It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Christmas time is here.... no sleigh bells anywhere but the cable cars are clanging merrily, the evergreens are bejeweled with their holiday trimmings and visions of sugar plums are dancing in our heads (well, with apologies to my vegetarian friends, visions of beef rib roasts are dancing in mine).

Ah, Christmas. 

The culmination of a year's worth of hope and dreams celebrated by children of all ages. 

Peace on earth, goodwill to all mankind, with eggnog for all!

It seems that the retail holiday season starts earlier & earlier every year. Some stores start dragging out the break-dancing Santa right after Halloween. I, however, never really start to feel the holiday spirit until about the 15th of December when there is a genuine chill in the air and I start thinking about what I'd like to make for the all important Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals.

After all, it's Christmas! 

I feel absolutely Dickensian this time of the year, all transgressions are forgiven: God bless us, everyone! 

Hope reigns supreme! 

Even those of us who tend toward the agnostic/atheistic mode of non-worship during the rest of the year feel the spiritual transcendence of a beautifully performed Christmas carol and the strong pull of the holiday cheer. We're decking the halls & wrapping everything we can in garlands & boughs of holly while we sing "Joy to the World".

Who doesn't look forward to seeing the Grinch's heart, which was two sizes too small, grow three sizes that fateful day, or Scrooge's maniacal, but miraculous transformation in his ghost-ridden bedchamber or George's joyous face when he discovers Zuzu's petals in his pocket? 

Who doesn't tear up watching each story's protagonist go through trials that ultimately become his salvation through the redemptive powers of one magical Christmas Eve? Powerful themes of love, redemption and fresh beginnings resound through the holiday season's traditions.

Then, of course, there's the feasting.

There are always the sacred traditional holiday staples served in the Van Wagoner household year after year: the very Germanic pork roast, mashed potatoes & sauerkraut on Christmas eve, the proper prime rib roast or roast turkey on Christmas Day.

It is with the hors d'oeuvres and sides where I play with variations of the yuletide theme depending on who our guests are, their dietary restrictions, and how adventurous they like to be. Something for everyone, that's my motto.

When I was growing up in my Puerto Rican grandmother's household, pernil with arroz con gandules were served alongside turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes; pasteles, a meat pie steamed in banana leaves traditionally made for festive occasions because of its elaborate & labor intensive preparation, were served with sweet potato casserole; and turrones (an almond paste rock candy studded with nuts) and guava paste were seamlessly offered with pumpkin and coconut custard pies.

 Everyone ate everything with great gusto and relish; making no culinary cultural distinction between the comida "criolla" or "americano". It all fell under the liberal, with the consumption for all mentality, sheltered beneath the Christmas feast's wide culinary umbrella.

So for me, in spite of my nod to tradition by keeping the holy trinity of roast beast, mashed potatoes & some form of sauce or gravy, anything goes. Some years I supplement the main course with Italian & Greek flavors, other years Asian accents. 

Every once and a while I try to revisit my childhood and give Puerto Rican dishes a whirl; although, it's really almost impossible to find the proper ingredients for those out here in San Francisco. Mexican influences, however, are a cinch. I always try to make sure at least one dish is vegetarian friendly; of course, if I really want to stretch my culinary horizons I'd try to make something delicious that was vegan but that calls for more culinary talent & initiative than I currently possess.

Everything tastes better with butter.

This year I may try to make my all-time favorite festive foods, a sort of all-star roster of Christmas' past; cultural clashes be damned! I am slightly handicapped by the fact that we have sold our amazing home with the 900 sq foot, fully loaded, state of the art kitchen. 

I am now in possession of a kitchen the size of a shoe closet with a 15 year old, 28" wide electric range.

These are small obstacles that can be easily overcome with a little grit, a little determination and a lot of planning. Which brings us to this posting: basically intended as a first pass at getting the little grey cells working and the creative juices flowing. I plan to have the entire menu mapped out by tomorrow and ready to post; taking into careful consideration the limitations of my galley kitchen. So until tomorrow... to be continued.....

Oh wait... Today is yesterday's tomorrow, yes? Tomorrow has already come. Yaay!!!

And with it, a new strategy to help  those of us with restaurant kitchen envy to triumph over our small kitchen woes!

Yes, the sun has risen and a new day has begun.

With it also starts the dawn of a new era in my culinary life.

I now see the glaring gap of information available to those who by necessity must entertain in a slightly less than commodious environment. 

When dear Martha, Nigella or Giada air their special holiday television segments on home entertaining, they cook in beautifully appointed commercial kitchens that could easily accommodate a catering staff of 12 and serve their meals in dining halls worthy of Henry the VIII. They never attempt their culinary triumphs in a 6x8 kitchen, outfitted with dated equipment and cheap melamine counters that melt at the sight of a hot casserole dish as I will try to do in this seminal moment. 

Cooks of the world unite, you have nothing to lose but your aprons!!!

Entertaining in limited space with less than stellar equipment requires focus, patience and excellent timing. One must learn to prioritize. If you are like I am and enjoy serving the main course warm straight from the oven after a period of rest for the juices to be evenly redistributed, then you must cook the entree "a la minute" right before service to avoid having it dry out by being kept warm or reheated.

A large roast in a small oven will take time to cook and also take up most of your precious cooking space which means some sides need to be prepared ahead, either the day before or earlier in the day and reheated by microwave just before serving. Mashed potatoes and most cheesy or creamy casseroles survive this treatment well. Something to consider when planning your holiday menu. A quick vegetable saute on the other hand will not handle reheating well & is best done at the last minute while your roast beast rests.

Another consideration is what to serve before and after dinner. 

Again, a small apartment cannot handle an overload of hors d'oeuvres or desserts. 

Choose things that are easy to prepare with a few high quality ingredients purchased either pre-cooked or pre-assembled from a high quality food purveyor & make them easy for your guests to eat with their fingers from platters that are distributed throughout different tables in the "public" areas of your apartment (no bedrooms or bathrooms please) like grilled asparagus wrapped in smoked salmon; wedges of specialty cheeses on sliced baguettes, apple wedges or gourmet crackers; slices of seared ahi tuna, salsa & guacamole on large tortilla chips or baked wonton wrappers, platters of precooked shrimp with a quickly made dip of Vietnamese sriratcha hot sauce & mayonnaise, or a mix of nuts, dried fruit & wasabi peas in a pretty bowl. For dessert consider a variety of cupcakes from a local baker like Kara's or a variety of brownies, chocolate truffles, individual pies or frozen confections like chocolate eclairs, very retro & fun.

The point is to make it easier on yourself and fun for your guests. Nobody likes to see a harried hostess. It makes your guests feel uncomfortable & a little guilty. Take good thoughtful shortcuts. Save your energy for the main event: spending time with your guests. A relaxed demeanor is a hostess' best accessory.

Something else to ponder when mulling over the Holiday menu is to whom you are catering. 

The holidays usually include family time and families have children. 

Kids are notoriously hidebound and reactionary when it comes to mealtime. They are heartless little food fascists who would spit in the poor food offenders face as soon as kiss it if they can't find something they deem edible.

Many adults will balk at sensory overload as well so try to keep some dishes user-friendly for the majority of your guests. Now is not the time to show off your newly acquired knife skills by making a carpaccio of monkey liver or to display your mastery of the globe's full culinary repertoire by panko-crusting dung beetles.

Try to keep within a safe distance of your guest's culinary boundaries; but, do feel free to try interesting variations of classics by experimenting with different techniques or adding interesting herbs, spices or oils. For instance, adding a dash of cumin or rosemary to garlicky pork roast borrows from other cultures and enhances the sweetness of the meat without being too alien or overwhelming to the uninitiated; just don't add both rosemary & cumin at the same time, they are two disparate & competitive flavors; however, they do enjoy sharing the limelight with oregano and lemon which compliment both the cumin & the rosemary lending a latino flair to the former & an Italian accent to the latter.

