Food & Sex: The Best Way to a Man's Heart?... An Artfully Sensual Valentine's Day Dinner

Ah, Valentine's Day. A romantic day filled with hearts, flowers and......... food.

Sex may enter into it; but, somehow, food plays an instrumental role before the conquest.

We've all been told that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. (Of course, women possess those organs, too, and many of us are equally interested in having them courted by our wooers. Who do you think most of the recipients of those chocolate-filled heart-shaped boxes are anyway, hmmmm?)

Unfortunately, what no one tells you is that a romantic dinner laden with the fatty fare of most Valentine menus not only wreaks havoc on the waistline; but, also, has marooned many a bloated traveler on the sea of love; leaving them stranded on the Isle of Misfit Celibates instead of basking in the glow of Fantasy Island.

You're more likely to bust a gut than bust a move after eating all that lobster and chocolate mousse. So in the interest of raising metabolisms and libidos everywhere, I offer a menu to help keep the sin in the saint of St. Valentine's Day (so that the only resemblance you have to the day's martyr is in name only); but, don't think that I would ever consider sacrificing the sensuous textures and fabulous flavors of the Valentine's Day classics.

Au contraire, mon cher. I only seek to enhance the food's aphrodisiac qualities by lightening it; thereby, allowing for the enjoyment of later, more intimate pleasures.

Which begs the question.... What makes a certain kind of food sexy or, better yet, which foods make you feel sexy?

For many people, eating sensuously is all about texture:

.... such as silken, unctuous foods that glide over your tongue while coating it with their essence as you devour them. These foods not only feel and taste wonderful but they also make you look good in the process. Think of how sexy licking an ice cream cone looks vs. chomping down on a burger. Both can be messy but the former is enticing to watch, while the latter is just disgusting giving you all the glamour of a jungle beast tucking into an antelope instead of an angel of Eros enjoying her daily dose of ambrosia;

..... or, how about juicy, self-contained foods that use your fingers, preferably while making contact with your lips, and, capable of being eaten in one or two bites. Think of soft, pouty lips wrapping themselves around: a fresh strawberry, a red cherry, the ripest fig, or piece of ahi nigiri. The light tooth-grazing consumption of the tender leaves of steamed artichokes also falls into this category of food come-ons.

Of course, many cultures tend to reckon shape with sexual aphrodisiacs. Take the obvious likeness of avocados, apples, bananas, eggs, asparagus spears, ginseng, zucchini, oysters, mangoes or even the more far-flung rhinoceros horn to their sexually reproductive anatomical counterparts and you can come up with an interesting, if somewhat unappetizing menu.

Some foods, over time, have been endowed with magical, potent sexual powers for their ability to excite rather than their physical characteristics. My four favorites: chocolate, champagne, caviar and chilis fall into this category.

Dark chocolate with its LDL lowering stearic acid, mood-elevating theobromine, "love chemical" inducing phenylethylamine, pleasure enhancing serotonin and energy boosting caffeine was considered not only an aphrodisiac but also quite the health elixir by the Aztecs and the Mayans and was revered as a food of the gods; 2000 years before more recently undergoing its latest health food status. It sure tastes good! Ask Montezuma; he drank 50 gold goblets full of it a day & look at how potent he was!

The hot spice of chili peppers with its tear inducing capsciacin mimics the feelings of arousal by elevating the blood pressure & body temperature leaving you flushed, moist & panting.

Champagne has always been the wine of love & celebration with bubbles that tickle your tongue as well as your fancy. The alcohol in it is a powerful relaxant, allowing you to shed your inhibitions (if not your clothing).

The goddess of love, Aphrodite, (Venus to her later Roman worshippers) was born from the sea, so all of the sea's creatures were said to be endowed with her aphrodisiac powers. It doesn't hurt that most seafood contain prodigious quantities of the mineral zinc which is known to be an effective nutrient for the erotically-challenged. Caviar is sturgeon roe. The many eggs of caviar also represent fertility; procreation and the propagation of the species, of course, has always been the most powerful catalyst for the sex act. Just ask Darwin. Money is a pretty good conductor of sexual electricity, too, and caviar costs lots of it which only adds to its romantic allure!

Of course, too much of anything, champagne and caviar included, can douse the most ardent fire, so I advocate a little discretion in all things edible. While moderation may not seem to fan the flames of molten passion, it's always good to be a little hungry for something more, especially on Valentine's Day.

