Back in the saddle for holiday cookies!

OK, so I've been out of blogging commission for a while...
but there is an excuse,  I have a bun in the oven!...pun intended ;)
Now that I am entering my second trimester, I have a little more energy and cookies are sounding better than ever, so here is one to add to your holiday cookie tins. These cookies are my absolute favorite and this is a fail proof recipe- so if they don't turn out, you are doin' something wrong. Thanks, Italy!

Ricotta Cheese Cookies

Not too sweet, but just sweet enough.  This is a light and fluffy biscuit like cookie perfect for teatime. Add a quick lemon frosting and you have a traditional, albeit sweeter,  Italian Christmas cookie.

Butter, unsalted                        1 c (2 sticks, room temp)

Sugar                                        2 c

Eggs                                         2 large

Ricotta                                     15 oz

Almond extract (or vanilla)      2 tsp

Flour                                        4 c            

Baking powder                        2 tbs

Salt                                          2 tsp

Orange or Lemon zest             2 tbs

(this is optional, so add as much or as little as you like)

Cream butter, sugar, and orange or lemon zest with an electric mixer.  Gradually add eggs, ricotta and extract.  Mix together flour, baking powder, and salt (ideally in a separate bowl, but I usually make it work in one) and add it to the wet mixture.   Scoop (gotta get a scoop if you don't have one.  I have 3 different sizes, they come in very handy!) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment (or a silpat).  You don't have to squish them down or anything. Bake 8-10 minutes at 375 or until they are done, and maybe the tiniest bit browned.  Be careful, the bottoms brown before the tops- the tops may stay very pale.

 

**This recipe makes a lot of cookies. I have been know to freeze half of the batter to save for a day when I need a quick dessert- they make a really good shortcake component to a strawberry shortcake!   I serve mine with strawberries cooked down with a little sugar and vanilla ice cream.  Yum.  

Happy Holidays!  I promise I will post more ideas for you this season before it is too late.  Don't forget to call me if you actually want to ENJOY your holiday get together this year!  I'm pretty free in December so far and would be happy to cater your holiday event, or even just a casual dinner party for friends.  

Zucchini madness

I received a very unexpected and welcome email a few weeks ago from a little boy I sat next to on a plane.  I had candy, so we chatted, and I told him about this blog.  His name is Max and he is pretty darn cool. Max helps out at a local farm, and currently has a whole lotta zucchini and squash.  Max, I believe you are probably not alone. This time of year we all seem to have a few too many green zucchini and yellow summer squash and not enough recipes to use them up. I do believe I can make a small contribution to ending this problem.  Zucchini bread is a no-brainer.  I have one for ya, but I make them as cupcakes and add chocolate (for obvious reasons).  I hesitate to call them cupcakes because they really aren't very sweet at all. They are a  really nice breakfast treat. I guess you could call them a muffin-cake.

My Tata (arabic for grandma) also makes a wonderful dip out of the yellow summer squash with mint and yogurt.  It is one of my favorite summer snacks, served with toasted pita bread, of course. Enjoy, Max! (I bet I know which recipe you will try first...). 

Chocolate-Zucchini Cupcakes
1.5 cups sifted cake flour*
1 tsp baking soda
1/4c sifted cocoa powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cardamon
1/4 tsp ground clove
salt
2 large eggs
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup safflower oil
2 cups firmly packed grated zucchini
chocolate chips as desired

Preheat oven to 350 with muffin tin in oven.
Combine dry ingredients and whisk to combine.
Beat eggs, sugar, and oil for 2-3 minutes until smooth.
Add zucchini to wet mixture and combine.
Add wet to dry ingredients and fold in chocolate chips.
Remove muffin tin from oven and grease. Fill muffin cups almost full with batter and bake 20-25 minutes.

*You do not need to run to the store and buy cake flour!  All you need is all purpose flour and cornstarch. Just fill a dry measure with 2 tbs cornstarch and the rest with all purpose flour and sift together.  