I am sticking to a Mediterranean-ish menu this year because those are the flavor profiles of my favorite all-star Christmas dishes. The San Francisco winter climate as well as its winter produce lend themselves to that style of eating so I won't be foraging too deeply to find the ingredients for my festive season faves. If I find that someone is a non-vegan vegetarian, I can always throw a baked cheesy pasta, potato or eggplant dish together very quickly & add it to the menu for them without disrupting the theme.

I have not included recipes for everything on my menus.
Items like the salmon, mashed potatoes & the Stilton cheese dessert plate are pretty straight forward & don't need elaborate recipes.
You can find a good quality tapenade in grocery stores & just add chopped sun-dried tomatoes, a drop of fish sauce, your fave fresh herbs & extra-virgin olive oil to it to jazz it up, if you don't make it from scratch. If you can get a side of salmon filleted from your fishmonger, it will make a beautiful and impressive presentation especially if you slather it with the tapenade to give it a crust & bake it whole.

What can I say about mashed potatoes? Don't cut them too small, leave the skins on, boil them with salt until soft but not mushy, remove excess water by tossing them over heat in a dry, hot pan and heat up the cream & butter before adding them to the potatoes. Put them through a ricer or food mill if you like a smoother, lighter texture or mash them with an old fashioned masher if you like them with a heartier, more rustic style. Just add lots of white truffle butter or truffle oil to it at the end to give them a luxe flavor. If you can score fresh white truffles and shave them on top, all the better but good luck; they are as rare and as expensive as an F50 Ferrari.

The Stilton? Slice bread, toast or grill, brush with cold-pressed olive oil, add good quality fig jam. Serve on a plate with a nice wedge of Neal's Yard or Colton Bassett Stilton. Simple & great with port.

* Recipes included for these entrees.
Everything in green is vegetarian-friendly. Everything in red is for meat eaters.
You can make the chestnut soup vegetarian-friendly by using vegetable broth.

The recipes which I uploaded into Google docs & downloaded here will follow in the next blog part of the series. 

Unfortunately, this will not all fit into one blog, so I'll need to do a two part one instead.

I will provide a link to all parts of the blogs on each of the posts. I'm going to minimize pics for the sake of space economy. :(

But I so LOVE food porn, don't you?

Here's a teaser:





Okay Part 1 is this preamble & the menus.
Part 2 will be the recipes themselves. I may need a Part 3 for all the recipes... :(



The hubby & I used to go to Hawaii for Christmas.. so FAB!!!

Mele Kalikimaka!!



Hell... even Santa likes to hang ten on Christmas morning before he heads back up to the North Pole

Why not?

He's earned it!!


Now tell me what are your yummy holiday traditions?
Share your faves here; include some recipes you like, too.

Are you feeling all Grinchy with all the holiday hubbub or a yeasty benevolence for all of mankind like Tiny Tim who wants God to bless us... Everyone?

XOXOXOXOXO

Yes, Virginia, You Can Have A Carb-Free Lasagne: It's Eggplant Lasagne

 

 So... you have decided for any one of innumerable reasons, you want to try a low-carb, low-glycemic diet. Something that eschews the daily consumption of tortilla chips & foot-long subs.

You have one of the following:

Adult Onset Diabetes

Or

An allergy to gluten

Or 

Your 20 year high school reunion and you want to show those guys who used to snap their towels at you in the locker room during gym how well geeks hold up over their beefier muscle headed counterparts.

Or

You are one of those naturally skinny bitches, but you have finally come to the epiphany that Pop Tarts & Diet Coke does not extend nor enhance your health over the long-term despite their nuclear holocaust surviving shelf life due to their remarkable preservative-laden ingredients.  

Or

None of the above 

(Look, don't judge me, okay, smartasses? I'm trying to write an introduction to be whimsical and amusing, though I am failing mightily. I mean, just posting straight recipes is so Martha Stewart and I may be a bored privileged hausfrau with no life to speak of, but I have my artistic integrity. Just ask my Yoga instructor, she says I flow like the Ganges. WOOF! )

Now, you figure you can easily sacrifice the rice, the bread, the chips and - if push came to shove - all those raw carrots and beets you were always meaning to eat for their Vitamin A content.

HOWEVER.... 

There is one food, you simply cannot do without...

I mean, hell, Columbus practically drowned the Spanish Armada bringing it back from China to Europe. HOW could any civilized person expect you to give up that staple food of  Italian cuisine; that delicious belly-warming, tongue tantalizing thing of sensual pleasure that even the Taccuino Sanitatis of 15th century fame devoted a chapter to?

 

What am I talking about?

What else?

PASTA!!!!

 

(Whatddya think put the smile on the Mona Lisa?)

 

Well, sadly, you must give it up,
BUT here's one way to eat a classic pasta dish without using the pasta!

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus and he is keeping the lasagne flying sans noodles but with oodles of luscious silken eggplant, hot & mild chicken Italian sausage & tons of CHEESE!!!

Eggplant Lasagne: Even better than the real thing

Yes, Yes, YES!!!

Eggplant slices definitely satisfy both the palate and the dietary considerations in this dish.
So... let's dig in, shall we?



Firstly, it is lasagne with an "e"; like Liza with a "z", but even more delicious.
You can, however, spell it anyway you like, so long as it tastes good.
It's really just an assembly line dish. 
Very simple to make and requires no real cooking skills.
Once you've cooked the eggplant, the sausages, the tomato sauce, shredded the mozzarella, and prepared the ricotta, you just slap it together in a nice baking dish.

Wikipedia spells it wrong, but says this about the dish:
"... The word lasagna comes from the Greek λάσανα (lasana) or λάσανον (lasanon) meaning "trivet or stand for a pot", "chamber pot".^[6][7][8] The Romans borrowed the word as "lasanum", meaning "cooking pot" in Latin.^[9] The Italians used the word to refer to the dish in which lasagna is made. Later the name of the food took on the name of the serving dish."

So there's your history lesson for the day!

Eggplants are great this time of year. 
I am using "Globe" eggplants which are large and round and I slice them lengthwise into 1/3" to 1/2" thick slices, so that after I saute them, they approximate the size of a cooked lasagne noodle. When in doubt, err on the side of slicing them more thickly. Do NOT cut it into rounds.

You can use Japanese eggplant, too, obviously, but they are more expensive and quite small which means you would spend a fortune buying a bushel of them. Not that eggplants are sold in bushels, but you get my point.


Copious amounts of olive oil will be used in this recipe. Eggplants are thirsty, greedy little bastards  that soak up oil like Charlie Sheen soaks up tiger blood so prepare to use almost a whole pint of olive oil. Be sure to use an olive oil that tastes good, but don't use your best Arbequina cold-pressed, hand harvested by Tibetan monks while pissed on by the Dalai Lama EVOO (extra virgin olive oil for you noobs). On the other hand, don't go using Crisco either... The eggplants will taste exactly like whatever oil you use.

The size of the baking pan you use is important, as well. It must be at least 2" deep or else you will not be able to layer the casserole properly. You can use a regular lasagne baking dish. I used two Le Creuset baking dishes that were 12" x 9.5" x 2" with a 3-quart capacity because there are only two of us here and I wanted to store one pan uncooked in the freezer for another time. This is the kind of dish that keeps well and can be prepared a week ahead of time.

