I think almost everyone I know hates zucchini. Unfortunately they grow pretty easily around here so it gets to be hard to avoid them.
For her Grated Sauteed Zucchini recipe Julia recommends 6-8 of the 8-inchers. They need to be washed, the ends lopped off and after 10 seconds in the food processor you have a mountain of zucchini shreds. Mix 1/2 t. salt into the mountain, set it in a colander and let it "steep". Shortly it will begin to shed green water, and after 15 minutes and some gentle squeezing you will have an amazing amount.
Next add 3 T. butter to a frying pan set to high, after it begins to foam add 2 T. chopped shallots and shortly after that the zucchini. Toss them for a few minutes until just tender and serve immediately.
This recipe was okay. Of the four of us eating two refused to eat more than a micro-taste and he other two of us thought it was good enough, but it would be hard to imagine ordering it in a restaurant. However, a dish may still get a 'Thumbs Up' rating if I could imagine someone who liked the ingredients thinking it was good enough to make it again. Based on that I think it's a winner.
Grated Sauteed Zucchini-Thumbs Up
Monday, November 30, 2009
It's Thanksgiving So We Have to Make Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Surprisingly Julia and I make Mashed Potatoes almost the same. I'm actually feeling a little smug about it.
She begins by directing her students to purchase Russet potatoes, and although I use Yukon Gold pototoes for everything, I picked up a 10 pound bag of Russets. One thing is for sure, you can save a lot of money by following her recipe, because the Russets cost $3 for 10 pounds and Yukon Golds would have been about $1/pound. We both agreed that they should be peeled, washed, quartered, put in a pan, covered with salted water (1.5 t.salt/quart of water) and then brought to a boil. She recommends boiling them for 15 minutes and I tasted them at that point and determined that they needed another 3 minutes. Normally I would have boiled them for about 25 minutes, until they were exceedingly soft, but this is her cookbook, so I let her make the decision. But it was wrong.
After draining she suggests her students return them to the pan and place them back on the burner for a minute to dry them out. Following that I put them into the mixer and began beating them with the wire whip attachment. Since I was only using about 4 pounds of potatoes I added 1/2 cup of heated milk and 2 T. of butter while they were mixing. But despite 10 minutes of mixing they were still a bit lumpy. This would not have been the case if they had boiled 25 minutes, instead of 18.
To make the 'mashed potatoes' into 'garlic mashed potatoes' you must peel an entire head of garlic and simmer the cloves in 1/2 cup of cream for at least 10 minutes. Then puree it in the blender and add the entire mixture to the potatoes while they are still in the mixer.
The result has a garlic aroma and a vague garlic flavor which is both delicate and delicious. If you prefer a more dynamic garlic presence you might want to use 1.5 to 2 heads of garlic.
The Bottom Line
Garlic Mashed Potatoes-Thumbs Up
She begins by directing her students to purchase Russet potatoes, and although I use Yukon Gold pototoes for everything, I picked up a 10 pound bag of Russets. One thing is for sure, you can save a lot of money by following her recipe, because the Russets cost $3 for 10 pounds and Yukon Golds would have been about $1/pound. We both agreed that they should be peeled, washed, quartered, put in a pan, covered with salted water (1.5 t.salt/quart of water) and then brought to a boil. She recommends boiling them for 15 minutes and I tasted them at that point and determined that they needed another 3 minutes. Normally I would have boiled them for about 25 minutes, until they were exceedingly soft, but this is her cookbook, so I let her make the decision. But it was wrong.
After draining she suggests her students return them to the pan and place them back on the burner for a minute to dry them out. Following that I put them into the mixer and began beating them with the wire whip attachment. Since I was only using about 4 pounds of potatoes I added 1/2 cup of heated milk and 2 T. of butter while they were mixing. But despite 10 minutes of mixing they were still a bit lumpy. This would not have been the case if they had boiled 25 minutes, instead of 18.
To make the 'mashed potatoes' into 'garlic mashed potatoes' you must peel an entire head of garlic and simmer the cloves in 1/2 cup of cream for at least 10 minutes. Then puree it in the blender and add the entire mixture to the potatoes while they are still in the mixer.
The result has a garlic aroma and a vague garlic flavor which is both delicate and delicious. If you prefer a more dynamic garlic presence you might want to use 1.5 to 2 heads of garlic.
The Bottom Line
Garlic Mashed Potatoes-Thumbs Up
Sunday, November 22, 2009
I'm Not Sure About These Asparagus
I wasn't going to make a Julia today. But we were having asparagus anyway, and she has a master entitled 'Plain Boiled Asparagus', so I decided to get it out of the way. Obviously my attitude could use a little work.