Summer Squash with Yogurt and Mint Dip 
2 cups chopped yellow summer squash
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 small clove very finely chopped garlic
1 Tbs fresh chopped mint
squeeze of lemon
salt and pepper

Steam  the squash until it is soft enough to mush with a fork. My Tata just covers it with a little bit of water and puts in the microwave...but I use the stove top.
Mash it up with a fork and add the yogurt, mint, garlic, small lemon squeeze, salt and pepper.  Mix to combine. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with crisp toasted pita bread. 





*So I am no food photographer, but some picture is better than no picture!

Bali favorites- Nasi goreng

Honeymoon in Bali!!  So I expected it to be the Hawaii of the eastern world- pristine beaches, beautiful, idyllic everything...  I almost forgot I was going to a 3rd world country...with that come the pros and the cons, of course. Fortunately, the pros far outweigh the cons once you can get past the heaps of garbage everywhere...  It's not a difficult place to embrace when you are dealing with quite possibly the happiest, friendliest and most artistically talented people on earth.  I don't want to write too much here, seeing as this blog is supposed to be about food, but for those of you that are interested I am going to give you my quick synopsis of Bali:

The country of 1000 temples, literally.  The people of Bali are among the most inspiring people I have ever come across.  The level of service is unmatchable. There was not a person that crossed my path that let me catch them without a smile on their face. The arts culture, contagious. Each small village its own specialty (painting, wood carving, stone work, etc...).  Hinduism, offerings, incense, ceremonies, costumes, dancing, kindness.  There is no garbage man,  however awareness is growing. The idyllic, Caribbean white sand and crystal clear waters that might come to mind when we think of such a place as Bali do not exist here.  However, the world below the surface of the water is another story, so bring your dive certification or plan on getting it there. The color and variety of sea life is enchanting. People (mainly aussies) and traffic is bustling in the hubs, and tourism has definitely caught on. Stay away from Kuta and the south. Bali is not always as cheap as you might think. Highly taxed alcohol, so take advantage of the duty free store at the airport unless you like light beer water. There are escapes to a bit more of the Bali one might imagine on the far eastern shores (you're still not going to get the beaches tho, sorry...).  Motorbikes-get one.  Rice terraces- beautiful. Monkeys-beware.

NOW, for the FOOD. cheap, cheap, cheap.  If you are in the cultural hub of Ubud, there is crispy duck for everyone, french chefs gone AWOL, fine dining, suckling pigs....and at a third of the price (or less, considering you don't drink...). If you have set up camp in a more remote area (my personal preference), and breakfast is included per usual- you can definitely plan on having mie goreng or nasi goreng for at least one of your daily meals. Since my culinary interest lies in collecting the most traditional of dishes, worldly comfort foods- freshly and exceptionally prepared these are the dishes I have chosen to feature.  One of the other favorite traditional dishes I had was beef rendang. I have yet to experiment with making this one at home, but I will be posting my results! Not to say I didn't thoroughly enjoy my pan seared barramundi with green mango salad, beet and goat cheese brulee... I just prefer to master the simple food everyone loves.   

NASI GORENG

This is basically fried rice with an egg on top. However, you gotta have those prawn chips, krupuk udang, best fresh fried so they melt on your tongue.  I bought  the packaged ones at the airport, all ready to go for a snack on the plane- gross. Fry them to order. They didn't sound very good to me because I am not a shrimp fan, but these are seriously addicting. You also need to serve it with tomato and cucumber, plenty of fried shallot on top, and some pickled cucumber/carrots.  As basic as this may seem, and it is...like all simple comfort foods, you have to do it right. Forget the (however readily available) spice packets and jarred pastes...DO IT YOURSELF, from start to finish, no shortcuts.  This is how you make simple, good food turn heads.

