Olé

Posted on January 8, 2012 by marigold

Monks clothing is (or was) dyed with it and Cleopatra reportedly bathed in water containing it. It used to be made into teas to relive “melancholy ” and, in ancient Persia, was woven into tapestries. It is saffron, which has always been expensive because it takes a harvest of fifty to seventy five thousand flowers to end up with one pound of dry saffron.  Only the stigma of the plant, the saffron crocus, is used;

Saffron Crocus

it is hand-harvested and there are only three stigmas per flower.  Saffron is available either as threads or as powder and is often adulterated with beets, pomegranete juice,  tumeric  or paprika which is why consumers are advised to buy the threads. I buy it in either form and have probably bought the bad stuff from time to time because the smell is so subtle I can’t discern it.

dried saffron threads

Saffron imparts a yellow color to dishes. It’s used in kulfi , (Indian ice cream), arroz con pollo, bouillabaisse, mayonnaise, and many other soups, stews  and rice dishes. We had friends who were excellent cooks but poor planners, often starting to make dinner at 11 pm. By then the guests had been drinking for hours and were thinking of bed, not food.  Once our friends made paella that arrived on the table well after midnight. We did not stay for dessert that probably turned up about 2 in the morning.

My paella recipe was given to me by a friend’s husband. It’s easier than it seems  because a lot of the work can be done ahead.

 

Paella

Note: No need to get fussy and insist on a paella pan. I use a large round enameled metal pan with a wide open top that works perfectly.

About 3 T olive oil

1 ½ – 2 lbs chicken pieces, skinless with bone in.  (Thighs, half-breast cut into two pieces work well)

6 cups cooked rice (I use Uncle Ben’s) cooked according to package directions. Substitute chicken broth for the water. Do not add butter or salt.

Saffron – if using threads, dissolve in about 1 T hot water.

1 package frozen peas

2 roasted red peppers cut in strips. Use a good quality brand from a jar.

1 lb. chorizo (you can substitute kielbasa but chorizo is the traditional sausage). Cut into ½ inch chunks.

1 lb fresh mussels washed and debearded

One dozen fresh clams, (Littlenecks or cockles,) rinsed

1 lb raw shrimp cooked just so they turn pink

Brown the chicken all over in the olive oil. (This can be done a day ahead and the chicken reheated before going into the paella pan.)

Make the rice (can be done ahead the day you plan to serve the dish. Add the saffron (a pinch should do it. Just mix the powder or dissolved threads into the warm rice.) Put into paella pan (see note about pan.)

Defrost the peas (undercook) and add to the mixture.

Add the roasted red peppers and the chorizo and mix it together. Shortly before serving, add the mussels, clams and cooked shrimp. If the rice seems dry, add a few tablespoons of chicken broth and fluff.

Cover with foil and warm in a 300 oven for about 40 minutes. When chicken and rice are hot to the touch, it’s ready. Unleash your inner food stylist and position some of the shellfish on top.  Put a rose in your teeth and serve.

 

 

 

 

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Here a Squinch, There a Squinch

Posted on January 3, 2012 by marigold

Squinch

Metropolitan Museum of Art, I have a bone to pick with you.  You are one of the greatest institutions in the City, to say nothing of the world, but sometimes you go a little too far. Last week I braved the crowds to see the new Islamic galleries. Overall, they are a marvel, full of exquisite works ranging from carpets to armor to miniature paintings.  The galleries are so huge, it’s impossible to see all the works in one go so I wandered around letting my eyes rest on whatever items caught them and then moving on.  Rounding a corner, I came upon the above with a label that read ” Squinch.” That’s it. Just squinch,  Honestly folks, I defy anyone who isn’t an art historian or Middle East expert to know what a squinch is (Grinch yes, squinch no.) Might the museum have added a few lines explaining that a squinch is an architectural form that fills the upper angles of a square room to form a base on which to place an octagonal or spherical dome? Not explaining this is like tossing out a specialized culinary term, i.e., “first use a larding needle” to someone whose idea of cooking is confined to making coffee.

larding needle

Since I’m ranting (with apologies since this is my first post of 2012), here’s my issue with oenophiles who talk about wine in terms of “hints of butterscotch” or “back notes of currant.”  I’ve been to wine tastings where the air of pretension overshadowed the wines themselves.  In-speak is fine when talking to peers but please spare the rest of us who are simply looking at a museum display or tasting Malbecs from Argentina.

