When September Ends-9/30/09

I've noticed I've referenced song titles in the last several summary posts for the month. Music and food always go so well together. Well, let me tell you about my favorites and failures of the month of September. I will also admit to not completing two recipes in this month's issue. The first was the Cooper's Union Cocktail in the You Asked For It column. I've mentioned before that I draw the line at spending large amounts of money for less than an ounce of alcohol and since I didn't have St. Germain elderflower liqueur, this one was a no go. I also did not make the Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Ricotta on page 98. I wanted to and I tried to find squash blossoms but I had no luck. I went to several local farmer's markets and called several farm stands but they all said they are available only earlier in the season.
My two favorite recipes of the month both came from the large alphabet menus, though not the same one. The disappearing Mini Provolone Popovers from the P menu had to make the list for sure irresistiblity. Though pretty simple and standard in concept, these little popovers were a savory dream. As for the second favorite, Richard agreed with me that the Cheesy Creamed Corn with Cilantro and Caramelized Chipotle Chicken were two of the best matched recipes in the whole magazine. Though I found the corn the true standout for flavor, the way these two dishes complimented each other is an example of gourmet plating at its best.
While the C meal was exceptional, I chose the C dessert as my worst of the month. Honestly, it probably wasn't the worst overall flavor but to follow up such a wonderful meal with such a weak dessert was a true shame. The Cantaloupe and Cream Sherry Granita made a weak statement after such a flavorful meal. The Curry Coriander Shorties were really pretty good so should not be lumped in the bad dessert category but they were still pretty mild for such a great meal. I would have loved a really whiz bang finish. Like Cotton Candy Ice Cream with Cinnamon Cashew Crunch... ok, that might have been a little much but it sure does have a lot of C's.

Korea Isn't So Far Away-9/30/09

If you are driving along I-85 north of Atlanta and get off at the Pleasant Hill exit, you will notice the signs of businesses will look a bit different from other parts of the United States. Oh sure, most signs still have English but above or under the English is Korean. This area of Atlanta has a large Korean population and is often thought of as Little Korea. Finding the ingredients for tonight's dinner was very easy. Super H Mart, my local Asian market, is a Korean owned company and stocks a wide variety of groceries for the large Korean population in the area.
Tonight I made the Seasoned Fried Chicken on page 35 of the June issue of Gourmet. This recipe is from the Gourmet Cook Book Club selection for the month, Quick and Easy Korean Cooking by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee. This recipe was just what the book title advertised, quick and easy. The chicken fried up very well with the cornstarch coating. Eyrleigh ate the chicken without the sauce because of her current aversion to any spice. She thought it was great. Richard and I loved the sauce. It was much like a restaurant-style spicy sauce and you could add more spice as you desired. The recipe called for 3 tablespoons of the Korean chile past but I probably used half that. I could have used more, it was by no means too spicy, but I thought I'd be cautious with a new ingredient.
I accompanied the chicken with tofu instead of the more traditional rice. The Broiled Tofu with Miso on the very next page of June's Gourmet was a simple but flavorful presentation of the oft bland tofu. I continue with the Asian theme making the Asian Cabbage Slaw with a Peruvian Twist and Miso Dressing on page 79 of June's issue. The slaw was pretty traditional Napa cabbage and carrot with the addition of jalapeno peppers. I did not buy the dried seaweed that was optional. I've spent enough on groceries this month and the poor kid at Super H Mart was probably tired of finding things for me. The miso dressing was excellent. A simple mix with great flavor. I could thin the same mix with some more liquid and make a great Asian-style salad dressing.

Seasoned Fried Chicken-A
Broiled Tofu with Miso-B+
Asian Cabbage Slaw with Peruvian Twist-B
Miso Dressing-A

The Short Version-9/29/09

Today was pretty busy, not bad busy, but busy so I'm doing the short version of the blog. Here's what I made and here's how it tastes. Short and sweet. Tonight I made the Black-Pepper Salmon with Dill Smashed Potatoes on page 61 on June's Gourmet. (I've finished all of September so I'm going back to June to finish a few more of those.) I accompanied this main with the Grilled Tarragon Asparagus on page 16, also from June. Again, I was busy and so I simply put a tablespoon of whole peppercorns in a baggie and smashed them. It's much quicker that using a grinder and leaves the pieces big enough to look cool. This dish was a simple and good preparation of salmon and potatoes. The fresh dill added great flavor and made the dish a yummy weekday main. The asparagus was also very good. Much of the tarragon fell off while grilling or in the marinade but there was still enough to add flavor. Again, this was a good quick weekday meal for any family.