Just ask yourself, how would Aphrodite satisfy those hunger pangs?

My suggested Valentine's Dinner Menu, as all good romantic menus should, will definitely include the four C's: chocolate, champagne, caviar & chili peppers; though, not necessarily in that order. I will also add a few other yummies from my heart-thumping bag of tricks. The champagne should be a brut rose' for it's magnificent color and depth of flavor.

I couldn't make up my mind about what to concoct for this special day; so why not double your pleasure, double your fun: offer two options and have your intended choose one?

Most of the dishes can be made in advance, except for the fish which needs to be cooked a la minute, then you can have the pleasure of sharing; nothing is sexier than guiding the hand that feeds you in a dark, candlelit room.
However, for those less inclined to divvy up their din din, I will include in each recipe enough portions for at least two & let you could decide whether tonight's culinary muse will be Asian or Italian when you choose which dish per course.

What the menu lacks in innovation it makes up for in raw sex appeal. Whether you finish the meal by feeding each other sumptuous spoonfuls of parfait or tasty morsels of chocolate dipped strawberries is up to you; but, I guarantee that will not be the conclusion of the evenings activities.
Bon Appetit & Happy Valentine's Day!!!

A Valentine's Day Menu with Lots of Sex Appeal

Salmon Poke with Osetra Caviar

or

Carpaccio of Ahi with Shaved Hearts of Palm, Asparagus Tips & Truffle Oil

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Duo of Cannelloni
Dungeness Crab & Goat Cheese, Roasted Sweet Potato & Mascarpone

or

Macadamia-Crusted Thai Red Snapper with Passionfruit-Infused Bercy, Curried Bhutanese Red Rice Risotto

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Raspberry & Dark Chocolate Parfait with Greek Yogurt, Agave Nectar & Toasted Walnuts

or

Chocolate-covered Strawberries

Salmon Poke with Ossetra Caviar

Note: Traditionally, Poke is made with limu kohu, a red seaweed harvested near the Hawaiian isles, and crushed roasted kukui nuts. Both ingredients can be found at San Mateo's Takahashi Market.com online shop.
However, if, like me, you are more interested in the spirit of the dish rather than a strict interpretation, you can substitute furikake or nori strips for the limu kohu; white & black sesame seeds for the kukui nuts; and, add a pinch of Hawaiian red sea salt for color. I also stray from tradition by dicing the fish a bit finer, adding cilantro and a little fresh lime juice & /or blood orange juice to the mixture at the very end just before molding & plating. I like the kick that citrus adds to the dish but I try not to add it too early because the acids "cook" the fish and mar the beautiful color turning the bright flesh opaque.

Needless to say the salmon needs to be very fresh and preferably wild (which are frozen this time of year) or from a sustainably raised farm like U.K. Greenpeace-endorsed Loch Duart's Scottish Salmon from CleanFish. Ahi is traditionally used and the natural substitute if you don't like raw salmon.The caviar is for extra luxe appeal & sevruga has nice firm eggs that cost less than its cousins, ossetra & the ever disappearing beluga. American Caviar from sustainably-raised California white sturgeon (Tsar Nicoulai), Missouri & Mississippi Rivers hackleback sturgeon (Petrovich Caviar), Montana golden white fish and paddlefish (Seattle's Caviar) is now much more widely available and less costly than international brands such as Petrossian. Click on the name of the various purveyors for more info.
If you can't find a ripe avocado (it's been a tough year for them), substitute the layer of avocado for a little chive oil on the bottom of the dish. Just take a bunch of chives (scallions will work, too), rough chop, add to a blender with a cup of the highest quality cold pressed olive oil, blend & strain through a strainer lined in cheesecloth or a chinoise, if you happen to have one lying around your kitchen.
This recipe serves 2 lovebirds as a first course.
Ingredients

