Looking Back on the Mayhem of May-5/19/09

The last two months of my Gourmet project have been pretty crazy. First, I thought we would leave in mid-April for a business trip so I rushed to finish April's recipes. Then, I found out the trip was postponed until May 10th, giving me those last few days of April and the beginning of May to finish the recipes of May's Gourmet. It was a lot of work and at times, Richard thought I was obsessed but I finished all the recipes of April and May.

May's recipes taught me some new and valuable lessons. The first and most obvious lesson was that I need to become familiar with ingredients before using them in dishes. My experience with the Peruvian pepper sauce, aji amarillo, reiterated the fact that a good cook knows what they are using in a dish and uses that ingredient appropriately.

I also learned that I am a very determined person. I've mentioned that I do not get paid a cent to write this blog and truth be told, very few people even read it. I am writing this blog primarily for me, to document my experiences and ensure that I learn from what I'm doing by taking the time to reflect on it. There really is no external reason to make every recipe in Gourmet magazine each month but yet, I keep doing it. Why? I am enjoying the experience, it gives me purpose, keeps me focused, allows me to use my creativity and eduction. I don't want to stop and even though some nights, it would be much easier to go out, order in, or make a sandwich, I have committed myself to this project. I can't bear the thought of failing to accomplish what I've set out to do. That all being said, I have begun to think about when to change or adjust my goal. The blog "Cooking Mag Mommy" doesn't inherently imply that I must make every recipe from each month's Gourmet for the blog to continue. There will have to be a point where I no longer make every recipe from every month and that point may be sooner rather than later. I will be home 6 days in the month of June. I will spend the rest of the month either in Maryland or New Jersey while Richard continues to work at the other offices of his company or I will be up in New Hampshire with my parents. I'm sure I'll get to do some cooking in the corporate apartment or at my folks but I don't know about 50+ recipes from the June issue of Gourmet.

That also leads into the next question I've been grappling with while writing this blog this month. How important is it to me that other people read this blog? This blog is very specific and appeals only to a very certain group of people, namely those people who get Gourmet magazine and like to cook from it. Should I be making an effort to "publicize" my blog? Do I want to do that, fearing that some may find this blog boring and repetitive? I've never been a "PR" person, I don't like selling things, and though I wouldn't say I'm an insecure person, I do get sensitive at times about the opinions of others.

Wow, that was a hefty bit of self analysis for a cooking blog! Now for my favorites and least favorites. I had trouble choosing a clear cut favorite for this month and my top three were all simple but flavorful. I suppose it's cheating to have 3 favorites but I've written quite a bit about other things and the pictures will liven up the text so here they are. The first recipe I did of the month, the Penne with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Arugula, combined health and flavor in a way that is rare, even in Gourmet. So often, really healthy dishes lack a richness that comes from fat based meats or garnishes. This almost meat free dish (ok, 1/4 lb of pancetta) was an excellent example of a flavorful way to reduce meat in the American diet. The heavy cream added some fat and richness but still did not take this pasta over the top in the calorie count.

The Shrimp and Scallion Dumplings were a revelation to me. I always assume that something made in a restaurant takes some special skill that I don't have. The flavor of these dumplings combined with a simple soy sauce dip was identical to any I have had in an Asian restaurant. I don't need to go out to eat any more. Ok, I will but it is nice to know I can make a dish that tastes just as good at home.

The Grilled Beef Brochettes stood out to me again for their simplicity and flavor. A simple marinade and the grill made these Peruvian appetizers absolutely delicious. I hope to make these again soon now that grill season is upon us.

As for my least favorite, this month was a gimme. I really disliked the Florentine Stewed Calamari with Swiss Chard. There was just no saving grace to this dish. The calamari was chewy and flavorless, the chard was bitter and soggy, and the only recognizable flavor was crushed red pepper. This dish was one of the all time worst because there just wasn't any way I could have seen it being any better. It was not a dish for spring, or for any time of year, for that matter.

Road Food... In Honor of Jane and Michael-5/18/09

Everybody has heroes. For some, it's athletes like LeBron James or Payton Manning. For others, it's those who combine talent and fame like Bono of U2 or actress Angelina Jolie. Me, my heroes like food and follow their own path like Jane and Michael Stern. Jane and Michael Stern are the authors of the Roadfood books and travel the country reviewing local restaurants that cater to the "everyman". For years, I've used their book and companion website to find great eats across the country. I don't know if I've mentioned that Richard and I are highpointers, members of a club that encourages and commends people who travel to the highest points in the United States. Together, we've been to 40 of the the U.S. highpoints and some more than once. As you can imagine, this hobby takes you to out of the way parts of our country and nothing is better than a great local restaurant.