Enough peevishness. I’m grateful that visiting the Met is relatively easy since it’s wonderful to have this resource in my neighborhood, allowing me to drop in when I can. Enjoy the fantastic floral arrangements in the Great Hall and stop in at the new

Great Hall, Metropolitan Museum of Art

 

galleries to check out this wonderful incense burner shaped like a lion with spaces through which the incense was diffused.

head of incense burner

Also check out the incredible carpets. My dining room has a very old Tabriz rug, not in a league with the rugs in the Met but loveable anyway, especially as the design masks all the stains from food that has hit the floor over years of dinner parties and kids.

Most recently, it survived a meal of spinach and mushroom lasagna which was accompanied very simply by a green salad, cheese and bread.

Here’s the recipe with no insistence on purchasing ingredients that can only be obtained on Malta or  on using only noodles hand-rolled by a particular Italian  housewife in an obscure village in the Marches.

Spinach and Mushroom Lasagne

Spinach and Mushroom Lasagne

10 oz frozen, chopped spinach

15 oz ricotta cheese

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 lb mozzarella cheese chopped fine or grated

1-2 cloves garlic put through garlic press

1/2 lb mushrooms, washed and sliced (freeze stems for another use)

Lasagne noodles

AND sauce

2 c milk

1/4 c butter plus a little more to cook mushrooms in and to grease pan

1/4 c flour

scant 1/4 c chicken broth

Salt and pepper

(Full disclosure: you can substitute a jar of Alfredo sauce with perfectly fine results.)

Make sauce: in saucepan over medium heat, put in butter and melt it. Add the flour and a dash of salt, stir to combine well. Add milk a little at a time stirring constantly to it gets added in. Add chicken broth bit by bit. Sauce consistency should be medium thick.

Cook mushrooms in about 1 t butter. Microwave spinach 4 minutes. Drain well squezing out as much water as possible. Mix spinach with ricotta, season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Grease a lasagna pan with butter. Boil lasagne noodles according to package directions.

Put a layer of sauce on bottom of greased pan. Cover with a layer of noodles. Add spinach/ricotta mixture on top in glops that you smooth out with a wooden spoon.

Cover with a layer of mushrooms. Sprinkle with some mozzarella and then some Parmesan.

Repeat all the layers twice if you have enough ingredients, ending with a layer of mozzarella and Parmesan.

Bake in 350 oven for about forty minutes. If made ahead and frozen, allow about 12 hours to defrost before covering top with foil and reheating until it bubbles.

No squinch, no larding needle, just a nice meal to enjoy in the cold weather.

 

 

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The Ultra-Decked Halls

Posted on December 27, 2011 by marigold

Occupy the North Pole gingerbread figures

 

Several family members and I went to see the Gingerbread Houses at Le Parker Meridien Hotel this year for their second showing. Last year more bakeries were represented and overall, the quality was a tad higher. Picky, picky. This year’s Occupy the North Pole creation was wonderful as the figures above show and I also liked  “My Type” although,

My Type

 

as my daughter observed, it’s not gingerbread but fondant and she felt it shouldn’t count.  Guess Le PM thought otherwise.

However, this year’s best were terrific and we are each hoping that ours is the winning ticket to the Le PM in Palm Springs. We left exclaiming, “when mine is the selected number, I’ll send you a postcard.”

