If this is the case, you can use fresh beans instead of dried. (Unfortunately, fresh cranberry beans were nowhere to be found at the time of this recipe.) While dried beans will take ~1 hour to cook after they've been soaked overnight, fresh beans take much less time after you shell them. You can, of course, bypass all of this and simply get out your can opener.

-For my money, Muir Glen has the best canned tomatoes, but any dice will do you.

-The coup degrâce for the nutritionist: the vitamin C content of the tomatoes also makes the iron from the beans more easily absorbed.

The Power of Goat Cheese Stuffed Squash Blossoms

2011-09-15T23:07:00.001-04:00

There is nothing rational regardingwhat I’m about to say. But thenagain, there is nothing inherently rational about deep-frying the flower from asquash plant, now is there? Infact, it’s probably best to disengage the thinking mind altogether on this one.

Too ephemeral for any outsidedrama or noisy to-do lists, squash blossoms are best cooked the day they arepicked. So they force you to livein the moment. Depending on yourlevel of commitment, you may even find yourself thinking in hour long squashblossom increments.

And this makes them beyondbeautiful. If you struggle withliving in the past or in the future, they can act like an instant, edibleself-help book. You know thekind. The kind that urges you tobehave in the present. The kindwith names like "The Power of Now" and “You Can Heal Your Life.”

So stop worrying about yourticking biological clock. Or yourirritable bowel syndrome. Or whatit means when someone calls you an alpha female. Because the only thing that matters when in the presence ofsquash blossoms is that these little guys don’t wilt and die on you. (That I’m recommending to deep-fry themlikely helps with this in-the-moment living, too.)

So when I happened upon themlast weekend at the Siena Farms stand at the Copley farmers’ market, I scooped upevery. last. one. And thenimmediately started to panic. Myplans for the night had just changed. This may seem a tad extreme from a rational perspective, but I’d been onthe hunt for squash blossoms since 2008: which was the last time I foundthem. I did not have a squashblossom contingency plan in place.

Did I have canola oil at home? (I did not.) Did the Crystal Brook Farm goat cheese guy at the market have plain goat cheese left? (He did not.) So I wasconvinced by “goat cheese guy” to buy a version with specks of ginger in it andthen hit Savenor’s on the way home for some grapeseed oil. And—after some deep breathing—I was allthe better for it.

Which got me thinking. I believe squash blossoms are made forthose breezy, northern California Alice Waters types that I imagine strollthrough farmers’ markets with big wicker baskets sniffing peaches. They are not inherently made forneurotic North Easterners that scurry to the farmers’ market on their lunchbreaks, ruminating about what to make for dinner and if they stillhave enough eggs left to procreate.

I suppose my greater point here:everyone benefits from the blossom. And I imagine if they are fried, and come out of hot oil headingstraight for your plate, that this only improves things. Yes, this likely quiets the noiseimmediately. Especially with the meltycheese involved. So perhaps—onsecond thought—deep fried squash blossoms are made especially for us Woody Allen types. And while we are too pragmatic (and cynical?) to let asquash blossom heal our lives, having some every now and then probably wouldn’thurt.

Goat Cheese Stuffed FriedSquash Blossoms

Ingredients:

Grapeseed or canola oil

A bubbly beverage, e.g.sparkling water, sparkling wine, beer (chilled)

Equal parts flour and riceflour

Salt and pepper

Squash blossoms

Goat cheese, or cheese ofyour preference

Instructions:

Heat oil in a small saucepanon medium to medium-high heat; you'll want enough oil to sit 1-2 inches deep inthe saucepan. Meanwhile, place the sparkling beverage of your choice in aglass filled with ice cubes to chill the liquid further. (This willultimately help with the crispiness.) Then, combine flour and rice flour in asmall bowl; season with salt and pepper. After this, add enough chilled liquidto the flour mixture (minus the ice cubes) until the batter becomes about theconsistency of a crepe batter (more liquidy than a pancake batter).

Remove the stamen from theinside of the squash blossom and stuff each blossom with 1/2-1 tsp goat cheese,depending on the size of the blossom.

When the oil reaches about350-375 degrees (or sizzles violently if you place part of a squash blossom init) it is ready. Quickly dip each squash blossom into the batter, shakeoff excess batter, and then place in the hot oil. Cook until the blossomis golden brown, about 1 minute and then season with salt and dry on a papertowel.

Notes:

-The amount of ingredientsneeded for this recipe depends entirely on the amount of blossom(s) you areable to get your hands on. It's also 100% low maintenance, so go withyour gut and don't be afraid.

-If you don't have rice flouryou can substitute cornstarch.

-Grapeseed or canola oil aregood to use because they are both neutral-tasting and let the flavor of thesquash blossoms shine through. They also have fairly high smoke points,which means your kitchen won't be filled with smoke at the end of this littlefood exercise.

The Memory of Maple Roasted Butternut Squash Barley Salad

2011-09-09T22:44:00.001-04:00

Let me just say that I never thought barley + butternut squash could incite so much passion. I should have known better. I first made this salad for my sister’sbridal shower. Her wedding wasthis past weekend and—even weeks later—it still had people talking. I'd even go so far as to say that there was more salad-related chatter than the typical love life inquiry chitchat.

Which was fine by me. Talking about barley is much less awkward. Especially when you’re in a bridesmaiddress with Frank Sinatra playing in the background.