My friend Pam introduced me to baked asparagus a while back and they are totally delicious. Just line them up on a cookie sheet in a single layer, not touching each other, dribble on a little olive oil and salt and bake them at 450 degrees for about 8 minutes. So that was what I really wanted to make, and who would ever want to make something that had "Plain Boiled" in the title anyway?
There are two things that set her "Plain Boiled" apart from anyone else's. First she considers it a waste to bend them until they break and then throw away the 'butt' end (her word not mine). And second, she makes you peel the stems, which really made me wish that I had bought fat asparagus instead of a bunch that could almost have passed for green beans. But other than that, she just has you drop them into boiling salted water for 4-5 minutes. Make sure they are done by tasting one to confirm that it is just barely cooked through and still possesses a crunch. Then dress them up with a sauce or butter.
But in order to find this a wonderful preparation you would have to like your vegetables crunchy, and I prefer them soft.
The Bottom Line
Plain Boiled Asparagus-Thumbs Down
My friend Pam introduced me to baked asparagus a while back and they are totally delicious. Just line them up on a cookie sheet in a single layer, not touching each other, dribble on a little olive oil and salt and bake them at 450 degrees for about 8 minutes. So that was what I really wanted to make, and who would ever want to make something that had "Plain Boiled" in the title anyway?
There are two things that set her "Plain Boiled" apart from anyone else's. First she considers it a waste to bend them until they break and then throw away the 'butt' end (her word not mine). And second, she makes you peel the stems, which really made me wish that I had bought fat asparagus instead of a bunch that could almost have passed for green beans. But other than that, she just has you drop them into boiling salted water for 4-5 minutes. Make sure they are done by tasting one to confirm that it is just barely cooked through and still possesses a crunch. Then dress them up with a sauce or butter.
But in order to find this a wonderful preparation you would have to like your vegetables crunchy, and I prefer them soft.
The Bottom Line
Plain Boiled Asparagus-Thumbs Down
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
The Rest of Second Wednesday
Besides our totally delicious Roast Leg of Pork we also dined on Blanched Brussels Sprouts and Roasted Red Potatoes.
There was considerable trepidation when it came to the Brussels Sprouts. The Smart family felt they could share one between the four of them. Several of my family members stated unequivically that it would be over my dead body that one of 'those' crossed their lips. Undaunted I purchased two giant stalks of them. They come either in little bags of about 25 or these foot and a half long stalks with about a hundred on them. Since everybody was so sure they were going to hate them I figured I had better be prepared with extra because they would probably just love them.
That didn't exactly happen. Those who already loved them thought they were the best they had ever eaten and those who knew they would hate them did.
Julia's recipe is pretty simple. Make sure you buy them when they are fresh as evidenced by their being both firm and bright green. Prepare them by trimming the stems, removing any wilted or loose leaves and puncturing the ends of the stems with a cross about 3/8" deep. Then plunge them into at least 6 quarts rapidly boiling salted water (1.5 t. salt per quart of water) and boil uncovered at least 4 minutes. At 4 minutes take one out, cut it open and taste for doneness. It should be easily pierced by the knife and tender but not overly soft when eaten. Mine took about 6 minutes to get there. At this point she makes them wonderful by folding them into several tablespoons of melted butter.
My family's Roasted Red Potatoes can actually be made with either white or red potatoes as long as they are the little ones. Wash them and remove any unsavory spots and cut the larger ones in half so that the pieces are all approximately the same size. Put them into a baking dish and add enough olive oil that all the potatoes are coated with it. Then liberally sprinkle them with Johnny's Seasoning Salt and bake at 350 degrees for an hour. I guarantee you'll love em.
The Bottom Line:
Blanched Brussels Sprouts-Thumbs Up
Roasted Red Potatoes-Thumbs Up
There was considerable trepidation when it came to the Brussels Sprouts. The Smart family felt they could share one between the four of them. Several of my family members stated unequivically that it would be over my dead body that one of 'those' crossed their lips. Undaunted I purchased two giant stalks of them. They come either in little bags of about 25 or these foot and a half long stalks with about a hundred on them. Since everybody was so sure they were going to hate them I figured I had better be prepared with extra because they would probably just love them.
That didn't exactly happen. Those who already loved them thought they were the best they had ever eaten and those who knew they would hate them did.