MAIN COMPONENTS OF NASI GORENG:
Rice: long grain, leftover rice. Rice must be chilled for it to fry up properly.  I have also been making some off the hook fried rice with leftover black forbidden rice- it fries up very nicely. Cook the forbidden and white rice separately and fry them together (equal parts-ish) for a great twist.
Spice paste: make a bunch of this to keep in a jar in your frig and you have the beginnings to basically any asian recipe or stir fry.  This is a guide- you can mash up chili, garlic, onion, salt however you like in whatever portions you prefer. you can also add ginger to this for a more all purpose asian stir fry base. Use a mortar and pestle, spice grinder, mini processor, blender...whatever you have.
-3 shallots or half a red onion
-5-7 cloves garlic
-4 toasted candlenuts (macadamia nuts can substitute)
-birds eye chilies (they are very hot, use to suit your taste. you can use whatever chili you like)
-salt and white peppercorn
-optional bits of coriander and cumin
additions: Egg, green onion, celery or chinese celery, yue choy (mustard greens), cabbage, bean sprouts, diced cooked chicken or prawns, etc...whatever you like or have on hand.

METHOD
. Gently beat the eggs (2) together with salt, then heat up the frying pan with 1 tablespoon of oil and pour the egg mixture into the center of the pan. Cook over a medium heat for few minutes. Set aside. When it's cold, roll the omelet then cut into small pieces.  You can skip this part and just fry an egg sunny side up to put on top as well.
Heat neutral flavored cooking oil in a wok and fry 2 T of spice paste until fragrant. Add small amount of additional ingredients and fry for a couple minutes and let the pan get hot again before adding the rice (2 portions). Add leftover rice and 2 T kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) stir to fry for 2-3 minutes. Put egg on top and plenty of fried shallot (at your local asian grocery).  Serve with shrimp crackers, fresh cuke and tomato, and some pickled veggies. For a quick pickling brine for veggies, see my pickled carrot recipe from May 2011.

Enjoy a little taste of Bali!

I am Famous!

Well, looks like yours truly is in the May 7th issue of TIME magazine!  This picture of me is displayed with an article about Lighthouses converted into B&B's and features East Brother...and MOI! Check it out!   

Key Lime Pie

At the request of one of our guests tonight....Key lime pie, ladies and gentlemen. 

I know this is good key lime pie, probably the best you'll ever have. I know this because I used to work in the Florida Keys and ate many a key lime pie in my day. I actually never liked it much, until I met this recipe.  Honestly, I think sweetened condensed milk is probably one of the more disgusting, yet unique products on the market.  The main reason I like it, despite it's mysteriously disgusting nature, is because you can make caramel out of it....right in it's own can (see instructions below).  Of course, I also like it for my Key lime pie. 

Crust  (NO, the store bought graham crust in the disposable tin is NOT an acceptable substitute)

• 3/4 pound graham crackers (about half the box- 1 cello-wrapped pkg. 
• 4 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• 2 sticks melted butter
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt

I find this is enough for 2 pie crusts, unless you have a deeper pan and like thick crust.  Otherwise, divide it in half and freeze it for later. Process crackers in a food processor. Add sugar and drizzle in butter while pulsing the motor (or just mix it in).  Press into a greased 9" pie pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Filling

• 4 egg yolks
• 1 can (14 ounces) condensed milk
• 2/3 cup fresh Key lime juice (you can use Nellie and Joe's in a pinch, or regular lime juice)
• 1 lime , grated zest

Make this while the crust rests.  Whip the egg whites and lime zest  until soft to medium peaks form. Beat in the condensed milk and lime juice, beat for 2 minutes or so.  Pour into pie crust and bake at 350 for 15 minutes (I usually have a little filling left over that doesn't fit into the crust).  Take out and let cool completely to room temperature and chill. Top with fresh whip cream (and add lime zest to it...).  

***FUN FACT***

Yes, you can making caramel sauce from sweetened condensed milk!  Its really easy and really good. I learned this from an English sailor who was begging me to make Banoffee Pie (a British banana cream pie on steroids) for the crew. All you do is completely submerge the tins of milk in water and boil for 2 hours. Be sure to keep them completely submerged or you will be cleaning toffee sauce out of your hair- I know this from experience.   You can do this to several tins at once, and they will keep in the pantry for months, and you will always have a toffee sauce on hand for an easy dessert (thanks, Nigella Lawson, for that tip!).

Breakfast of champions

Breakfast of Champions

Want a super easy breakfast that will last you (well, some of you...I'm hungry two hours later no matter what) all morning?