Black-Pepper Salmon with Dill Smashed Potatoes-B+

Grilled Tarragon Asparagus-B+

Homemade Everything-9/28/09

I was a bit nervous that making tonight's meal would be an exercise in futility. Would my homemade attempts at ketchup, mustard, and relish really improve on years of brand marketing and corporate testing? How could I, in my first attempt make something better than Heinz, French's, and Vlasic? Well, believe it. When the June article of Gourmet challenged me to give making my own a try, I did and boy, was I impressed. Heinz got nothing on me! The Homemade Ketchup recipe on page 41 of June's issue of Gourmet had a wonderful mix of sweet and spice and had a depth that commercial ketchup doesn't have. The recipe says it lasts chilled for a month and I really hope that it does. The ketchup was by far my favorite, mostly because it was so distinctive. Richard is a ketchup freak and he too kept dipping his burgers (He had 3! He's still recovering from his 70.3 Ironman this past weekend and needs some serious calories.) The mustard was also very good but it still had quite a few whole seeds, even after about 5 minutes in the processor. The flavor was quite strong, making me wonder how much of something else is in regular yellow French's. The relish was much the same as store bought relish in flavor. There was a bit more crunch though, because of the short marinade time. Commercial relish has been soaking quite a bit longer by the time it gets to your hamburger.
As for the Homemade Hamburger, what a revelation! It was so simple. Just chill skirt steak with a little salt, chew it up in the processor, and voila. No breadcrumbs, egg, or other fillers, just meat. The burgers held together well and tasted great. I will definitely do this again when I want to grill some burgers with friends. No more frozen meat hockey pucks for burgers.

The Homemade Buns were also great. I wish there had been a bit more direction in how big to make them. I used a glass to cut out the bun rounds and it wasn't quite big enough. I had a lot of left over dough. Eyrleigh decided it was Playdoh and dragged it around the kitchen so making more after the fact was not an option. Considering these were yeast buns that needed to rise twice, they were really pretty easy and rose well. Eyrleigh loved them, the carb kid that she is. I did forget the sesame seeds but other than that, these were excellent hamburger buns.
To go along with the ultimate summer burger, I made the Cornish Lemonade on page 108. I forgot and took the picture vertically which always messes up on the blog, so I'll just tell you and you'll have to believe me. This lemonade was actually just as much orange as lemon so the color was a bit darker than traditional lemonade but the taste was good. I didn't add quite as much sugar as the recipe called for because it looked too sweet as written. I was glad I did that because I though the sweet to tart mix was perfect as I made it. I used a cup and half of sugar per quart of water.

Homemade Ketchup-A

Homemade Mustard-A

Homemade Relish-A

The Ultimate Burger-A

Homemade Burger/Dog Buns-A

Cornish Lemonade-B

And Out Popped a P-9/24/09

Eyrleigh and I have had the best time with the September Alphabet themed menus in Gourmet. We made place mats for the table with the letter of the day. We sang the alphabet song while we were cooking. We loved telling Daddy all about what we'd made and the letter we were making. Honestly, I could do this with every letter of the alphabet. Well, maybe not the tough ones, a menu with X may not have much in it and we'd have to run out for ice cream.
Tonight was the letter P. This first picture on the left is probably one of my favorite pictures in this entire blog. I was trying to take a picture of the first recipe from the menu, the Mini Provolone Popovers, and all 4 pictures had Eyrleigh's hand in them. She absolutely loved these little popovers. Sadly, I halved the recipe because I only had a 12 cup mini-muffin pan. These were gone within minutes and all of us wished there were more. They puffed up beautifully and the chives, Parmesan, and Provolone added wonderful flavor to the standard popover batter.
I've mentioned before that growing up my mom cooked with an emphasis on vegetarian options. She was not a strict vegetarian but large roasts were not in her repertoire. I don't know that I have ever made a pork roast, tenderloins, yes, but not a pork butt roast. I was a bit nervous about under cooking the pork. I was so pleased with the Peppercorn Roasted Pork with Vermouth Pan Sauce. This dish tasted like I'd made pork roasts for years. I had bought a smaller roast than the recipe called for so I cut the cooking time proportionally. I was right on. The roast was cooked perfectly and moist and delicious. The pepper crust was flavorful and easily shook off if it became too much. The vermouth sauce was excellent and complimented the meat well.
The Sugar Snap Peas and Potatoes with Parsley Pesto was traditional pairing with pork but the pan saute of the peas did not get them soft enough. They were basically raw and they didn't blend well with the soft potatoes. They were so fresh and crunchy that the pesto couldn't stand up to their strong flavor. I liked the pesto on the potatoes but again the peas needed to cook longer.
I've noticed Gourmet likes to add a sour element to each large menu. I made the Picked Collard Greens with Pineapple with a little change. I had beet greens left over from a recipe last week and so I used these instead of collards. Beet greens are a bit sweeter but have that great purple color, in keeping with the P theme. These pickled greens were good and the pineapple worked, just like the recipe said. My only complaint is that I never crave much of the sour component of these menus and end up with lots of leftovers. I should have halved this recipe, not the popovers.
The Persian Cucumber and Purple Rice Salad was probably one of the prettiest dishes I have ever made. I used the suggested combination of black and white rice instead of searching for the more elusive purple jasmine rice. The color combination was pretty amazing but the flavor was a bit ho-hum. The dressing of oil and lemon was not distinctive and the scallions didn't add much. Maybe a bit of basil or other fresh herb would have helped add a little zing.
The Poppy Seed Pound Cake with Plum Pluot Compote was packed with P's. I loved the pound cake and so did Eyrleigh. It was moist and dense, perfect for a loaf cake. It was easy to make with a stand mixer. The crust had that wonderful sugary crack and I kept bumping pieces off just to take a little piece. The Plum Pluot Compote was really sweet, almost too much so. It also did not have the great color that the picture on page 84 of the magazine showed. I don't know how they got that color because as you can see in my picture, a rather boring yellow was what I got. It didn't affect the taste but it didn't look as pretty as I had hoped.
I enjoyed the last two recipes of this menu a few hours after dinner. These recipes were more conducive to enjoying a movie or in our case, a little baseball. I made the Peach Prosecco Spritzers and Pecan Praline Popcorn Treats very quickly and brought them upstairs. The peach spritzers were not what I expected. This drink was not very sweet and had a bit of bite to it. I think this was the seltzer. I would have liked the drink a bit sweeter. The slight bitterness from the seltzer didn't work well with the peach puree or with the very sweet popcorn.
The Popcorn was sweet but excellent. There was the right mix of caramel to popcorn and the nuts added a nice crunch. Sadly, I wasn't hungry enough to eat much of this treat but I think I'll save this recipe for our annual fall movie party


