Sara's Salt and Pepper Chicken

I have been hemming and hawing about whether or not this chicken dish deserves to be posted since the recipe is so basic as to be hardly a recipe at all. In the end the deciding factor was the taste of the finished product - it is so yummy that we are fighting over the last pieces at the dinner table. Something that good deserves to be shared.

Two notes before I get down to business with the recipe. First, when I say to cook the chicken on one side without moving it (or checking it) at all for 5-7 minutes I really mean it. Leave it alone, go make a salad or something, but don't stand there moving it around the pan or you'll loose the best part of the dish - a crispy brown salty crust on the outside of the meat.

Secondly, chicken breasts won't work for this recipe. Sorry. Chicken thighs don't dry out in this cooking method and they also have a bit more flavor to begin with - an important point when so little seasoning is added.

I wasn't going to deglaze the pan sinced that seemed to be too fancy a step for such a simple dish, but I just couldn't walk away and leave all those little crispy bits on the bottom of the pan - that was where all the great flavor was hanging out. So, no big deal, I just poured some white wine in the pan, stirred and scraped for a few minutes until there was not much wine left and then poured it over the chicken to moisten it and make a very basic sauce.

This chicken makes a great filling for burritos or tacos.

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Sara's Salt and Pepper Chicken
inspired by a Mark Bittman recipe

Serves 2-4

1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
Freshly ground sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 Tablespoon oil for the pan
1 cup white wine

1. Spread chicken thighs out on a plate and liberally season with salt and pepper on both sides.

2. Heat a heavy frying pan (cast iron is my favorite) over medium-high heat until it is hot. Put oil in the pan and tilt pan to evenly distribute. When oil begins to dimple (which usually is right away) put chicken thighs in, flat side down. Don't crowd the chicken - do it in batches if you need to. Do not move the chicken or disturb it while it cooks on that side. Allow to cook for 5-7 minutes... if the pan seems too hot you might want to turn the heat down to medium. I wait to flip the chicken over until the side facing up has a visible ring of cooked meat. When the chicken is turned over the cooked side should be golden brown and cripsy in appearance. If the chicken is too dark lower the heat. The trick here is to have the pan hot enough to crisp the meat without getting so hot that the meat will burn. A heavy bottomed pan is a big help to prevent burning.

3. Cook the chicken on the second side for 4-5 minutes then remove to a wide shallow bowl to rest. When all the chicken has been cooked pour the wine into the hot pan and stir and scrape until most of the wine has been evaporated. To put it another way, reduce the wine to 1/4 of a cup or less. Turn off the heat.

4. Cut the chicken up into bite sized pieces and pour the wine reduction over the chicken, tossing to coat.

Serve immediately

Copper River Sockeye: 'Tis the Season

I can't remember the last time I bought fresh fish. I make my tuna salad from canned salmon (but I still call it tuna salad - go figure). I buy my shrimp frozen from Trader Joe's. I don't often buy fish because I don't like to cook it at home and smell up my house.

Then my friends gave me an article to read from last week's Wall Street Journal about fresh Copper River King Salmon and my curiosity was piqued. That's why when I was meandering by the fish department in Whole Foods today and saw the signs for "Fresh, Wild Copper River Sockeye" I paused. I stared. I stood there unsure of what to do. I suspect that the gentleman working the fish counter knew I was hooked. I asked why it was so much cheaper than I had read about and he said that the first shippment of the season had been up around $26/pound, but the price had come down this week to $16/pound. That was still a heck of a lot less than the $36/pound the King salmon from Copper River was going for. I just wanted to know what it tasted like. I asked if I would have to cook it today (he said I could wait a day or two since it had just been flown in this morning) even though I knew if I purchased it I'd be cooking it pronto. You know how this story ends: I bought a fillet (1.25 pounds) and brought it home for dinner.

Now came the anxiety. I didn't want to overcook this precious fish. I wanted it to be perfect - no pressure. So I looked around and found the following recipe from Mark Bittman. I knew I had the right one when I read these words that Mr. Bittman wrote in the recipe description: "If you make this dish with the most flavorful, beautiful fillet you can find - such as Alaskan sockeye in season - you will be amazed by the richness of the flavor." Bingo!

I modified Mr. Bittman's recipe a smidge - using half butter and half olive oil and I was very careful to cook the salmon for the shortest amount of time he recommended. The tail end of the fish could have cooked a little less, but the wider part of the filet was closer to Medium and was sublime. This fish was so flavorful and rich and yes, buttery.

I asked my husband if he thought we liked it so much because fresh fish was such a rare treat or if it was because this particular fish - flown fresh from Alaska - was really something special. Wise man that he is, he made the only safe reply possible: "It must have been the perfect cooking that did it."

--UPDATE: 6/8/07--
I decided to test out whether the same fish - frozen was as good. I went to Trader Joe's and picked out a package of flash frozen Wild Alaskan Sockeye (the info on the package did not mention where exactly in Alaska the fish was from so this seemed as close as I could get for comparison sake). I cooked the fish using the exact same recipe, method and even the exact same roasting pan - the only difference was going to be the fish itself. I was really rooting for the frozen fish because the price was less than half that of the fresh - so if it could be just as good I'd be thrilled to be eating it all year round.

Well, the difference was stunning. The texture and flavor of the frozen salmon was completely different. Where the texture of the fresh Copper River salmon was delicate and flavor was clean the frozen sockeye had a tougher consistency and was strongly flavored. I think I'll hold out for the fresh fish, in season and eat it a few times a year. I'll skip the frozen salmon and stick to the canned for a lot less money.



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Butter Roasted Salmon

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 pounds salmon filet, skin on, pin bones removed
freshly ground sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Melt the butter in a medium roasting pan in the oven as it preheats, until the foam subsides. Add the olive oil.