I used both Sweet and Hot Italian sausages made from chicken instead of pork, but you can use pork Italian sausage if you like or omit sausages altogether and replace them with sauteed spinach, portabello mushrooms or anything you like... That's the beauty of cooking, you adjust the recipe to suit your needs. If you do use the sausages, be sure to slice them lengthwise as well after cooking them and before assembling the lasagne. It's a bit unusual but it gives the dish a lovely rustic feel. If you prefer, however, you may simply cook the Italian sausages into crumbles by releasing them from their casing and sauteing them as though they were ground beef.

To those who are vegan or lactose intolerant, firstly... I offer my condolences and secondly, I say that tofu and soy cheese products serve admirably as a substitute here. I ate many a tofu lasagne as a young dancer. My choreographer insisted using it when she made us her meals, it has a slightly chalky texture, but those of you who can't eat from things that moo are probably accustomed to it.

Be sure to preheat your oven while you are making the sauce and sauteing the eggplant.

Eggplant Lasagne

Note: No wheat products were harmed during the making of this dish. 
(I bet PETA can't make that claim! Those grain and veggie-killers!!)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Make sure to place the oven rack in the middle of the oven before heating it.
This dish will serve 8-12 hungry conquistadors.
I know for a fact Christopher Columbus loved this dish! 

Ingredients 

For The Eggplant:

 

• 4 large eggplants, sliced length-wise to 1/3"-1/2" thickness, placed on paper towels.       (Be sure to season the eggplant slices to taste with salt and pepper and set them on paper towels to drain some of their moisture while you prepare the tomato sauce. The eggplant will taste sweeter that way.)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil, enough for sauteing the eggplant, about 1 pint 

  
For The Pomodoro Sauce:

• 4 Mild Italian Chicken Sausages
• 4 Hot Italian Chicken Sausage
• 1 Large Sweet Onion, sliced thinly
• 4 large cloves of garlic, smashed & very finely minced
• 3 750g containers of chopped "Italian" or Roma tomatoes, I use Pomi brand which has virtually no added sodium, but you may substitute any low sodium brand.
• 2 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil for sauteing the onions
• 1/3 cup of red or white wine (It really doesn't matter which you use, we just need it to deglaze the pan, but do use wine that you would drink. Do NOT use cooking wine. That stuff is horrid & suitable only as a disinfectant)
• Fresh Basil Leaves, about a handful, julienned (Do NOT use dried basil, it tastes like rancid seaweed)
• Fresh Oregano, four sprigs, leaves stripped & chopped fine (1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano may be substituted, it imparts a different flavor than fresh, but it is still quite pleasant)
• Fresh Parsley, a very generous handful, both leaves & stems chopped fine
• Salt & Freshly Cracked Pepper, to taste

For The Lasagne Filling:
 

• 2 lbs. of Mozzarella, shredded
  
• 1/2 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano, grated (plus more for the topping)
• 1/2 teaspoon Fresh Grated Nutmeg, or 1/4 teaspoon powdered
• 3 Large Eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 lbs Ricotta

Instructions

For the Pomodoro sauce:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit (Or 190 degrees Celsius)
2. Heat a large Dutch Oven over medium-high heat, when hot add a splash of olive oil and then add the Italian Sausages making sure not to overcrowd the pan. 
3. Saute the sausages about 4 minutes on each side until golden brown. When sausages are browned, remove them & place them on a cutting board to rest. If there is excessive fat in the pan, using tongs, place a paper towel in the pan to soak up excess and discard soiled paper towel. Be sure to leave some fat in the pan.
4. Lower heat to Medium. Add one TBSP of olive oil to pan & when shimmering, but not smoking, add the sliced onions, a pinch of salt, a few grinds of black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions have softened (about 8-10 minutes)
5. When onions have softened, add garlic and cook a minute longer. Then add wine, deglazing the pan by scraping up all the pan fond (the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. When wine is reduced by half, add the chopped tomatoes & then the sausages back to the pan with any accumulated juices.
6. Add all of the oregano to the pan, half of the basil and half of parsley. Stirring well...  Reserving the rest of the herbs to add later, just before assembly of the lasagne. Now TASTE your sauce and adjust for seasonings. Does it need more pepper? More garlic? More herbs? Remember, a good cook tastes everything throughout the duration of the cooking process. Be careful about adding more salt. Salt can always be added, but never subtracted. So don't go crazy. Once you've adjusted your seasoning, set the heat to low, let the sauce simmer & prepare your eggplant.

For the Eggplant:

1.   Place a large saute pan over medium. When pan is hot, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Then add the eggplant slices a few at a time, cooking them in batches about 2 minutes each side, until they soften & become golden brown, adding olive oil to the pan as necessary.
2. Be sure to have plenty of paper towels on the counter next to the saute pan, so that you set the cooked eggplant slices down on them to drain excess oil . When all the eggplant are cooked, prepare your cheeses for the filling.

For the Cheese Filling:

1. Place ricotta, parmigiano & eggs in a large mixing bowl and combine well.
2. Add grated nutmeg, stirring in well, then season with salt & pepper to taste. (Once again, err on the side of caution when salting. Parmigiano adds quite a bit of sodium on its own. Taste, taste, taste...adding only miniscule amounts of seasoning at a time)
3. Grate the mozzarella and place it in a bowl
4. Now check your tomato sauce, turn it off the heat, remove the sausages, placing them on a cutting board and slice them lengthwise into thirds (yes, cut them into 3 slices), add the remaining reserved herbs to the dish, adjust the seasoning and prepare to assemble the dish.

Assembling the Lasagne:

1.  Place your lasagne pan (or pans) on a larger foil-lined cookie sheet (for easy clean-up later. I guarantee that the sauce will bubble over and spill on the floor of your oven, if you don't. It's Murphy's Law... he's a cunning, nasty bastard. Don't tempt him)
2. The assembly is simple. Start with a layer of sauce, then layer the eggplant allowing them to overlap slightly, then layer the ricotta mixture evenly over the eggplant, then layer the sausage, then sprinkle it all with mozzarella and repeat the process until the pan is full... The last layer of eggplant should receive a liberal dose of sauce, mozzarella and a final dusting of parmigiano.
3. Place the lasagne in the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes until it all looks and smells done to your liking. When ready, remove it from the oven & let it rest for 15 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving... Voila
4. Mangia!

In Memory of Ruth: A New Year's Feast That Will Make Her Smile From Her Table in Heaven

It was a bittersweet end to 2007.

Bitter because my husband's mother quietly passed away that New Year's Eve after a long struggle with pulmonary fibrosis that left her breathless but never helpless.

Vincent Van Gogh's "Irises", One of Ruth's Favorite Paintings

Sweet because she was a strong proud woman who had always lived life on her own terms and when a recent hospital stay made it quite clear she was going to have to completely surrender her hard-fought autonomy in order to continue on, it seems like she may have finally decided she'd rather check out of this world than check into a nursing home. Her moxie knew no bounds and she would have been miserable in that environment.

84 years of living life her way was too strongly ingrained in her DNA to let her choose any option that would not allow her complete control over every aspect of her life ; or so it seems to me. She had managed to live as she wanted to until almost the very end in the comfort of her own home surrounded by her favorite things, with private nurses round the clock, eating all her favorite foods (most of which had been prohibited by her doctors but her poor nurses wouldn't dare disobey her commands) and enjoying the company of her 64 year old "baby" brother who worked in the area and spent the weeknights with her.

Unfortunately, my husband and I were on the other side of the country at the time of her passing. We were in Mayacama with friends; 1-1/4 hours away from our San Francisco home. She was in the place she lived a lifetime.