1 egg

1 egg white

cooked beans of your choice, mine were dried *favas

chopped herbs (I used some *wild fennel fronds and garlic chives)

salt and pepper to taste

a swipe of grease of your choice for the *pan

Beat the egg. Heat the pan med-lo. Swipe the grease across the bottom. Pour the egg in the pan in one thin layer. as it cooks over med-low heat, lift up the edges of the egg and tilt the pan so the uncooked egg on the top slides underneath and it cooks in one thin sheet. throw a lid on for a second to cook the top a bit more. scoop some cooked beans in the middle and fold up the edges of the egg around it.  Sprinkle chopped fresh herbs.  Serve with a scoop of rice (eggs and rice really fill me up for a while, so I try to keep some cooked rice in the frig for breakfast).

Learn something new today (maybe):
*favas - most of you are probably familiar with fresh fava beans here in northern CA.  Well, they also come dried (i get them at the arab markets)  and soak and cook them myself to make foul madammas, one component of my favorite breakfast- a big traditional arab spread.  See the link for more info.   


*wild fennel- it grows EVERYWHERE around here. trust me, its probably in your back yard or at least on your way to work. Look for it.  Wild fennel, you can only use the fronds, there is no bulb.  The fronds, however, are much more flavorful than the kind you get in the store or at the farmers market with the big bulb attached- all the flavor there is in the bulb, but the fronds are still good too.
I did see it for sale at the farmers market for $8/lb and had to laugh- don't be the butt of my jokes!!


*the pan- my favorite egg pan is my "Scan pan".  Got it at Sur la Table, fairly pricey but it's. worth it.  Nothing sticks to it, you hardly have to grease it, and you can use metal on it. Check it out. 

Leek and Gruyere Tarts +
petite salad with tarragon vinaigrette

This is an old standby for a nice first course.   If you plan on doing a multi-course, small plate style dinner, it is always nice to have a little salad, and the tart alongside makes it a more substantial course. You can prepare this as one dish and cut it into segments, or make individual tarts. The quantities in this recipe are not exact for doing it any one way.  The recipe below gives you enough for one 9" pie pan, and the eggs enough for a quiche. I say 6 leeks, and you may have some left over depending on how you spin it or how full of leeks you want your tart.  I personally like more leeks and less egg...unless I am serving this breakfast-quiche style.  There are many components to this dish, but they are all very versatile and its nice to have extras of everything on hand.  

You can also use puff pastry (which I often do when I am in a hurry) instead of making pastry dough and omit the egg filling altogether.  Just cut the puff pastry sheets (sold in the freezer section) into squares, brush with a beaten egg, sprinkle with cheese, then layer leeks and more cheese and bake until puffed and golden.

 BASIC PASTRY CRUST
courtesy of Julia Child
5 parts flour: 4 parts butter (3 parts butter:1 part shortening)
(double the recipe as long as you are going to the effort, and divide in two rounds and throw one  in the freezer)

1 C flour (5oz)
3 oz cold butter
1 oz cold vegetable shortening (I like soy margrine as opposed to Crisco)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4-1/3 c ice water

Either do it by hand or with a food processor, I prefer the results using my hands, so I will describe that process.

Cut butter into very small pieces.  mix it into the dry ingredients and very, very quickly, rub it in with your finger tips until it is broken down into oatmeal flake size pieces. Try not to hold any one piece of butter too long so as not to melt it. The colder the butter stays the flakier the crust. Don't overdo this because the fat and flour will be blended more thoroughly in the fraisage (final blending).

Add water slowly and blend quickly with one hand,  as you rapidly gather dough together in a mass.  sprinkle a little more water over any dry droplets and press dough firmly into a roughly shaped ball.  It should be just held together but not sticky.  

Place the dough on a floured surface and with the cool heel of your hand rapidly press the pastry down (in 2 spoonful bits) on the board and away from you in a firm quick smear of about 6 inches. With a bench scraper or spatula, gather dough into a mass and knead it very briefly into a fairly smooth round ball.  Sprinkle with flour, wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Roll out the dough as quickly as possible and form it into whatever vessel(s) you desire.  Refrigerate (or pop it in the freezer) while the over heats up to reduce shrinkage.