We began Richard's business trip in San Diego, California, and nothing says "San Diego" quite like fish tacos. A little touristy, perhaps, but it had been a long time since I'd had a good fish taco and I was excited to try El Indio's take on this SoCal classic. Soon after landing at San Diego's airport, we headed to Old Town San Diego for lunch. El Indio is not out to impress with ambiance. The tables were Formica cast offs and aside from a few local photos and a large picture of Food Network star Guy Fieri who had visited the restaurant recently, there wasn't much else to decorate the place. (As an aside, I had to look up Mr. Fieri as the blonde tv chef on google.com. I'm not a food tv person and honestly had no idea what his name was, just what he looked like and that he did TGI Friday's commercials.) The place was efficient though and despite a pretty good crowd on a Sunday afternoon, our food was ready fast. I ordered the fish tacos and thought they were good, though not the best I've ever had. (Hopefully, I'll return to Chandler, Arizona soon to find Guido's just as I remember it!) Richard ordered the fish burrito and we both agreed mine was better. The fish was tender, flaky, and lightly battered. The taco was flavored with that wonderful lime juice tang and crunchy slaw filling. I liked the rice and beans too. The rice was spicy Spanish style rice and the beans had a nice gooey cheese topping. Eyrleigh liked the sides more than the taco but that's to be expected from the carb kid. Our only real complaint was the very hard tortilla chips that accompanied the meal. They were lightly spiced with chile powder but so crunchy that you couldn't really enjoy the flavor. I'm sure they are simply cut and fried corn tortillas but much too thick and hard for me and especially for Eyrleigh, who doesn't have the chew power yet to take down one of these chips. If you are in San Diego, this place is worth a trip but I bet there are some other good fish taco places around too.

A Week Late But Not a Drink Short-5/18/09

When posting my reviews of each month's Gourmet recipes on this blog, I've tried very hard to be timely about writing my reflections so I don't forget how a dish really tasted or what my initial impressions were. However, I made the final recipes of May's Gourmet over a week ago and I am just now writing my review. There is a reason though, besides just general laziness. I made the last three recipes on Saturday, May 9th and flew out for a 3 1/2 week business trip with Richard at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 10th. Basically, as soon as I finished cooking that night, I started cleaning and packing and never had time to sit down and write about the recipes I had just made. Today, I am sitting in a hotel in Las Vegas after an action packed week where we have stayed in 5 different hotels, visited a large portion of California and several National Parks, and gone to 2 different Major League Baseball stadiums. Today is the first rest day of the trip and other than some quality time at the pool, Eyrleigh and I have nothing planned. But about a week ago...

I saved 3 quick recipes for last so I'd be sure to have time to finish them before we left on our trip. The Flank Steak with Bitter Greens and Charred Red Onion was indeed quick and easy and very good. The dressing that went on both the steak and the greens was excellent and very flavorful. Unlike the porcini mushroom mustard that went with the lamb of the "Cucina Paradiso" menu, this tangy mustard based dressing paired well with the shallots and onion and brought out the sweetness of the flank steak. The steak was quite rare after the recommended cook time but either because of the short cook time or just the better quality of the flank steak, it was very tender.

The Pea and Parmesan Wonton Ravioli used the same wrappers as the 4 dumpling recipes at the back of the magazine and was also very simple. I mentioned in my review of the Fresh Semolina Pasta in the "Cucina Paradiso" menu that I find homemade pasta incredibly sticky and the same thing happened with this ravioli. The pea and Parmesan filling was excellent however so even stuck together, we all enjoyed this pasta very much. You will notice I added cut tomatoes in the pictures. There were two reasons for this. One, we were leaving for over 3 weeks and I wanted to use up the tomatoes and two, the tomatoes hide the fact that the ravioli was so stuck together that a number of them broke apart when I was removing them from the colander.

I had one final drink, the Whisky Sour, that I was going to make at home. I found the drink a bit heavy on the alcohol and added more of the bar syrup to cut the whisky bite. I'm not a huge fan of bourbon whisky. I find the aftertaste a bit plastic, if that makes sense. Maybe it would be better to say artificial, though it may just be the woodsy taste of the barrel. I don't find this taste as prominent with Irish or Scotch whiskey.
There was one more recipe from the May issue of Gourmet that I did not make at home and that was the last of the cocktail recipes. Since I knew I'd be spending lots of time in hotels, I knew I could find a friendly bartender to mix up the final drink, the Alexander II. The reason I had not made this one at home was that I didn't have any creme de cacao and didn't want to spend the money right before leaving to get 3/4 of an ounce of the stuff. The local bar could do just as well for a lot less money. Here in Las Vegas, I ventured down to the rather empty hotel bar and ordered this drink. Sure enough, the bartender knew the drink and mixed it up just like the directions in Gourmet (Ok, he didn't appear to measure anything but he's a bartender, I'm sure he pours these measurements in his sleep.) The drink tasted much like other cream based drinks. I prefer an Irish coffee myself but it was a good nightcap for a fun day in Sin City. We went to the Children's Museum!!!