Our last conversation with her was the day after Christmas when among other things, she asked her son how my traditionally German dinner of which she was inordinately fond (roast pork, mashed potatoes and sauerkraut) turned out. She lamented the fact that her own Christmas dinner had been conceived by hospital nutritionists and executed by hospital cooks. It was definitely not up to her standards. She was a woman who relished every meal and maybe the prospect of a New Year's Eve of healthy but flavorless meals was more than she could bear. I wouldn't be surprised. If you were old, sick and in tremendous pain with only a bowl of Jello to look forward to after a long day of suffering, you might say "no mas" & give up, too.
She truly enjoyed fine cooking and dining. We never did get to call her to wish her a happy new year. She died too early on New Year's Eve morning. I only wish I had cooked her last meal for her.

Here is what I would have served her with recipes included in Ruth's honor because she was fond of food writing and was the person who gave me my first subscription of Food and Wine, my copy of the London Philharmonic's Bach Brandenburgh Concertos, my first coffee grinder with the whole Kona coffee beans, my first steamed asparagus bundle wrapped with a chive ribbon and managed to show me the advantage of mustard and horseradish on a beautiful strip of beef:



















Chilled Prawn Cocktail with Sriratcha Sauce & Meyer Lemon oil



Standing Beef Rib Roast with Horseradish Crust and ver jus
Baked Russet Potato with Creme Fraiche and White Truffle Butter
& Sauteed Haricot Verts with Shitake, Shallot, Pancetta and Veal Demiglace



Truffle Tremor Cheese

This meal is an All-American Classic with an elegant twist just like the woman who inspired it!
Here's to you, Ruth.... with love,


The Recipes will follow soon. It's been an exhausting few days. I cooked it all today but now need to sit & ponder what exactly I did, always a challenge after a three bottle evening especially since I enjoy improvising what I make without a set formula. This was an intimate dinner for two that could easily feed four just add 2 more potatoes in the oven. Voila!

Cheers & Happy New Year!

The Recipes:

Chilled Prawn Cocktail with Sriratcha Sauce and Meyer Lemon Oil

Note: This couldn't be simpler. It's a small twist on the classic that I came up with because I found I had no ketchup yesterday. I did have sriratcha sauce (even Safeway sells it now) & a great olive oil from San Rafael infused with meyer lemons called O Olive oil that uses California Mission olives & so a new recipe was born. We had just driven back from Mayacama & I was exhausted so I took a shortcut and purchased amazingly pristine steamed & chilled prawns from Whole Foods from their seafood section, not the prepackaged ones in the refrigerated cooked food section, but prawns that had been freshly steamed & offered alongside the raw shrimp. These were enormous about 12 to the lb. I usually poach my shrimp with their shells on in a court bouillon but hey I was tired and one less pot to clean made these pretty cooked shrimp that much more appealing.

Ingredients:
12 large prawns (about 1 lb.) that have been cooked, peeled and chilled
1 Tablespoon of sritacha sauce (Vietnamese hot sauce) plus more for plating
1 Tablespoon meyer lemon infused olive oil (or a fruity olive oil & the juice of half a meyer lemon) plus more for plating
1 Tablespoon of cream-style horseradish
1/2 cup of low-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons of creme fraiche (or sour cream)
1 teaspoon of dijon mustard
a pinch of freshly cracked black or white pepper
1 teaspoon of soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon of thai fish sauce
1 Meyer lemon, cut into quarters ( reserve 2 quarters for garnish)
a few sprigs of chervil (optional for garnish)
4 marinated spicy cherry peppers stuffed with feta (optional for garnish)
Instructions:
Carefully pat shrimp with a wet paper towel to remove any debris, then pat dry with a dry towel and reserve.

In a small mixing bowl, combine mustard, sriratcha horseradish and pepper. Add mayonnaise, whisking well to combine. Add creme fraiche, combining it thoroughly with the mayonnaise. Add soy sauce & fish sauce, whisk well. Whisk in the olive oil. Taste for seasoning. Is it too fatty or bland. Add more sriratcha, pepper or mustard. Check consistency. Is it too thick? Add a squirt of fresh lemon juice. Is it too thin or too spicy? Add more mayo and olive oil. You're in control.

Divide the shrimp between two (or four) plates. Fan them out allowing them to slightly overlap. Add a dollop of the cocktail sauce. Place the pepper over the shrimp. Drizzle a little olive oil from the bottle over the shrimp. Then place little drops of the oil around the dollop of cocktail sauce. Using the sriratcha squeeze bottle, place small drops of sriratcha on top of the drops of oil. Garnish with a sprig of chervil & a wedge of lemon. Done.

Serves two hungry people or four average revelers.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Standing Beef Rib Roast with Horseradish Crust

Note: This is an entree that always pleases carnivores. It's impressive to see and smells divine as it cooks but couldn't be easier to make.
Make sure you get your oven hot (500 degrees to start) ahead of time so the crust will crisp up. I use panko but you can use any dry unseasoned coarse breadcrumbs or make your own. I like mixing the panko with a little freshly ground sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, dried herbes d'provence & thyme. You can use your own favorite spice mixture. After I pat the panko on the roast to create the crust I spray the crumbs with high heat baking spray to ensure that the crusts gets crisp & not soggy.
I also make a simple garlic aioli from garlic cloves & extra virgin olive oil that I mix with the cream-styled horseradish & dijon; then I rub the paste all over the roast & let it stand at room temperature for 1-1/2 hours or so depending on the size of the roast but you can skip the garlic if you don't like it on your beef.
As for the spuds, pierce the center of two large russets with a knife once not all the way through, pop the potatoes in the oven directly on the rack 1 hour and 10 minutes before serving. Fill with creme fraiche, truffle butter & season it to taste with salt & pepper

A 2-1/2 lb. roast (about 1 rib) will easily serve four people but you'll have to fight for that rib bone & will have an awkward time dividing it evenly which is why I'll say this recipe serves 2. Of course, I think the bone should go to the chef as a reward for all the hard work but I'm a little biased on this point. A 5lb. roast (2 ribs) may be a better choice for four people & you can always make delicious prime rib sandwiches or tacos with the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Ingredients:
2-1/2 lb. beef rib roast (about 1 rib)
1/2 cup panko crumbs (available in the Japanese section of your supermarket)
1 Tablespoon of herbes d'provence
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
1 teaspoon of paprika
3 Tablespoons of cream-style horseradish
2 Tablespoons of dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed
freshly ground salt & pepper, to taste
a splash of wine
a splash of beef stock or veal demiglace
1 tablespoon of unsalted european style butter (it has a higher fat content)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees and place oven rack in lower third of oven. Make sure you have an oven thermometer in place to better gauge the actual oven temperature.

Remove roast from refrigerator (an hour before cooking). Set it in its roasting pan on a trivet, bone side down.

Prepare seasoning for the roast:
Make garlic aioli & horseradish paste by placing crushed garlic in a mortar & adding a pinch of salt while pulverizing garlic with a pestle. Continue adding tiny grinds of salt and small amounts of olive oil until an emulsion of garlic forms and all the oil is used. Add the horseradish and the mustard to garlic paste until well combined then season with fresh cracked pepper. Taste to adjust any imbalances in the mixture. Set aside.

Combine panko, paprika, salt, pepper, & all the herbs in a small bowl. Mixing well to season the crumbs. Set aside.

Thickly smear the just prepared garlicky horseradish mixture all over the roast. Gently place the now seasoned panko on the top of the roast (where the fat is) using a fork to sprinkle it on and your fingers to pat the crumbs into place making sure to use the horseradish paste to help the panko adhere to the meat.

Spray the roast with baking spray (or high heat vegetable spray) from at least 6 inches away.

Let the seasoned roast stand at room temperature for at least an additional 30 minutes before placing it in the hot oven. If you have a small apartment & an inadequate fan in your range hood, like I do now, open all the windows & doors and turn the hood fan on high before placing roast in the oven. Cooking this cut of meat will set off the smoke alarm if you don't ventilate the area well.