Mini Provolone Popovers-A
Peppercorn Roasted Pork with Vermouth Pan Sauce-A
Sugar Snap Peas and Potatoes with Parsley Pesto-C
Pickled Collard Greens with Pineapple-B
Persian Cucumber and Purple Rice Salad-B-
Poppy Seed Pound Cake with Plum Pluot Compote-B+
Peach Prosecco Spritzers-C
Pecan Praline Popcorn Treats-A

Am I A Food Snob?-9/23/09

What classifies one as a food snob? Is it the type of food you eat or the type of food you refuse to eat? Richard knows I get very disgusted by the thought of eating at most buffet style restaurants. I don't like the idea of food sitting out for extended periods of time before I eat it. That's not really being a food snob. That's just simple food hygiene.
Richard also claims I am rather adverse to some classic country dishes that he just loves. White gravy, for one. I find it totally revolting in both texture and taste. But I can appreciate a good PB & J, the epitome of everyone's food. I guess a food snob is just a regular snob, who carries their snobbery into what they eat.
Tonight's meal was not very snobby. Just chicken wings, Caesar salad, and some rummed-up pineapple but I'll make it sound a little classier in my evaluation. I made 3 recipes from the June issue of Gourmet that I never got to finish because we traveled the whole month. I began with the Peach-Lacquered Chicken on page 56. These were very simple wings broiled with a sticky peach sauce. The sauce adhered well and was very good. It had a good mix of hot and sweet. The only problem was that I didn't buy enough wings. Two pounds of wings still isn't a lot of meat.

The Basil Caesar Salad on page 58 was also a very simple, traditional Caesar recipe with one addition, basil leaves. I like basil but didn't find that it added much to this salad. The anchovy, lemon, and Parmesan flavors are pretty strong and the mellow basil, though noticeable, did not make a significant change in flavor.
At the last minute, I added the Grilled Pineapple with Brown Sugar, Coconut, and Rum from page 60. I obviously won't finish June's recipe by the end of September but I wanted to fit in a few more before moving on to October. This dessert was a bit too heavy on the rum. It overpowered the other flavors. The curry added a nice depth but again, I think a little less rum would help the fruit flavor shine.

Peach-Lacquered Chicken Wings-B+

Basil Caesar Salad-B

Grilled Pineapple with Brown Sugar, Coconut, and Rum-B

Goodbye to the Grill-9/22/09

Traditional grilling season for cooking magazines is drawing to a close. Two recipes in September's issue of Gourmet had "grilled" in the title. Compare that to June's issue with 19 recipes with "grilled" in the title and you can see that grilling, though yummy year-round, is something we think more about in the sunny summer months. Even here in Atlanta, the weather has been less about grilling and more about building arks. Ok, I jest but seriously, our area has had 14 inches of rain in the last week and people around us are being flooded out of their homes. Not the kind of weather that makes you want to fire up the grill. So I turned on my stove top and used my 2-burner grill pan. It doesn't smell quite as good but it still leaves those pretty grill lines.