• 4 oz. very fresh sashimi-grade salmon fillet, skin & bloodline removed, finely cubed
• 1 Tablespoon of reduced sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons of toasted sesame oil plus more as needed, to taste
• 1 teaspoon of furikake, seaweed gomasio, shichimi (or plain nori cut into small thin strips)
• 1/2 teaspoon black sesame seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted white sesame seeds
• 1 Tablespoon of cilantro, minced
• 1 Tablespoon sweet onion such as Maui or Vidalia, finely minced
• 2 scallions, tougher dark green stalks removed, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon of finely minced fresh ginger root, skin removed
• 1 Tablespoon of Lowfat Mayonnaise (Best Foods or Hellmans brand)
• 1 teaspoon of Vietnamese Sriracha sauce (Huy Fong Foods Inc. brand found at Safeway or at www.huyfong.com)
• the juice from 1/2 a blood orange (or lime)
• 1 pinch of Hawaiian Red Sea Salt, optional
• 1 small ripe Hass avocado
• 1 oz. of caviar
• 4 blue potato chips from Terra Chips (optional)

Directions

1. Whisk together the mayo, citrus juice, soy sauce & sriracha sauce in a small bowl, combine well and set aside.
2. Place the salmon in a medium-sized bowl and toss with sesame oil until well-coated. Add the cilantro, sesame seeds, onion, scallions, furikake and ginger to the salmon. Mix well.
3. (The salmon poke can be stored in the refrigerator at this time for 12 hours; store it separately from the dressing. Just be sure to remove both from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving)
4. Slowly add the sriracha dressing to the salmon poke, gently folding it in to thoroughly combine without breaking up the salmon cubes. Add as little or as much of the dressing as you like, making adjustments to suit your taste. Then sprinkle a tiny pinch of the sea salt over the poke and gently combine. Taste for seasoning.
5. Cut the avocado into half, removing the pit carefully, using the edge of a sharp paring knife between the skin and the flesh, gently trace the circumference of each cut half of the avocado with the knife to loosen the flesh. Unmold each half, cut side down, onto a clean cutting board and slice avocado thinly to form a fan. Place each avocado half onto its serving dish, cut side up, and delicately fan out the slices onto the plate; or, instead, form a thin ring of avocado slices with a hollow center.
6. Place a ring mold over the center of the avocado slices and, using a spoon, fill it with the salmon poke, tamping it down to mold the shape, dip your paring knife in hot water, run it carefully around the inside of the ring to loosen the ring, then slowly unmold the poke. Repeat with the other dish. (If you don't have a ring mold, just fill a ramekin with the poke, pack it tightly, tamp it down, run the knife around it & gently unmold it as you turn the ramekin upside down over the center of the dish.)
7. Garnish both plates with a 1/2 oz. of caviar over the center of each poke and 2 blue potato chips from Terra Chips.

Ahi Carpaccio with Shaved Hearts of Palm, Asparagus & Truffle Oil

Note: You can quickly sear the sides of the ahi with a peppery crust as photographed then flatten it; looks pretty, but, it doesn't add much to the dish; so, the recipe will skip that step. The fresh hearts of palm I originally intended to use are nearly impossible to find easily. There is a family-owned company in Costa Rica, the #1 source of domesticated palms bred for food production, named DeKing of Hearts (click here to go to their website) but a highly perishable 1 lb. bag (perishes within 2 weeks from the day it was harvested)is $25 per lb plus overnight shipping. So in the interest of using money more judiciously, I am using canned hearts of palm that are rinsed & dried and incorporating the more traditional arugula into the salad for more bitter contrast & flavor. Still looking for frozen hearts of palm so if you know of any email me. Canned hearts of palm are too watery to shave, so I just tried to slice them as thinly as possible using a very sharp knife. A thin shaving of pecorino romano into shards will curb my mad Sweeney Todd-like urge for the moment.

This recipe serves 2 inamorati as a starter.