Flank Steak with Bitter Greens and Charred Red Onions-B+

Pea and Parmesan Wonton Ravioli-B

Whisky Sour-C

Alexander II-B

The Fine Line Between Dedicated and Crazy-5/8/09

Today was the first day while doing the “Gourmet” project that I’ve seriously worried that I might be tipping over the edge into obsessive. The day after tomorrow we leave for San Diego (finally!) and I have only 8 recipes left to make from May’s Gourmet. Two of those recipes are great for lunch but tomorrow we are meeting friends to take the kids to McDaniel Farm Day so lunch tomorrow is out. So I made two lunch dishes today for Eyrleigh and me. I know she’s not a fan of fish and sardines seems a real stretch so I made the Spaghetti with Sardines and Dill on page 80 for me and made the Egg and Tomato Stir-fry on page 107 for her. I think I made a good decision. Eyrleigh ate the Tomato and Egg Stir-fry with enthusiasm. I was a bit disappointed at first that an article about the best Chinese restaurants in L.A. would be accompanied by such a simple recipe. Was this really the best L.A. had to offer? But in its defense, this recipe, though not fancy, could be a real mainstay for anyone novice to homemade Chinese food but looking for real flavor with simple ingredients. I was pleasantly surprised by the simple elegance of this dish… and again, Eyrleigh was in heaven.
The Spaghetti with Sardines and Dill was not quite the revelation. I’m not a huge sardines fan, though my mom swears by them and gave them to us often as kids. I actually didn’t mind the sardines but I found the dish as a whole a bit dry and I didn’t even use all the breadcrumbs. The amount of spaghetti and bread crumbs seemed to smother the other ingredients.
Remember I mentioned I am concerned about being obsessive. Tonight’s dinner dish also proved how dedicated I am to finishing each recipe in the month’s Gourmet to the best of my ability. The article “Turkish Peppers” on page 62 was about the author’s dedication, dare we say, obsession, to the flavors of two peppers native to Turkey. He traveled to the very valley that these peppers are grown to absorb the environment and culture that the Urfa and Maras peppers grow in. It would have been unfair to both the author of this article and the subsequent recipe he supplied to not use the very peppers he spoke of. So last week, I hopped on the internet and ordered these peppers from Formaggio Kitchen as Gourmet recommended. Using my new cooking rule, always taste a new ingredient before liberally putting it in a dish, I tried a few of the pepper flakes before putting them in the Turkish Lamb Stew on page 64. They had some kick and I worried that Eyrleigh might have to have an alternative dinner option. Once cooked in the stew, though, the peppers lost some heat but still held their very distinct flavor. I used both peppers as called for in the dish but I had trouble distinguishing between the two flavors. The heat of the red Maras pepper seemed to come on slower but was more intense while the darker Urfa pepper had heat up front but was smokier in flavor. These peppers will be fun to put in other dishes to see how it changes the flavor over a dash of grocery store red pepper flakes.
I usually try to keep my dishes at meals from the same region of the world or at least the same continent but again, in an effort to complete the recipes of May by tomorrow, I jumped hemispheres for my accompanying dish for dinner. I made the Jamaican Beef Dumplings on page 134. I used mild curry spice, again for Eyrleigh, but these were still good little beef dumplings. My only frustration is that none of these dumpling recipes made very good leftovers as they got incredibly chewy when left out for long.
I also made another drink recipe to go along with dinner. I raided the wedding champagne to make the Aristocrat Punch. (We got married in 01 so that tells you how much champagne I drink.) This punch tasted much like sangria, probably due to the addition of red wine. I liked it but it reminded me how quickly punch goes flat. But hey, I've done a lot more for this project than drink flat punch.

Spaghetti with Sardines, Dill, and Fried Capers-C


Stir-fried Egg and Tomato-B


Lamb Stew with Turkish Flavors-A-


Jamaican Beef Dumplings-B

Aristocrat Sparkling Punch-B

Shh... I Cheated, But Don't Tell- 5/7/09

On Monday, when I made the Peruvian menu from this month's Gourmet, Richard looked at the amount of food and asked how many people I had asked for dinner. I had reduced the size of the recipes when possible but there was still way too much food for only 2 and a half people. So I decided to split the other large menu, from the article "Cucina Paradiso" over several days to allow us to enjoy the flavors without having an unbelievable amount of food in one night. With thirteen recipes in this Tuscan-inspired meal, we couldn't possibly really enjoy eating anything if we had to save room for another twelve food items. After giving this tactic a try, I found I was able to taste every component of this large menu and really enjoy each part. I split the menu up into three days. For the last two days, I've made a tasting menu to go before our regular meal, using 3 appetizers from the Cucina Paradiso menu each night. Tonight, I completed the menu by making the final 7 recipes as our main meal.