Tonight I made the Grilled Eggplant Parmigiana Heros on page 38 of this month's Gourmet. These Eggplant Parms were a bit different than the traditional breaded version. These were simply grilled eggplant with cheese but they still tasted good and were very filling. One of my favorite aspects of this recipe was the homemade tomato sauce. It was a pretty simple sauce that added 35 minutes or so to the recipe but didn't need too much babysitting and really added to the quality of the meal . The basil was also a good addition, though Eyrleigh wasn't sold. She chewed a basil leaf and then promptly poked it out on the end of her tongue for Richard to remove. No amount of persuading could get her to eat it. Ahhh, and she's not even to the "Terrible Two's" yet.

I kept the grill on for the last of the Z recipes, the Grilled Zucchini Pepper Salad on page 114. This was an easy salad of grilled zucchini and red peppers. (Sometimes while writing this blog I really state the obvious.) The vinaigrette was a mix of brown sugar and balsamic vinegar and added good flavor without too much pucker. The basil was chopped into small pieces, so no repeat of the tongue incident by the youngest family member, to add a subtle herb flavor. I was glad to get the grill out and stop looking at rain for a while.

Grilled Eggplant Parmigiana Heros-B

Grilled Zucchini Pepper Salad-B

My Peanut Butter and Jelly-9/21/09

You would think that someone who goes to all the trouble to make every recipe in Gourmet magazine for over 8 months would be a really creative eater all of the time. Sorry to disappoint you. You remember that kid that ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every day for lunch. I'm kind of like that kid. Eyrleigh and I have a very predicable lunch routine virtually every day of the week. We race home from whatever morning activity we've been doing, grocery shopping, going to Gymboree, whatever, with the radio blaring so she won't fall asleep. While she sits at the table and has some drink and maybe some apple, I make a quick cheese quesadilla in my red Salton Quesadilla maker. We share the quesadilla. She has two sections and I have four. Sometimes I have to finish hers. It's boring, but it works. She likes quesadillas and so she eats well and I do to.

Nights like tonight, I'm glad I liked my lunch. This was not the most impressive dinner I've made. I found the Tomato and Tomatillo Gazpacho on page 104 watery and a little heavy on the heat. I put in only one Serrano chile and I actually took out the seeds and the white pith. I think the problem was that the other flavors didn't stand up to the heat and so the soup tasted pretty one-dimensional. I've had good gazpacho and this recipe was missing some flavor. Though I needed the cup of water to blend the vegetables, maybe a half cup would have been better.

The Xuxu and Shrimp with Chile and Lemon on page 105 was also pretty disappointing. Chayote, or xuxu in Brazil, is a classic South American ingredient and I found the thin lemon garlic sauce a bit weak. I understand it's tough to find a recipe with X but I think there has to be a better way to show off this new ingredient. I had a near miss at the grocery store. I found an unlabeled green vegetable and asked one of the men if it was chayote. His English was not good and he said yes. I almost made this recipe with green papaya so I guess it could have been worse.

Tomato and Tomatillo Gazpacho-D

Xuxu and Shrimp with Chile and Lemon-C

Cooking shortCuts-9/18/09

I'm sure they teach all kinds of cool tricks to save time and effort in culinary school but I never went to culinary school. Some days I feel like a kindergartner in the kitchen. I don't know what to do half the time and I make a huge mess. But some days are like today. I think of simple things to make making dinner easier. They may seem pretty obvious but two things I did this afternoon were a bit of a revelation to me. The melon baller worked great to take the seeds out of the cucumber in seconds. I cut the corn off the cob in the middle of my cast iron skillet and didn't have to chase corn kernels all over the counter. But perhaps the best thing I did was make most of dinner ahead of time and just reheated the creamed corn right before dinner. Eyrleigh napped the whole time I cooked and I didn't have a small child hanging on my leg while cooking. It was wonderful. I try to do this most days but either because of recipes or time, it rarely works as well as it did today.

Tonight I made the Constant Craving menu, based on foods beginning with the letter C. This menu began with Cold Cucumber and Cubanelle Soup with Cashews and Chives. Richard probably summed this soup up best. "I liked it a lot more than I thought I would." Neither of us are huge fans of cold soups, and Richard has rarely finished more than a few sips when I've made other cold soups for this project. He finished his bowl and I was too full to finish mine. This was a very good cold soup. I must admit that the little chunks of cashew looked a bit weird and added a somewhat lumpy look.

The main dish, Caramelized Chipotle Chicken, was also very good. I made the sauce ahead of time and just coated the chicken and baked it right before dinner. The sauce was pretty spicy but not overwhelming. It was very sticky so it adhered well to the chicken. The chicken was moist and the skin crispy. My only difficulty was that the sauce blackened a bit too much on the top. The Cheesy Creamed Corn with Cilantro was an excellent side dish for this chicken. It was creamy and cut the heat of the chicken but it had some strong flavors of its own. The proportion of creamy blended corn to whole kernels was perfect. I added feta instead of queso fresco because I like the stronger cheese flavor.
The Carrot Cabbage Slaw with Cumin Vinaigrette was a pretty traditional carrot and cabbage slaw. It replaced the celery seeds usually used in slaw with cumin, a switch that brought out a flavor that would resurface in dessert. I liked the slaw but again, pretty normal flavors.
The first component of dessert, the Cantaloupe and Cream Sherry Granita, I found the most disappointing dish in this menu. It was quite watery and though the sherry added a smooth note, I didn't think the granita had a real stand out flavor. I almost found it a bit bitter, though I can't decide what made this so.