Ingredients

• 2 (3-ounce) pieces of sashimi-grade ahi
• 1 tablespoons plus 4 teaspoons of extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 hearts of palm (from a can), drained, rinsed, patted dry and thinly sliced
• 2 cups of baby arugula, rinsed and dried
• 12 thin spears of asparagus, tips only, blanched for 30 seconds and chilled
• the zest of 1 meyer's lemon
• the juice of 1 meyer's lemon
• 6 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tablespoons of chives, finely minced
• 1 sprig of fresh thyme, stripped of leaves and chopped
• 2 generous shavings of pecorino romano or parmiggiano-reggiano (1 per plate)
• 2 generous drizzles of truffle oil (as a garnish for each plate)
• pinch of truffle salt and a pinch of fleur de sel
• freshly milled black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Stretch four large sheets of plastic wrap on your countertop, smear each piece with a teaspoon of olive oil.
2. Place a piece of cold ahi in the center of the first two pieces of the plastic wrap & then cover each fillet, (olive oil-smeared side down) with a remaining plastic sheet.
3. Gently pound with a mallet, working from the center out until the ahi is paper thin.
4. Store wrapped tuna on a plate in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
5. In a medium sized bowl, combine the hearts of palm, arugula, tomatoes, thyme & asparagus. Then add the Meyer lemon juice & remaining tablespoon of olive oil, black pepper & sea salt to taste, toss gently but be sure to coat the vegetables thoroughly.
6. Remove the ahi from the fridge and prepare to plate it on dishes large enough to accommodate them. (The average dinner-sized plate should do).
7. Plate the ahi by first carefully removing the top sheet of plastic; next, place the ahi side on the center of the dish; then, gently remove the last piece of plastic, carefully molding together any pieces of ahi that have torn apart.
8. Sprinkle each ahi carpaccio with a pinch of lemon zest, truffle salt, pepper & 1/2 Tablespoon of the chopped chives then drizzle with truffle oil.
9. Top the center of each plate with a small mound of the greens.
10. Sprinkle the remaining chives around the perimeter of each plate, followed by an additional drizzle of truffle oil over the chives. Using a microplane, shave the pecorino over the greens and serve.

Macadamia Nut Crusted Thai Red Snapper with Passionfruit-infused Sauce Bercy, Curried Bhutanese Red Rice Risotto, Steamed Asparagus

Note: This recipe was heavily inspired by a dish I ate at Canyon Ranch during my stay there. The Canyon Ranch version is made with mahimahi instead of thai red snapper which is similar in look & texture and offers a caramelized pineapple sauce that is a little sweet for my taste but still quite good. They served it with coconut black rice on the side. Pacific halibut would be a fabulous substitute & my preferred fish for this dish but unfortunately the season runs from March to November or December, making it impossible to find for Valentine's Day. Atlantic halibut, which is available now, is not a great substitute for this particular dish.

I opted to celebrate Valentine's Day by using Bhutanese Red Rice to make a creamy coconutty risotto finished with Thai red curry sauce. Both rices can be found at Whole Foods, the Lotus Foods brand is the best and the Lotus Foods website has some really great recipes, too.
Bercy sauce is a variation of a fish veloute' with shallots, wine & stock; however, instead of the classic veloute' which is a heavy white sauce with a roux base, we reduce a combination of equal parts fish stock (or clam juice if you don't have time to make the stock) & vegetable stock then add a slurry of cornstarch dissolved into a little cold stock to thicken it. The result will be a lighter, more richly colored sauce. It is important that you remove the stock from the heat before adding the cornstarch slurry. When the cornstarch is heated for too long, it loses its ability to bind the sauce. Just keep on the stove without heat while you prepare the bercy.
In honor of Valentine's Day, I will be making a variation of the classic bercy by adding (what else?) passion fruit to it. If you can't find fresh passion fruit or its pulp, you can add a 1/3 cup of passion fruit nectar (the Looza brand is sold at most SF bay area grocery stores) or substitute 1/2 of a Hawaiian papaya (seeds removed) for the passion fruit.

I recommend preparing the sauce first, then prepping the fish but not cooking it, before making the risotto. When the risotto is more than half way done ( 20 minutes into cooking it), start the fish saute, browning it for 2-3 minutes on each side, then pop it in the oven in a baking dish for 8-10 minutes while you finish the risotto. When both risotto and fish are done, remove them from the heat but keep them in a warm place, gently reheat the Bercy sauce, (remember you don't want to overheat the cornstarch) & plate it up. If the sauce seems too thin, you can always add a little butter to the sauce then froth it up with the an immersion blender before plating.

A few pea shoots or microgreens complete the dish but you can add stir-fried bok choy  or steamed asparagus (as I did) if you're craving some veggies.
This recipe serves two.