The beverage that went along with this menu was a Vodka Rosemary Lemonade Fizz. The base of this drink was a syrup of sugar, lemon juice, and rosemary sprigs. I thought this drink was very well made. It had the right amount of sweet, went light on the alcohol to allow the other flavors to shine, and had just a hint of rosemary for interest.

There were six appetizer or first course recipes in this menu with four of those showcasing vegetables and the other two using meat or seafood. The Arugula and Fava-Bean Crostini was a simple dish of fava beans, arugula, parmigiano, and oil spread on baguette toasts. I tried a spoonful straight from the food processor and thought the spread was pretty bitter. Once on toast though, this spread seemed to mellow and was very good. Eyrleigh loved it, toasts or no toasts. I gave her a bowlful before dinner and she devoured it!
The Balsamic-Marinated Radicchio with Fresh Ricotta was a dish of real promise but did not deliver. I love balsamic vinegar but this dish was extreme. The amount of vinegar made my eyes water. The ricotta helped temper some of that but it was still a very strong flavored dish. I could only eat a small portion but thankfully, that's all I'd made. The radicchio lost some of its bitterness in the broiler but because of the large amount of vinegar, it was hard to really taste the subtle lettuce.

The Mushroom Carpacchio with Pecorino Toscano must have been very good in the test kitchen but I found it a bit simple. Mushrooms, shaved thin and drizzled with lemon, oil, and Parmesan shavings, isn't really a dish I would bring to a party like the description suggested. It's certainly pretty but probably wouldn't impress the host since it took me 3 minutes to make and won't fill anyone up. By the way, I have no idea why this picture keeps loading sideways. It looks fine saved on the computer but it will not save into Blogger correctly. Richard looked at it and he's equally baffled. (He's an IT manager so he is more qualified to try to fix this than me.) I'm going to go ahead and leave it in so you can see my attempt at thinly slicing mushrooms without an adjustable blade slicer. That's next on my must-have kitchen tools list.

The last vegetable appetizer from this menu was the Italian Vegetable Salad with Creamy Garlic Dressing. This was my favorite of the first course recipes. The dressing was very good and I loved the addition of anchovies. All the vegetables in this salad were raw and crispy. The contrast of flavors of fennel, cauliflower, and asparagus contrasted well and the dressing was light enough to let those flavors shine.

The final two appetizers used grilled meat or seafood. The Grilled Sausage-Stuffed Calamari was pretty entertaining to make. I used ground pork sausage instead of raw ground pork. This made me feel more comfortable about using it in the squid since I didn't have to worry about it being undercooked. It was pretty tricky trying to get the small spoonfuls of sausage into the very small pocket of the squid body. As you can tell from the picture, getting the picks to look good and keep the meat in was equally tricky. The flavor was good. The contrast of the salty pork with the smoother squid was well done.

The second meat appetizer was Chicken Liver Skewers. Liver is not my favorite food. Like most people, I find the favor of liver strong and the texture gritty. Soaking the livers in milk really helped cut that really strong tang that can be so off putting. There isn't much I can do about the texture but without the strong liver taste, it was more like a pate. I have a rosemary plant that has taken over the little back garden I have and it is wonderful to be able to go back and pick rosemary sprigs for this menu and not pay a penny. I wish all the herbs I planted two years ago were as hardy as that rosemary plant.

The next dish, the pasta, actually took two recipes to make. First, I made the Fresh Semolina Pasta from the recipe and then I used the pasta in the Fresh Pasta with Crabmeat, Peas and Chile. Richard gave me the pasta making attachment for my stand mixer last year for my birthday and it is a blast to play around with. The pasta recipe was quite easy and held together well in the pasta maker. The only problem I find with homemade pasta is it is incredibly sticky. I don't know if there is a trick to keeping the strands of pasta from adhering to each other like glue in the colander. The crabmeat, peas, and chile made a great addition to the pasta. Eyrleigh liked this dish the best of the entire menu and even with the really sticky noodles, it made great leftovers.
The Grilled Lamb Chops with Porcini Mustard was also excellent. In fact, Richard thought the meat was steak, which means he really liked it. Lamb chops are also very inexpensive, I was surprised. The mushroom mustard was nothing to get very excited about, however. I found the flavor a bit indecisive. The earthy mushrooms didn't work well with the bite of the mustard.

The Tuscan Beans in Summery Tomato Ragu were a good side dish for this meal. This vegetable dish was hearty and filling, in contrast to the lighter first course recipes. The tomato flavor was strong and complimented the mild white beans. I halved the recipe but still had enough to pulse the leftovers in the food processor and make a yummy bean spread.