The Curry Coriander Shorties were surprisingly delicious. I saw the coriander but curry in cookies was a new one for me. It was really good and once I stopped thinking chicken when I smelled the curry, I really liked them. I only got 2 dozen cookies, not 3 like the recipe said. I cooked them the maximum thinking that since they were bigger, they would need the longer cooking time. They were a little overcooked so I'd stick to the 20 minutes over 25 next time.


Cold Cucumber and Cubanelle Soup with Cashews and Chives-B+
Caramelized Chipotle Chicken-B+
Cheesy Creamed Corn with Cilantro-A
Carrot Cabbage Slaw with Cumin Vinaigrette-B
Cantaloupe and Cream Sherry Granita-D
Curry Coriander Shorties-B

Ahhh, Italia-9/17/09

This is the blog post where I tell you about my incredible trip to Italy and all the wonderful food I ate there. Sadly, I can't. I've never been to Italy. I've been to much of Western Europe but never made it to the boot. Italy is a "must see" for foodies and it is on my short list of places to go next.

Just because I haven't been to Italy doesn't mean I haven't eaten some great food while traveling, though. My best travel food memory was while attending the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. I was a member of a Christian drama team that was performing in and around the athletic venues. When not in the city, our group stayed at an old villa on a hillside twenty minutes out of town. A local woman and her daughters cooked for us each day and the food was incredible. I had never eaten paella before and I will forever be in search of a dish that perfect. I would love to take Richard and Eyrleigh back to Barcelona to experience the flavors of that summer.

Tonight's meal was inspired by the cuisine of Italy. For dinner, I made the Linguine and Zucchini with Bagna Cauda Sauce on page 114. This was an excellent cream based sauce incorporating threads of zucchini. It was simple but probably one of the best sauces I've made in this project. The garlic and anchovies added good flavor to the cream sauce and the zucchini added texture and complexity.

The Italian Parsley and Beet Salad is probably one of the prettiest salads I've ever made. My hands stayed purple for an hour after making it so they were somewhat pretty too. I neglected to take the recipe's recommendation to wear gloves. This was also a great tasting salad. I have to admit I was a bit concerned that the beets were not cooked. No worries, they were cut into very small matchsticks and softened while marinating in the dressing. The citrus in the dressing worked well with the sweetness of the beets and cut some of the bitterness of the parsley.

I had hoped to make one more dish, the Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Ricotta, but it appears that finding squash blossoms is a bit trickier than I thought and there is not a good substitute for squash blossoms. I was able to make dessert though. The Sorbetto Di Uva, or in English, Concord Grape Sorbet, was extremely simple. Blend grapes, pour through sieve, and add sugar. After a quick turn in the ice cream maker, this sorbet was one of the purest tasting sorbets I've ever had. Richard said I should have just froze grapes. It had a beautiful purple color and tasted just like grapes, without the skin.

Linguine and Zucchini with Bagna Cauda Sauce-A

Italian Parsley and Beet Salad-A

Sorbetto Di Uva-A

Me V. Food-9/16/09

I am a bit of an anathema in the world of food media. I rarely read other cooking blogs, have never watched the Food Network, and the last movie I saw was Mr. and Mrs. Smith so I definitely missed Julie and Julia. I really don't watch much TV and watching people cook isn't half as much fun as actually doing it. As for movies, I just don't like watching them in theatres. I feel trapped. But I have found one food show I like, Man V. Food, on the Travel Channel. The host, Adam Richman, does an excellent job of describing the food at classic eating establishments throughout the country. In each episode, he also competes in a food challenge. Unlike competitive eaters, he doesn't stuff the food in his face, making the viewer feel queasy. He tries to eat it but has a sense of decorum when he knows he's done. I'm watching it now and Adam is in Vegas eating hot spicy crayfish and is challenged to eat a 6-pound burrito. I'm getting kind of hungrynow.

I did make dinner, though nowhere near 6 pounds of it. I made the Figgy Piggy Cornish Hens on page 40 of this month's Gourmet. I forget how quickly Cornish game hens cook. I had a doctor's appointment this afternoon and wasn't sure if I'd make it home early enough to make dinner in a reasonable time for Eyrleigh. We were still ready to eat a little after 6:00. These hens were browned in the fat from the bacon and the figs simply roasted with the hens. The hens themselves were pretty traditional in flavor but the figs and bacon were great additions. I always find the amount of meat on Cornish game hens a bit disappointing but the meat was moist and the skin was golden and crispy.