Julia's recipe is pretty simple. Make sure you buy them when they are fresh as evidenced by their being both firm and bright green. Prepare them by trimming the stems, removing any wilted or loose leaves and puncturing the ends of the stems with a cross about 3/8" deep. Then plunge them into at least 6 quarts rapidly boiling salted water (1.5 t. salt per quart of water) and boil uncovered at least 4 minutes. At 4 minutes take one out, cut it open and taste for doneness. It should be easily pierced by the knife and tender but not overly soft when eaten. Mine took about 6 minutes to get there. At this point she makes them wonderful by folding them into several tablespoons of melted butter.
My family's Roasted Red Potatoes can actually be made with either white or red potatoes as long as they are the little ones. Wash them and remove any unsavory spots and cut the larger ones in half so that the pieces are all approximately the same size. Put them into a baking dish and add enough olive oil that all the potatoes are coated with it. Then liberally sprinkle them with Johnny's Seasoning Salt and bake at 350 degrees for an hour. I guarantee you'll love em.
The Bottom Line:
Blanched Brussels Sprouts-Thumbs Up
Roasted Red Potatoes-Thumbs Up
Who Ever Heard of Fresh Ham?
I mean, if it isn't fresh then what is it? It turns out that almost all pork legs are cured and become what we refer to as hams. But if they are not cured, they are still hams, and in that case they are 'fresh'. However don't plan on just picking one up at the grocery store the next time you're there, because they need to be ordered ahead and they are not small. Mine was 20 pounds, which at $1.59/lb. was more than a turkey would have cost, but much less than many other main courses I have purchased-and this one could have easily fed an army.
This dish needs to start two days before you eat. That is when you make the 'rub' and rub it all over your leg. My rub, which was Julia's rub, consisted of 1/4 c. of salt, 1 t. fresh ground pepper, and 1/4 t. each of paprika, sage, thyme and allspice. After rubbing, place the leg in a closed plastic bag and refrigerate until ready to bake.
When the big day finally arrives brush the leg with vegetable oil, set it on the rack in a roasting pan and put it into a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, basting every 5 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and cover the leg with an 8" x 10" piece of pig fat or an equivalent amount of thick sliced bacon that you have blanched for 10 minutes. After 2.5 hours add a chopped carrot, a chopped onion and 5 cloves of garlic to the pan and make sure you baste the entire leg with the accumulated pan drippings every 20 minutes until done. Julia says that should be in about 22-25 minutes per pound. In my case that would be at least 440 minutes or 7+ hours. Dinner is planned for 7:30, so I put him in at 11:15 which should get him out of the oven at between 6:15 and 7:00, which should allow plenty of time for him to 'rest' for a half hour and me to make the sauce.
She recommends letting him cook until he reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees and directs us to begin taking his temperature after 3 hours. At 3 hours he was at 140 degrees and by the time he had been cooking for 4 hours he was done. After I got done with my heart attack I read her 'ahead of time note' which says we can keep him warm in an 120 degree oven for up to an hour before serving. In this case I kept him warm for 3 hours and he was still delicious. Not dry, not over- done, just great.
To make the sauce she requires us to brown the bones with some carrots and onions in peanut oil. But my bones were still in my pig and my butcher didn't have any to sell, so I bought 2 pounds of pork ribs, certainly not the most economical method, but at least it worked. After browning I whisked in a little flour, 3 cups of chicken broth, 2 cups of port wine, 2 stalks of celery, 2 seeded, peeled and chopped tomatoes, and an herb bouquet consisting of fresh rosemary, bay, sage and thyme, and allowed it all to simmer for 3 hours. After simmering, all the vegetables, bones and meat are strained out of the sauce. In addition, after removing the leg from the roasting pan the juices are poured into a fat separator and after separating the non-fat juices poured into the sauce. Then I added half a cup of port wine to the roasting pan, put it on a burner set to medium and allowed to cook for a few minutes to loosen the stuck on bits in the bottom of the pan and added that to the sauce as well. It is ladled onto the sliced pork after plating.
As is frequent with Julia's recipes, this one is a bit fussy, but the end result was wonderful.
The Bottom Line:
Roast Leg of Pork-Thumbs Up
This dish needs to start two days before you eat. That is when you make the 'rub' and rub it all over your leg. My rub, which was Julia's rub, consisted of 1/4 c. of salt, 1 t. fresh ground pepper, and 1/4 t. each of paprika, sage, thyme and allspice. After rubbing, place the leg in a closed plastic bag and refrigerate until ready to bake.