2. Place the salmon in the butter, flesh side down, and put pan in the oven. Roast about 5 minutes, then turn and roast 3 to 6 minutes longre, until the salmon is done (peek between the flakes with a thin bladed knife). The fish will continue cooking a little bit after you remove it from the oven so try to pull it out slightly less cooked than you would consider done. Remove fish to a serving dish (to prevent it from over cooking in the hot roasting pan). Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Serves 2-4

Mousse au Chocolat

This recipe is a traditional french chocolate mousse that I started making when I was ten years old. My mom decided that I needed to learn some fundamental cooking skills like separating eggs and working with egg whites so she picked this recipe to be the lesson. It was certainly a delicious way to learn those basics.

You will notice right away that there are hardly any ingredients in this mousse - it is all about technique. The quality of those few ingredients then will really matter which is why I use Valrhona chocolate and Grand Marinier. When I use Valrhona I use 3 bars so I don't have to have any little piddley leftover pieces hanging around in my cupboards and I add one extra egg to compensate. I use two bars (7 ounces) of Valrhona Le Noir 56% Cocoa Bar and one bar (3.5 ounces) of Valrhona Le Noir Amer 71% Cocoa Bar. I prefer a dark mousse that is not that sweet so this mix suits me and my chocolate loving husband, but you may find that it makes a mousse that is not sweet enough for you. You may need to do some chocolate mousse testing at your house to determine the exact kind of chocolate you prefer - this kind of testing is no hardship!

I like to take a bite sized piece of cake - sponge cake, yogurt cake, madeleines' or lady fingers (whatever is on hand) - sprinkle it with liquer and put it at the bottom of the dessert cup before I fill it with mousse. I always like finding this little morsel hidden away at the bottom of the dish when I'm finishing up my last few bites of dessert. It is a fun surprise that takes away some of the pangs associated with finishing a delicious food item.

One more thing - a lot of people nowadays do not feel safe using raw eggs although I can honestly say I've never had a problem. If I'm making this for a large group or for someone who might object to raw eggs I buy a jar of egg whites that have been pasturized and then use the yolks from the eggs I separated - yolks apparently do not easily get contaminated with salmonella. I've heard that it is possible, in some parts of the country, to get eggs that have been pasturized in their shells, but I've never found them in any supermarket near me.

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Mousse au Chocolat

8 oz chocolate
5 tablespoons water
5 eggs, separated
pinch of cream of tartar
2 tablespoons Grand Marinier, Rum or other liquer

Break up chocolate into small pieces, combine with water and melt in a double boiler, or a mixing bowl set over a saucepan, or in a microwave. Melt it slowly - even very slowly - and once it is melted take it off the heat and let it cool down for five minutes.

While the chocolate is melting add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and beat them until they hold stiff peaks. With a stand mixer this takes about 2-3 minutes, with a hand held mixer this takes about 20 minutes. Set aside.

When the chocolate has cooled down a little, add the Grand Marinier and stir until nice and smooth. Even cooled down a little, the chocolate is warm enough to curddle the egg yolks so you'll need to temper them. To do that take about a tablespoon of the chocolate and stir it into the egg yolks - stirring until it is combined and smooth. Take another tablespoon of the melted chocolate and stir it into the egg mixture again until it is smooth. This will warm up the yolk a little so that they should not curddle when you add them into the rest of the chocolate. Now add the yolk mixture into the chocolate mixture and stir until smooth.

Now, fold in a quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Don't worry if there are a few lumps, go on to fold in the next quarter of the egg whites, and the next quarter. Make sure you get the chocolate from the bottom of the bowl when you are folding - it is heavy and it tends to want to settle underneath the egg whites so you have to keep scooping all the way down and pulling it up. On the final fourth of egg whites I do try to get out the lumps, but you don't want to keep folding too long and loose the light lifting quality of the egg whites. Just fold until you think the mixture looks smooth and 99.9 % lump free.

Scoop or pour mixture into individual glasses or dessert cups and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Serve with freshly whipped cream (I prefer unsweetened) and strawberries.

Yield: 4-6 individual servings

Lemony Chickpea-and-Tuna Spread

I ate this delicious spread on slices of fresh sesame ficelle years ago after driving up to my mom's with friends and arriving completely famished. This simple spread is satisfying and slightly different than the usual hommous dip that everyone puts out these days. The recipe had been found and clipped-out of the New York Times food section, but one day the original was lost and never found again. Of course, we could make it from memory or even shell out $5 to buy it from the Archives of the paper on-line, but I was not keen on any of these solutions.

And then one day, while looking for a book on Bed & Breakfasts at my local library I discovered something truly amazing. The library has a vast collection of cookbooks - shelves and shelves of them... and, wonder of wonders, I can check them out and take them home. This may seem quite unspectacular to you, but to me this was a revelation. All these cookbooks that I can read and try-out and not have to purchase... I was delirious with joy.

Since that time, I've been taking out two at a time and reading and cooking out of them. The latest was a collection of 300 rediscovered recipes from Pierre Franey's classic New York Times Column, "60 Minute Gourmet" and lo and behold, while flipping through I found the recipe for this yummy nibbble between the Gazpacho Mousse and the Baked Clams with Garlic Butter.

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Lemony Chickpea-and-Tuna Spread

Ingredients:
1 15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained
1/3 cup sesame paste (tahini), stirred well
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/3 cup canned water-packed tuna, drained
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Tabasco to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor (or in a blender). Puree to a coarse texture (you don't want it too smooth). Cover and refridgerate until ready to serve.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Corn Casserole: the best dish at the pot-luck

I hosted a pot-luck luncheon at my house this past Sunday and there was all kinds of amazing food - I supplied the 11 filet mignons with a red wine reduction and the two kinds of vegetable lasagna. Everything was delicious, but there was only one dish that I helped myself to a second time. It was this corn casserole - a variation of a southern spoon bread. It is absolutely delicious and when you see what goes in it you may be embarrassed on my behalf. Don't be. I'm not ashamed to admit that a side-dish made from Jiffy and creamed corn is amazing... one can't argue with the facts. So without further ado please give it up for...

