Archive for October, 2009
Sam I Am’s Sauce du Jour: Salsa Verde
You will like it in a house.
You will like it with a mouse.
You will like it here or there.
You will like it anywhere.
This salsa verde, from Diana Kennedy’s “The Essential Cuisines of Mexico” is a wonderfully bright, verdant mixture that seems to go with everything. It’s made with the usual salsa ingredients–onion, cilantro, chili–and tomatillos. These small, green, roughly tomato-like fruit have a distinctively wonderful resiny tang, and the resulting sauce is delicious with pulled pork, on chips, or lightly warmed atop tortillas or toast with eggs for a simple supper or homey brunch dish.
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Scary, Savory Snacks for a Halloween Buffet
I went to a pumpkin-carving party last weekend. It was THE AWESOME. Creative carving was de rigeur and though an inspired Pac-Man pumpkin won, I was rooting for the gourd rendition of the Bolt Bus. As is often the case, in the weeks leading up to the party the hostess and I have had a number of brainstorming sessions to come up with a tasty, spooky menu befitting such an event. Since the party ran straight through the dinner hour, we wanted to be sure people were adequately fed before hitting the candy corn. Pumpkin-carving knives + homicidal sugar highs = liability nightmares.
Ultimately, we decided that a bubbling pot of chili on the stove, supplemented with a buffet of the usual fixins’, would anchor a relaxed meal. Add in some cornbread adorned with olive spiders, devilish eggs, and ghoulish guacamole with witch and pumpkin tortilla chips (the latter cribbed from the indefatigable Martha) and we were all set for our very own pumpkin slasher fest.
Falling For Quince & Apple Crisp
So, I had grand ambitions with this crisp. Time was not, however, on my side, so fancy platings and other fripperies got ditched so I could share this delicious, if not supremely elegant-looking, fall dessert. Though there are myriad baked fruit desserts that come topped or mixed with something or other–buckles, betties, cobblers, pandowdies–in my family it’s always been the fruit crisp. And, really, how could a nutty, buttery, crispy-sweet topping NOT beat soggy-bottomed cobbles or random bits of bread? Exactly. The major innovation here–at least for now–is the addition of quince to the apples.
Quince, also known as Eve’s apple, are fascinating. The yellow fruit possesses the most spectacularly sweet and lovely fragrance, though their flesh is equally as astringent when raw–to the point of inedibility. All they’re good for in the raw, then, is scenting the kitchen. Cooked, however, they are divine. Sugar is a must, and after some time in the oven or on the stove, the fruit is imbued with its own fragrantly sweet essence. They’re often made into jam or cooked down further to make membrillo, a thick Spanish paste served with cheese.
Heavenly Cakes has Arrived: An Ode to Rose
Oh my lord. I was SUPPOSED to make individual apple-quince crisps for today, but that plan went straight out the window when I came home to find THIS waiting for me: Rose Levy Beranbaum’s new book, Rose’s Heavenly Cakes. Pardon me while I squeee uncontrollably for a few minutes…
Ok, I’m back.
For those who don’t know her–or me for that matter–RLB is A if not THE patron saint of modern baking, combining spectacular artistry and amazing scientific rigor in all of her work. 1988′s Cake Bible was truly seminal, launching the careers of countless aspiring bakers and cementing Rose’s reputation as basically the shiz. While she has gone on to pen a beautiful book on cookies and two more bibles as well, one on pastry and one on bread, this marks her return to cake and I, along with her myriad fans, could not be more excited.
Girls, GIrls, GIRLS!!! Pumpkin COOKIES!
I was leafing through a bunch of old recipes my mother brought to me on a recent pilgrimage the rents made to D.C. I stumbled upon one of my favorite fall desserts that I haven’t had in some time, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
So, here’s the dealio with these moist delights. A neighbor of ours in Cleveland shared this recipe with us many, many years ago. I can’t remember the woman’s name, primarily because for years I thought her name was ‘That bitch,” as dubbed by my restless father, anxious to inoculate himself into a soma suburban slumber, devoid of nosy neighbors constantly showing up unannounced; in our driveway, yard, bedroom doorway.