  LEEKS IN WHITE WINE
I  love leeks this way and they are awesome when you top a scoop of goat cheese with 'em and warm it in the oven.  Serve with crackers and bread. YUM
6 large leeks, cut in half length wise and rinsed clean chopped in 1" pieces
1/2 stick butter
2 T olive oil
1/2 c white wine
salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg

Melt butter and olive oil over medium heat, add leeks and toss to coat. once they start going, add the wine and reduce to med-low. let cook until "melted" and liquid has evaporated.

EGG FILLING
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1 1/4 c half and half
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper

whisk.

TARRAGON DRESSING
I love this dressing, and always keep a bottle in the fridge and we dress all our lunch time salads with it,  toss it with roasted veggies (beets and tarragon are an especially good combo) or marinate chicken in it.
1 bunch tarragon
1 small shallot
1 small clove garlic
1 T dijon mustard 
2 T red wine or champagne vinegar
juice from 1/2 a lemon
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a blender and puree.  Gradually add 1 CUP BLENDED OIL until emulsified. I use a combination of olive oil, canola, and grape seed.   It is up to your taste buds.  I tend to find using all olive oil overpowers. One thing about dressings....adjusting to taste is almost always necessary. It's hard to have a hard and fast recipe. depends on the size of your garlic and shallot, the strength of your tarragon, your oil, etc...

ASSEMBLY
Par bake pastry crust at 350 (10-20 min)  it should be firm but not golden. Make sure to poke holes/use pie beans.  If weighting crust with dry beans, remember to take them out 3/4 of the way through par baking and let it finish with out them otherwise it doesn't really cook very well.

Sprinkle a good cave aged gruyere that you have shredded on the bottom of the crust, fill with leeks, top with a little more cheese and fill very slowly with egg mixture.  Bake until puffed and golden.

Get a nice bowl of fresh spring greens (baby mizuna, wild arugula, baby spinach, radicchio) and toss them with a little salt, a sprinkle of good olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, fresh cracked pepper and some of the dressing.  Place tart on salad and a sprinkling more of grated cheese.

** Comte or the Point Reyes Toma (a bit more subtle flavor) cheeses also work well. I also like to grate some of the dry and delicious "Capricous" cheese (I get at the Marin farmer's market) that you can leave sitting on your counter top in a tupper ware for up to 6 months, nice sharp flavor, over the finished product.   




 

Valentine's day Chocolate

It's almost Valentine's day, my favorite hallmark holiday...well, aside from secretary's day which I hold very near and dear to my heart (insert sarcasm font here).   At lease we have an excuse to eat chocolate. SO, if you want to bake something chocolaty and delicious for YOUR valentine, I have 2 options for you, at the request of one of our guests...thanks for coming Katja!  I also have a post regarding a certain delicious beetroot and chocolate brownie sundae from May 2011,  with a delicious frozen custard recipe to go along beautifully with either one of these concotions.

I'll be making this one and putting and orange twist on my custard along with a strawberry coulis....

MOLTEN CHOCOLATE CAKE

8-9 oz semisweet chocolate  (chocolate chips work just fine!)
1 stick butter, cubed
3 eggs
3 yolks
1 c. sugar
4 Tbs flour
2 T Grand Marnier (optional and substitutable)
1 tsp vanilla

Melt chocolate and butter in the microwave (not too long...until butter melts, take it out and stir chocolate until melted) or in double boiler.

Combine eggs, yolks, and sugar and whisk. Temper in chocolate mixture.  Add liquor and vanilla.  Stir in flour. 

Pour into greased ramekins or molds of some kind about 2/3 of the way up.  Bake at 425 for 10 minutes (until tops are rounded and possibly cracked).  Don't over bake or you will lose the molten!  Invert onto plate, they should pop out as easy as muffins.  In fact, if you are making multiple cakes all at the same time, you can use a muffin pan. 