Our next stop was at the Bergdorf Goodman windows that I’d already seen but could happily spend several more hours viewing. One window is almost entirely crafted in wood; one in paper;

Paper zebra at Berdoft Goodman

one in ceramic tile and one (my personal fave) in fabric including knitted horns on a mountain goat and a passementerie sheep. (Query to readers: is this what one calls lots of different crafts in one piece? If not, how would you describe a figure with fringe, beading, crochet and other techniques? What exactly is passementerie?)  As the woman I went with on visit #1 said, ” They must start working on these the minute they take the old ones down.” Yes, they must and the job must keep a lot of elves busy.

Fabric or made-from-fabric animals at Bergorf's

To dazzle the  member of our party just about to turn twelve, (and who hates bling in any form), we crossed 57th Street to check out Tiffany’s. The concept of making each window as the prism of a diamond is, well, brilliant. The scenes inside are enchanting–some contain a piece of  jewelery; one has fanciful animals traveling on a Central Park bridge and another shows Santa’s sleigh with a deliberately large pair of reindeer legs and hooves.

Disappearing Prancer (or Comet, or Cupid)

Over the non-blinger’s  objections, we went inside where there appeared to be a lot of looking and a little shopping as contrasted with yesteryear when wedding presents from the Big T were de regeur as was a charge account at the store which led to an account at all the other department stores of the city.  (That was also the era of the store charge card which has been replaced by everyperson’s Visa, MasterCard or AmEx.)

From there it was a hop home via the Madison Avenue bus to the next meal. Although I didn’t serve gingerbread, a friend did recently and it was delicious. Here’s how to do it:

Old Fashioned Gingerbread

  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup molasses
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup hot water
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9 inch square pan.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, and mix in the molasses.
  3. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Blend into the creamed mixture. Stir in the hot water. Pour into the prepared pan.
  4. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan before serving. NOTE: This is not a recipe for gingerbread men or other shapes. That requires a stiffer dough.    Your home will smell wonderful whatever gingerbread recipe you follow.
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Santa, Baby

Posted on December 19, 2011 by marigold

 

In a nod to today’s world, I bought our Christmas tree online using Groupon. It was less expensive and a lot less stressful than the usual haggling on street corners and the tree is as advertised–well shaped and fresh, having just arrived from North Carolina. (I’d expected it would have come from more northern climes but hey…)

Trees for sale on the street

So far, we’ve sung carols at various sites and I’ve watched the George C. Scott version of Scrooge. Since our living room was recently redone, I’ve held back on my formerly up-to-the top decorating so as not to mar the pristine new paint with sap dripping from pine roping but the stocking are, indeed, ready to roll.

hung by the chimney with care

 

 

Several years ago, our family agreed to forgo the swag and give to charity instead (excluding children.) Now we draw names from a hat to each fill a stocking as a “secret Santa” with a thirty-dollar limit and that’s it. It’s so liberating not to be out there amassing stuff that no one needs. We make up for not giving presents by eating and drinking a lot–Prosecco, gravlax, pate, some crudities to satisfy the virtuous, edamame and more.

My mother, who adored Christmas and always felt gypped because her birthday came so close that she often got one present for both occasions, was a fool for hard sauce. What’s not to love? I make it most years as I make gravlax to honor my husband’s Norwegian heritage and serve it, (the hard sauce, not the gravlax), with plum or bread pudding or any kind of cake. If you can stir, you can make hard sauce.

Hard Sauce atop a brownie

Hard Sauce

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon brandy

1 dash almond extract (or not)

In a bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Then beat in the brandy and, if using, the almond extract.  Put it in an attractive bowl with a spoon and stand back. Whatever your holiday, may you enjoy it.

 

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A Girl’s Best Friend

Posted on December 12, 2011 by marigold

When it came to amassing diamonds (or rubies, emeralds or sapphires, ) Elizabeth Taylor didn’t fool around. Seeing her collection at Christie’s is simultaneously a tribute to her passion for “stuff”, (not just jewelry–also clothes, paintings, bags, shoes, Art Nouveau pottery, director’s chairs and her Oscars), but also the adoration a lot of people besides her many husbands felt for her. The jewels looked terrific on her  and will probably flatter some shek’s wife since not too many people wear this kind of bling a great deal. (A woman in front of me as we moved through the exhibit muttered, ‘I always wear my tiara when I’m making breakfast.”)