Coincidentally, preparing this recipe requires a certain romancing of the ingredients. It’s not rocket science, but you haveto pay attention to the details. And in the end, it’s the details that make the salad worth eating.

So, dear barley salad, there are many things that will keep me lovingyou and, with your permission, may I list a few? The way you wear yourhat. The way you sip your tea …. Errr, I probably shouldn’tanthropomorphize the barley too much, should I? I suppose it's too late.

This is truly a salad to love. The butternut squash ispeeled, chopped into tiny cubes, and tossed in oil and herbs. The onions get bathed in balsamic. Then these very special jewel-toned vegetables marry with the barley.

So here it is, after much request: the ingredients and instructions thatwill—with any luck—recreate a gorgeous salad. As for the ingredients and instructions for a gorgeous marriage? Be forewarned, looks fade. So you had better have backup. As for the salad? The taste improves the longer it sits. With any luck, the leftovers for both will linger.

But no matter what: the barley was good, and pretty, and the memory of all that, no, they can’t take that away from me.

Maple Roasted Butternut Squash Barley Salad

Ingredients

1 pound barley, uncooked

2 butternut squashes, peeled and chopped into 1/2" cubes

6 sage leaves, minced

3 sprigs rosemary, minced

~ 1 cup olive oil, divided

Salt and pepper

Juice of 3 lemons, divided (zest of one lemon reserved)

Juice of 3 tangerines, divided (zest of one tangerine reserved)

~6 tbsp maple syrup, divided

3 red onions, peeled and sliced thinly

2-4 tbsp balsamic vinegar (enough to coat red onions)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare barley on stovetop according to package directions. While barley is cooking, place butternut squash cubes on baking sheet and toss with the herbs and enough olive oil so that the cubes glisten and will not stick to the pan (~4 tbsp). Season liberally with salt and pepper and place into preheated oven.

Meanwhile, prepare the dressing by combining the juice of 2 lemons, 2 tangerines, zest of 1 lemon and 1 tangerine, at least 1/2 cup olive oil, a quick gulg (a tablespoon or so) of maple syrup, and salt and pepper to taste. (At this point you may need to add additional acidity, so add more citrus juice or additional maple syrup and olive oil for sweetness and body, respectively, as needed per your preference.) Set dressing aside until the barley is thoroughly cooked with cooking water drained. Toss 1/2 of the dressing with hot barley in a large bowl and set aside.

Then check on the butternut squash and toss it with ~1/4 cup maple syrup and juice from the remaining lemon and tangerine and place back in oven and continue to cook it until squash is fork tender and caramelized. Meanwhile, place red onions on another baking sheet and toss with balsamic vinegar and additional olive oil; once again, until well coated. Season with salt and pepper and roast in oven until they are caramelized and shriveled. (They will roast fairly quickly, so keep an eye on them.)

Once the squash and onions are done, mix them with the barley; then toss everything with the remaining dressing. Taste and adjust for additional salt and pepper as needed.

Makes about 10 cups

Notes:

-Since this recipe was me, in the kitchen, in rare form: most of the measurements are approximates.

Watermelon Cocktails and the Last Flash of Summer

2011-09-01T07:25:00.001-04:00

Summer, it’s slipping away from us. It’s going out with the muggy evenings and thunderstorms. Except it's quietly creeping, instead of flashing and booming away into the distance.

But just like that, it will be gone. If I had my way, I’d be sitting in a creaky rocking chair on an old wooden porch watching the thunderbolts in the distance and listening to Lana Del Rey, with summer disintegrating around me.

And sipping this cocktail. This watermelon number is a doozy. The perfect base for a lazy evening. It took kindly to white tequila and a salted glass rim last week. But it would work equally with Boston-based Bully Boy's white whiskey, which has a sweet, very slight smokiness to it.

As for Lana? Her song “Videogames” is the quintessential late summer melody. It’s sultry. Heady. You want it to last a little bit longer. Sipping a strong watermelon drink and listening to her just lends itself to romancing about summer memories.

Singing in the old bars. Swinging with the old stars. Living for the fame. Kissing in the blue dark. Playing pool and wild darts. Video games.

Ohhh, she’s good. Something about her haunting lyrics paired with this drink makes saying goodbye to summer a little easier.

So so long sun dresses. And tan lines. Carefree evenings. And leaving the back door open. I’m not sure if the watermelon or the whiskey will run out first. But I can’t think of a better way for it to go.

Watermelon Cocktail

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

Pinch of kosher salt

1 small watermelon (or about 6 cups cut in 1" chunks)

2-3 limes, freshly squeezed

1.5-1.75 cups of liquor (white tequila, bourbon, etc.)

Instructions:

Combine 1/2 cup sugar with 1/2 cup water to make a simple syrup in a saucepan. Heat sugar water on medium heat until sugar dissolves completely. Set aside.

Blend watermelon with the juice of two limes in a food processor or blender; add simple syrup. (Depending on the size of your processor you may have to do this in two batches.) Taste and add the juice of another lime depending on preference. Add booze.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add watermelon mixture. Shake mixture and strain into glasses with additional ice cubes.

Makes about 6 cocktails

Notes:

-I love margaritas with salt. If you'd like to salt the rim of your glass, rub a wedge of lime around the outer lip of your glass and then dip the glass upside down into a plate containing kosher salt. You could also just use water, simply dip you glass in a small plate of water and then salt.