Once in the oven let the roast cook for a minimum of 15 minutes at 500 degrees until the bread crumbs become toasty then lower heat to 375 and cook for an additional 30 minutes or until its internal temperature reaches 130 degrees for medium rare (check with a meat thermometer after 30 minutes by inserting it into the center of the thickest part of the roast away from the bone). When roast is 130 degrees remove from oven and allow it to rest in a warm spot (remember, it's internal temperature will continue to rise as it rests) before carving while you make the green beans and the jus.

Place the roasting pan over two burners on high heat and add a splash of whatever wine you happen to be sipping at the time along with a splash of beef stock or veal demiglace to deglaze the pan. Be sure to scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan & reduce the liquids until the jus achieves a viscous syrupy consistency then remove from heat and add the butter, swirling it into the sauce until fully incorporated & the sauce is thick and glossy. Taste for seasoning & adjust accordingly.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Sauteed Haricot Verts with Shitake, Pancetta, Shallots and Veal Demiglace

Note: The title of the recipe says it all. The shitake & the veal demi made it into the french green beans because I was too lazy to prepare the shitake sauce for the prime rib that I intended to make and opted for the jus instead. Waste not, want not so a new variation of haricot verts was born. Haricot verts are young green beans that are very tender & require no more than a 2 minute blanch before the saute. Be sure to prepare an ice bath of 90 percent ice & 10 percent water in a large stainless steel mixing bowl to stop the cooking process and keep a vibrant green color. This is nothing new but please take the trouble to do it. Once the green beans are cool, remove them from the ice bath so they don't get waterlogged and pat them dry with a clean dry towel or paper towels. The last thing you want is a face full of splattered hot oil because your green beans are wet & soggy.

Ingredients:
3/4 lb. of haricot verts, stem end trimmed
1 ounce of pancetta, cut into small dice or lardons (your choice)
1/3 lb. of small shitake mushrooms, stems removed & sliced
1 large shallot, sliced thinly
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil plus more as needed
2 Tablespoons of veal demiglace
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon white truffle butter (optional)

Directions:

Set a medium-sized saucepan with salted water over high heat to boil. When the water reaches a roiling boil, add green beans & cook no longer than 2 minutes.

Drain green beans and immediately plunge into ice bath. cooling and drying according to note.

Place a 12 inch cast iron enamel coated saute pan (you know how I feel about Le Creuset, by now) over medium high heat, add pancetta and fry until fat is rended and pancetta is crisp.

Reduce the pan to medium and add olive oil, when heated (about 45 seconds) add the shitakes, stir for 1 minute, check for dryness adding more olive oil as needed then add shallots saute until shallots are translucent and shitakes have softened. Add cooled green beans & saute until veggies are well combined and beans are warmed then add veal demiglace allowing it to melt in while stirring until incorporated & it coats the vegetables. Remove from heat, stir in optional truffle butter and serve immediately.

Serves 4.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Truffle Tremor Cheese

I did not make this cheese. It's a cheese from the woman who brought you Humboldt Fog and needs nothing more than a crusty warm baguette brushed with a little cold pressed olive oil, a few caramelized apple slices, raw honeycomb or ripe and peeled persimmon slices to end a holiday meal. Make sure to remove it from the refrigerator an hour before serving so it oozes onto whatever you choose to serve it with and eat it rind and all. You don't want to deprive yourself of any little bit of it.

Everyday Should Be Thanksgiving Part 2

What we're really talking about is a wonderful day
set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets.
I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving?
~Erma Bombeck, "No One Diets on Thanksgiving," 26 November 1981

HERE'S PART 2 OF THE ONE BLOG THAT WOULD BECOME TWO BLOGS COURTESY OF TOM
who wouldn't let me post this all as one blog


Sauteed Green Beans with Parmiggiano-Reggiano, Meyer Lemon Oil & Tarragon

Another easy one to make. No recipe required. I'll just write it plainly.

Ingredients:
Green beans
Shallots, thinly sliced (or garlic, but remember that garlic burns easily, so add the thinly sliced garlic in at the last possible minute during the saute.)
Meyer lemon (or any lemon)
Extra virgin olive oil
Parmigiano-reggiano or Pecorino Romano

Get a pound or two of green beans, snap off the stem ends, add to a large pot of boiling salted water to blanch for 3 minutes.

Drain green beans well, towel off & stick in the freezer for 5 minutes (or you can prepare an ice bath, but frankly, these need to be prepared at the last minute & you will run out of counterspace, believe me)

Heat some EVOO in the same pan you used to boil the green beans, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan.

Add two thinly sliced shallots.
Saute until softened.

Add a pinch of salt after they shallots caramelize or else they will never turn golden brown. Salt draws the moisture out of the onions & will keep the pan too wet to allow the maillard process (sorry, that's food geek for browning reaction to heating, I know, I know.. but goddammit I taught myself this so... I'm gonna teach you, too).


Remove green beans from the freezer & add to pan in a single layer.
Do not touch them for 90 seconds, allowing them to get a bit of color on one side.

Then stir them until fully coated in oil & shallots.
Douse with a squeeze from half a Meyer's lemon (any lemon will do as long as it is fresh) & a bit of the lemon zest.


Season with freshly cracked pepper, shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano if you like a sharper flavor. Serve.

Triple-Cranberry Sauce Bon Appétit | November 1993

"The Indians and English use them much," wrote one visitor to New England in 1663, "boyling them with Sugar for Sauce to eat with their Meat, and it is a delicate Sauce." Although there is little evidence that cranberry sauce was served at the first Thanksgiving, it is assumed that Indians brought it to the feast. This tangy version gets its intense flavor and color from a mixture of fresh and dried cranberries, along with frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate.

Yield: Makes about 2 1/2 cup

Ingredients

1 cup frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate, thawed
1/3 cup sugar
1 12-ounce package fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed, drained
1/2 cup dried cranberries (about 2 ounces)
3 tablespoons orange marmalade
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons minced orange peel
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Preparation

Combine cranberry juice concentrate and sugar in heavy medium saucepan.

Bring to boil over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Add fresh and dried cranberries and cook until dried berries begin to soften and fresh berries begin to pop, stirring often, about 7 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in orange marmalade, orange juice, orange peel and allspice. Cool completely. Cover; chill until cold, about 2 hours. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

The Ultimate Pumpkin Pie

Bon Appétit | November 1993





Pumpkin pie was introduced to the holiday table at the Pilgrim's second Thanksgiving in 1623. Decorate this American classic with some whipped cream, or serve the cream alongside. Add a little dusting of cinnamon or fresh grated nutmeg for extra oomph


Yield: Serves 8
ingredients
Crust
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into pieces
3 tablespoons whipping cream

Filling
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon packed golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt
1 16-ounce can solid pack pumpkin
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup sour cream
3 large eggs, beaten to blend

1/4 cup apricot preserves
preparation
For crust:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend first 3 ingredients in processor until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add cream and process until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball, flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill 15 minutes.



Roll out dough on floured surface to 14-inch round. Transfer dough to 9-inch glass pie dish. Trim overhang to 1 inch. Fold overhang under. Make cut in crust edge at 1/2 inch intervals. Bend alternate edge pieces inward. Freeze 15 minutes.

Line crust with foil, pressing firmly. Bake until sides are set, about 10 minutes. Remove foil. Bake crust until pale brown, about 10 minutes more. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

Spread preserves over crust; pour in filling. Bake until filling puffs at edges and center is almost set, about 55 minutes. Cool on rack. Cover; chill until cold. (Can be made 1 day ahead.)

For filling:

Using whisk, mix first 6 ingredients in bowl until no lumps remain. Blend in pumpkin, whipping cream, sour cream and eggs.