Max's Easy & Delicioius Corn Casserole

1 can undrained cream-style corn
1 can undrained whole kernal corn
1/4-1/2 c. melted butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. sour cream or yogurt
1 8 oz. package corn muffin mix (like Jiffy)

Mix all ingredients together in a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Bake in said dish, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

However am I going to eat all of those hard boiled eggs?

I have about 14 hard boiled eggs in my refrigerator right now. They are beautifully decorated and dyed, but eventually I will have to find a way to eat them all. Throwing away food at my house is just not an option. They must be eaten, but what kind of options are there?

The obvious:

Peeled and sprinkled with freshly ground sea salt and black pepper a hardboiled egg is delicious and nutrious. It is loaded with protein (that is in the white) and iron (in the yolk). One large egg contains about 10 grams of fat - all in the yolk.

Quartered on a salad... nicoise or otherwise, hard cooked eggs are great on a salad.

Deviled eggs, of course, but you really need a party to get them all eaten and this is not a big party week.

Egg salad is obvious, but I've never actually eaten it myself. I saw a recipe for it though that called for eight hard cooked eggs and suddenly I thought it might be worth trying - it certainly would use up most of my problem.

The obscure:

Beet Soup - grate beets and onions into a large pot, add water, simmer then refrigerate. Once cool add salt and pepper to taste and chopped cucumber and quartered hard cooked eggs. Serve cold with sour cream or yogurt, fresh chopped dill and chopped scallions. This is a solid idea, the only problem is that it is the total wrong time of year for cold soup. Of course beet soup can be eaten hot, but I'm not as partial to it myself.

Egg Curry - I had a delicious egg curry at a friends house not that long ago that came to mind while I stood staring at the fourteen eggs taking up space next to the milk cartons. Saute coriander seeds, add chopped onions, garlic and tomatoes (canned is fine), simmer and add spices - either your own mix of tumeric, ground coriander, garam masala and or use a good quality curry powder (such as Penzey's Spice Company's)... add eight whole hard cooked eggs to simmering tomato and water and simmer. Cut eggs in half or quarters before serving and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Serve over white rice. If you are really feeling lazy - just go buy a jar of curry simmer sauce at Trader Joe's and simmer the eggs in that. Maybe add some spinach or cauliflower or whatever vegetables you can think of.


Other sources for recipes that use hard boiled eggs:

>> Try this website: http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/SEASONS/Easter/eastereggs.html

>> Or at least find comfort in knowing that you are not alone in your dilemma: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/389660

>> More ideas - http://homecooking.about.com/od/toprecipes/tp/hardboiledeggs.htm


According to Cooking Light Magazine, hard boiled eggs should be eaten within a week of being cooked... the count down begins.

Good Luck.

Flan - will a custard set with soymilk?

I have always wondered about this, but I've never been motivated enough to find out. Until this week. I had a few really delicious flan while we were traveling around Arizona and I wanted to try it myself, but if I make it at home I'm going to be using soymilk and I have always assumed a custard would not set-up properly if you didn't use real milk. Boy, was I wrong.


I made the recipe from Mark Bittman's "How To Cook Everything" for Flan and just substitued soymilk for the milk - without making any other modifications. The recipe said the custard should be done around 30 minutes and mine were still completely liquid so I thought for sure that my little experiment was going to result in no custard, but even in my despair I kept on cooking them. Sure enough, 15 minutes later it was a little thicker and by a full 60 minutes it seemed completely set. Technically, one is supposed to remove the custards from the oven right before they set - so maybe next time I'll try taking them out at 45 or 50 minutes. I cooled the flans and then put them in the fridge to chill. I had one for my after lunch treat and it was amazingly and surprisingly great - very smooth and silky and not tasting overcooked. Both my husband and one of my daughters seconded this opinion - the daughter claiming that she should be allowed to finish the rest of my flan because it was so yummy.

It turns out that this works because it is really the eggs that do all the work of thickening in a custard. I always thought that the chemical make-up of the milk combined with the eggs to create the thickened custard, but I was wrong. In the end it is the magic of eggs that does the trick irregardless of the type of milk: soy or dairy.

Of course, you can use regular milk or cream if you want instead of the soymilk and it will probably be even better.

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Soymilk Flan

1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
2 cups soy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup sugar

1. You can use a loaf pan and make one large flan or smaller ramekins. Six 6-ounce ramekins or 4 larger ones work well for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Put water on to boil.

2. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat until sugar melts and mixture begins to darken. Stir occassionally. When the sugar mixture turns a dark golden brown - this will take about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour enough to coat the bottom into each ramekin, if using, or pour all into the bottom of the loaf pan.

3. Heat the soymilk and the vanilla in a small saucepan until it is just about to boil. Turn off burner and put aside.

4. Beat eggs, egg yolks, salt and sugar in a bowl with a whisk (or using an electric mixer) until they are a light yellow color.

5. Stirring constantly, pour the milk mixture in a thin stream into the egg mixture until they are completely combined. Pour into loaf pan or divide equall among the ramekins.

6. Put the loaf pan or the ramekins into a deep roasting dish and put it on the middle shelf in the oven. Pour boiling water into the roasting dish until the water comes about halfway up the sides of the custard dishes.

7. Bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the the custard is almost set, but the middles are still wiggly. Remove from oven and let cool. Refridgerate until you are ready to eat them.