-If you are making margaritas, use white tequila. It provides a cleaner flavor. ("They" also say it provides less of a hangover.) (Each drink has about 2 ounces of liquor in it.)

-This mixture can be frozen, with or without booze, until it is needed. Defrost the night before you plan to use it in your fridge. (Note that it will not freeze completely if there is alcohol in it.)

-Lana Del Rey's song Video Games will be released on October 9th. You can also listen to it here. I first heard her from The Dinner Party Download. All good stuff.

Your New Roommate: Blueberry Lemon Lavender Scones

2011-08-27T07:00:00.022-04:00

I’m quite certain I have a pox on my apartment. Someone, somewhere is trying to do me in. And since I live by myself, that someone could very well be me.

I locked myself out of my apartment for the first time in my adult life last week. Not coincidentally, I also successfully completed my first adult break-in. Things only went downhill from there.

After the breaking and entering, I nearly set my place ablaze. And yes, I freely confess that it would have been nice to have someone gently suggest that baking off a scone at midnight—after being out at bar—was not going to win me any Mensa awards: perhaps just a visit from the fellas down at Ladder 24.

I awoke six hours later with a charcoal scone souvenir and a renewed appreciation for life. Later that day, it rained in my apartment. And then later still, my key broke clean off in my entrance lock.

So why mention all this? Well, it got me thinking that the joys of living alone run parallel to the annoyances. Having carte blanche on the dinner menu is great. I can eat a version of this corn soup for three days if I feel like it. (Though this is a moot point if you can’t get into your apartment.) And while a three night dinner trilogy of corn is fine by me, making something more communal, like a cherry pie, is out of the question. I can’t leave whole pies lying around.

These scones, on the other hand, work well as a dessert to be baked especially for one. And rest assured, this recipe falls wholeheartedly into the dessert category. It is not to be shuffled into the company of the dry breakfast scone. If fact, it’s really more of a buttery biscuit studded with blueberries. Which means you can still feel good about eating it for breakfast. And since I love lavender paired with lemon in the summertime, they find themselves partnering up with the berries.

So this is the perfect let-me-squeeze-out-the-very-last-bits-of summer recipe. And if you freeze some, you’ll be very happy come the first chilly fall morning when you pop one of these in the oven.

Though, I should clarify. While this scone does a lot of things, it won’t help you break into a locked apartment, nor will it fix roofs or know how to work a fire extinguisher. But if you are in need of a little calming from the evil forces that be, it does make for a pretty good roommate.

Blueberry Lemon Lavender Scones

Adapted from Joanne Chang's Lemon-Ginger Scone recipe from Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe

Ingredients:

FOR THE SCONES

2 3/4 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/3 cup sugar

2 tbsp lemon zest

3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 10 pieces

1 cup buttermilk, cold

1 egg, cold

1 tbsp dried lavender buds

3/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (do not defrost)

FOR THE GLAZE

1 cup confectioners' sugar

2-3 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1 tsp orange blossom water

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix for 10-15 seconds on low speed with the paddle attachment. Then slowly mix in the chunks of butter on low speed. This should take about 30 seconds; you want the butter to still be visible, in about grape-sized chunks.

In a small bowl, combine buttermilk, egg and lavender and then pour it into flour mixture and beat for 20-30 seconds more or until the dough just comes together. (Be careful not to over mix.) Gently fold in the blueberries until just incorporated.

Dump the dough onto lightly floured surface and roll it out until it is 1-inch thick. Using a ~3-inch cookie cutter cut out the scones. (I couldn't find my lone cookie cutter, so I used the top of a cocktail shaker and it worked just fine.) Reroll the dough scraps and continue to cut out your scones until you've used all the dough. (You should have about 10 circles in total.)

Place them on a cookie sheet (I slightly greased mine just to be on the safe side) and bake for about 40-50 minutes or until they are a light golden color. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

While the scones are cooling, in a small bowl whisk together confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and orange blossom water to make a smooth, thick glaze that is still pourable. When the scones have cooled, brush the tops with the lemon glaze.

Makes 10 scones

Notes:

-You'll notice these scones are not glazed. The scones taste best the day they are made, but can be brought back to life by popping them in a 300 oven for a few minutes. These scones were not intended to be eaten the day they were made, but they were still worthy of a photo: hence the picture sans glaze. Don't neglect the glaze before you eat them: it brightens them up in a way words can't really describe.

-Prior to baking the scones, you can also wrap them individually in plastic wrap and store them in an airtight container in the freezer, to be baked off at a later date. They'll go directly from the freezer to the oven and the baking time will increase a good 5-10 minutes or so.

-The glaze can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container at room temp for up to a week.

-Warning: don't forget about these scones and let them bake in your oven overnight. (Please refer to above.) Though, kudos to the scones and to the cleanliness of my oven: we did not have any kitchen fires that evening.

Full of New England's Finest Blueberry Jam

2011-08-17T20:39:00.008-04:00

Okay, I’ve been sneaking straight spoonfuls from the jam jar all week. Can’t help it really. This blueberry jam is addictively indulgent in small doses. It’s also a deep purple color that really shouldn’t exist in nature. I’m starting to think it shouldn’t exist in my fridge, either.