When the big day finally arrives brush the leg with vegetable oil, set it on the rack in a roasting pan and put it into a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, basting every 5 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and cover the leg with an 8" x 10" piece of pig fat or an equivalent amount of thick sliced bacon that you have blanched for 10 minutes. After 2.5 hours add a chopped carrot, a chopped onion and 5 cloves of garlic to the pan and make sure you baste the entire leg with the accumulated pan drippings every 20 minutes until done. Julia says that should be in about 22-25 minutes per pound. In my case that would be at least 440 minutes or 7+ hours. Dinner is planned for 7:30, so I put him in at 11:15 which should get him out of the oven at between 6:15 and 7:00, which should allow plenty of time for him to 'rest' for a half hour and me to make the sauce.
She recommends letting him cook until he reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees and directs us to begin taking his temperature after 3 hours. At 3 hours he was at 140 degrees and by the time he had been cooking for 4 hours he was done. After I got done with my heart attack I read her 'ahead of time note' which says we can keep him warm in an 120 degree oven for up to an hour before serving. In this case I kept him warm for 3 hours and he was still delicious. Not dry, not over- done, just great.
To make the sauce she requires us to brown the bones with some carrots and onions in peanut oil. But my bones were still in my pig and my butcher didn't have any to sell, so I bought 2 pounds of pork ribs, certainly not the most economical method, but at least it worked. After browning I whisked in a little flour, 3 cups of chicken broth, 2 cups of port wine, 2 stalks of celery, 2 seeded, peeled and chopped tomatoes, and an herb bouquet consisting of fresh rosemary, bay, sage and thyme, and allowed it all to simmer for 3 hours. After simmering, all the vegetables, bones and meat are strained out of the sauce. In addition, after removing the leg from the roasting pan the juices are poured into a fat separator and after separating the non-fat juices poured into the sauce. Then I added half a cup of port wine to the roasting pan, put it on a burner set to medium and allowed to cook for a few minutes to loosen the stuck on bits in the bottom of the pan and added that to the sauce as well. It is ladled onto the sliced pork after plating.
As is frequent with Julia's recipes, this one is a bit fussy, but the end result was wonderful.
The Bottom Line:
Roast Leg of Pork-Thumbs Up
Sunday, November 15, 2009
My Dad Turns 82 and His Birthday Cake Sucks
Geniose. That's the name of the cake I advise you never to try. Apparently its name means it originated in Genoa, so no wonder Columbus went looking for new turf.
The interesting thing about the Geniose is that it does not use any leavening agent. Instead the baker first whisks 4 large eggs with 1/2 cup sugar and 1 t. vanilla over a pot of almost simmering water until it is frothy and warm to the touch. Then begin beating with a mixer at moderatly high speed for 8 to 10 minutes until the mixture triples in volume. I was very worried about this step but it happened just as Julia had predicted. Next begin sifting in the flour, which is a combination of 1/2 c. cake and 1/3 c. all-purpose flour. The trick here is to sift a bit in, and ever-so-gently fold it into the egg-sugar batter without deflating it, and then repeat until all the flour is incorporated into the batter. The final step is folding a bit of the batter into 6 T. clarified butter and then returning the butter-batter into the main mixture, again without reducing the volume. While it appeared to be in the extremely tricky category it went off without a hitch and came out of the oven just perfectly. That is, unless you count eating.
But I didn't know about that yet. Instead I plowed right ahead with the Italian Meringue frosting. A meringue is made by beating egg whites, first a slow speed until they foam, adding a bit of cream of tarter and salt, and then continuing to beat at high speed until they form soft peaks. The harder part of this recipe, making the sugar syrup, involves combining sugar and water and boiling them to the soft ball stage. I rely on both my candy thermometer and the practical test (dropping a drip into a glass of water to see if it puddles into a 'soft ball' on the bottom)to confirm that my syrup has reached the proper state. When it has, remove it from the heat and begin dribbling it into the egg whites while beating them at fairly high speed. You are done when the syrup has been totally incorporated into the egg whites and they are both glossy and standing tall.
Julia says that French cakes are single layer, so I doubled the recipes to make a more standard American cake. Then I cut both layers in two and discarded one, to make a 3-layer cake. To assemble the cake I took the first layer, dripped a tablespoon of embibing syrup (made by boiling a few tablespoons of rum with 1/4 c of sugar and 3/4 c of water), added a huge dollop of meringue, followed that with another layer, syrup, dollop and a layer of blackberry jam, and finally the last layer with just syrup and meringue.
It did look good. At least it looked good when it left my house, but 4 hours later when we were eating it the frosting had lost its edge and the whole thing was looking a bit dilapidated. But that was the least of its problems. Because in addition to looking past its prime it was dry, coarse and tasteless.