The Krupp Diamond, a little something from Richard Burton

At the exhibit, I particularly loved the copy of National Velvet, bound in purple (of course) with Ms. Taylor’s name in gold on the lower right corner as well as the “simple” sort of folk-art dress she wore for her second marriage to Richard Burton.  (In the photo, Burton wears a turtleneck and slacks.)

Getting to Christie’s was slightly challenging as every tourist in New York is in or at Rockefeller Center to see the tree.

Tree at Rockefeller Center, courtesy Mary F. .

I should be grateful to every last one of them as they spend money the city can use but I like to walk unimpeded. Later, we happened on an annual concert of hundreds of tuba players on the ice at the Rockefeller Rink.  They seemed to be having fun and we loved hearing them oom-pah Christmas carols.

 

Many more than seventy-six tubas

Kudos to the Christie’s staff who handled the throng with aplomb and had answers to every question.

The focus on diamonds made me hungry so I thought I’d pass along a recipe that is typically cut into diamond shapes for serving. It’s mousakka, taught to me by a Greek hairdresser years ago.  Since this particular recipe was hard to make and used every pot in the kitchen, I’m substituting a less complex version.

Moussaka

Modern Moussaka

3 eggplants, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1/4 c olive oil

1T butter

1 lb. lean ground beef (or lamb–an authentic version is always made with lamb)

3 eggs

2 onions, peeled and chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 t ground nutmeg

1/4 t ground cinnamon

1  oz can tomato sauce

1/2 c dry red wine

For Bechamel sauce:

4 eggs, beaten

1/2 c butter

1 1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

6 T flour

1/4 t ground nutmeg

1/4 c fresh parsley finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Lay the slices of eggplant on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture. Then in a skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil. Quickly fry the eggplant until browned. Set aside on paper towels to drain.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the ground beef, salt and pepper to taste, onions, and garlic. After the beef is browned, sprinkle in the cinnamon, nutmeg,  and parsley. Pour in the tomato sauce and wine, and mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, and then stir in beaten egg.

To make the bechamel sauce, scald  milk in a saucepan. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Lower heat; gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly until it thickens. Season with salt, and white pepper.

Arrange a layer of eggplant in a greased 9×13 inch baking dish. Cover eggplant with all of the meat mixture, and then sprinkle 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese over the meat. Cover with remaining eggplant, and sprinkle another 1/2 cup of cheese on top. Pour the bechamel sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the nutmeg. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). When cool enough to deal with, cut on an angle and then cut across the first set of cuts to achieve diamond-shaped pieces. Recipe says it serves   8 but it’s very filling and this amount will easily feed 12.

This version is also a fair amount of work but a great crowd pleaser.  As the Greeks (and possibly Liz Taylor) would say, Kalí óreksi! Put on your diamonds and dig in.

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Very Big Cheese

Posted on December 4, 2011 by marigold

Grafton Cheddar

In the town’s early years, the people of Grafton, VT raised sheep. Now Grafton—which dates back to before 1791– is a very pretty village where they make cheese that ranks among the best the state has to offer.

Before the Civil War, almost 1,500 people called Grafton home but the war, especially the Battle of Gettysburg, took a heavy toll as attested to by tombstones in village cemeteries.

Civil War tombstones in Grafton cemetary

The Grafton Village Cheese Company began in 1982. They turn out hand-crafted aged cheddar that is free of synthetic hormones and produced largely from the milk of Jersey cows from local family farms. On certain days, there’s a tour of the cheese making operation but, in true Vermont spirit, it wasn’t taking place over the Thanksgiving weekend when lots of tourists were around. However, a very good video about the cheese making process runs in the cheese shop and my family had a great lunch at Mack’s Place, a casual restaurant attached to the shop that serves breakfast, lunch and snacks.