Ingredients:

For the fish

• 2 (6 ounce) Thai red snapper fillets, of even thickness
• 2 Tablespoons of mirin (optional)
• 1/2 cup unsalted macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
• 2 egg whites, from large eggs, slightly beaten
• canola oil or grapeseed oil, (you want a flavorless oil with high flashpoint for the saute)
• sea salt & white pepper to taste

For the fish veloute'

• 1 cup of fish stock (bottled clam juice or prepared dashi can be substituted)
• 1 cup of vegetable stock (Wolfgang Puck makes a great one sold in supermarkets)
• sea salt and white pepper to taste
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot
• 3 Tablespoons cold vegetable stock or white wine

For the passion-fruit bercy

• 2 large shallots, minced
• 1 Tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup of white wine, preferably one that is not over-oaked like a sauvignon blanc
• 1 cup of stock (fish, vegetable or chicken)
• 2 whole passion-fruits, strained of seeds ( 1/3 cup of passion-fruit nectar or 1/2 Hawaiian papaya can be substituted)
• 1 teaspoon of minced fresh ginger
• 1 Tahitian vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
• 1 teaspoon of low sodium soy sauce
• pinch of ground sichuan white peppercorns
• 1/4 teaspoon of sriracha sauce
• 1 Tablespoon of unsalted butter
• 2 sprigs of chervil, stripped of leaves & chopped

For the Bhutanese Red Rice Risotto

• 1/2 cup of uncooked Bhutanese Red Rice (Lotus Foods is a good brand)
• 2 teaspoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of unsalted butter
• pinch of sea salt
• 2-1/2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock, kept just below a simmer on stove top
• 1/2 cup of white wine
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste (Thai Kitchen brand is widely distributed & pretty good)
• 1/3 cup of unsweetened coconut milk (Thai Kitchen brand has a good one)
• 1/4 cup of cooked unshelled edamame, pre-cooked (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon of Thai fish sauce (nam pla or in Vietnamese nuoc cham)
• 5 basil leaves, finely julienned
• 2 sprigs of cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 scallions, finely chopped

Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees

For the fish

1. Place the fish on a clean cutting board and season both sides to taste with sea salt, white pepper & mirin. Pat dry with paper towel.
2. Using a pastry brush, brush fish on both sides with beaten egg whites.
3. Sprinkle each side with chopped macadamia nuts. Pressing the nuts firmly into the flesh to secure them. (At this point, you can just put the crusted fish on a baking sheet and bake in the pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes, skipping the steps 4-6. I just like to brown them a little in a saute pan before I bake them)
4. Heat a 10" (cast iron is the best) pan with non-stick coating over medium heat, when pan is heated, add enough oil to cover its surface & distribute a pinch of salt evenly over the oil. Do not allow the oil to smoke.
5. Carefully add the fillets one at a time to the center of the pan, keeping space between them. Cook for 2-3 minutes on the first side; checking heat & the fish after 2 minutes to be sure that the nuts are not burning. When the first side is light brown, then gently turn over & cook the other side for an additional 2 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.
6. Remove fish from pan, briefly blotting excess oil with a paper towel, then place in a baking dish in the oven for 8-10 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the center of the fish is slightly resistant to touch. If you can smell the fish it is done. Do not overcook it.
7. Remove from oven and keep in a warm place until sauce is heated & ready to be plated. Serve on warm plates.

For the fish veloute'

1. Place both stocks in a heavy sauce pan and reduce over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes until stock is reduced in half. Then remove it from the heat.
2. While stock is reducing, place cornstarch in a small bowl & slowly whisk in cold stock or wine a little at a time until cornstarch is completely dissolved and the resulting slurry is homogenous looking. Set aside until stock reduces.
3. When stock is reduced, remove from heat & rapidly whisk the stock continuously to cool it slightly while slowly adding the cornstarch slurry. When sauce is thickened, season to taste with pinch of sea salt, & white pepper then set aside pan in a warm place (but not over heat) while you prepare the bercy.

For the passion-fruit bercy sauce

1. Heat a heavy sauce pan over medium heat, add the olive oil, heat it for a few moments then add the shallots & a tiny pinch of salt to sweat them without browning them.
2. When shallots are soft, add the ginger, stirring until aromatic then add the passion-fruit.
3. When the passion fruit cooks down, add the wine, reducing it for a few minutes then add the stock, allowing that to cook down until halved. (about 10 minutes)
4. When liquid is reduced, scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean using the tip of a small paring knife and add them as well as the vanilla pod halves to the stock along with the soy & the sriratcha sauce, stirring well to evenly distribute them.
5. Reduce heat to lowest setting & allow it to simmer for a 5-10 minutes until sauce looks glossy & well-integrated then remove from heat & add the prepared veloute' sauce, stirring well to fully incorporate both sauces.
6. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Remove the vanilla bean halves. Swirl in the butter until emulsified.
7. When the sauce looks completely incorporated, return it to the heat on lowest possible setting, until sauce is warmed through, then serve immediately. (If sauce has thinned out by the time you are ready to serve it, just blend it by either using an immersion blender in the sauce pan to froth it up or by carefully pouring it into a blender & whirring it for a minute.)