This menu came with two dessert recipes, Melon with Basil-Lime Granita and Cornmeal Cookies.
The Cornmeal Cookies were easy and very good. They were surprisingly moist for a cornmeal based recipe. Eyrleigh loved these cookies and ate all the leftover cookies within just a few days. The melon was simply sliced and was fresh and versatile. The basil-lime granita was a very unique flavor. Personally, I found the basil too strong, almost overwhelming. I enjoyed the recipes in this menu and felt good about the decision to split up the recipes so we could enjoy each component.

Vodka Rosemary Lemonade Fizz-A

Arugula and Fava Bean Crostini-B

Balsamic-Marinated Radiccio with Fresh Ricotta-D

Mushroom Carpaccio with Pecorino Toscano-C

Italian Vegetable Salad with Creamy Garlic Dressing-B

Grilled Sausage Stuffed Calamari-C

Chicken Liver Skewers-D

Fresh Pasta with Crabmeat, Peas, and Chile-B+

Grilled Lamb Chops with Porcini Mustard-B

Tuscan Beans in Summery Tomato Ragu-B

Melon with Basil-Lime Granita-D

Cornmeal Cookies-A

The Great Grocery Store Hunt-5/6/09

The most challenging thing about the project of making every recipe in each month's issue of Gourmet is not making the recipes at all. It's finding all the ingredients required to make those recipes. I primarily shop at 3 different grocery stores each week to find the items I need. Let me give you some reasons of why this is necessary. I've mentioned that Super H Mart is my local Asian grocery that also has an extensive Hispanic foods section. This store is great for produce and hard to find ethnic ingredients. It is not good for cheese or other dairy products and has a limited pasta, cereals, and breads. My closest grocery store is Kroger and is good for cheeses and other dairy products and has pretty good produce section for commonly used vegetables and fruits. Publix is another local grocery store that has lamb, something rarely carried at Kroger, and a much better bakery. Sometimes I've just got to search at all three. For example, for last month's Rhubarb Orange Tart, Publix was the only grocery store of the three that carried rhubarb.

Thankfully, tonight's ingredients were pretty easy to find, although I did have to make a little change that I'll explain later. Tonight's dinner recipes were both from the Gourmet section titled "You Asked For It" where readers request recipes from favorite restaurants. The Panfried Cod Sandwich was from Mary's Fish Camp in Greenwich Village and it was a luxe fish sandwich. The fish was good, though I only found cod loins, not fillets. ( How do fish have loins if they don't have legs? Never mind....) The only noticeable difference was that the loins were thicker than traditional fillets. The best part of the sandwich in my opinion was the homemade tartar sauce. The crunchy red onions, salty capers, and tart sweet pickles gave this tartar sauce more substance than the store-bought kind.

The French Fries were flash fried, then fried again to cook. I wish I'd thought to set a batch aside and see if with a direct comparison, I noticed a difference. These fries were very good but I've made fries before with my fryer and they are always good. Richard asked me to warn him next time I make fries so he can save room.

For dessert, I made the Strawberry-Vanilla Swirled Frozen Pops on page 75. To be honest, there are some really great strawberry Popsicles out there. I thought this recipe was overkill. I only softened one pint of ice cream but what a mess! It was fun to lick the spoon but washing out the baking dish and all the drips on the counter when I spooned the ice cream into the molds was a pain. The pops were fine but not any more spectacular than most store bought brands.

The final recipe of the night was one of the drink recipes from the article "Going Stir Crazy, Forties Style". I count cocktail recipes as required recipes for the month but I draw the line on paying too much for one ounce of alcohol, like I did in April with The Waldorf cocktail. Tonight I made The Baker "Improved" Libre on page 12. It was a rum and Coke with lime. I won't pretend to be a drink connoisseur.

Panfried Cod Sandwich-A-

French Fries-A

Strawberry-Vanilla Swirled Frozen Pops-B

The Baker "Improved" Libre-B

Verde De Mayo-5/5/09

Today is the 5th of May but since there were no Mexican recipes left to make in May's Gourmet, I celebrated the color green. I actually didn't realize the predominance of green in tonight's menu until I began to plate dinner for the pictures but it sure did make dinner pretty. I made 2 recipes from this month's Gourmet, the Pesto Pea Soup on page 73 and the Mussels in Watercress Cream on page 79.

The Pea Soup was simple and quick. It also did not have the heavy wintry taste of traditional split pea soup but instead, tasted bright and fresh. I think the pesto was the key ingredient to this flavor and was a wonderful addition.

I love mussels but I don't think I've ever made them at home. What was most surprising was how cheap they were, only $3.99 at Super H Mart. I tend to assume things I eat rarely are more expensive and this project has gone a long way toward debunking that thought. Watercress is a very mild flavor. I thought the cream was pretty but so lightly flavored that it didn't stand out. It was nice though not to have the overwhelming amount of butter that often smothers restaurant servings of mussels. I will definitely make mussels again, though I may not go to the trouble to make the watercress cream. Unless, of course, I'm celebrating the color green.