I made the Sauteed Kale with Kohlrabi on page 46 as our vegetable. The kale and kohlrabi was dressed with lime juice and zest and tasted a bit Southeast Asian. If I had read the ingredients carefully before hand, I may not have paired this side with the Cornish game hens. The two dishes were very different flavor traditions and though both were good, they did not really compliment each other. The Sauteed Kale with Kohlrabi was lighter in flavor than most kale dishes. There was no butter, a common accompaniment to kale, and the kohlrabi was raw and thinly sliced, giving a bit of crunchy to the dish. I enjoyed the dish and felt it was a good presentation of two vegetables that have great health properties.

I finished our meal off with the Apple Pie with Cheddar Cheese Crust. The concept of this pie was a good one. However, the cheddar cheese in the crust gave the pie a savory overtone. This would actually be a great brunch pie. There was not a large amount of sugar and no spices to jazz up the apples. This made the savory crust stand out more and took away a real dessert feel to this pie. I did not try the pie with ice cream, but I like the idea of using this pie as a snack for Eyrleigh in the mid-morning. She'll love that! She may even eat a whole piece, now that's a food challenge.

Figgy Piggy Cornish Hens-B+

Sauteed Kale with Kohlrabi-B

Apple Pie with Cheddar Cheese Crust-B

An Acquired Taste-9/15/09

Back in April when I made the Sardine Escabeche that went with the Passover menu, I had to google "escabeche" to help me understand this cooking technique. I had never eaten an escabeche and certainly had never cooked one. Since April, tonight makes the third time I've made this style of dish and I must say I haven't quite acquired a taste for it yet. I feel a bit like that kid that tries coffee for the first time and wonders why adults like it so much, then by age 20, can't make it through a morning without it. This dish appears to be very common among Hispanic cuisines, particularly in South America. Perhaps some of the issue is the rather strong flavors of the fish that often accompany it. Both sardines and mackerel are very flavorful (translation: fishy) and the strong flavor contrasting to the tang of the vinegar/oil marinade is quite distinct. I won't say any of the dishes have been bad. They are just... well, different. Richard asked why I make a dish that I'm pretty sure I won't like. I answer as I've answered throughout this Gourmet project. You don't know for sure if you don't try. I could always acquire a taste for escabeche in time.

That being said, I will evaluate the Minted Mackerel and Mushroom Escabeche on page 58 of this month's Gourmet as best I can. The mackerel was perfectly cooked in the time give and I was very proud of myself for having deboned the fish without mishap. The mushrooms and mint worked, surprisingly. It was a bit earthy and a bit crisp, a pretty good combination. The marinade was not too heavy and covered the fish and vegetables well. I think escabeche is growing on me.

Earlier today, I roasted peppers and sauteed the squash and onions to put together the Yellow Squash and Bell Pepper Torte on page 105. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from cooked vegetable that had chilled most of the day. Probably the strangest thing was cutting the torte. Unlike a baked torte that cuts pretty easily, this torte had large vegetables to cut through, with skin. It looked pretty bad after the first slice. It tasted pretty good but I still prefer my cooked vegetables to be warm. The basil and Parmesan was a great addition that added a little extra favor to the vegetables.

Minted Mackerel and Mushroom Escabeche-B

Yellow Squash and Bell Pepper Torte-B

A Loss for Words-9/14/09

I'm sorry to disappoint you but the title is a bit deceiving. Tonight's dinner was not so good, I was left without words. I am having a dickens of a time thinking of a way to pull this post together. You will notice that I often try to tie the night's menu into something either life or food related. Tonight I've got nothing. Asian flavors, already done it. Current events, don't relate to dinner and I have no idea who Kanye West is anyway, all I know is he must have been a punk on some show because President Obama called him a "jackass". I can respect a well-timed use of the word "jackass", even from the president. So here is the very concise, rather dull description of tonight's dinner of Gourmet recipe.
I had originally had 4 recipes on tonight's menu but happily, the Ginger Green Beans were made by Nancy over Labor Day weekend. One of the recipes was pulled from the June issue of Gourmet, the Broiled Chicken with Bacon over Egg Fried Rice on page 62. This classic main went well with several Asian-inspired side dishes in this month's issue. There really isn't any reason to rave about this simple chicken fried rice with the addition of bacon. It was good, quick, and easy, but not particularly earth-shattering or even that unique. Or then again, I may just be having trouble coming up with anything.
Though both the Japanese Turnips with Miso on page 53 and the Okra with Scallion, Lime, and Ginger on page 60 had some really nice components, I didn't feel that either were outstanding. The Japanese Turnips with Miso had the unfortunate distinction of being made with a vegetable that is insanely hard to make attractive. Turnips have that mild bitter taste that can be off-putting. The butter and miso were a really good addition and both Richard and I really thought this dressing was an improvement over simple cooked turnips. The Okra with Scallion, Lime, and Ginger combined some distinct taste elements but I didn't think the combination worked very well. The ginger, in particular, stood out as abrupt. Okra's rather unique texture came across as slimy in this dish, rather than the more acceptable juicy.