Spread preserves over crust; pour in filling. Bake until filling puffs at edges and center is almost set, about 55 minutes. Cool on rack. Cover; chill until cold. (Can be made 1 day ahead.)

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!!!

xoxoxoxoxo

I have spent​ the past 12 hours​ in a food writi​ng marat​hon.​.​.​

Now I

R
E
M
E
M​
B
E
R

WHY I GAVE UP ON FOOD WRITING

I must be

C
R
A
Z
Y

But here are two blogs​ becau​se MY SWEET​ LOVER​BOY TOM

(Oh Tom, when you will you fly to me, my sweet hunk of malen​ess,​ you know I await​ you with open arms.​.​.​ *​*​sigh*​*​)​

and his beer pong playi​ng BOZOS​.​.​.​

will NOT ALLOW​ me to post it as one!
Damn them!​!​!​

So do me a favor​,​ pleas​e give the damn thing​s a look,​ will ya?

I am askin​g for pity comme​nts & kudos​,​ yes.​.​.​ pathe​tic wretc​h & shame​less hussy​ that I am.

So give it to me baby!​!​!​

I'll be your best frien​d.​.​.​.​
Hell,​ I'll inclu​de a sexy video​ for every​ click​,​ no purch​ase requi​red.​.​.​
Satis​facti​on GUARA​NTEED​!​!​!​
Hahah​a!​!​!​

Remember the golden bloggy rule:

To LURK is CREEPY.... To COMMENT.... DIVINE!!!

Be DIVINE, my darlings....
It feels too good not to!!!

Never a LURKER or a borrower be...

Because I'll do anything to get people to learn how to cook good food:

Here's a sexy poem about dessert, you lurkers!!

hahaha

Creme Brulee, Chocolate Souffle & Other Pleasures



Click Here For Part 1 the blog that features the Turkey, the stuffing, the starters & all the other sides.
They are YUMMY YUMMY and worth a glance but I disabled comments & kudos there.
Happy Reading...

Here's the text to the poem for those of you who would like to read along...



Glisten Glow
Feel me flow
Magma
in your veins

Slip-n-Slide
While I guide
cerise rivers
run insane

On sinuous sails
those heavenly gales
blowing
cerulean serenity
our way.

But Hey...
I'm Chimarea, man
Take me by the hand
Let me scorch you
with my lust

Then douse those flames
with your sweet rain
so unctuous
caramel forms

Ribbons of pleasure
Come on, Nebuchadnezzar
play those dulcimer tunes
of love.

Grind me, bind me
Get inside me
Peel off
that visceral veil



Crack that shell
release your spell
Spoon
into perfumed clouds.

Strip me, whip me
Don't resist me
Until
the stiff peaks form

Then dip into me
All hot & gooey
Let's bathe in
bowls of cream

Til morning smiles
upon our child
Melt with me
Unmold

Those fresh baked dreams
in chocolate streams
immersed
in transplendent
tales told.

Everyday Should Be Thanksgiving Part 1

He who thanks but with the lips Thanks but in part; The full, the true Thanksgiving Comes from the heart.
~J.A. Shedd


Brace yourselves, my pals, this is a loooong blog!!!

Last year at this time was a bittersweet one for me.

We sold our home.

While we were, of course, fortunate to sell it at a time when others could not sell theirs it did not make the leaving any easier. I was however bound and determined to make our last Thanksgiving in the house a memorable one, but wanted to keep the dinner a very intimate one.

So we invited our best "couple" over.

I say best couple because we happen to value both people as friends which is a rarity. You know how it is. Often you have a friend, like we do, and he changes life partners, like he did, and while you can tolerate them for your friend's sake, you don't really connect to them in a truly friendly way. But such was not the case with this couple, they are both truly our friends equally.

Here is something I wrote about that last Thanksgiving the day after along with the recipes I used. Although I did not take pics ... so Google pics, here I come...

Here are a couple of shots of the old homestead before the sale: front hall & living room.
What the hell, may as well share them with ya!

Well, Thanksgiving has come & gone and as the Thanksgiving card that I gave my hubby exhaustively exclaims: "Days of chopping and shredding and baking and roasting, stuffing & serving, all for a half-hour turkey binge and a week's worth of dried out leftovers!"
Yep, that just about sums it up. Add flower arranging, dusting, table-setting, and apartment-hunting then you'll have an idea of the Thanksgiving 2007 experience for moi at the old household.

It's mostly a labor of love, anyway & a gift that I give to myself maybe even more than a gift to my guests. All except for the house-hunting part which I faced & face with dread & sadness. Dread because I know there is precious little in the way of housing in the rental market that I deem livable, spoiled brat that I've been so fortunate to become, & I dread how sad the lack of real prospects makes me.

Sad, too, to leave the beautiful home that we built with great care & love over several years. A love that resonates through every room, in every window, door, hinge & fixture; lovingly selected or designed with our collaboration and carefully constructed by warm-hearted artisans who poured their souls into their work giving this house a heartbeat, a real & palpable warmth felt by every sentient being who crossed over her magnificent threshold.

Like Pygmalion with Galatea, the feeling and reverence that went into making this house miraculously brought her to life. She was our creation, our child, an extension of union. Everyday we marveled at her beauty, her elegance, her grace. Everyday we discovered another angle to her lines, another aspect of her personality to delight us.

She is charming & big-hearted, trying always to accommodate her guests and make them feel welcome and comfortable; despite her seemingly formal facade, she is the opposite of cool & forbidding with her radiant light smiling upon you & her large rooms like arms wide open held out for a warm embrace. We loved her for her accessibility; all the more because, like all nobles with her beauty, structure and breeding, she could have been haughty & autocratic and, sadly, most people would have accepted her rebuffs as the natural course of things even as they were stung by them; but our girl was an egalitarian & knew to be grateful for her many gifts and not feel superior to those who were not as blessed.

Somehow, we sold her; because a house like this deserves a large family to shelter and succor; children running around inside her playing & dreaming, laughing & crying. We wouldn't provide that. We could use the money she brought us instead & finance the rest of our barren lives. (Excuse the melodrama but it is cathartic for me to write these words even if my depiction of our situation is skewed by my ridiculously emotional over-reaction to it.)

I think she is sad, too. I hear her groanings very late in the night but she'll soon get over her loss when the new owners arrive. I hope that we can do the same.

The fact remains that everyday we have an opportunity to enjoy our lives should we elect to do so. Life in of itself is a great blessing. What does not kill us makes us stronger & we should be grateful for that strength, however difficult it is to forge the iron that helps us survive. So, I offer up a Thanksgiving Menu even though it's official day of celebration was 6 days ago. Planning and preparing this meal for my husband & friends really helped me through this difficult time. With the mantra "Everyday should be Thanksgiving!" reverberating through this beautiful house, here is the Thanksgiving menu I served on 11/22/07 (recipes to follow when I have the strength to write them P.S. I never did manage to write them... until today...):

Everyday Should Be Thanksgiving Day Menu



Hors d'oeuvres

Smoked Salmon Bundles w/ Roasted Asparagus
Crudite with Mascarpone Pesto
California Nut Mix with Wasabi Peas



The Main Event

Creamy Cauliflower Apple Soup with Dungeness Crab Crouton
Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast with Citrus Butter and Turkey Jus
Chanterelle Mushroom "Gravy" w/ Shallots & Vermouth


The Sides

Truffled Smashed Potatoes
Shitake & Sausage-Apple Stuffing
Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding with Roasted Chestnuts
Vanilla-scented Roasted Yams Gratin with Cinnamon
Sauteed Blue Lake Green Beans with Parmagiano-Reggiano, Meyer Lemon Oil & Tarragon
Triple Cranberry Sauce


Dessert

The Ultimate Pumpkin Pie

with Cinnamon-dusted Vanilla Ice Cream

Note:

The Triple Cranberry Sauce and "The Ultimate Pumpkin Pie" that I usually make for dessert comes from the November 1993 issue of Bon Appetit magazine.