It’s definitely special: rich with a hint of spice and a blueberry flavor that’s deepened by balsamic vinegar. I’ve been finding excuses to have it all week. It’s pretty easy, see:

Soap scum on your shower curtain screaming, “clean the bathroom?” Have a procrastination spoonful. Lose at bingo? Have a B48 consolation spoonful. Looking for love in all the wrong places? Have a lonely hearts club spoonful. Out of whiskey? Have a drunkard’s spoonful.

I first made this jam with a friend a few weeks ago. It's now waiting, rather patiently, to be the wedding favor for her nuptials next year in Vermont. We took the recipe and times ten-ed it. (If you have 80 plus friends you plan on giving this jam to, go ahead, give yourself a spoonful.)

Did it take long to sterilize the jars and can the multiple jam batches? Yes. Was it worth it? Oh, yes.

So much so that I decided to make another batch, just for me. This time I divided the recipe in half and stuck most of it in the freezer. New England’s finest berries and a lot of love went into both batches, but—sweet heavens—it certainly helps when you can finish up and have the dishes washed in well under an hour.

While the blueberries in Massachusetts this season seem even better than usual, sadly summer is ... slowing. So it helps to know I already have a pint of jam stowed away in the freezer. Like a squirrel, I’ve started stockpiling frozen blueberries and other related goods for the colder months. I’m relying on them to get me through.

So if I say all I need to get by is this recipe, am I a little full of it? Yes. But at least some of it is blueberry jam. I guess you could say I’m full of New England’s finest.

New England Blueberry Jam

Adapted from The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook by Rachel Saunders

Ingredients

2 pints blueberries

2.25 cups sugar

2 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 oz balsamic vinegar (preferably aged)

1 cinnamon stick

pinch of kosher salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Combine all ingredients, except the vanilla extract, in a large pot; cook on medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the juice starts to run from the berries; once this happens, stop stirring and cook the mixture for 1-2 minutes more. Then increase the heat to high and continue to stir frequently until the mixture boils.

Once the mixture boils, cook it for about 10 minutes, reducing the heat if the mixture starts to stick. Begin testing the jam to see if it is done after about 10 minutes more of cooking. (See first note below.) Once the jam is ready, stir in the vanilla and place the jam in a container to store in your freezer until you are ready to use it.

Yields 1 pint (2 cups)

Notes:

-The jam will continue to firm up after it has finished cooking, so you'll want to test the jam for doneness prior to when it looks like it is at a "jam consistency" on the stovetop. To do this, place a small plate with a few metal spoons on it in the freezer a bit before you'll want to test the jam (an hour or so). When you are ready to test to see if the jam is at your desired consistency, place half a spoonful of jam on one of the freezer spoons and return it back to your plate in the freezer for a few minutes (3 minutes or so, until the bottom of the spoon feels like it is at room temperature). Tilt the spoon to see if the jam runs; if it doesn't run it is ready. If it runs, continue cooking and retesting the jam every few minutes.

-The jam should last a few months in your freezer. If you are planning to go through it rather quickly, you can just store it in your fridge. (You could certainly can the jam too.)

-The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook is a wonderful investment if you are "into jam." Worth every penny. It was also nominated for a 2011 James Beard award for photography. The photos are fantastic, but the recipes are beyond.

-Saunders notes this recipe is a spin-off of more traditional, old-timey blueberry jams, which mainly utilized balsamic vinegar instead of lemon juice. Including a little lemon adds brightness to jam.

Ricotta Gnocchi with Basil Oil to Make Your Mama Proud

2011-08-10T21:13:00.019-04:00

There comes a time in life when roles reverse and you start feeling proud of your parents. For me this happened about a month or so ago, when my mother and I took a mini retreat to New York City for her birthday. The whole trip was spot on.

We arrived for happy hour at precisely 5:29 pm at The Mermaid Inn in the East Village. (To sweeten the deal, they also serve tiny espresso cups of chocolate pudding with your check.) We ate soft shell crab sandwiches at The Dutch. We stayed at the fancy pants Mondrian hotel in Soho. And we had one of the best meals of our lives at Torrisi Italian Specialties.

Torrisi is a 20-seat restaurant that only serves a prix fix dinner with a menu that changes daily. You can choose between surf or turf for your protein. The rest is up to the kitchen.

We sat at window seats covered with lace curtains and drank red wine, while they served us a parade of little dishes, which included a warm, oozy homemade mozzarella that was better than any fresh cheese I've ever tasted. It was also at Torrisi that a sense of pride bubbled up as I sat, a bit wine-eyed, and watched my mother—notorious sushi-hater—bravely eat raw scallops. And like it.

I could have wept. Over my daughterly pride. Over the uncooked mollusks. And over the goat cheese gnocchi that appeared for the pasta course.

Lucky for me, no tears would be needed over the gnocchi. This was a course I was pretty certain could be replicated, with a few minor tweaks. For my first attempt, making goat cheese gnocchi seemed a bit ambitious without a recipe, so I opted for Barbara Lynch’s guide for homemade ricotta gnocchi.

While the recipe is fairly simple, it requires some steps, a gentle touch, and care and patience. Given the meal and service we received at Torrisi, I’m fairly certain this is how they view their food as well. This ricotta gnocchi is worth the time it takes, as Torrisi alone is worth a trip to New York.

And it was over a pastel-colored birthday cupcake from buttercream institution, Magnolia Bakery, that my mother revealed that our trip had been one of her best birthdays; noting she felt similarly on her eighth birthday, when she received a sweater dress with a dog on it (it was the first dress she owned that wasn’t homemade).