8. To serve flan, place ramekin (or loaf pan) into hot water for 20 seconds, run a thin sharp knife around the edge of the dish and invert it onto a dessert plate.

For a finishing touch sprinkle the top with cinnamon.

Spaghetti Carbonara - my family's favorite

Let me start with a warning: this recipe is not good for you. The Atkins and Zone folks will hate it because it is all pasta, and the low fat folks will hate it because it is loaded with cheese, eggs and bacon. If you are still reading at this point then you'll appreciate that this is one of the most delicious meals on the planet. One of the best things about this dish is that you can and probably do have everything you need to make it already on hand in your fridge or on your kitchen cupboard shelf. I like to have some really good bacon - my favorite is Neiman Ranch uncured bacon - in the fridge for any bacon emergencies that might come up. I mean, let's face it, you never know.

The name comes from the Italian charcoal makers who would go up into the forests for weeks at a time to cut timber and make charcoal. They could only bring food items that would keep and dry pasta, eggs, cured bacon, garlic and wine were perfect. Someone asked me how eggs could be on the list - since we refridgerate eggs. American eggs are washed which removes a protective layer from the shell that would keep them fresh without refridgeration. If you had your own chickens at home you could keep the eggs out on the counter until you used them.

I use all Pecorino Romano - freshly grated, but you can opt for all Parmigiano or a blend of the two. Whatever tastes best to you is the way to go. I also like to throw some frozen peas in with the pasta right at the end of the cooking because I like the little bit of bright color that they add the dish. My kids pick them out and pile them up on the sides of their plates, but someday when they grow up they'll like them too. If you happen to have a few garden fresh tomatoes around you can chop them up and toss them in or sprinkle them on top of the bowl. I'll also broil a few tomatoes and use them if that is the best I have. The red is pretty, yes, but it is the acidity of the tomato that pares well with the satiny richness of this dish. The original recipe (from Cook's Illustrated) has raw garlic mixed in with the eggs and cheese. I like that, but I've started adding the garlic to the bacon and wine instead to mellow out its bite - it was getting to be too much for the kids.

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Spaghetti Carbonara


1 pound dry spaghetti
1 package best quality bacon (Neiman Ranch is great), cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup dry white wine or Vermouth
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 large eggs
1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
1 cup frozen peas, optional


1. Put water on to boil. Salt water if desired. When water boils, cook spaghetti (or whatever pasta you are using) according to package directions for al dente. If using peas, add them during the last 2 minutes of pasta cooking.

2. Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat (I use cast iron for this because it keeps these components of the sauce warm while they are waiting for the pasta to finish cooking). Add bacon and cook, reducing heat if bacon begins to burn. Cook until the bacon fat is rendered. Turn heat to medium and add wine, stir and scrape for 30 seconds then add garlic. Stir for 1 minute then turn off heat and cover pan, put aside (at the back of the stovetop is a good spot).

3. Lightly beat together the three eggs and the cheese, put aside.

4. When pasta is done, scoop out 1 cup of the cooking water and reserve. Pour pasta into colander, let drain for 30 seconds then return to the cooking pot. If pasta seems dry or sticky, add enough of the reserved cooking water to loosen it up and moisten it. Pour warm bacon, wine, garlic mixture over pasta and stir to combine. Add egg and cheese mixture to pasta and stir to thoroughly coat.

Serve and Eat immediately. Have extra grated cheese and a pepper grinder at the table just in case you want to tweek your helping just a little bit. If you can - eat it all now. Spaghetti Carbonara doesn't really re-heat very well.

Lazy-girl's Banana Pudding

I love cooked bananas. I am fond of frying up a few bananas in butter and adding dark brown sugar and a little rum for a delicious treat - my own simple version of Bananas Foster one could say. Well, in the last few weeks I've been feeling the need for comfort food, but even the rather benign step of melting butter in a frying pan (thus requiring the washing of a dirty pan) was beyond me. Step-in my latest use of the microwave.

This is barely a recipe, but the result is delicious so I'm posting it here, despite its shortcomings, as an excercise in sharing. I would hate to think that anyone might miss out on such warm sweet delights for lack of information.

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Lazy Banana Pudding

2 ripe bananas, sliced
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
a pinch of sea salt
1 tablespoon rum.

Combine everything in a roomy microwave safe bowl, cover with an inverted plate - or whatever cover you prefer and microwave on high for 4-5 minutes.

Remove from microwave and stir to combine.

If you prefer you can reserve the salt until the bananas are cooked and then sprinkle the top of the pudding with the pinch of salt. The pudding is certainly on the sweet side and the touch of salt sprinkled across the top is rather reminiscent of those popular salted carmels - the salt makes the sweetness even better and more interesting.

Serve with milk or cream.

Serves: Well, it really could serve two, but I'm afraid most of the time it serves just one.

Homemade Croutons - the easy way

I made a batch of these this morning from a very stale loaf of french bread and they came out so crisp and delicious that they are already almost all gone. I like to put them in my soup or eat my tuna salad on them. My husband likes them in his daily salad. They would also make a good substitue for crackers if you were doing a little wine and cheese thing one evening.

There are all different ways to make croutons that involve sauteeing bread cubes in oil which puts me off entirely - too messy and oily for me. This method is so simple that I've even enlisted my kids to help me. In fact, it was my youngest who discovered that if you "paint" both sides of the bread with oil they turn out even better.

I used to put the grated cheese on them, but I've stopped. It's a whole extra step in the process and they seem to be just as amazingly good without.

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Croutons
adapted from Ina Garten's "Barefoot Contessa"

1 loaf stale baguette
good quality extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated pecorino romano or parmigiano-reggiano(optional)

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Slice bread into 1/4-inch slices. Brush one side with olive oil. Arrange in rimmed cookie sheet in single layer. Salt and pepper generously. Sprinkle with cheese if using. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
Let cool completely. Store in a heavy ziplock storage bag.