So I searched the internet to see if other bakers were making this cake with similar results. And they were. Some were having technical problems, which I did not, but pretty universally people say it is a lousy cake. Some had tried it with all cake flour, which I had considered, but they said the results were the same. This cake may well have been what Marie Antionette was referring to.
The Bottom Line:
Genoise Cake-Thumbs Down
The interesting thing about the Geniose is that it does not use any leavening agent. Instead the baker first whisks 4 large eggs with 1/2 cup sugar and 1 t. vanilla over a pot of almost simmering water until it is frothy and warm to the touch. Then begin beating with a mixer at moderatly high speed for 8 to 10 minutes until the mixture triples in volume. I was very worried about this step but it happened just as Julia had predicted. Next begin sifting in the flour, which is a combination of 1/2 c. cake and 1/3 c. all-purpose flour. The trick here is to sift a bit in, and ever-so-gently fold it into the egg-sugar batter without deflating it, and then repeat until all the flour is incorporated into the batter. The final step is folding a bit of the batter into 6 T. clarified butter and then returning the butter-batter into the main mixture, again without reducing the volume. While it appeared to be in the extremely tricky category it went off without a hitch and came out of the oven just perfectly. That is, unless you count eating.
But I didn't know about that yet. Instead I plowed right ahead with the Italian Meringue frosting. A meringue is made by beating egg whites, first a slow speed until they foam, adding a bit of cream of tarter and salt, and then continuing to beat at high speed until they form soft peaks. The harder part of this recipe, making the sugar syrup, involves combining sugar and water and boiling them to the soft ball stage. I rely on both my candy thermometer and the practical test (dropping a drip into a glass of water to see if it puddles into a 'soft ball' on the bottom)to confirm that my syrup has reached the proper state. When it has, remove it from the heat and begin dribbling it into the egg whites while beating them at fairly high speed. You are done when the syrup has been totally incorporated into the egg whites and they are both glossy and standing tall.
Julia says that French cakes are single layer, so I doubled the recipes to make a more standard American cake. Then I cut both layers in two and discarded one, to make a 3-layer cake. To assemble the cake I took the first layer, dripped a tablespoon of embibing syrup (made by boiling a few tablespoons of rum with 1/4 c of sugar and 3/4 c of water), added a huge dollop of meringue, followed that with another layer, syrup, dollop and a layer of blackberry jam, and finally the last layer with just syrup and meringue.
It did look good. At least it looked good when it left my house, but 4 hours later when we were eating it the frosting had lost its edge and the whole thing was looking a bit dilapidated. But that was the least of its problems. Because in addition to looking past its prime it was dry, coarse and tasteless.
So I searched the internet to see if other bakers were making this cake with similar results. And they were. Some were having technical problems, which I did not, but pretty universally people say it is a lousy cake. Some had tried it with all cake flour, which I had considered, but they said the results were the same. This cake may well have been what Marie Antionette was referring to.
The Bottom Line:
Genoise Cake-Thumbs Down
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
The McGillicuttys Try Another Julia
When cooking a Major Julia organization is essential. The McGillicuttys visited for our first Tuesday meeting again last week and Mrs. McG was still dieting. But Julia rose to the occasion and dinner was an all-thumbs-up extravaganza. The menu was Chicken Soup, Broiled Fish Steaks with Lemon Butter Sauce, Cole Slaw, Wild Rice with Mirapoix, Pots of Berries for dessert and many bottles of wine to encourage the creative juices.
The broiled fish steaks began a couple of months ago in northern California when my friend Pam bought a number of tunafish from a fisherman while he was still on the boat. She began canning, hundreds of cans later she was despairing, and eventually dragged several bags of fillets over to my house with the warning that they needed to be cooked or frozen that day. Cooking was out of the question so into the freezer they went until a week ago when she called to warn me that the freezing time was running out too, and I had better get to cooking.
Julia advocates trimming everything but the most pristine looking parts of the fish, which in this case, since the tuna had been frozen for a couple of months, was quite a bit. Then rub it with olive oil, salt lightly, and put it in a casserole with 1/8 inch of French vermouth. Broil it 2" below the element for 2 minutes, slather on some butter, and continue broiling for a few more minutes, being careful to remove it from the heat when it is cooked through but still springy and juicy.