With the passing of a half-century, things have come full circle. 'Homemade' is a prized commodity these days. And I’m fairly certain my mother would be tickled to see the stacks of homemade gnocchi in my freezer. There they lay waiting for the moment to be called into duty: to be joined with a summery tomato sauce or, like today, celebrated in basil oil. They are light, wispy creatures. They also standby, ready to be cooked in minutes and are worthy of a special occasion (or of an occasion to make special).

So with a tear in my eye, I say: make the gnocchi. Or perhaps just do something to make someone you love proud. It could be eating raw shellfish for the first time. Or buying someone a sweater dress with a dog on it. Whatever the gesture—and especially if there is homemade gnocchi involved—it will likely be a special moment.

Ricotta Gnocchi with Basil Oil

RICOTTA GNOCCHI

Adapted from Barbara Lynch

Ingredients:

1 pound (2 cups) fresh ricotta, drained if wet (recipe follows)

3/4-1 cup flour, plus additional as needed

1 egg, beaten

1/3 cup grated pecorino cheese

1.5 tsp kosher salt

HOMEMADE RICOTTA

1 gallon of milk

3/4 cup white vinegar

1 tbsp kosher salt

Instructions for the ricotta:

Line a strainer with a cheesecloth and set it over a large bowl.

In a large saucepan combine all ingredients over low heat. Clip a candy thermometer to the pot and, while stirring constantly, bring the mixture to 140 degrees. (This should take about 10 minutes.) When the temperature reaches 140 degrees stop stirring and allow the mixture to come to 180 degrees. (Stay close by and do not let the mixture boil.) When the mixture hits 180 degrees, remove it from heat and ladle the white cheese curds out of the pan and into the cheesecloth-lined strainer. (You may have to drain the bowl of some of the liquid during this process.) Discard the liquid and allow curds to drain in the cheesecloth for about 1 hour, or until desired consistency is achieved.

Ricotta yield: 2 cups

Instructions for the gnocchi:

In a large bowl combine ricotta, 3/4 cup flour, egg, cheese and salt and mix ingredients together. Lightly flour your work surface, as well as a baking sheet. With floured hands, knead the dough briefly until it just comes together (it will be wet and sticky).

Dump the mixture onto your floured work surface and cut off a piece of the dough and try rolling it into a 3/4 inch-sized log. If you can't get it to roll, add a little more flour to the dough. (You want as little flour as possible to keep the gnocchi light, so only add as much as you need.) When the dough rolls fairly well, begin to cut off chunks, shaping them into 3/4 inch logs and then cut the logs into 1 inch pieces.

If you have a gnocchi board, this is when you roll the 1 inch pieces down the board to create ridges in the dough. Alternatively, you could roll the dough pieces on a fork to form the ridges.

Repeat until all the dough is rolled, cut, and marked with ridges. Place pieces on the floured baking sheet and freeze the gnocchi for at least one hour. (They are much easier to handle when slightly frozen.) After this, you can cook them in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, or until they float. You can also freeze the gnocchi in an airtight container or ziplock bag and boil them for a quick meal, as needed.

Makes about 8 servings

BASIL OIL

Ingredients:

15-20 basil leaves

About 1/4-1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and black pepper to taste

A few drops of freshly squeezed lime juice

Toasted pistachios for garnish, if desired

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients together in a food processor and blend until combined, with little bits of basil remaining. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Yield is roughly 1/4-1/2 cup, depending on the amount of oil you add (which is absolutely "to preference")

TO FINISH: toss cooked ricotta gnocchi with basil oil and garnish with pistachios, if desired.

Notes:

-The amount of basil oil will depend on how much you desire on your serving of gnocchi (and how big your serving is). Since I very rarely cook for 8 people, I didn't make enough to cover 8 servings of gnocchi. You could always make extra oil and drizzle leftover oil on top of tomatoes, grilled fish, you name it. It's super easy to make and great to have on hand for quick summer meals.

-When making ricotta, I often pull the edges of the cheesecloth up around the draining cheese and tie the tops of the cheesecloth together with a rubber band around the sink to let the liquid (whey) drain out. With this method you must remember not to use the faucet during the draining. Remembering this is always a little dicey for me.

S'more Cupcakes S'more Fun

2011-08-03T21:33:00.022-04:00

I’ve never been one for kumbaya-ing around a campfire. But if you ask me to camp out, I’ll travel far and wide bringing gifts of graham, fine chocolate, and marshmallow. Or—as it happened last weekend—I’ll come by train with dark chocolate bars shoved into my suitcase and a few pounds of finely ground graham crackers stashed in my purse.

Now, there are a lot of s’more cupcake recipes with chocolate cake bottoms, but—in my humble opinion—if you are making a s’more-styled dessert there should be a fair amount of graham action going on to be paired with good quality chocolate bars. (Hence the toting of said contents over state lines.)

And so the s’more cupcakes were born soon after my arrival home. They were for my sister’s bridal shower, which I keep telling people was “camp-chic” themed because it sounds better than “campy.” (I suppose it’s also a more accurate description if you have white linens, s’more-themed desserts piled onto cake platters, and twigs that have been spray-painted and used as table centerpieces.)