Inside Mack's Place

(A special shout out to the friendly folks at Mack’s – I left my camera there and when it was found, they offered to ship it to me. I tried to pay for the shipping but was told “never mind, just come back and eat at Mack’s.” You bet I will.) Afterwards, we walked to the Gallery North Star that always has good work, much from Vermont artists, on display.

Built in 1801, The Old Tavern across the street from Mack’s is a beautifully restored Vermont country inn with 45 rooms and has a restaurant that serves dinner. It’s said to be a lovely place but thus far, I’ve had to content myself with lots of cheese from the store (we prefer the 2 year old cheddar) and lunches at Mack’s.
Grafton cheddar, regardless of age, makes a great snack, grilled cheese sandwich or nibble with drinks. This recipe uses it to turn out a very rich soup that would make a wonderful winter lunch with a salad and bread.

Classic Cheddar Cheese Soup

Cheddar Cheese Soup (Emeril Lagasse)
4 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/3 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
12 ounces sharp yellow cheddar cheese, grated (about 4 cups)
Salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Optional: crumbled bacon, salsa, or creme fraiche, chopped parsley leaves for garnish
In a large, heavy saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and peppers and saute until vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the stock, milk and heavy cream. Bring soup to a low boil and reduce heat so that the soup barely simmers. Cook, stirring frequently, until the soup is very thick and flavorful, about 20 minutes. Add the grated cheese in 1/2 cup increments, stirring after each addition until completely melted and smooth. Do not allow soup to boil. Season with salt and cayenne pepper, to taste.
Serve in shallow bowls, topped with some crumbled crispy bacon bits, a dollop of salsa or creme fraiche, and chopped parsley, as desired.

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The Turkey Alternative

Posted on November 28, 2011 by marigold

 

 

 

 

By now you’ve probably had your fill of all things Thanksgiving. Originally, I’d thought to write about Thanksgiving alternatives like the dinner of a man I knew whose family didn’t like turkey but adored lobster.

Then I heard, as I do each year, from a good friend who lived in the US for many years and now lives in Berlin.  She used to celebrate Thanksgiving in Europe even though it was challenging to locate cranberries and other typically ‘American’ foods. This year, she wrote that she’d given up trying to celebrate a holiday that had no roots in anything German and had thrown herself into St. Martin’s Day, celebrated on November 11. German children walk through the streets carrying lanterns and then have a bonfire. Later, they go from house to house asking for candy as American kids do at Halloween.

St Martin of Tours

St Martin of Tours  started out as a Roman soldier but later became a monk and ultimately Bishop of Tours in France. Among the many legends about him is the story of when he cut his cloak in half during a snowstorm to share it with a beggar so that the beggar didn’t die of cold. Another story tells of Martin hiding in the barn to avoid the throngs who wanted to take him to be appointed Bishop (why he was so modest, I have no idea). A flock of geese began cackling and gave away his hiding place which is why goose is the favorite food on Saint Martin’s Day.

I won’t deal with a goose recipe because I’ve never made one and don’t have any desire to. If I could even locate a bird, it sounds like a very greasy, messy undertaking. My digression is back to a Thanksgiving alternative which was two huge lasagnas, brought to Vermont where part of the family had already done the turkey thing on actual Thanksgiving. Since we’d all had bird, stuffing, numerous veggies and potatoes, I thought the group would welcome a change. One lasagna was the typical kind with chopped beef and tomato sauce. The other, to accommodate the vegetarians among us, was meatless. Both were lapped up by all ages.