To make the Lemon Butter Sauce add the juice of 1/2 lemon to the casserole after removing the fish. Scrape up all the fish bits that are stuck to the casserole, transfer the whole lot to a saucepan and boil it down until it is syrupy. Then begin adding cold unsalted butter, a tablespoon at time, and whisking them into the broth. When 4 tablespoons are incorporated into the broth remove from the heat, taste and season if necessary, pour over the fish and serve.
I made the mirepoix by frying 2 pieces of bacon, removing the meat and sauteing 1/2 cup each finely diced carrots, onion and celery (as always only the tender inner stalks) in the rendered fat, then dicing the reserved bacon and adding that too. I firmly believe that everything but ice cream is improved by adding a few pieces of bacon. Julia's recipe doesn't call for it, but I recommend you add it anyway.
While you are making the mirepoix simmer 1.5 cups wild rice in 3 cups of water for 15minutes and drain. One half hour before you are ready to serve add 1/3 cup French vermouth and the blanched wild rice to the mirepoix. Let it boil for a minute and then add enough chicken stock to cover the rice by 1/4" and simmer covered for about 15 minutes. As always, taste your product and if it needs a little more liquid to soften it, salt to season it, or butter to make it more heavenly, then add them.
The Pots of Berries is my own invention and an easier and more delightful dish would be hard to imagine. You may use any combination of raspberries, blackberries, blueberries or strawberries and they may be either fresh or frozen. Begin by gently simmering the berries, uncovered, until they are reduced by about a third. Then add 1.5 T sugar (or to taste) and 1 T tapioca and continue to simmer for another minute or so. I then pour the mixture into 1/2 cup ramekins and chill. When serving I usually pass a can of spray whipped cream and everyone tries to see who can get the most impressive mound on their 'pot'. Whipped cream is like bacon and butter, they almost always improve whatever you add them to.
The Bottom Line
Broiled Fish Steaks-Thumbs Up
Wild Rice with Mirepoix-Thumbs Up
Pots of Berries-Thumbs Up
Chicken Soup-Thumbs Up (see 11/6/9 posting)
Cole Slaw-Thumbs Up (see 11/9/9 posting)
The broiled fish steaks began a couple of months ago in northern California when my friend Pam bought a number of tunafish from a fisherman while he was still on the boat. She began canning, hundreds of cans later she was despairing, and eventually dragged several bags of fillets over to my house with the warning that they needed to be cooked or frozen that day. Cooking was out of the question so into the freezer they went until a week ago when she called to warn me that the freezing time was running out too, and I had better get to cooking.
Julia advocates trimming everything but the most pristine looking parts of the fish, which in this case, since the tuna had been frozen for a couple of months, was quite a bit. Then rub it with olive oil, salt lightly, and put it in a casserole with 1/8 inch of French vermouth. Broil it 2" below the element for 2 minutes, slather on some butter, and continue broiling for a few more minutes, being careful to remove it from the heat when it is cooked through but still springy and juicy.
To make the Lemon Butter Sauce add the juice of 1/2 lemon to the casserole after removing the fish. Scrape up all the fish bits that are stuck to the casserole, transfer the whole lot to a saucepan and boil it down until it is syrupy. Then begin adding cold unsalted butter, a tablespoon at time, and whisking them into the broth. When 4 tablespoons are incorporated into the broth remove from the heat, taste and season if necessary, pour over the fish and serve.
I made the mirepoix by frying 2 pieces of bacon, removing the meat and sauteing 1/2 cup each finely diced carrots, onion and celery (as always only the tender inner stalks) in the rendered fat, then dicing the reserved bacon and adding that too. I firmly believe that everything but ice cream is improved by adding a few pieces of bacon. Julia's recipe doesn't call for it, but I recommend you add it anyway.
While you are making the mirepoix simmer 1.5 cups wild rice in 3 cups of water for 15minutes and drain. One half hour before you are ready to serve add 1/3 cup French vermouth and the blanched wild rice to the mirepoix. Let it boil for a minute and then add enough chicken stock to cover the rice by 1/4" and simmer covered for about 15 minutes. As always, taste your product and if it needs a little more liquid to soften it, salt to season it, or butter to make it more heavenly, then add them.
The Pots of Berries is my own invention and an easier and more delightful dish would be hard to imagine. You may use any combination of raspberries, blackberries, blueberries or strawberries and they may be either fresh or frozen. Begin by gently simmering the berries, uncovered, until they are reduced by about a third. Then add 1.5 T sugar (or to taste) and 1 T tapioca and continue to simmer for another minute or so. I then pour the mixture into 1/2 cup ramekins and chill. When serving I usually pass a can of spray whipped cream and everyone tries to see who can get the most impressive mound on their 'pot'. Whipped cream is like bacon and butter, they almost always improve whatever you add them to.