For the risotto

Make sure to have the stock in a separate pot at a bare simmer (just below a simmer) on the stove. (Keep in mind that risotto gets its creamy texture from the release of the rice's starch which means you've got to continuously stir it for the first 15-18 minutes, after that it's just a matter of keeping it from drying out by continuing to slowly add warm stock until the rice grains are fully cooked.)

1. Heat a large shallow pan (a paella or La Creuset braising pan work well) over medium heat, add the olive oil & when warm but not smoking, add the onions with a pinch of salt. Sweat the onions stirring often. Do not allow them to brown.
2. When onions are soft, add garlic & red curry paste, stir until aromatic and slightly darkened in color. Do not allow to burn.
3. Add butter, when butter melts add rice, toasting it in the paste for a minute or two.
4. Add the wine, stirring continuously until fully absorbed into the rice. When wine is fully absorbed, lower heat to medium-low to low (keep it at a bare simmer) and add coconut milk, stirring continuously, until fully absorbed.
5. Slowly begin to add the stock one ladleful at a time (about 1/2 cup), stirring often and making sure the rice has absorbed it before adding more stock. By the fourth absorbed ladleful, you should see a visible difference in the size of the grains and begin testing for doneness. Risotto is done when the rice grains are tender but still retain a slight "bite" and the overall texture is creamy.
6. When risotto is almost done, add fish sauce and edamame (or cooked sweet peas), gently stirring in & cooking until beans are warmed through.
7. Add basil, scallions & cilantro. Test for seasoning, if it needs any, add sea salt (Red Himalayan Salt would be pretty & yummy) & freshly ground pepper to taste.
8. Serve by packing risotto in a large ramekin until ramekin is fully packed & placing the center of the warmed serving plate on top of the ramekin, then inverting both dishes & carefully unmolding the rice from its ramekin. Place the snapper fillet on the side of the rice and drizzle the Bercy sauce over half the fish and the circumference of the plate. Garnish the rice with pea shoots, micro greens or a sprig of cilantro. Serve.

Duo of Baked Cannelloni:
Dungeness Crab & Goat Cheese
Roasted Sweet Potato & Mascarpone
Wilted Spinach

Note: When I was at Canyon Ranch last year, I ordered a crab quesadilla with a crisp but tender shell and a delicious creamy filling that imparted a slight but pleasant tang to the dish without overwhelming the crab. I thought they had used a special Oaxacan cheese but when I asked my server she said it was just fresh goat cheese. The combination was a good one & I thought it could make a very elegant dish for a romantic dinner if I used cannelloni as the delivery system for the crab & goat cheese.
Of course the object of this Valentine's dinner is to keep everything light & sexy, so I thought I could lighten the dish by making two separate fillings, offering one cannelloni of each and a Duo of Cannelloni was born. I wanted the second filling to be light and complement rather than compete with the crab & goat cheese so I knew it would have to a vegetable filling; but, I wanted a luxurious mouth-feel that was satisfying & a little sweet. My first thought was butternut squash or pumpkin but they have been done so often this way and too laborious to tackle with everything else & then it hit me: roasted sweet potatoes. Great texture, sweet & healthy taste with a touch of mascarpone, a hint of vanilla and herbs. Eureka! While I'll admit my inspiration may not be quite on par with Archimedes' discovery of the displacement of water (which was his legendary Eureka moment), I'm still pleased with the results.

I've lightened the bechamel sauce by using lowfat milk. You can substitute skim milk if you like but don't substitute the butter with anything else. It's not a lot of butter per person & it's absolutely necessary for sauce. Do use freshly grated nutmeg, it is an essential component and very easy to find these seeds in the seasonings section of mainstream supermarkets.