Here’s the recipe for the vegetable version:

Spinach, mushroom and carrot lasagne

 

 Vegetable Lasagne

 

1 (10 ounce) package frozen choppedspinach29 ounces Alfredo-style pasta  sauce (2 jars)–unless you prefer to make the sauce yourself

1/2 cup skim milk

8 oz.  lasagna noodles-(about 1/2 the box)  cooked  according to package directions just before you are ready to assemble

1 pint part-skim milk ricotta cheese

1 egg

8 oz shredded carrots

8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 x 13 inch lasagna pan with cooking spray OR put 1 T butter on it and let it sit in the warming oven to melt and swirl it around the pan.
Microwave the spinach 4 minutes. Put it in a colander and press with a paper towel to remove as much water as possible.Mix in ricotta. Lightly beat the egg and add it to the spinach and ricotta. Stir well to blend.
Combine Alfredo sauce with milk in a medium bowl. Mix well.
Spread about 1/2 cup Alfredo / milk sauce mixture evenly in the bottom of the dish. Place 3 noodles over the sauce. Spread half the spinach mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle with half of the carrots and half of the mushrooms. Place 3 more noodles over the vegetable mixture. Pour 1 1/2 cups sauce over the noodles. Spread the remaining spinach mixture over the sauce, followed by layers of the remaining carrots and mushrooms. Place 3 more noodles over the vegetables. Pour remaining sauce evenly on top. Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake.The recipe I used said bake 50-60 minutes but mine was done at 45 so check.This freezes beautifully. If you freeze it, allow plenty of time to reheat—mine took almost two hours in a hot oven.  Gobble, gobble or bon appetito!

 

 

 

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The Staff of Life

Posted on November 16, 2011 by marigold

I adore bread and always have. During WWII, (whoops, my generation is showing), I was taken to Central Park where Quonset huts were set up and soldiers handed out hunks of coarse, dark bread. I thought it was terrific  but my mother was not thrilled with my passion for the heavy stuff. To this day, I prefer bread with a very chewy crust and distinctive taste.

There is evidence of starch residue on rocks used from pounding plants as far as 30,000 years ago. Possibly the extracted starch of plant roots was spread on a flat rock, placed over a fire and cooked into very early flat bread.

Pita

Indian chappatis

By the Neolithic period, grains figured prominently in bread making. Dough sitting around probably picked up yeast spores from the air and, by doing so, rose before baking. In the ancient world, people used foam skimmed from beer in making bread or saved a piece of dough from the previous day as a “starter”, the way contemporary bakers of sourdough do.

Apparently, bread in some form exists in every culture, at least, I haven’t found an example of a breadless group.

These are a few bread-related phrases; can you come up with others?

  • The greatest thing since sliced bread
  • Out of bread (as in broke)
  • Man does not live by bread alone
  • Bread and circuses
  • A bread- and- butter note ( thank you letter now totally out of fashion)
  • Know what side your bread is buttered on

Recently I volunteered to bring dessert for a group dinner and made bread pudding according to a recipe given to me by my friend, Peggy, a terrific cook. It was an appropriate end to the meal, especially with the accompanying whiskey sauce poured over it. We will, however, gloss over the amount of butter and sugar the recipe includes.

Bread Pudding right out of the oven

Bread Pudding courtesy of Peggy T.

Loaf French bread preferably not too fresh

1 quart 1% milk (if you use 2% that’s OK)

3 eggs

2 c sugar

2 T vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1 c raisins

3 T butter

Break up bread and put in large bowl. Pour milk over it and let it sit one hour or more.

In another bowl, mix eggs with sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Add that to the bread and mix mixture and stir well to combine. Add raisins.

Put the butter in a 9×13 Pyrex pan (in my house we call this a “lasagna” pan). Heat oven to 375º and melt the butter in the oven, watching to see it doesn’t start to brown. Remove pan with butter being sure butter coats bottom all over and pour in the mixture. Bake at 375 for an hour (or a little more or less. Mine was done in forty- five minutes.) Test with a thin knife which should come out clean when it’s done.

 

Whiskey Sauce for Bread Pudding

¼ cup bourbon plus more to taste

1 stick butter

1 c sugar

1 egg

In medium saucepan over low heat, combine butter, sugar and bourbon and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves.

Beat the egg and gradually add it to the mixture (still over low heat), stirring. Add more bourbon to taste.  Cool slightly before serving.

Eat it and run around the nearest park six or seven times. No, just eat it and let the flavors do the running around in your mouth.