Flourless Chocolate cake


7 oz semisweet chocolate (45-50 % cocoa)
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 cup  sugar
4 eggs, separated


Preheat oven to 350deg F 
Line a 9 in cake pan (springform if you have it) with greaseproof or other non-stick paper and grease the tin.
Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt it with butter over hot water. (you can also throw it in the microwave, but don't scorch the chocolate. Take it out before it is totally melted and stir to finish)
Beat the egg yolks with half of the sugar.
Fold in the melted butter and chocolate mixture.
Beat egg whites until frothy by using an electric mixer; gradually add the remaining sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.
Fold in the beaten egg whites.
Bake at 350 degrees until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 40 minutes. Let it cool for an hour before you try to remove it from the pan.  The cake will be quite sticky.  You can also chill it for a bit to help the chocolate set. 


Happy Valentine's Day! 

Preserving lemons and Moroccan Tagine

I just went to visit my aunt in San Diego and assaulted her orange and meyer lemon trees...brought back a big ol' box of each. Time to get to preserving. I LOVE preserved lemons. I mainly use them nowadays to make chicken tagine, the signature dish of Morocco, here for our guests. I found a beautiful clay pot at the thrift store that I use in lieu of a traditional tagine so I can make large batches (you can also use your enameled cast iron pot). These lemons have tons of uses, tho. I love them chopped up in a pasta salad with chickpeas, mint, garlic and parsley, in gremolata, tossed in salads and soups, chopped up fine and served with vanilla ice cream, mashed up in some butter with herbs and slathered on baked fish or chicken. Possibilities are endless...



PRESERVING YOUR LEMONS
easy as 1, 2, 3...

1. Quarter your lemons, but don't cut all the way through. basically make a big X in them from top to bottom, stopping before you cut all the way through (If you do, it doesn't matter). Squeeze them lightly over a bowl or measuring cup.

2. Fill them generously with kosher salt (don't use table salt) and put them in a quart jar. press them down firmly into the jar so they release even more of their juices. Put some more salt on top and cover completely with lemon juice (you may need extra juice)

3. Shove some bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and peppercorns or red chilies in the jar if you wish (totally optional) and seal the jar. Leave the jar on the counter and wait a month.

*you can poke at them and tease them around a little bit, push them around the second day so that they release more juices. Flip the jar upside down and back again.

TO USE YOUR LEMONS:
fish them out as you need them, rinse them off, remove the pulp and white pith and finely chop the rind.

CHICKEN TAGINE

I have used a variety of spice mixtures for the chicken, and all come out equally delicious. The major players are: turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, ginger
You can certainly play around and alter the proportions to your tasty buds. It really doesn't need to be an exact recipe. However, if you are one of those exact recipe liking people, I have 2 for you to try out. If you can get your hands on some good quality Argan oil for cooking, it is a wonderful and traditional addition to the recipe.








Spice mix 1:
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
pinch of saffron
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 cinnamon stick or 1 tsp ground
1 tsp coriander

Spice mix 2 (ras el hanout):
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cardamon
2 tsp ground mace
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp each black, white and cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground anise seed
1/4 tsp ground clove

p.s. I use whole spices whevener possible and grind myself. I also make 4x as much and store it in a jar.

Method:
I usually take the skin off my chicken, as it tends to get slimy when it is braised. Crispy skin is the only way to go in my book. I use thighs and drumsticks with the bones.

Brown the chicken hard on all sides and let it cool.

Season chicken liberally with spice mixture and a bunch of fresh minced garlic and toss to coat. If you have argan oil, throw some of that on, too. Let it marinate as long as you can.

Sautee some onions and a cinnamon stick (in the same pan you browned the chicken in if you like, scraping up the brown bits, aka fond)

Return chicken to the pan with the onions and stir it all around a bit, then add enough chicken stock to come 3/4 of the way up the chicken. Bring to a light boil then turn the heat down and simmer, partially covered, for about an hour or two... until the chicken is very tender and not quite falling off the bone. *Add your olives about half way through cooking

Remove chicken from the pot with a tongs and add your preserved lemon rind to the liquid. Reduce the cooking liquid until it is slightly thickened. Arrange chicken on a platter and pour liquid over the top. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley. Serve with basmati rice or cous cous and plenty of warm Kangaroo Pita bread to sop up the juices!