Pesto Pea Soup-A

Mussels in Watercress Cream- B+

Teaching Moments... For Us All-5/4/09

I have decided on a new rule of cooking. If working with ingredients I am unfamiliar with, I need to taste test them before liberally putting them in a number of dishes. Here's why. Tonight I made the dishes in May Gourmet's article "Hot and Sweet", a menu of Peruvian dishes that starts on page 108. I've heard a lot about Peruvian cuisine but I've never eaten or made an entire meal of Peruvian dishes. I found every ingredient in this entire menu in the extensive Peruvian section at Super H Mart. Four dishes called for either aji amarillo or aji misasol paste. I found aji amarillo, a rather innocuous looking yellow sauce. Looks can be deceiving. This stuff is hot! I could handle it but poor Eyrleigh started crying and grabbing her tongue. I felt terrible. I take responsibility for not testing this sauce before putting tablespoons, sometimes several tablespoons, in each dish. I am surprised, however, that Gourmet's test kitchen did not at some point use the phrase, "add to taste". This is often code in cooking magazines for "this might be hot, so don't add too much".

The first recipe of this menu was for Pina Pisco Sours, a mixed drink made with pisco, the national drink of Peru. Basically a type of brandy, pisco is very potent as compared to a French brandy. The drink was tempered by pineapple juice (I bought juice instead of juicing a pineapple), lime juice, sugar, bitters, and curiously, egg whites. I think the egg whites were for the frothy visual effect because I doubt they made a taste difference. The drink was good and reminded me a bit of a margarita, I think that was the lime and pineapple flavoring.

Like many of the menus in Gourmet, there were several starters. One of these recipes, the Grilled Beef Brochettes, were the family favorite from the menu. This recipe was excellent. I began marinating this dish in the morning so it had quite awhile to absorb the flavors of the marinade. This dish used aji panca, a different Peruvian paste than the aji amarillo that I spoke about above. In retrospect, I would have like more recipes with this sauce. The aji panca had more flavor and less heat, similar to a chipotle sauce.

The prettiest recipe of the menu but also one of the hottest was the Scallop Ceviche with "Tiger's Milk". I put the picture of this dish at the top of the post because this dish was so attractive. I've heard of ceviche, the citrus and seafood appetizer, popular in Latin American countries but I don't think I've ever eaten it. I mistakenly thought it was more of a cold soup, like gazpacho. I did find the choclo kernels that the dish recommended and thought they were a great addition. They gave the dish a chewy component to contrast the crunch of onion and the smoother sweet potato and scallops. I liked the dish but wished I'd added a little less aji amarillo sauce so I could better appreciate the flavors. After a few bites, I was mostly tasting heat.

The Potatoes with Cheese Sauce also used the aji amarillo paste and this overpowered the more mild queso fresco. I again tasted more heat than cheese. I found fingerling potatoes that had the striking color the recipe recommended but I foolishly used the slicer on my food processor to save time and ended up with broken potatoes instead of sliced potatoes as you can see at right.

The main dish, Chicken in Chile Sauce, used a whopping 3 to 4 tablespoons of the aji amarillo paste in the chile sauce. I ate very little of the sauce because of this. The chicken was simply browned in a pan and then roasted in the oven. Without the sauce, the chicken was like any other oven roasted chicken. The recipe said this dish is normally made with shredded chicken soaked in the sauce. If the sauce was a little less spicy, I think I would have liked this method better. It would have showcased the sauce better than simply using it as a dip for the cut pieces of chicken.

The side dish of Peruvian Rice and Lentils was a basic dish but tasted very authentic. I guess since I've never eaten Peruvian food before, I'm not one to determine authenticity but this dish had a very everyday quality to it. It was filling and flavorful (that aji amarillo paste again) but not complicated. I liked the mix of rice and lentils more than lentils alone. I find lentils a bit gritty and the rice tempered that and added texture.

The Quinoa Salad with Fresh Hearts of Palm was also very flavorful. I could not find fresh hearts of palm. The recipe mentioned it might be difficult but I ignored the recommendation to replace the fresh hearts of palm with chayote, and instead used canned hearts of palm. I don't think I've ever eaten hearts of palm so I thought I wouldn't be able to taste the difference between fresh and canned. Plus, I couldn't find chayote at Kroger and I didn't feel like going to Super H Mart 2 days in a row. This dish was fresh and even more refreshing in that it didn't have aji amarillo paste and so was one of the few dishes without heat. Eyrleigh really liked this dish too and intentionally picked out the hearts of palm to eat. She didn't mind at all that they were canned.

Making this dish did remind me though that there is one kitchen implement I still need, an adjustable blade slicer.