Making that Miso Soup

My husband and I went out for dinner at our favorite Japanese restaurant in the area. It was a cold wintery night and as I cupped the steaming savory bowl of miso soup in my hands all I could think was "I want to make Miso Soup like this at home." Why is it so hard to make a Miso soup that tastes just like the wonderful one I get at my favorite Japanese Restaurants? Don’t waste your time on any of those instant miso soup packets from Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s – I’ve tried them all and they just don’t come close to the wonderful warming substance that you get served at the restaurant.

Here’s the deal: You have to make it yourself. The good news is that it is very simple to put together. There are, it must be said, a few oddly named ingredients – things you probably won’t have on hand already, but don’t panic. Go to the Asian food store and buy dried bonito flakes, a piece of dried kelp and wakame. It will be worth it.

This recipe will give you a soup just like the one I had the other night with one big caution - it will be far less salty. I haven't specified any amount for the salt because it will depend on each persons taste preferences. I've eaten this soup with no added salt and liked it and with lots of added salt and liked it too. Depends on your mood, how health conscious you may be feeling among other things.

One other point that bears mentioning… if you want it to taste like the kind at the restaurants use shiro miso (white fermented-soybean paste) and not some other kind of miso. I’ve followed other recipes that say to use whatever kind of miso you want and they produce a fine soup, but it is not the exact same flavor that I was specifically trying to replicate at home. So in this case, where what we are after is duplication, it is worth using this specific type of miso. Once you get used to making it feel free to branch out and try different varieties.

I wanted to see how difficult it would be to find these ingredients so I stopped at a couple of stores to investigate the International Food isle. I found bonito flakes and wakame at Whole Foods, but it took a trip to the Asian Food store near me to find the Kelp and the Shiro Miso. Whole Foods has a variety of misos - barely miso, chickpea miso, red miso, but not the shiro miso I wanted. Miso is refridgerated so you won't find it on the shelf with the soy sauces and the dry noodles. The good news here is that even though you have to track down some of the ingredients they all have a very long shelf life - even the miso, which has to be refridgerated, will last nearly forever. All the dried seaweed and fish will also keep indefinitely.

Dashi is a delicate basic stock, made with dried bonito flakes, that is used extensively in Japanese cooking. Its clarity and flavor can make or break a dish.

Ingredients for Dashi
1 (3 to 4-inch piece) kombu (dried kelp)
6 cups cold water
1 (5-g) package katsuo bushi (dried bonito flakes; 1/2 cup)

to make the Dashi:
Wipe any sand or salt from kombu with a dampened cloth. Bring kombu and water just to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over high heat. Remove kombu with tongs and reserve for another use.
Sprinkle katsuo bushi over liquid and remove pan from heat. Let stand 3 minutes, then pour through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a bowl.

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Miso Soup

1/2 cup dried wakame (a type of seaweed)
1/4 cup shiro miso (white fermented-soybean paste)
6 cups dashi
1/2 lb soft tofu, drained and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion greens
salt to taste

Prepare wakame: Combine wakame with warm water to cover by 1 inch and let stand 15 minutes, or until reconstituted. Drain in a sieve.
Make soup: Stir together miso and 1/2 cup dashi in a bowl until smooth. Heat remaining dashi in a saucepan over moderately high heat until hot, then gently stir in tofu and reconstituted wakame. Simmer 1 minute and remove from heat. Immediately stir in miso mixture and scallion greens and serve. __Serves 6.

Chowder Days are back.

I love chowder. I grew up eating some of the best clam chowder in the world at a restaurant called The Grog in Newburyport – a north shore suburb of Boston. Sadly, when I stopped being able to eat milk and cream I had to give up chowder. Recently, my friend gave me a recipe for corn and scallop chowder that looked so good, I just couldn’t not try it. The only dairy was 1/2 a cup of half-and-half which I thought I could either skip altogether or find some acceptable substitute for. Originally, I was going to use 1/2 a cup of finely pureed cooked cauliflower, but in the end I couldn’t find cauliflower the day I was in the mood to make it so I took the simplest option and just added an extra potato. I made a few other minor modifications to the original recipe – in addition to dropping the cream - to liven it up a little bit and the result came out amazingly creamy and hearty. My husband tried it and then kept eating bowl after bowl. “I can’t stop eating that soup you made,” he said. With a comment like that we’ll forgive him for calling it soup.

If you do manage to have any left over, this chowder keeps well for a few days in the fridge, but it does tend to thicken up quite a bit. I added some boiling water to thin it out when I reheated it.


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Corn and Seafood Chowder

1 Tablespoon butter or olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced leek or shallots
1 cup thinly sliced celery
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 large all purpose potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
32 ounces fat-free low sodium chicken broth
3/4 pound seafood (one or all of scallops, shrimp or calamari)

1/2 cup half-and-half, if using

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsely


1.Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add leek and celery; sauté for two minutes. Sprinkle with flour, stirring to coat.

2. Add potato, corn, salt, thyme, black pepper, cayenne pepper and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.
3. Add seafood and cook for two minutes or until seafood is cooked through (shrimp turn pink, a scallop sliced open will be opaque all the way through).

4. If using, stir in half-and-half at this point. Stir in parsley.

Yes it is a chicken sandwich. No, it isn't boring.

Sandwich of the week at my house: Broiled Chicken Breast with herbs, avocado, cranberry-pepper jelly and great bread. I’ve been eating this sandwich every day for a week and I’m still loving it. I make a big batch of the chicken and keep it in the fridge so that I can whip up one of these masterpieces whenever I’m hungry. The sandwich is sweet and spicy, creamy and crunchy. It really has me going as evidenced by my being unable to eat anything else for so long. I love it with the Herb Broiled Chicken, but if you are in the mood to cut corners you can used canned chicken like the kind they sell at Trader Joe’s and CostCo… it won’t be as wonderful, but it is still pretty good.