The Bottom Line
Broiled Fish Steaks-Thumbs Up
Wild Rice with Mirepoix-Thumbs Up
Pots of Berries-Thumbs Up
Chicken Soup-Thumbs Up (see 11/6/9 posting)
Cole Slaw-Thumbs Up (see 11/9/9 posting)
Monday, November 9, 2009
Super Slaw
It is hard believe that Julia actually has a master recipe for Cole Slaw, then I guess she also has one for boiled rice, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised. But while her boiled rice was right off the rice box, her cole slaw is breaking new ground.
Not only does it include the traditional shredded cabbage, but also a smattering of celery, carrots, scallions, bell pepper, cucumber, parsley and apple. My traditional slaw also includes a grated apple, so I wasn't too surprised by that, but the rest of the vegetables had never been a part of any cole slaw that I had ever eaten. But the celery was only the inner most tender stalks, the cucumber was peeled and seeded, then they were all properly diced and sliced by my new best friend, Mr. Kitchen Aid Food Processor, and the end result was non-traditional but good.
However, when it came to the dressing I think she went too far. She has a 'preliminary flavoring' consisting of mustard, vinegar, salt, sugar, celery seeds and cumin seeds that you mix with the vegetables and then let stand for at least 1/2 hour. This allows the cabbage, etc to 'exude' moisture that you drain off prior to adding the other dressing, made from mayonnaise and sour cream. The delay meant that The Main Eater and I were having cole slaw for dessert. Actually we were alright with that, but those cumin and celery seeds were a deal breaker for us, so we decided to give it another try the next night without the seeds.
Way better. Julia also recommends not mixing the mayo/sour cream dressing into the cole slaw and instead serving it on the side so that those who are watching their calories can still partake. I didn't think that worked too well as it is somewhat thick for easily mixing on your plate, but hallelujah, it tasted better without it anyway. So ditch the seeds, the mayo and the sour cream and eat up. It has the trifecta: good, good for you, and low in calories.
The Bottom Line
Cole Slaw-Thumbs Up
Not only does it include the traditional shredded cabbage, but also a smattering of celery, carrots, scallions, bell pepper, cucumber, parsley and apple. My traditional slaw also includes a grated apple, so I wasn't too surprised by that, but the rest of the vegetables had never been a part of any cole slaw that I had ever eaten. But the celery was only the inner most tender stalks, the cucumber was peeled and seeded, then they were all properly diced and sliced by my new best friend, Mr. Kitchen Aid Food Processor, and the end result was non-traditional but good.
However, when it came to the dressing I think she went too far. She has a 'preliminary flavoring' consisting of mustard, vinegar, salt, sugar, celery seeds and cumin seeds that you mix with the vegetables and then let stand for at least 1/2 hour. This allows the cabbage, etc to 'exude' moisture that you drain off prior to adding the other dressing, made from mayonnaise and sour cream. The delay meant that The Main Eater and I were having cole slaw for dessert. Actually we were alright with that, but those cumin and celery seeds were a deal breaker for us, so we decided to give it another try the next night without the seeds.
Way better. Julia also recommends not mixing the mayo/sour cream dressing into the cole slaw and instead serving it on the side so that those who are watching their calories can still partake. I didn't think that worked too well as it is somewhat thick for easily mixing on your plate, but hallelujah, it tasted better without it anyway. So ditch the seeds, the mayo and the sour cream and eat up. It has the trifecta: good, good for you, and low in calories.
The Bottom Line
Cole Slaw-Thumbs Up
Friday, November 6, 2009
The Art of Simplicity
As I have mentioned in past postings, Julia and I come from different sides of the ocean when it comes to soup. Hers are light with an emphasis on the broth and accompanied by no more than a smattering of vegetables. They are meant to be an introduction to a meal, not the meal itself. I, on the other hand, usually feel that if I am going to the trouble to make a soup that has required more than a little time and effort to prepare it, that it deserves top billing, and should not be trivialized as a 'starter'. But I may be coming around to her way of thinking.
A few days ago I tried her Chicken Broth. It is actually the very first recipe in her book, so it has called to me many times over the past few months. She directs her reader to get 2 quarts of cooked and/or raw chicken meat, bones and scraps, put them into a 3 quart saucepan (I would use a bigger pan), cover with water plus one inch, add 2 tsp. of salt and, optionally 1/2 cup each chopped onion, carrot, celery and 8 stems of parsley. She also directs us to chop up the bones, which is much easier with chicken bones than with those lamb bones. And just as she did with the scotch broth she has us skim the scum off as it rises to the surface for a few minutes and then sit back and relax while it simmers for 1.5 hours. When it is done simmering strain it through a sieve and put it in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight so the grease can rise to the surface, harden and be easily plucked off before using the broth.