The dessert, Dulce De Leche Torte with Naranjilla Ice Cream was very simple. I was thrilled to find the Naranjilla puree at Super H Mart and true to its description, it's very similar to an orange flavor but green. The torte was basically four pastry rounds baked and stuck together with caramel. The only thing that was a bit frustrating was that in order to fit the pastry rounds on the baking sheet, I didn't roll them thin enough and they were more the width of a graham cracker than a think, crackly pastry. I would have liked it to be little sweeter too but that may have been product of its thickness.

This menu really was a lot of fun to make and it wasn't difficult to do in a day. I even had time to print out and color a Peruvian flag and map with Eyrleigh. Ok, I colored and she scribbled over the top but hey, it's never to early to start learning. I learned too, that I wasn't sure of the location of several South American countries so I filled in the rest of the map as review. Oh, and I learned to taste things before I put a lot of them in dishes.

Pina Pisco Sours-B

Grilled Beef Brochettes-A

Scallop Ceviche with "Tiger's Milk"-B

Potatoes with Cheese Sauce-C

Chicken in Chile Sauce-C

Peruvian Rice and Lentils-B

Quinoa Salad with Fresh Hearts of Palm-B+

Dulce De Leche Torte-B

Naranjilla Ice Cream-B+

My Cookbook Inspiration-5/3/09

In June of 2008, Gourmet magazine added a regular column called "Cooking Club" where each month, a cookbook is reviewed and a sample recipe is given. This month's cookbook is "Falling Cloudberries: A World of Family Recipes" by Tessa Kiros. The cookbook-cum-memoir intertwines the story of the author's life and travels with recipes. I'm sure this book is a bit more academic than my favorite cookbook of the world but I wanted to share the cookbook that inspired me to begin cooking. When I was about nine years old, my mom gave me a cookbook "Meals of Many Lands", compiled by Miriam Loo, and written specifically for kids. The recipes weren't particularly authentic but they were easy for kids to make and used common ingredients, exposing me to the wonderful flavors of other countries. I still have this delightful little cookbook and I will someday make the menus in it with Eyrleigh. I hope she has as much fun making them as I did and they lead to a lifetime of joy in the kitchen.

The recipe I made from "Falling Cloudberries: A World of Family Recipes" is actually very similar to a recipe for Swedish meatballs in "Meals from Many Lands", just a little more complicated. The Finnish Meatballs with Allspice, Sour Cream, and Lingonberries on page 28 are meatballs covered with a sour cream based sauce, much like the better known Swedish meatballs. Allspice is the noticeable difference. I've always found that eating meatballs by themselves feels a bit, well, meaty. I ate over an hour ago and my stomach is still heavy. The meatballs were good but the sauce never got thick or creamy. It stayed pretty runny after 20 minutes of cooking on low heat and it was still separated into fat and cream.

Thankfully, the recipe for Lingonberry Jam on page 127 allowed for the substitution of the more common cranberry. I don't think lingonberries are native to Georgia and I didn't find them anywhere. Cranberries worked well and they made a wonderful tart jam that cut the fattiness of the meatballs. Eyrleigh was much more entranced with the cranberries than the meatballs.
The meatball recipe suggested the accompaniment of boiled potatoes but I decided to complicate things. I made another one of the dumpling recipes, the Panfried Potato, Onion, and Cheese Dumpling recipe on page 134. These dumplings were essentially pierogies. They were panfried so some were prettier than others, the pretty ones made the picture, but they all tasted good. I actually used the Cranberry Jam as a sauce for the dumplings and it was a great addition. The Muenster cheese was a great compliment to the potato and onion flavors common of pierogies.

Today was a first for this project. I made breakfast, lunch, AND dinner today from the May issue of Gourmet magazine. For breakfast, I made the Savory Parmesan Pain Perdu with Poached Eggs and Greens on page 79. Another first, I'd never poached eggs. I was really

nervous that the white would just dissipate into the water and I'd have a boiled yolk. Some white did but most stayed attached and as you can see from the picture, it worked. It was a bit strange to basically eat a side salad for breakfast but this dish was very good. The pain perdu was custardy and heavily flavored with the Parmesan. Richard was a bit skeptical but we both enjoyed this dish very much.

For lunch, I made the Artichoke and Eggplant Panini on page 76. The artichoke mayonnaise was excellent and would work on many different type of sandwiches. This was a good vegetarian sandwich and a great use of eggplant, a vegetable I really like but don't find in recipes often.