If you can't find dried cannelloni shells, use manicotti shells instead. Just but the highest quality pasta you can find because the flavor of the pasta is very important with these delicate fillings. If the pasta is too thick or poorly made it will show much more with these fillings than if you were using a meat ragu.You can also buy or make your own fresh crepes if you like. You just need to fill them then roll them tightly with the seam facing the bottom of the baking dish.

If you're not a crab eater, just omit the crab & substitute it with additional cheese or add wild mushrooms (chanterelles or hen of the wood mushrooms are nice & meaty) that you have sweated with olive oil & shallots. It'll still be yummy if not as aphrodisiatic (if that's a word).
Serve this dish with a side of wilted spinach (baby spinach sauteed in olive oil, minced garlic & a touch of stock & freshly ground black pepper.)

You will have leftover stuffing which you can use to stuff additional cannelloni shells, layer over no boil lasagne noodles which have a much finer texture & some egg added to them allowing them to cook thoroughly without as much liquid (Nature's Pasta, available at Real Foods is the best so far): just double the bechamel sauce recipe & use it as a sauce to layer into the lasagne, or turn it into ravioli or tortellini by using ready made thin wonton wrappers. Then cook & freeze for another time.

This recipe will serve four, unless you're starving. To make it for two, I would have had to split an egg in half. Perhaps that will be my future contribution to science... I'll get cracking!!! (pardon the pun)

Ingredients

For the cannelloni

• 8 cannelloni shells, cooked in a large pot of salted boiling water for about 7 minutes if dried or about 3 minutes if fresh; always be sure to check the manufacturers instructions (8 fresh small crepes could be substituted, obviously no boiling required) Remember, these shells should be cooked until just barely al dente. Overcooked pasta will not work in this recipe. It's going to cook further in the oven.
• 1 gratin dish or small to medium-sized baking dish, greased with olive oil & a paper towel (the dish should be just large enough to accommodate a single layer of cannelloni)
• 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 2 pastry bags (or 2 ziploc plastic bags, with a small edge of one bottom cut out & the tops folded back) or 2 teaspoons

For the crab filling

• 1 cup of fresh Dungeness crabmeat (about 1/2 lb.), picked through to remove any shell
• 1 clove of garlic, grated
• 3 scallions, light green part only, minced
• 5 oz log of fresh goat cheese, softened to room temperature (Laura Chenel chevre is good)
• 1 cup of part skim ricotta, softened to room temperature (don't use more than 1 cup of this or you will lose the goat cheese flavor)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten in a small bowl
• 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper
• 1 cup of tightly packed baby spinach leaves, rough chopped
• 2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

For the sweet potato filling

• 3 large or 4 small sweet potatoes (jewel yams)
• 1 cup of mascarpone cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon of high quality vanilla extract
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped & sweated in butter
• pinch of sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon of herbs de provence
• 2 Tablespoons of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 4 amaretti cookies, crushed (optional, it will make the filling much sweetier which you may or may not like so feel free to leave out, if you're in doubt)
• 2 egg whites

For the Bechamel sauce

• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2-1/4 cups lowfat milk
• 1/8 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
• sea salt & white pepper to taste (go easy on the salt, we're going to use a lot of salty parmesan to cover the cannelloni after we pour the salt, so beware)

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Clean and dry the sweet potatoes thoroughly then prick the tops of each one with a fork. Place the sweet potatoes directly on the center rack of the oven and bake for 1 hour until completely soft & oozing. Then remove & allow to cool until they are cool enough to handle. While potatoes bake, make the Bechamel sauce.

For the Bechamel sauce

1. Using a heavy bottomed sauce, melt butter over medium heat.
2. When butter is melted, add flour; whisking it in. Continue to whisk until butter & flour have completely combined & the resulting paste loses it raw look (about 2-3 minutes) Do not burn the roux but do cook it until nutty aroma is released & roux is light gold in color.
3. When roux is ready, reduce heat to low and slowly begin to trickle in the milk, whisking it continuously while pouring it slowly in a steady stream to avoid making lumps of flour.
4. When all the milk is poured, whisk often until sauce thickens and ribbons form (about 10-12 minutes).
5. When sauce reaches the desired texture, remove from heat & season with nutmeg, pepper & salt. Set aside in a warm spot until ready to assemble dish. Prepare the crab filling.