Beat this, Betty Draper: Turkey Meatloaf
Ground turkey is a staff-of-life staple in my kitchen–easy protein that can go into chili, get mooshed into burgers, or jacked up with bacon and sauteed veggies for a modern twist on that American classic, meatloaf. Now, anything with the suffix -loaf is generally suspect in my book, but this is a savory supper that screams nostalgia without the narsty packaged nonsense that “revolutionized” cooking fifty years ago. No convenience foods here, kids, but it’s still an easy, homey dish that evokes Mad Men-style memories without the icky stuff (Velveeta, injustice, etc).
The whole saute and process routine may seem like a bit of a palaver, but I’ve done this everywhich way, and precooked veggies and raw bacon is TOTALLY the way to go. Trust me. The apple is a stealth ingredient, adding a subtle flavor and fragrance that sets off the salty bacon and–let’s face it–the blandness of the turkey.
I Drank To That
And that. And that. And that.
I wasted my guests (and myself) last night in margarita-ville. I even hate making that reference.
I am not a JBuff fan. At all. The Fruits have a fetish for Cartman and his assessment of Mr. Cheeseburger transforms my head into Insta Slinky, bobbing uncontrollably in agreement.
Needless to say–and guests, I know I’m not alone in this–today is painful and I’m wagging my finger at these guys on the right.
I had a simple goal last night and being wasted was not one of them.
It was to waste my guests.
An Apple A Day: Maria’s Italian Apple Cake
This simple little cake is full of pleasant little surprises. Firstly, it’s supremely easy; lightly sauteed apples are folded into a quick batter and you’re good to go. Secondly, the apples are paired with just a little lemon and vanilla rather than the usual cinnamon. I’d guess is where the “Italian” comes from. While apple and cinnamon is tried and true combination, this lighter touch really allows the apple flavor to shine. The cake itself bakes up very moist and makes a delicious rustic dessert or sweet afternoon snack. It’s great to have on hand as it IS so moist that it’s just as lush and tasty three or four days after it comes out of the oven. Perfect should Miss Marple drop by for a spot of tea unexpectedly.
Your apples should be firm enough to stand up to their quick saute, but should also be ones that you enjoy eating out of hand. Experiment with your favorites!
Beetus Loving Parents
I was home visiting the family in Cleveland this weekend when I Gillian McKeith’ed the hell out of my parents refrigerator and pantry, hurling crap in the air, hoping the crap would land safely in one of several large trash bags I set up.
Think Yoda with his little green butt facing the camera as he rummaged through Luke Skywalker’s bag in The Empire Strikes Back.
“Clean out your fridge, I will!”
An Apple a Day: Pork & Apple Hot Pot
So, yes. Because I am from New England, and because I refuse to age (mentally) past 5 years old, we go apple picking for my birthday. Fortunately, this happens in the beginning of October, when apples can in fact be picked with relative ease. Since moving to D.C., this usually entails a schlep out Rte 66 (decidedly NOT the groovy one of song…) to Virginia, where we picnic, pick apples, and generally frolic about. Lovely. The apples we pick, usually from the tree, sometimes from the ground, vary in size and quality from year to year though I have learned to limit myself to one 1/2 bushel bag.
That is still, however, a lot of apples. This inspires a spate of apple-related cooking every fall and one of the first things I make with my haul of tart green apples is the following pork and apple hot pot. It’s a sweet and savory casserole of pork, apples, onions, and bacon that is a perfect dish for the first chill evenings of fall. Cooked low and slow with beer, cider, mustard, and warm spices, it’s time-consuming if basic cooking that is appropriately domestic goddess-y as the original recipe comes from cashmere food pornographer par excellence, Nigella Lawson.