Savory Parmesan Pain Perdu with Poached Eggs and Greens-B

Artichoke and Eggplant Panini-B+

Finnish Meatballs with Allspice, Sour Cream, and Lingonberries-C

Lingonberry or Cranberry Jam-B

Some Things Really Are Hard- 5/2/09

Often throughout this project of making every recipe in Gourmet every month, I've found that a skill or recipe that intimidated me really wasn't that hard at all. Today, I found a kitchen skill that really is difficult and I'm pretty sure I would need to practice for a very long time before it looked anything like a restaurant. I could not wrap the Spring Rolls with Baked Tofu and Sweet-and-Savory Sauce on page 81. I was hoping that the Kitchen Notebook section at the back of the magazine might have some instruction but other than a recommendation to overlap the wrappers, there was no other instructions. I was on my own and as you can probably tell, it wasn't pretty. Thankfully, the visual appearance had not affect on the taste. My spring rolls tasted like those at a restaurant, even if they looked nothing like them. This recipe was excellent, messy, but excellent. It was impossible to keep the counter clean with eight separate components to a dish but it was worth it. The peanut-hoisin sauce was also virtually identical to that found in an Asian eatery and it was very good.

Keeping with the Asian theme, I also made the Sate Chicken Salad on page 80. This salad was much easier than the Spring Rolls but I did think a few of the vegetable were a bit unnecessary. The celery added nothing and there was a bit too much coleslaw mix. Each mouthful was a lot of coleslaw and not a lot of chicken. I think the coleslaw could have been cut in half or the chicken doubled. That being said, I liked the salad as a lunch choice. It was not quite enough for a filling dinner. The peanut sauce was good but actually could have been a little lighter on the peanut butter. That was by far the strongest flavor of the dressing and I would have liked a little more ginger and soy flavor.

Summer Rolls with Baked Tofu and Sweet-and-Savory Sauce-A-

Sate Chicken Salad- B

My Perfect Job- 5/1/09

I wish I could get paid to do this. I'd follow recipes from each month's Gourmet and write reviews. I wouldn't ask for much money, maybe just $25 per recipe plus a stipend for groceries. That would be so cool. I don't know if that job even exists but if it does, I want it. Today I would have made $125 and I would have saved over $150 on groceries, not bad for a day at the office.

Last Saturday, I asked Richard if he wanted me to make the Maverick Grits on page 55 for breakfast. He shares my opinion of grits and was less than enthusiastic so I didn't make them then. I made them today for lunch for Eyrleigh and me. I'm actually glad I saved this dish for lunch. I'm not sure I would have liked shrimp at breakfast, or at least smelling them while I peeled and deveined them at 9:00 in the morning. This was a really good lunch, though. It was pretty heavy on the meat so it was a bit greasy in my opinion but the creamy grits tempered the fat. It took almost no time to make and Eyrleigh liked it, once I mixed in some apple butter... don't ask.

In last month's Passover menu, I made a Sardine Escabeche. Tonight, I made the Quail Escabeche and realized that escabeche is a method of cooking, not a particular food item. Escabeche is a cooking method that combines a vegetable and vinegar marinade and a breaded pan-fried meat or fish. I've liked both dishes but it is a flavor I'm still getting used to. It's almost like pickled meat, something I haven't eaten much. The recipe calls for semi boneless quail. I didn't have a lot of choices. Super H Mart sold quail whole so I had to go with that. There were a lot of bones and not a lot of meat. In fact, while cutting up the quail, a bluebird flew by and I think he was about the same size as the quail. The package said jumbo quail. I'd hate to see them any smaller.

For the main course, I made the Soupe Au Pistou on page 31. If you ever want to make sure you get your green vegetables, eat this soup. There were 12 different vegetables incorporated in this soup. It was healthy and it tasted it. It was very good but the addition of a fat wouldn't have hurt. The pistou really helped the flavor pop and was a great addition.

I'm trying to finish May's recipes before we leave for San Diego, now postponed until the 10th, so I made the Pommes De Terre Sarladaise on page 123 as a side. I looked at 2 grocery stores for duck fat but had no luck. I decided that lard, fat from pigs, was still fat from an animal so it would have to work. The problem with the dish was not the fat used to cook it, though the flavor would have undoubtedly been richer had I found duck fat, but that the cook time given wasn't long enough. The potatoes were still a little crunchy, even after 20+ minutes. I should have tested them but Eyrleigh is still getting over her fever and was pretty needy by the time dinner was rolling around.

There are very few dessert recipes in this month's Gourmet so it was nice to have a dessert tonight. The recipe for Perigord Walnut Tart, also on page 123, was basically pecan pie with walnuts. The best part was how easy the tart crust was to make. I've mentioned I really struggle with making good crust and this crust recipe was almost effortless. It tasted great too. The walnuts did get too brown before the tart was done baking so I would recommend covering the tart with foil until the last part of the baking.
I so wish I was getting paid to do this!

Maverick Grits-B+

Quail Escabeche-B

Soupe au Pistou-B

Pommes De Terre Sarladaise-C

Perigord Walnut Tart-B