What you will need:

1 Herb Broiled Chicken breast (see recipe below)
two slices of your favorite bread
1/2 a ripe Haas avocado
Cranberry-Pepper Jelly

To assemble:

Place two slices of bread side-by-side on a plate. Slice the avocado into thin slices and lay them, overlapping, across one slice of bread. Spread the other slice of bread with a generous slather of cranberry-pepper jelly. Arrange chicken breast on one of the pieces of bread and top with the other (topping side facing the chicken). Slice and eat.

It helps to have ripe avocados on hand. I have the best luck with avocados if I purchase them rock hard, let them ripen up in a hanging basket in my kitchen and then refrigerate them once they are ripe (before they get too ripe). They’ll keep at the point of ripeness in the cool of the fridge for several days at least.

I use the cranberry pepper jelly that I discussed in my posting of 11/15/06. And the bread I make myself from my posting on 12/8/06. You can use whatever jelly and bread you prefer.

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Herb Broiled Chicken Breasts

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, tenderloins removed
freshly ground coarse sea salt
freshly ground coarse black pepper
2 teaspoons dried herbs (such as sage, thyme, marjoram)


1. Lay chicken breasts on counter between two sheets of butcher paper or plastic wrap. Using a kitchen mallet – or a cast iron frying pan – pound the meat until it is a uniform thickness – between 1/4 and 1/2 and inch thick.

2. Liberally season pounded chicken breast and chicken tenderloins with salt, pepper and herbs on both sides. Wrap chicken up in the paper or plastic wrap you are using and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 1/2 hours.

3. Pre-heat broiler. Remove chicken from fridge, unwrap and arrange in a single layer on a broiler pan. Cook for 4-6 minutes per side under the broiler (tenderloins cook in 3-4 minutes a side). Remove from broiler and check internal temperature with an instant read thermometer or slice into to check for doneness. Wrap chicken in a clean sheet of aluminum foil and refrigerate until cool.

Roast Lemon Chicken

I combined three different recipes to make this roast chicken last night for dinner and it was so amazing I had to share it. Roast chicken is pretty straightforward, but I did a few things here that I don't regularly do... I used a larger chicken - could they be more flavorful? - I cooked at a higher temperature - I rubbed the chicken with olive oil before roasting and last but not least, I stuffed the cavity with garlic, rosemary and lemon - I usually leave it empty. The combination of all of these new steps made for one delicious bird.


For the chicken:

1 5-6 pound naturally raised roasting chicken
2 teaspoons each: sugar, salt, herbs (such as sage, marjoram, thyme)
1 lemon
2-3 sprigs rosemary
1 head of garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the sauce:

Pan drippings
1/2 cup white wine
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
juice of one lemon


First off, I bought a six pound roasting chicken because my family of four have big appetites and the small 3-4 pound broilers are just too small for us these days.

Next I did my standard dry rub (see the 11/15/06 post ) but I doubled the quantities so it was 2 teaspoons each: salt, sugar and herbs. Also, I didn’t have time to let it age in my fridge for two days so I did it for just over 24 hours – maybe 30 hours. Which was fine – so now we know.

I took the chicken out of the fridge to come to room temperature about an hour before roasting it. I preheated the oven to 450 degrees – much hotter than I normally use, but I was running late and I had to get dinner on the table. Necessity is the mother of invention, right. Now here’s the changes to my normal, everyday roast chicken.

I stuffed the cavity with one lemon, cut into four quarters, a few sprigs of rosemary and one head of garlic cut in half.

Next I rubbed the bird all over with olive oil and set it breast side down on a rack in my roasting pan.

I roasted it at 450, breast side down for 40 minutes. Then I took it out of the oven and carefully turned it over so the breast was up. The skin was quite dark – not quite burnt, but very browned. I roasted it for another 35 minutes and then turned the heat down to 425 for another 10 minutes.

Once it was done (165 in the thickest part of the thigh) I took it out turned it up to drain out all the juices from the cavity into the roasting pan and then set the chicken to rest on a plate. I discared the lemon, rosemary and garlic that were in the cavity.

I made a quick sauce with the pan drippings. First I set the roasting pan on a burner on medium high heat until it was boiling rapidly. Then I added 1/2 a cup of white wine and stirred and scraped with a wooden spoon until the liquid was reduced by about 1/2. I then added 3/4 cup of chicken broth and stirred and scraped some more. Then I poured the contents of the pan into my gravy separater and let it sit for a minute until all the fat had risen to the top. I poured the sauce through a strainer – stopping when I hit the fat portion of the liquid - into a clean sauce pan and heated it up to a rapid boil. Then I turned off the heat and added 1 tablespoon of butter and the juice of one lemon.

I served the chicken with the sauce on the side and it was one of the best chickens I’ve ever made.

Cake Two

Well, the week is up, but the cakes are still coming. Here's the second cake of the three and its a good one.

This is the cake I make every year for one of my daughter’s birthday. It is the Cook’s Illustrated recipe for vanilla cupcakes, but it is simple enough to make it in two 9-inch cake pans instead. It may be vanilla, but it isn’t plain or boring… it is very rich and buttery. I have to frost it with cream cheese frosting which I’ll happily admit may be a little over the top, because this future foodie daughter of mine tasted cream cheese frosting for the first time a few years ago and announced, “It is so good, I could die.”

The beauty of this recipe is that it is a snap. There are no fussy extra steps and it is so easy you’ll wonder why you haven’t been whipping up cakes like this for years.