 

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We, the Jury

Posted on November 6, 2011 by marigold

60 Center Street courthouse

For years, I wasn’t summoned. Then, fifteen years ago, I started being called every two years like clockwork.  Pain though it is, it’s the one civic duty required of every U.S. citizen.

My worst experience as a juror was about nine years ago. The case involved a drug bust and the DA was a disaster. There was confusion as to whether the defendant had had his jacket switched with another guy while both were in a holding pen and the DA phrased each question so poorly, he implicated his own client. Finally, the jury got the case and things got worse. After a long day’s deliberations, we were sequestered in a sleazy motel near LaGuardia airport. And, we each had a roommate!  Husband in my bedroom, great; total stranger, not so good. I think we’d still be in that jury room if a juror’s wife hadn’t gone into labor and the judge, in excusing the husband, dismissed us and the case. A year later, I ran into a woman who had been on that jury who told me the case had been retried and the perp convicted. How much money did it cost New York City to go through the whole performance?

Recently I got a summons and trotted down to 111 Center Street. On day one, I ran into a friend which was delightful. Ultimately, we were sent to a courtroom presided over by Judge S., a friendly, charming man.  If I had to serve, I’d have been happy to be in his courtroom, especially as the case, a criminal one, sounded interesting. However, I didn’t survive the voire dire so, after two full days, I was handed my get-out-of-jail free card and left.

One of the nicer perks of Manhattan jury duty is lunch since the courts are very close to Chinatown and other ethnic spots. On day one, my friend and I ate at Pho Pasteur, a Vietnamese place that’s been around for ages.

 

Pho Pasteur, 86 Baxter Street

Pho is said to have originated in Hanoi in the early 20th century and was made with noodles, to please the Vietnamese, and beef to please the French. Basically, it’s noodle soup with a beef broth, a particular kind of white rice noodle and served with Thai basil, sprouts, chopped scallions and other ingredients. It can come with thin slices of brisket, steak, meatballs and something called “tendon” that I’ve never wanted to try—sounds too chewy.  There’s also chicken Pho with its own many variations.  Various sauces are offered on the side so the eater can season the pho to taste. I had “standard” Pho with brisket in thin slices.

For adding to my pho...brisket, bean sprouts, Thai basil and more

There’s no way to eat the noodles other than to wield chopsticks and Chinese soup spoon and slurp. We also ordered a pork dish of very thin cutlets topped with chopped peanuts on more rice noodles that were thinner than those in the pho and my friend had Com Xao Bo, a beef dish with red and green peppers that she loved. Pho Pasteur at 85 Baxter Street is a great value—our entire bill was under $20. It’s only crowded from twelve thirty to one thirty because of jury lunch hour but even then the wait is brief.

So, I’ve been a good citizen and got well fed for my time. Rather than making Pho, have it at a Vietnamese restaurant to get the right taste. This is a recipe for a (cheating) way to make chopped chicken in a lettuce wrap, courtesy of Food.com

Chicken in Lettuce Wrap

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

1 T vegetable oil

1 T fresh ginger, minced

1 1/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces

2 T rice vinegar

2 T Teriyaki sauce

1 T honey

1 1/2 cups carrots, shredded

1/2 cup scallions, chopped

1/4 cup almonds, toasted and sliced

12 large iceberg lettuce leaves

Heat one teaspoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and chicken and sauté until cooked thoroughly, 7-10 minutes. Set aside.

In large bowl, whisk together the reserved two teaspoons of oil, rice vinegar, teriyaki sauce, and honey, until mixed thoroughly. Add chicken mixture, carrot, scallions and almonds and toss together.

To serve, spoon a large tablespoon of the chicken mixture onto the center of each lettuce leaf. Roll leaf around filling and serve.  I wrap it like a burrito, bottom up and then rolling the sides in. It’s messy so a utensil is useful to eat what you drop.