And using the broth is easy. If your soup requires more meat than you salvaged after straining the broth add chicken breast to the stock and simmer until it is done, shred it, and return it to the broth. Then add 1 cup each finely diced onion, carrot, the white part of a leek, the innermost tender celery stalks, and 1/2 cup French or Italian vermouth. Simmer for 4 - 6 minutes, then remove it from the heat and let it steep for at least 20 minutes before serving. As always, taste and correct the seasoning before serving.
The Bottom Line
Chicken Broth-Thumbs Up
A few days ago I tried her Chicken Broth. It is actually the very first recipe in her book, so it has called to me many times over the past few months. She directs her reader to get 2 quarts of cooked and/or raw chicken meat, bones and scraps, put them into a 3 quart saucepan (I would use a bigger pan), cover with water plus one inch, add 2 tsp. of salt and, optionally 1/2 cup each chopped onion, carrot, celery and 8 stems of parsley. She also directs us to chop up the bones, which is much easier with chicken bones than with those lamb bones. And just as she did with the scotch broth she has us skim the scum off as it rises to the surface for a few minutes and then sit back and relax while it simmers for 1.5 hours. When it is done simmering strain it through a sieve and put it in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight so the grease can rise to the surface, harden and be easily plucked off before using the broth.
And using the broth is easy. If your soup requires more meat than you salvaged after straining the broth add chicken breast to the stock and simmer until it is done, shred it, and return it to the broth. Then add 1 cup each finely diced onion, carrot, the white part of a leek, the innermost tender celery stalks, and 1/2 cup French or Italian vermouth. Simmer for 4 - 6 minutes, then remove it from the heat and let it steep for at least 20 minutes before serving. As always, taste and correct the seasoning before serving.
The Bottom Line
Chicken Broth-Thumbs Up
Sunday, November 1, 2009
The Final Leg for the Leg of Lamb Is-
Scotch Broth. Julia actually specifies using raw lamb bones for her broth, but I had the remains from the roast of a couple of weeks ago, so I hoped that I could count the first few steps as having been completed during the roasting that I had done then. Which brought me to the simmering phase.
She directed me to cover the bones plus an inch with water, bring to a boil and stand at the ready to skim off the accumulated scum. This is an assignment she regularly gives her students, but I always take offense to the idea that my broth could be producing scum. I assume that she must be refering to the wisps of foam that form, which are definitely not scum, but nevertheless I dutifully skim them off. When they stop forming I add some chopped celery and garlic plus some rosemary and bay leaf and let it simmer for about four hours. At that point it is strained and refrigerated over night to allow the fat to rise to the surface and harden for easy removal.
The next day I added a half cup each of barley and chopped onion and chopped carrots and simmered for an additional 15 minutes. The recipe also called for adding a cup of fresh tomato pulp just before serving (made by dropping a fresh tomato in boiling water for 10 seconds, peeling it, gently squeezing out the juice and seeds, and then dicing the remainder) and as always reminded me to correct the seasoning.
After much correcting I finally realized that there was not enough seasoning in the world to give this broth a worthy flavor.
The Bottom Line:
Scotch Broth-Thumbs Down
She directed me to cover the bones plus an inch with water, bring to a boil and stand at the ready to skim off the accumulated scum. This is an assignment she regularly gives her students, but I always take offense to the idea that my broth could be producing scum. I assume that she must be refering to the wisps of foam that form, which are definitely not scum, but nevertheless I dutifully skim them off. When they stop forming I add some chopped celery and garlic plus some rosemary and bay leaf and let it simmer for about four hours. At that point it is strained and refrigerated over night to allow the fat to rise to the surface and harden for easy removal.
The next day I added a half cup each of barley and chopped onion and chopped carrots and simmered for an additional 15 minutes. The recipe also called for adding a cup of fresh tomato pulp just before serving (made by dropping a fresh tomato in boiling water for 10 seconds, peeling it, gently squeezing out the juice and seeds, and then dicing the remainder) and as always reminded me to correct the seasoning.
After much correcting I finally realized that there was not enough seasoning in the world to give this broth a worthy flavor.
The Bottom Line:
Scotch Broth-Thumbs Down
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