Yellow Cake with cream cheese frosting
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated Jan/Feb 2003


CAKE

1 1/2 (7.5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg, room temperature
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Line with parchment paper circle and butter and flour that.
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add butter, sour cream, egg and egg yolks, and vanilla; beat at medium speed until smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix by hand until smooth and no flour pockets remain.
3. Divide batter evenly between cake pans. Bake until the cake tops are pale gold and a toothpick or skewer insterted in the middle of the cake comes out clean, 25-35 minutes. Let cakes cool in pans on rack for 10 minutes. Carefully turn out of pans onto racks and let cool completely.
4. Frost with chocolate frosting or cream cheese frosting.


FROSTING

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
6 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups (1 pound) confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Put cream cheese and butter into bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat together, starting on slow speed and increasing to medium until well combined, about a minute. Add vanilla and mix on medium speed for another 30 seconds.

2. Add confectioners sugar and mix on slow speed until sugar is fully incorporated. Run on medium for the last 30 seconds until frosting appears smooth and satiny.

A Three Cake Week: Cake One

It is going to be a busy week. I’ve got two birthday cakes to make, a special tempting dessert for a school meeting and maybe even something special for my book club. That is a lot of cakes for one week – even at my house.

Cake 1 - Luxury Lemon Cake

The first cake is for a meeting for my daughters’ school – a meeting that I’m trying to get people to come out for at my house to help me organize a fun event that is coming up in March. Let’s face it – this dessert is a bribe to get my friends to come out on a cold January night when they could be snuggling up at home. It has to be amazing, over the top and not that complicated – since I have a very busy day myself tomorrow. Also, it had to be both nut and chocolate free because of food allergies... this cake is both. The Luxury Lemon Cake wins for amazingly delicious – rich and moist and very very lemony. I’m going to serve it with my January strawberries (see my 1/16/07 entry) and a dollop of lemon mousse. I’m sort of cheating on the mousse, but really one has to cut corners somewhere. I’m going to fold some Stonewall Farms lemon curd into some Fat Free Cool Whip. My idea is to have lemon in different textures and forms and then the strawberries will brighten up the plate.

A few notes about this recipe. I don’t bother using super fine sugar. Feel free to use it if you have it or if you really want to use it and can’t find it in the store you can process regular granulated sugar in your food processor to make super fine sugar yourself.

I sift the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and then stir them for about a minute with a wire whisk to ensure that they are thoroughly combined.

Anytime the recipe calls for wax paper I use parchement paper - because I have it on hand. Either one will work.

I’ve made this recipe in a regular bundt pan and it was fine – so if you already have a bundt don’t feel like you have to run out and buy a 10-inch tube. I did invest in one finally because I love this cake so much and know I’ll be making it often.

And one final plea: Don’t skip the glaze! This glaze is designed to be absorbed into the warm cake – it ups the lemon ante as well as tenderizing the cake. So no matter what – don’t skip that step it takes this cake to higher level.

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Luxury Lemon Cake
(recipe by Lisa Yockelson)

Makes one 10-inch cake


CAKE

Shortening (for the pan)
Flour (for the pan)
Finely grated rind of 3 lemons
2 teaspoons lemon extract
3 1/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt (preferabley fine sea salt)
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 3/4 cups superfine sugar
5 eggs
1 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a plain 10-inch tube pan, line the bottom of the pan with a circle of waxed paper. Dust the pan with flour, tapping out the excess; set aside

2. In a small bowl, combine the lemon rind and extract.

3. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a mixing bowl or onto a piece of waxed paper.

4. In an electric mixer, beat the butter at medium speed for 3 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar in three additions, beating for 1 minute after each one. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing for 30 seconds after each one. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to keep the batter even textured.

5. Blend in the lemon mixture. On low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour.

6. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula.

7. Bake the cake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake is clean when withdrawn and the cake pulls away slightly from the sides of the pan.

GLAZE

2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and lemon juice. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. Bring to a rapid boil, the remove the pan from the heat.

2. When the cake is done, cool it in the pan for 10 to 12 minutes. Carefully invert onto another cooling rack, peel away the waxed paper, then set right-side up on another rack. Brush the top and sides of the warm cake with glaze.

3. Leave the cake to cool completely.

Filet Mignon windfall...

Seven years ago when my husband and I bought our two family house we rented out the first floor apartment to the most wonderful couple. They had been landlords themselves and were therefore super responsible and helpful the whole time they lived there. Sadly, for us, they found a house to buy and moved out, but not far - only a few blocks away.

Every year after that, around Christmas, a large styrofoam box would arrive in the mail addressed to them even though they no longer lived there. Every year, I would want to keep that box - suspecting that it contained some expensive and delicious food items and every year I would wrestle through the decision to do the "right thing" and call up our old tenants and make sure they got their package. Last year, Pauline said, "If you get another one next year - just keep it. I get so many of these things I can never eat them all." She works in a job where she is unundated with these types of gifts at the holidays - lucky her.

So this year, knowing that I could keep whatever came without guilt, I waited expecantly. And of course, nothing came. Figures. Then yesterday what should appear on the front step of our apartment but a giant styrofoam box addressed to Pauline. Yah! I thought - this is it.

I brought it inside and slit the tight plastic wrap that was holding the cooler lid on tight. I pulled out two bags of dry ice and underneath was a box of 12 filet mignons (6 oz. servings). Wow. Now that is a treat.

Here's the dilemma: What should we do with them? Should Linas and I eat them all one by one over the next year? Should I have a big dinner party? How should I cook them? My first thought was 12 individual Beef Wellingtons - that is one of my very favorite things... that would be good and it would make the beginnings of a fun dinner party.

Let me know what you think I should do? Suggestions. Recipes. Thoughts and comments.