So the shower was only loosely Adirondack mountain-themed, which is where she’ll be getting married in about a month. The Adirondacks are a magical place that smells of pine once you hit the mountains; the scent wafts into your car even with the windows rolled up. The lakes are calm enough to see the reflection of forest trees on the water. And the summer nights offer up clear, constellation-lit skies.

It’s also the perfect place to park yourself in front of a campfire, in the company of at least one bag of marshmallows, a solid gang of graham crackers, and a stack of chocolate bars. Should it be unlikely that this scene will happen anytime soon—and should this depress you—I suggest making these cupcakes.

Browning the marshmallow topping is almost as entertaining as toasting marshmallows, if you have a gas stove. You simply hold the top of each frosted cupcake until it licks the flames on the range and you achieve your desired stage of browning. If you don’t have a gas stove, you could use the broiler though I caution it’s not as fun. And for the love of all things woodland, don’t hold back on the frosting: it should be piled high, it’s marshmallowy nature will hold everything in place.

Some may say the cupcake trend has run its course, but it only makes sense to have an individually portioned dessert if the s’more is your inspiration. S’mores ain't for sharing. Neither are cupcakes. And they both tend to follow where the fun is.

So if you’ve ever longed to sit at a campfire holding a long twig with a marshmallow stuck to the end of it, you’ll likely enjoy this little dessert number. They are guaranteed to bring you back to your childhood or at least off up some youthful fun. And—kumbaya or not—it’s okay to laugh when you get a little marshmallow frosting on your nose.

S'more Cupcakes with Marshmallow Meringue

Adapted from Bon Appétit

Ingredients:

FOR THE CUPCAKES

1.5 cups finely ground graham crackers

1/2 cup flour

2.5 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp allspice

1/8 tsp ground mace (or nutmeg)

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup half and half

6 oz of a good quality dark chocolate bar (such as Scharffen Berger)

FOR THE MERINGUE FROSTING

1.5 cups sugar

6 egg whites

Pinch of kosher salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Dash of coffee-flavored liqueur, such as Kahlua

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Sift the ground graham crackers, flour, baking powder and spices into a medium bowl. In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add salt and then add eggs, one at a time, while continuing to beat the mixture; add vanilla. Add graham cracker mixture in 3 additions, alternating with half and half and ending with the graham cracker mixture.

Spoon mixture into lined muffin cups and fill until the muffin cups are only half full. Break up your chocolate bar(s) into large pieces and divide between the half full batter cups. Top with remaining batter so that no chocolate is showing. Bake for about 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. (Try to stick it in a spot that isn't filled with chocolate)

While cupcakes are cooling, make the meringue by whisking sugar, egg whites, and a pinch of salt together in a small heat-proof bowl. Place a small amount of water in a saucepan big enough to allow your bowl to fit in it. When the water is simmering, place the bowl with the sugar and egg whites over the water; ideally, the bowl should not be touching the simmering water. Whisk the mixture for 6-8 minutes or until the mixture reads higher than 140 degrees on a thermometer.

Pour egg white mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer and whip on medium-high speed for 6-8 minutes, until it becomes a stiff, white meringue; whip in vanilla and coffee liqueur. Pipe meringue frosting onto cupcakes or just frost them with a knife, making wispy, cloud-like patterns.

Hold cupcake over the flame of a gas burner on a stovetop for about 15-20 seconds or until desired toasted marshmallow doneness. Alternatively, place a few cupcakes at a time under a broiler, checking every so often to prevent scorching.

Makes about 12 cupcakes

Notes:

-It takes about 15 crackers to make the ground graham and a food processor makes fast work of it.

-You could flavor the marshmallow with whatever you like. The coffee liqueur added a nice depth of flavor. I have also tried Cointreau.

-Sadly, these cupcakes don't fair too fabulously in the fridge. Best to frost and eat, though they are certainly still edible the day after.

-Check out my interview on The Mighty Rib, done by fellow foodie and blogger, Kevin Shalin; he's newly transplanted to Boston and serves up a new food feature on his blog daily.

There's Always Room for P-I-M-M-S

2011-07-26T19:43:00.009-04:00

Brace yourself. Things are about to get real. And by real, I mean real weird. And by weird, I mean gelatin. But I can't help it, I love it during the summer. Having access to backyard mint and a steady supply of cool, crunchy cucumbers doesn’t hurt during the warmer months, either.

Nor does knowing how to make a Pimm's Cup cocktail. (Do you see where I'm going with this?) So what better way to combine these summertime items than by suspending them in gelatin.

But first: the Pimm's cup. I could talk rather poetically about how I first came to love the cocktail. I was with one of my oldest friends. You know the kind. The kind whose signature is in the majority of your yearbooks. And could probably blackmail you if she wanted.

We were in one of the oldest bars in Boston. In the company of tiny black and white tiles; antique-stained mirrors; and an attentive bartender, sipping a bright iced tea-looking liquid from Collins glasses. This makes us sound quite ladylike. I assure you, we were not. In fact, we probably—more accurately—were gulping instead of sipping, sucking them down until our glasses were dry, our slurping straws screeching for another round.

At the time we were at the Marliave, which originally opened in the 19th century and is tragically underrated in Boston. They have a great croque madame, very politely named the Mrs. Marliave. Don’t let her fool you. She is not a dainty sandwich and I’m pretty sure she caused some hushed cursing—and perhaps pants unbuttoning—that night. Yes, the Marliave makes a great ham and cheese sandwich. And an even better Pimm's Cup.