It was my first year in San Francisco which I moved to from Manhattan to live with my then boyfriend now husband. It was, also, my first attempt at making & shopping for a Thanksgiving Day meal. I had never really been that interested in cooking although I have always been interested in eating but the meal was a resounding success & started my long journey into the land of the culinary arts.

I still keep that copy of Bon Appetit. It is food-stained and dog-eared but it remains in my reference library; thumbing through its pages has become a fond part of my Thanksgiving Day tradition even though I have long since committed the recipes I use to memory and always improvise my own variations on them anyway.

Epicurious.com keeps a database filled with recipes from current & back-issues of Bon Appetit & Gourmet. It really is an online treasure trove for cooks; not because the recipes are so delicious or innovative but because it is a kind of archaeological record of our food & cultural trends. Fascinating stuff for geeks like me! Here is a link to it:
Epicurious.com

The theme is Cal/Italian this year.

I try to stay within a specific culinary cultural style when I make these large dinners.

Makes the whole meal more cohesive and flowing...

The entire menu should serve 4-6 people.

Asparagus and Smoked Salmon Bundles

This is super easy & courtesy of Giada Di Laurentis.
If you don't like smoked salmon, use prosciutto, or thinly sliced ham


1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed (about 20 spears)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
Pinch kosher salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
4 to 6 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon (1 slice per asparagus spear)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Lay the asparagus on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with rosemary, salt, and pepper. Roast until cooked and starting to brown around the edges, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to another baking sheet to cool.

Once the asparagus have cooled, wrap each spear in a slice of smoked salmon. Arrange on a serving platter and serve at room temperature.

Crudite with Mascarpone Pesto

Another supereasy dish to assemble quickly while your guests pile in...

The fish sauce gives the dish a little anchovy umami essence without the messiness of mashing

them. I try to save steps whenever possible when cooking in volume.

Just be sure to buy the best pesto you can.

It's very easy to make yourself, too, if you like

You can substitute equal parts sour cream & cream cheese for the mascarpone, if you can't find it at your grocers'.

Ingredients

2 zucchini sliced in half lengthwise and cut into 4 inch batons (sticks)

6 ribs celery cut in half lengthwise and into 4 inch batons

2 cucumber cut in half lengthwise and cut into 4 inch batons

20 baby carrot

1 red pepper cut into2 inch thick strips

1 yellow pepper cut into 2 inch thick strips

1 head broccoli cut into small florets

1 pint cherry tomatoes

10 crimini mushrooms sliced into quarters

4 radishes cut into small batons

1 package mascarpone, room temperature

2 baguettes, brushed with olive oil, sliced into rounds & toasted in the oven until warm & crisp
1/2 cup of fresh store-bought pesto

1/2 teaspoon Thai Fish sauce (optional)

Directions

In a stainless steel bowl, mix pesto & mascarpone.

Add fish sauce, mix well.

Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Add to serving bowl.

Arrange raw veggies on a platter. Mangia.

California Nut Mix with Wasabi Peas

Like the others, not exactly a recipe.

But you have lots of cooking ahead so make these hors d'oeuvres mindless & easy.

Ingredients

Buy 1 lb. of your favorite dried fruit & nut mix.

Add 1 lb. of wasabi peas.

Add 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Place ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Mix thoroughly.

Throw it in a pretty bowl.
Voila.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Dungeness Crab Crouton







Another very simple but elegant dish that reflects the season. The creaminess comes from a small dollop of mascarpone at the end. There is no cream in this soup. You don't need it. The cauliflower when boiled & pureed has the creamiest texture all on its own. It really has a velvety mouthfeel. To make this more economical & vegan friendly omit the crab crouton & substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock. It will still be yummy, I promise!

For the Crab Salad

Note: Keeping this recipe very casually written. That's how easy it is.

Ingredients

Buy 3/4 - 1 pound of the freshest meat you can find, make sure it includes lots of claw meat.
Take 1/3 cup of lowfat Best Foods mayo
add chopped fresh tarragon, chopped fresh chives; all to taste
the juice & zest from half a Meyers lemon
1/2 teaspoon of soy sauce
1 Tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
1 sweet baguette, sliced on the bias, brushed with extra virgin olive oil & toasted in a 350 degree oven until golden brown. (about 5-7 minutes)

Directions:

Mix the dressing well.
Fold the crabmeat in being careful not to break it up too much.
Slice up a baguette, spoon the crab mayonnaise on top. Garnish with sprig of tarragon or chives or both. Place on top of soup. Serve, Eat. Voila!!!

For the soup

3-4 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
2 leeks, white part only, washed well and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small potato, peeled and chopped
2 large sweet (Vidalia or Maui) onions, cut in half & sliced thinly
1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 head of cauliflower, chopped roughly
1 apple, cored , peeled & chopped roughly
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup apple juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons chopped chives, for garnish
add fresh lemon to taste as a garnish, too much lemon will make soup astringent
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of low sodium soy sauce

Heat a large saute pan. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil & 1 tablespoon of butter to the saute pan.

When butter melts & browns lightly, add the slices onions, stirring to coat with the fat. When onions soften, add the sugar, stir to combine well & lower the heat to low setting.

Allow the onions to cook uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring once every 5 minutes or so until golden brown. Add the soy sauce & stir it in. Then turn off pan & set aside.


Heat olive oil in a heavy, large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, apples, fennel and the garlic and stir. Add the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the cauliflower, stock, salt, and pepper and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Using a handheld immersion blender, or in a blender in batches*, puree the soup.

Add the 2 tablespoons mascarpone and blend again to combine. In a small bowl, stir the remaining 1/3 cup mascarpone to soften.

Add to the mixture & blend, once again until well incorporated.

Ladle the soup into serving bowls. Dollop the top of each of the soups with a dungeness crab crouton & sprinkle with chives.

* When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast with Citrus Butter and Turkey Jus

I elected to use a turkey breast because there were only four of us. When choosing a size appropriate for guests, allow about 1 pound of raw turkey per person.

Sounds like a lot, I know, but you want to have leftovers, don't you? That's the best part. Frankly, hot turkey leaves me cold. I love the sandwiches later on Kaiser rolls or Dutch Crunch bread with stuffing, avocado, & cranberry sauce... Yummy, Yummy!!!

BTW, you can substitute any kind of mushroom you like for the gravy. Chanterelles are crazy expensive. I chose them because this meal is small in scale which meant I could spend more per person, but good old button mushrooms or criminis will work just fine. Hell, you don't even need any mushrooms.

The consistency of my gravy is much thinner than most. I prefer the good wholesome turkey flavor of the jus & stock not the taste of a floury pasty goopy gravy... yuk! I achieve the thickening with a minimum of starch & a maximum of reduction.

I boil the hell out of the stock to reduce it to an almost gelatinous consistency which means you must minimize the use of any salt products until the gravy is made, then add the seasoning or else it will taste way salty.

For the turkey

1 whole bone-in turkey breast, 6 1/2 to 7 pounds
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup dry white wine
1 onion, skin removed & cut in half

1 leek, cleaned & sliced length-wise

1 carrot, cut into quarters
1 lemon, cut in quarters, juiced with juice reserved

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the turkey breast, skin side up, on a rack ( I use a trivet) in a roasting pan.

Nestle the onion, leek, carrot & juiced lemon & place it inside the breast cavity. Be sure that you have cut the pieces in large enough sections so that they don't fall through your rack or trivet.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, mustard, herbs, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice to make a paste.