I'll let you know what the final verdict is and post the recipe I ended up using.

Winter Vegetable Soup

This is my favorite winter vegetable soup – I think the parsnips really make it. It is simple and hearty, warming and delicious. This is low fat, high fiber and so yummy you won’t even care that it is good for you. Now if we can just get the weather to start acting like winter it will be the perfect time of year to make this soup.

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Winter Vegetable Soup

1 lb. parsnips, peeled and chopped
1/2 lb. carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 onions coarsely chopped
2 large stalks celery
1 small turnip, peeled and chopped
3 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
sour cream, crème fraiche, pureed cauliflower, croutons, finely chopped parsley or chives as a garnish (optional)

In an ample heavy bottomed soup pot (4 to 6 quarts) combine the parsnips, carrots, celery, turnips and stock or water and bring to a boil.

Simmer the mixture until the vegetables are tender (40-50 minutes).

In a blender, puree the mixture, adding water or broth if necessary to thin to desired consistency.

Return pureed soup to pot and adjust seasonings.

Garnish and serve.

Yield: 6 servings

January Strawberries: Rescued!

I make a lot of rules for my own life, but I can’t always live up to them. For example, I don’t buy strawberries in January. Strawberries are lovely and delicious picked under the late June sun, but the ones you get in the frosty mid-winter months just don’t measure up. So why waste your money. (sigh) Yesterday, the strawberries just looked so beautiful and red and luscious I was suckered into to buying a quart. After all, it is hard, trying to live by the rules all the time.

I bought them from a wonderful wholesale distributor near my house so it wasn’t just the top berries that looked good – they were beautiful all the way down to the bottom layer in the box. The only problem was the taste. Ach! Closer to lemon than any bright red berry should ever be.

So here’s what I did:

Cut the tops of the berries, and cut them into quarters (the long way).
Added 1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

I mixed it up thoroughly and then left it sitting on the kitchen counter while we ate our dinner. Every time I walked by I’d give it a little stir.

By dessert time, these berries were coated in a sweet and delicious sauce. I filled up a bowl with chocolate ice cream and smothered it in berries and sauce and it was truly fantastic. Somehow the liquer and the sugar and the berry juice had combined into an amazingly delicious sauce that was not screaming any one particular flavor… I couldn’t really tell that all that orange brandy was in there… all I knew was that I felt like licking my bowl when I finished.

Now, I’m not planning on buying anymore berries this winter – after all it is counter to my own rules for living, but at least now, if I should happen to stumble I’ll know what to do with those sour berries that looked so great when I was standing in the produce aisle.

A New Twist on Pork Tenderloin

I made this pork for dinner on Friday night and it was universally praised – from the youngest child to the oldest grandparent present. This being the case, I thought it was probably good enough to share. I've combined two Mark Bittman recipes together here because the pan sauce Mr. Bittman used in his pork recipe was a cream sauce and I do my best to go non-dairy most of the time. I love this for its simplicity - it isn't complicated or time consuming but the results are delicious – that is a given - but also almost elegant. I pre-heated a lovely french porcelain casserole dish which I removed the meat to after it cooked, I then poured the pan sauce over all and – since I had chopped fresh parsley on hand I actually did sprinkle it over all. I did forget to take a picture. Well, I’ll have to do that the next time I make it.

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Twice Cooked Pork Tenderloin with Soy-Ginger Sauce

1 boneless pork tenderloin, between 1 and 2 pounds

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 Tablespoons butter, or olive oil or a combination

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup dry sherry

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves for garnish, optional

1. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. Put a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat; a minute later add 2 tablespoons of butter and/or oil. When butter foam subsides or oil dimples, add meat (curve it into skillet if necessary). Brown it well on all sides, for a total of 4-6 minutes. Turn off heat, remove meat from pan, and let it sit on a large plate. When skillet has cooled a bit, proceed.

2. Cut meat into inch-thick slices. (I don’t bother pulling out my tape measure for this – the width of the first two fingers on my right hand is just about 1 inch so I use them to measure). Once again turn heat to medium-high, add 1 tablespoon butter and/or oil and when it is hot, add pork slices to pan. Brown on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes each. Turn heat to low and remove meat to a warm platter. I used an instant read thermometer, stuck deep into the narrow side of each piece of pork to double check that the internal temperature was over 140 degrees. Pork is ideal at 150, and it will continue cooking even after it is removed from the heat of the pan, but you want it to be over 140 at least before you consider it done enough.

3. Add soy sauce and sherry to pan, turn heat to high, and cook, stirring and scraping, for a minute. Lower heat slightly, add ginger and continue cooking and stirring for another minute. Turn off heat and add the last 1 tablespoon of butter to pan. Stir sauce until butter is completely melted, then taste and adjust seasonings. Pour pan sauce over pork and sprinkle with parsley if you like.

Yield: 4 – 6 servings

BBQ Sauce Variation (lowfat)
I use my cast iron skillet for this since it goes under the broiler without any risk. Steps one and two are the same, although I cut back on the amount of oil/butter used and just spray the pan. In step 3, use 1/2 a cup of red wine or beer to deglaze the pan and cook until it is almost completely reduced. Add 1 cup of your favorite barbeque sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's - it isn't complex but it satisfies my requirements for a sweet and smoky flavor and I put enough ground pepper on the meat to add some spice to the final product) to the pan and stir. Return the pork to the pan along with any juices that accumulated on the plate while they were resting. Turn the meat to coat it completely with sauce. Arrange meat in single layer and spread another 1/2 cup of barbeque sauce over top of pork. Put pan under broiler for 3-5 minutes - until meat is starting to blacken on corners. Turn slices of pork over and brush with more sauce and return to broiler for another 3-5 minutes. Now they are ready to serve.