I won’t go into the details of making a Pimm's cup. Suffice to say that it’s often made with ginger beer. Or lemonade and club soda. Or some combination thereof. It’s frequently finished with cucumber slices and a sprig of mint. Molly from Orangette has a great take on the cocktail. Regardless of your version, it’s light and refreshing and takes very kindly to ham and cheese topped off with an over easy egg. It also works quite well when gelled and cut into cubes.

So, for the second year in a row, I make a boozy nod to Bill Cosby and the nostalgia of Jell-O jigglers. As refreshing as cold gelatin is in the summer, it’s heightened by the light, refreshing quality of a Pimm's cup cocktail. It also gets added crunch from the mint and the cucumber, which I assure you won’t disappoint: especially this time of year, when petite pickling cucumbers are abundant in farmers’ markets. It may not be refined, but it won’t necessitate any unbuttoning of pants. And it's a breeze to make.

Most importantly, it’s fun. Which often flies directly in the face of refinement. And that’s fine by me. Because today we are here to celebrate a different way to down a Pimm's cup: with our bare hands. Yes, Bill, they are a handful of fun.

Pimm's Cup Cocktail Cubes

Ingredients:

24 oz ginger brew or ginger ale, divided (for a total of 2 cans or bottles)

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar

Pinch of salt

4 packages of gelatin (I used Knox)

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup Pimm's No.1

Pinch of cumin

1 small pickling cucumber, cut into thin slices

Few sprigs of mint

Instructions:

Heat 12 oz (1 can or bottle) of ginger soda with the sugar and salt in a saucepan until just boiling. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine gelatin with the remaining 12 oz (or remaining can or bottle) to soften for a few minutes (about 3-5 minutes or so). Stir the lemon juice and Pimm's into the gelatin and then add in the boiling ginger mixture. Add a pinch of cumin and stir until gelatin is dissolved. At this point, you could taste the mixture and adjust the flavor as needed. (The sweetness may vary slightly depending on the ginger soda you use and your preference.)

Add in the cucumber slices and a few mint leaves off the sprigs. Pour into a rectangular baking dish (mine is 11 x 7). Refrigerate until firm, ideally overnight.

Makes about 15 cubes

Notes:

-I am loving Maine Root's ginger brew this summer. I used one bottle of that plus one of GuS extra dry ginger ale, which is also some kind of wonderful.

-The pinch of cumin is there to compliment the spicy undertones of Pimm's No.1, which has always reminded me slightly of curry.

-While we are on the topic of busting buttons on pants, I should let you know Nick and Theo will be hosting The Boston Pie Experiment at the Middle East in Cambridge on Sunday, July 31st. Anyone can compete. Anyone can attend. Everyone should wear elastic-waisted pants.

Yogurt-Marinated Grilled Chicken for Your Inner Manly Man

2011-07-20T19:40:00.005-04:00

I think I have a problem. I may be morphing into some weird version of a stereotypical manly man. I’ve always had tendencies, but this is getting ridiculous. Stay with me.

I hate doing my nails. I’ve perfected the art of tuning people out, as necessary. If you offer me a beer, I’ll take Guinness over Mich Ultra any day. And if you don’t have Guinness, a little bourbon or some brandy neat will do just fine.

I don’t own a hairdryer. I don’t really like Madonna. And given the choice, I’d pick Shark Week over a What Not to Wear marathon. Every time. (Though I realize this comparison is a bit of a stretch: both species can be pretty ruthless.)

So the aforementioned evidence, plus my burgeoning—borderline unhealthy—relationship with my grill has elicited slight concern. (Take away my tongs and I may throw you into a headlock.) I figure while I deal with these Y chromosome traits, I might as well enjoy some grilled chicken. And as part of my new Sunday summer night grilling series, the chicken this week did not disappoint. It was extraordinary.

I should also mention that I spent some time on Saturday with said chicken, breaking it down into legs, thighs, wings and breasts. After letting it hang out in a spiced yogurt marinade overnight, it charred to juicy perfection on the grill. While you could certainly buy the bone-in pieces, the inner guy in me was looking for a task to conquer.

It was worth it. This chicken was like nothing I’ve tasted in a very, very long time. Said in a bad Barry White impersonation: baby, you’ll love this chicken. So go ahead, make the chicken. And maybe smash a beer can over your head. No, you are probably too smart for a cheap party trick like that. But on the off chance that you aren’t, come over: we can bond over beer and flame-grilled chicken.

Yogurt Marinated Spiced Grilled Chicken

Adapted from David Lebovitz

1 cup low fat Greek yogurt

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp red chili flakes

1/4-1/2 tsp ground ginger (depends on your preference)

5 cardamom pods, seeds ground and pod shells discarded

Ground pepper (about 10 turns with the peppermill)

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

Juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp saffron threads

1 whole chicken*, cut into 8 pieces (2 thigh, 2 wings, 2 legs and 2 breasts)

Combine the first 14 ingredients (all ingredients up to the saffron threads) in a large bowl. Heat 1 tbsp of water in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds and add saffron to water; let saffron sit for a few minutes and then add to yogurt spice mixture.