Loosen the skin from the meat gently with your fingers and smear half of the paste directly on the meat.

Spread the remaining paste evenly on the skin.
Pour the wine into the bottom of the roasting pan.

Heat up Citrus butter in small sauce pan until melted & keep warm.


Roast turkey for 20 minutes at 450, then lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Baste with Citrus butter.


Roast the turkey for 1 3/4 to 2 hours, until the skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest and meatiest areas of the breast. (I test in several places.)

If the skin is over-browning, cover the breast loosely with aluminum foil. Occasionally basting with citrus butter.


When the turkey is done, cover with foil and allow it to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes while you make the gravy. Slice and serve with the jus & gravy spooned over the turkey.

For the Citrus Butter:

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 shallot, finely minced

Directions:

Stir rinds into boiling water; pour through a wire-mesh strainer. Drain on paper towels.
Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer or by hand until creamy; gradually add juices, & shallot beating until blended. Stir in rinds. Chill. Can be made 3 days ahead or more if you freeze it.

For the Chanterelle Mushroom Gravy:




About the stock: make your own if you have the time, I'll leave a link; if not buy it frozen; you can substitute canned chicken stock, but make sure it has no or low-sodium both Pacific & Wolfgang Puck make good chickeny ones. This gravy will be dark , almost mahogany in color, if you take the time to roast your turkey giblets & wings first, really worth it. It's only once a year & a lot cheaper than buying canned, plus you can make extra & freeze until Christmas to use it then!


Cornstarch & arrowroot are almost flavorless & tend to dissolve more quickly than flour which is why I am using it here, but heat destroys it's coagulating properties so you must wait to add it until the last minute or so to the gravy. Do not boil the gravy after you add them. Then serve immediately.

2 big handfuls (handfuls is an industry term ;P) of chanterelles or your mushrooms of choice, cleaned & sliced

2 large shallots, sliced thinly
6 sage leaves, in chiffonade (sliced very, very thinly length-wise)
half a handful of parsley, minced

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups of fresh turkey stock
pan drippings from turkey

scant tablespoon of low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup of dry vermouth or any acidy, non-oaked wine such as sauvignon blanc
sea salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste
1 Tbs. cornstarch or arrowroot

Directions:

Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbs. butter & olive oil, when butter is foamy & melted, add a tiny pinch of sea salt to the pan followed by the shallots. Saute until they just change color.

Add the mushrooms, add the additional tablespoon of butter, if the mushrooms appear to absorb the fat in the pan. Saute until mushrooms are softened, lower heat to medium-low.


Add the parsley and sage. Stir in & when the mushrooms appear to be slightly glazed, season lightly with salt & pepper.

Turn off the heat & set aside in a warm place.

Place roasting pan over medium heat on the range burners. When hot, deglaze pan with the wine or vermouth, being sure to scrape off all the pan fond (the stuck on brown bits) & incorporate into the wine.

Add the stock to the pan & reduce by half; about 10 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup of stock & mix that into a slurry with the cornstarch. Set aside.


When stock, is reduced add the mushroom mixture, season with soy sauce; stirring well to incorporate it. Taste for seasoning & then add salt & pepper to taste.

When everything is to your liking, turn the heat down to very low & add cornstarch mixture, stirring really rapidly to avoid making lumps.


Heat for another minute or two over low heat until the cornstarch flavor is gone.

Place in gravyboat. Serve immediately.

Here's a link for Turkey stock:
Epicurious



Truffled Smashed Potatoes






What can I say about smashed potatoes? Don't cut them too small, in fact if you use Yukon Golds, Baby Reds or Yellow Finns leave them whole, leave the skins on, boil them with salt until soft but not mushy, remove excess water by tossing them over heat in a dry, hot pan and heat up the cream & butter before adding them to the potatoes.

Put them through a ricer or food mill if you like a smoother, lighter texture or smash them like I do with an old fashioned masher if you like them with a heartier, more rustic style.

Just add lots of white truffle butter or truffle oil to it at the end to give them a luxe flavor. Add a few chives & Yaay!!!

If you can score fresh white truffles and shave them on top, all the better but good luck; they are as rare and as expensive as an F50 Ferrari.



Shitake and Sausage-Apple Stuffing

Be sure to cut all the aromatics the same size small dice. Makes a big difference in texture.

16 ounces Challah bread or any brioche (use white bread if you can't find an egg bread), cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 12 cups)
1 pound sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
6 cups onions, about 2 large, finely chopped & 4 cloves of garlic, smashed & minced

1 pound tart green apples, peeled, cored, diced small
2 handfuls of shitake mushrooms (you can use oyster, button, whatever you like)

1 large carrot, peeled & cut into small dice

2 celery ribs with leaves, diced small
4 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 cup dried cranberries (about 4 ounces, optional)
4 sprigs of finely chopped fresh rosemary
8 sprigs of finely chooped fresh sage
2/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 eggs, beaten to blend

1 and 1/2 cups to 2 cups (about) fresh turkey stock or canned low-salt chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350°F. Divide bread cubes between 2 large baking sheets. Bake until slightly dry, about 15 minutes. Cool completely.

Sauté sausages in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, crumbling coarsely with back of spoon, about 10 minutes.


Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to large bowl. Pour off any drippings from skillet.


Melt butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots, apples, celery, mushrooms and poultry seasoning to skillet; sauté until onions soften, about 8 minutes. Mix in dried cranberries and rosemary & sage.

Add mixture to sausage, then mix in bread and parsley. Season stuffing to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)


Mix eggs into stuffing just before baking.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 15x10x2-inch baking dish.

Mix 1 1/3 cups broth into stuffing. Transfer to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil and bake until heated through, about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding with Roasted Chestnuts
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

I just add roasted chestnuts to the hunky Tyler Florence's recipe for added depth of flavor, it's great for vegetarians, though not vegans.

Ingredients

1 1/3 cup heavy cream
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 loaf crusty Italian bread, cubed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for buttering baking dish
2 shallots, sliced
4 pounds mixed wild mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 package of roasted chestnuts, chopped roughly ( jarred is fine)
3 tablespoons chopped chives
3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan, plus more to top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

On a sheet pan put cubed bread. Toast it in the oven until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

In a large saute pan melt the butter and saute the shallots until just wilted. Add the mushrooms and saute until browned, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve.

In a large bowl make custard, whisk together the cream with the eggs and season with the salt and pepper.

Add toasted bread cubes along with the chives, thyme and rosemary to the egg mixture.


Stir in the sauteed mushrooms and mix in the grated Parmesan.

Transfer the mixture to a 9 by 13-inch baking dish, top with more grated Parmesan, to taste.

Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the custard is set.

Vanilla -scented Roasted Yam Gratin with Cinnamon



This is pretty damn easy & super tasty. An Alsatian Riesling or Gewurtztraminer is the best bet for this entire meal. Just thought I'd mention it now before I forget. A ripe California Pinot Noir from Sonoma might work, too. I love the Central Valley Coast ones like Ambullneo, too.

Ingredients

4 large garnet yams or Jewell sweet potatoes, roasted in a 450 degree oven for 1 hour, peeled , cooled and sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split in half with seeds scraped & reserved or 1 teapsoon of good quality vanilla extract
ground cinnamon to taste
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter plus more for topping gratin

sea salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place yam slices in a gratin dish large enough to hold them all in a single layer, but do make sure they are overlapping slightly. Squash them together a bit, if necessary.

In a medium sauce pan, heat the remaining ingredients over low heat; allowing them to steep for 15 minutes.

Pour cream mixture over yams.

Dot with additional butter.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until top is caramelized & golden brown.

This is a repost from last year.
I am making this menu again.
It is classic.
I will post Part 2 tomorrow...