Broiled Chicken with Bacon Over Egg Fried Rice- B

Japanese Turnips with Miso-B

Okra with Scallion, Lime, and Ginger-C

Labor of Love-9/12/09

I loved quiche when I was a kid but we never had it very much. I now know why. Making quiche from scratch takes a really long time. Make the crust, chill it, bake it, bake with filling, allow it to firm up. That's a lot of steps, I can see why Grandma and Mom didn't make it much. It felt like I was making it all day.
It's interesting to look back and see how certain foods have fallen out of favor because of their labor intensive preparation. Roasts were a mainstay of many Americans up until the 1960's. Now it is rare to hear of someone making a roast anytime but for a special holiday meal. Conversely, some foods have grown in popularity because of their simplicity. Fifty years ago, pasta was the specialty of Italian immigrant families. Now it is a frequent meal option for virtually everyone.
The Broccoli Garlic Quiche on page 32 of this month's Gourmet was worth the effort though. This was a very good quiche and could easily be adapted with different ingredients. A little bacon would be a perfect addition. The cheesy top browned perfectly and gave that classic broccoli and cheese taste. I was pretty pleased with my crust too. I didn't have a deep dish pie plate so I used a regular tart pan and folded the crust high to give more room for the filling. I did realize just now, after running downstairs to get my magazine, that garlic is in the title, not cheese. This is not a dish with strong garlic flavors. I had forgotten I'd even put it in until I looked at the name of the recipe. If you want noticeable garlic flavor, put more in that called for. The cheese flavor was much more predominant in this one.
I conjured up memories of lunch at my grandma's by pairing the quiche with the Tomato-Gin Soup from page 14. I don't know that my grandma put gin in her tomato soup but it wouldn't surprise me. She loved to add alcohol to things and her trifle dessert was absolutely alcoholic. This was a very good tomato soup. It was rich, creamy, and the gin was just as they described it, a nuanced flavor that left you wondering what it was. I've made quite a few tomato soups for this project and though I wouldn't say this was my favorite because they've all been pretty good, I would say it stood out. Richard ate his whole bowl which is saying something.
After yesterday's rather runny run-in with gelatin making the Berries and Buttermilk Puddings, I was thrilled to make it up to the family with a well-gelled dessert. I made the Lemon Verbena and Summer Fruit Gelee on page 104. I haven't had great luck finding obscure dessert ingredients lately and lemon verbena was equally elusive. I thought maybe Home Depot would have the plant in their herb section but couldn't find it there either. I decided if I was going for lemon flavor, I could safely substitute with lemon and that's easy to find everywhere with the exception of Walmart in Arkansas (see 9/7/09 post for explanation). This dessert was simple and the gelatin took on the light pink of the wine, looking very pretty. The flavor was basically that of a glammed up Jello salad. Thankfully, it was not as sickeningly sweet as Jello and the fruit was fresh and still had texture, unlike that canned fruit cocktail that always finds its way into Jello salads. The lemon flavor was mild but noticeable, hopefully quite close to the flavor produced by the addition of lemon verbena.

Broccoli Garlic Quiche-A

Tomato-Gin Soup-A-

Lemon Verbena and Summer Fruit Gelee-B

B Proud, B Courageous, B Happy-9/11/09

In a respectful nod to today's significant date, I will briefly explain my title. I lived in the New York City area eight years ago when the date 9/11 changed its meaning. I taught kids who lost their father in the World Trade Center collapse and saw the smoke on my drive to work for days. The thing I remember most at that time was the myriad of flags, banners, and statements of hope that covered every overpass on the freeway. The events of 9/11 were horrible but the response of Americans was amazing and I was proud of the courage displayed on that day and beyond. We have not forgotten but we have returned to sense of joy that disappeared for a short time.

Today Eyrleigh and I changed the tune and celebrated the letter B. We made place mats for dinner with giant B's on them and made sure we used colors that began with B. Honestly, Eyrleigh is a bit young to identify letter shapes but it's never too early to start learning. This month's Gourmet magazine has a menu themed around the letter B that inspired us. Thankfully, this was not a haphazard jumble of ingredients that shared a common first letter but a well thought out menu that happened to alliterate very well. The first recipe began with a bang. (Sorry, lots of B adjectives will be used in the making of this post!) The Beefsteak Tomato, Butterhead Lettuce, and Bacon with Blue Cheese Dressing won the award for most B's in the name but it also was a great recipe. I'm a blue cheese fan and this was some great blue cheese dressing, very thick and nothing to interfere with the wonderful tang of the cheese. The Boston lettuce was a great match with the supple leaves holding lots of dressing. Basically, this was a rich flavorful salad that I could eat quite a bit of.