Meanwhile, break down a whole chicken into 8 pieces, discarding the backbone (or saving it for chicken stock). (Alternatively you could just buy a total of 8 chicken pieces, e.g. breasts, thighs, etc. Cook's choice: see note below.) Add chicken to yogurt marinade and chill in the fridge overnight.

Cook chicken on a medium-hot grill until done. (Internal temp should be 165 degrees.)

Yields 2 each of thighs, breasts, legs and wings

Notes:

-* You could easily buy already cut up chicken pieces; Lebovitz used 4 thighs and 4 legs. Regardless, buy skin-on chicken if you can. It keeps the chicken unbelievably moist on the grill: even the breast pieces.

-The leftovers of this have been insane: I've been feeding myself spiced chicken all week. Sometimes, multiple times per day.

-I'm thinking this would be perfect with a deep Lagrein rosé or the Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon rosé from South Africa that's chilling in my fridge. (This may be the only redeeming feminine note of my post.)

You Don’t Mess Around with Stacked Portobellos and Sundays

2011-07-12T20:52:00.014-04:00

Picture it’s Sunday night. 85 degrees. Too steamy to cook indoors. Too perfect a summer evening not to eat well.

An opportunity to work on this year’s summer resolution emerges: master the grill. Note: I have not fared so well with this in the past, though it did inspire a good life lesson: keep calm and carry rum.

Sunday it was me alone. With charcoal. A chimney starter. A few newspaper sheets. Fresh peaches. Rosemary-marinated portobellos. Some leftover garlic scapes. Poblanos. A flame-resistant oven mitt. And the Cat Stevens Pandora radio station, rooting me along.

I used to despise Sunday, its presence signaling the workweek ahead. But Sunday has become a favorite of mine. A day of no obligations. A day for sitting poolside and visiting antique shops. Or for an evening of cocktails on the patio, paired with slightly charred edibles. This is a day, my friends, not to be messed with.

So there I was, dark and stormy cocktail in one hand, tongs in the other: standing over a flaming grill. Cat Stevens had just finished singing about the very young. “You’re only dancing on this earth for a short while” he noted. Up next: Jim Croce, warning “You don’t mess around with Jim.” Life doesn’t get much better.

Taking heed from Cat and Jim, I've decided this summer the grill is mine. And getting a good handle on it is pretty satisfying, especially when it produces one of the best burgers I have ever had. Let me repeat, have ever had.

Now, I’m not a vegetarian. When the mood strikes, I love a good burger, but I'm going to be hard pressed to find a better summer sandwich. This little portobello number, with all its smoky fixings, is where it’s at. It was inspired by a fantastic blog filled with vegetarian recipes: Green Kitchen Stories. Vegetarians and meat eaters unite: this is the perfect burger for a balmy Sunday.

And Sundays are most definitely not to be messed. (Nor is an evening topped off with oldies music and washed down with Gosling’s Black Seal rum, for that matter.) As for the grill? If I could borrow from our pal, Jim:

You don’t tug on Superman’s cape. You don’t spit into the wind. You don’t pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger.

And you don’t mess around with the grill.

Stacked Portbello, Peach and Avocado Burgers

Adapted from Green Kitchen Stories

6-8 portobello mushrooms, dirt brushed off with a paper towel and stems removed

~1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

~5 tbsp olive oil, divided

4-5 rosemary sprigs

2 sweet onions, peel removed and sliced in half (so that rings remain intact)

2 poblano peppers, halved, stem and seeds removed

A few garlic scapes

~1 tsp sweet smoked paprika

1 lemon, halved

2-3 peaches, cut in half with pit removed

Salt and pepper

1 avocado

Pinch of red pepper flakes

~2-3 ounces blue cheese

A few basil leaves

4 hamburger buns

Makes about 4 burgers

In a large bowl, place mushrooms, balsamic vinegar and ~2 tbsp of olive oil. (Add more olive oil and balsamic as needed.) Remove rosemary leaves and add to mushrooms; season generously with salt and pepper. Toss gently with hands and set aside.

In another large bowl, place peppers, onions, paprika, juice of 1/2 a lemon and ~2 tbsp olive oil; season generously with salt and pepper. Toss gently and set aside.

In a smaller bowl, season peaches with salt and pepper; add remaining olive oil and a little squeeze lemon juice (leaving the remaining juice for the avocado). Toss and set aside.

In another small bowl, scoop out the flesh of the avocado and mash it. Season with salt, pepper and red chili flakes.

Prepare a charcoal grill to medium-high heat (at this temperature you can hold your hand about 5 inches above the grill for 3-5 seconds. (This should take about 15-20 minutes with a chimney starter.) Grill mushrooms, onions, peppers, scapes, and peaches for 15-20 minutes, or until slightly charred, turning once. Towards the end of the cooking, place about 1 tbsp blue cheese on each mushroom to melt.

Spread about 1 tbsp of the mashed avocado on the bottom of the bun and then assemble the grilled vegetables, peaches and basil leaves on top, as you see fit. (You may want to leave the mushroom with the blue cheese for the very top to help adhere to the top bun.)

Notes:

-I made sesame buns for the 4th of July and had some leftover. While they were tasty, they were harder rolls and would have been better for a studier sandwich. (Which just made things a bit messy.) Brioche would probably be perfect to smoosh and squeeze the burger and its stacked contents.

-Make extras. If you're going to spark up the grill you might as well make your efforts last during the week. (Did somebody say "grilled peach Tuesdays?!")