 

 

 

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

1 T vegetable oil

1 T fresh ginger, minced

1 1/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces

2 T rice vinegar

2 T Teriyaki sauce

1 T honey

1 1/2 cups carrots, shredded

1/2 cup scallions, chopped

1/4 cup almonds, toasted and sliced

12 large iceberg lettuce leaves

Heat one teaspoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and chicken and sauté until cooked thoroughly, 7-10 minutes. Set aside.

In large bowl, whisk together the reserved two teaspoons of oil, rice vinegar, teriyaki sauce, and honey, until mixed thoroughly. Add chicken mixture, carrot, scallions and almonds and toss together.

To serve, spoon a large tablespoon of the chicken mixture onto the center of each lettuce leaf. Roll leaf around filling and serve.  I wrap it like a burrito, bottom up and then rolling the sides in. It’s messy so a utensil is useful to eat what you drop.

 

 

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Great Camps

Posted on October 29, 2011 by marigold

 

Lake Placid from our hotel window

The “Great Camps” of the Adirondacks started as simple tents and morphed into summer homes for the wealthy. By the 1800s, many camps had evolved into large groups of cottages and a main house, where people relaxed, enjoyed the wilderness and entertained.  The camps were often built on large pieces of land and were incredibly luxurious. Many were discriminatory, especially to Jews so that wealthy Jewish businessmen ended up building own, large, luxurious camps. Today, some camps live on as resorts.

While in Lake Placid, we had dinner at the Lake Placid Lodge, built as a camp by a German family in 1882 and held privately until 1946. Locating it is a little challenging because there are no signs (in keeping with the uber low-key nature of the place) and it was pitch dark until we got to the main building.

Foyer, Lake Placid Lodge

 

The Lodge is built in the Adirondack style which is loosely designed after the British Arts and Crafts style. The Lake Placid Lodge’s restaurant, Artesans, is in the Main Building that was entirely rebuilt after a big fire in 2005. The whole place is stunning but don’t bother bringing kids under age twelve because they aren’t welcome. The fabrics are faded just the right amount; the twig touches are chic rather than woodsy and the service is impeccable. I could live in one of the restrooms—a huge space with trout stenciled on one of the board and batten walls, an oriental rug and a sunken sink with an  Adirondacky wood surround. The dining room tables and chairs were made by a local craftsman and manage to capture the “twig” look in high style.

Furniture in the Artesan dining room, Lake Placid Lodge

 

And then there was the food, a far cry from camp fare. Although I passed on the Kurobuta pork belly which our friends had and pronounced wonderful, I had seared swordfish with a lemon and English pea risotto that was the best piece of sword I’ve ever eaten, preceded by a salad of radicchio and endive with celery root, blue cheese, local apples and a maple vinaigrette and followed by a Financier, (more on this later), served with mixed berries, honey butter ice cream and a raspberry coulis. The price, including a fine bottle of Sancerre that our friends told us was the favored wine of Ernest Hemmingway  was not out-of-sight expensive.

Another day we visited the Whiteface Lodge that appears to have been there for at least a hundred years. Surprise! It was built six years ago (genteel aging seems to be an Adirondack skill, at least in terms of buildings). It’s darker and more massive than the Lake P Lodge but also stunning.

Front of the Whiteface Lodge

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stairs at Whiteface Lodge

 

Accommodations at both places look wonderful, albeit pricey.

A financier is a small French “teacake” that usually contains almond flour, crushed or ground almonds, or almond flavoring. Financiers are often baked in  shaped molds which may be how they got their name. One theory is that the mold looks like a gold bar; the other position is that the cake became popular in the Paris financial district.

Thought I’d include a Financier recipe, right? Not so fast. It’s something I’d probably never make. Instead, here’s a relish I often put on swordfish in the summer when it’s cooked on the grill.

Pimento-stuffed olives

Green Olive Relish

1/4 c drained bottled pimento stuffed green olives

1 small garlic clove, minced and mashed to a paste with a pinch of salt

1 T. finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

2 T. olive oil

2 T fresh lemon juice

Put olives in food processor, chop fine. Add other ingredients and pulse until everything is minced. Serve the swordfish topped with the relish or pass at the table.

 

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