The meat, Black Pepper Spice-Rubbed Beef Tenderloin, was very simple and also very good. The rub was well spiced and adhered well to the meat. One of my common complaints with rubs is they are often too salty. This rub was perfect. I appreciated the fact that there was no additional sauce or gravy to accompany the meat. I often feel like these additions detract from the meat and are too much in a large menu. This meat was cooked perfectly as written but I will admit I dipped a few pieces in the extra blue cheese dressing from the salad. Mmmmmmm!

After two very rich components, this menu got a bit lighter with two healthy sides. The Bulgar with Herbs was a combination of bulgar wheat and fresh herbs with a light lemon and oil dressing. I actually liked the salad more the colder it got. It brought out the fresh lemon taste and made the herbs crunchier. I just went a got another bite out of the fridge and it tastes great cold too. The other side of a Bevy of Beans and Basil was the one dish I thought might have tried a bit hard to use the letter B. The long beans and green beans were so similar there wasn't really a need for both. The edamame stood out with a difference in texture and flavor. Maybe a bean of a different color like a red bean or a white bean would have added both a visual and flavor difference.
Our dessert tonight, the Berries and Buttermilk Puddings, looks pretty good in the picture but it was more of a buttermilk sauce then a pudding. The recipe called for only one teaspoon of gelatin, presumably to give the pudding a bit more give than a Jello-like firmness. Well, once you put a spoon in the buttermilk pudding, it collapsed into liquid. This watery consistency didn't affect the flavor though. This was a simple mix of pudding, strawberry sauce, and berries and made for a great late summer dessert. Eyrleigh was a big fan. Anything with berries is guaranteed to make her very, very happy. And you can B sure of that!

Beefsteak Tomato, Butterhead Lettuce, and Bacon with Blue Cheese Dressing-A

Black Pepper Spice Rubbed Beef Tenderloin-A

Bulgar with Herbs-B

Bevy of Beans and Basil-C

Berries and Buttermilk Puddings-B

Do Not Attempt with a Hangnail-9/10/09

Cutting the segments of a lemon away from the membranes with a hangnail is torture. I know. Tonight I made the Lebanese Lamb Chops with Lemony Lettuce on page 56 of this month's Gourmet. The lettuce was dressed with lemon, sugar, and oil and it was delicious but there is no way to remove lemon segments without getting it on your fingers. Yikes, I should have taken a picture of my hangnail but if you've ever had one, you don't need the visual. Back to the lamb with lemony lettuce. I couldn't find the spice mix baharat premade so I got a recipe from the Internet and mixed it up. All the spices were common and in my spice cupboard and I now have quite a bit left if I need it again. The rub coated the lamb well and had spice and heat without being overpowering. The lettuce with lemon worked almost like a palate cleanser and was a great partner.

I took a few liberties when putting together tonight's menu but I think it worked. I choose flavors from the same region of the world and made the hot spicy Bedouin Salsa on page 14. This salsa worked well with the heavy spice of the lamb. I don't know that I would make it again though because of its heat and its limited use in my household. Eyrleigh is not able to handle much more than mild Old El Paso now.

Sticking with the Arabic theme, I cooled things down a bit with the Watermelon and Cucumber Mint Tsatsiki Salad on page 104. The blurb right before the recipe stated that the watermelon and cucumber was a bit of an odd mix. It was... It wasn't bad but I wouldn't say it was a flavor I think I need to come back to. The Tsatsiki was great but I found myself putting it on the spicy lamb instead of mixing it into the cucumbers and watermelon.

I also made the Roasted Cauliflower with Kalamata Vinaigrette on page 36 (above in the lamb and lettuce picture). I've roasted cauliflower before though always as a whole head and with a curry topping. This was quicker than that, because of the thin slices, and simply roasted with oil. Richard was not a fan. He doesn't really like cauliflower but I really liked it. The Kalamata vinaigrette could be added as I liked and was a good match for the mild

cauliflower.

I really searched for quinces. The argument could be made that I really didn't make the Quince Poached in Cardamom Syrup on page 98 since I didn't use the key ingredient called for. I will tell you what I did and you can decide if this one counts. I did find quince in gelatin form in the Hispanic section of the supermarket. I bought apple pears at the Asian market and added the quince gelatin to the syrup. I really liked the nuanced flavor of this dessert and it did not taste just like some poached pears. (Notice the little cameo of the caramel ice cream from last month.) I really liked the flavor of this compote and I will make it again, just without all the hassle of looking all over Gwinnett County for quince.

Lebanese Lamb with Lemony Lamb Chops-B+

Roasted Cauliflower with Kalamata Vineagrette-B

Bedouin Salsa-B

Watermelon and Cucumber Mint Tsatsiki Salad-C

Quince Poached in Cardamom Syrup-A