For the crab filling

1. In a large stainless steel mixing bowl, combine the grated garlic, minced scallions, goat cheese, ricotta and parmesan. Mixing thoroughly.
2. Add the spinach leaves and the white pepper. Combine well.
3. Add the lightly beaten egg, thoroughly incorporate into the cheese mixture
4. Gently fold in the crabmeat, using a rubber spatula to thoroughly incorporate being careful not to over mix the filling and break up the crabmeat. Fill one pastry bag (or ziploc bag) with crabmeat mixture. You may need to use a teaspoon if your crab pieces are large. Set aside & prepare sweet potato filling.

For the sweet potato filling

1. On a cutting board, while potatoes are still warm, cut each potato in half, lengthwise.
2. Over a large bowl, remove the flesh of the cooled sweet potatoes by peeling the skin off or scooping it out with a spoon into the bowl & mashing them thoroughly with a masher or large fork. (You can also put them through a ricer for a finer texture)
3. In a small bowl, combine mascarpone, cooked shallots, vanilla extract, nutmeg, herbs, pepper & parmesan. Mix well.
4. Add the mascarpone mixture to the large bowl of sweet potatoes. Incorporating everything thoroughly.
5. Beat the egg whites until foamy & light with soft body (but not into stiff peaks)
6. Gently fold into the sweet potato mixture using a spatula to fully incorporate the eggs without taking all the air out of them
7. Fill one pastry bag (or ziploc bag) with sweet potato mixture.
8. Prepare cannelloni.

For the cannelloni
Reduce preheated oven to 350 degrees.

1. Fill half the cooked cannelloni shells with the crab mixture, using the pastry bag to pipe them in. Do not over fill. Set on clean cutting board.
2. Fill the other half of cooked cannelloni shells with the sweet potato mixture. Set on clean cutting board.
3. Place baking dish, bechamel sauce, filled shells & grated parmesan on the work surface. Start by pouring a ladle or two of bechamel to completely cover the bottom of the pre-greased baking dish.
4. Now assemble the dish by placing the filled shells in a single layer side by side on the baking dish, alternating one crab cannelloni with one sweet potato cannelloni. You may need to pack them tightly together.
5. Pour the remaining bechamel over the top and sides of the pasta.
6. Sprinkle the parmesan evenly over the entire dish & bake in the center rack of the oven for 30 to 40 minutes until sauce is bubbling & parmesan is golden brown. If the gratin is not golden enough, briefly broil the dish at least 6 inches from the heat source until desired color is reached. Remove from heat and allow to cool at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
7. On pre-warmed plates, serve two cannelloni per person, one of each type of filling, with wilted spinach (see note if you don't know how to wilt spinach). Mangia!!!

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

Note: This is a classic Valentine Day dessert that is both decadent & healthy. You can find them ready made for Valentine's Day at Godiva or other chocolatiers but they are fun and easy to make. Stemberries (or strawberries with the stems still attached) are available in supermarkets right now & are the best strawberries to use as the stems provide a natural handle for dipping. They are exorbitantly priced but worth the splurge for a special occasion. The darker the chocolate (60 % cocoa or above) the better for both melting and health purposes. You can use semisweet chocolate chips or really splurge and buy a hunk of Valrhona or Callebaut chocolate... so worth it & it's sold in bulk at Whole Foods!!!! The dipped berries can be stored for a couple of days in the fridge.

To temper or not to temper, that is the question. It's a way of heat treating then cooling it to change the crystalline structure of the chocolate. Tempering it makes the chocolate pretty, hard & glossy as it dries. Most commercial chocolate is already tempered . If you don't temper it, the chocolate may appear streaked or cloudy when it cools after dipping the strawberries into it. Strawberries introduce moisture into the chocolate which will cause the sugar & cacao in the chocolate to absorb it & seize up, forming little cloudy clumps. The texture will not be as satiny as the chocolate melts on the tongue. Some recipes suggest adding butter or heavy cream to the chocolate while slowly melting to avoid the need to temper but you still don't get that great snap when you bite into it. Jacque Torres aka "Mr. Chocolate" suggests the microwave method for people melting less than 1 lb. of chocolate which is what I will post here. Another site called cooking for engineers.com delivers a great chocolate tutorial and tempering, click here to go to the website.

You will have leftover strawberries, just store them on the parchment paper in a plastic container in the fridge. They'll keep for a day but not more than two days.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. of dark chocolate (over 60% cocoa), chopped into small pieces
• 12 large strawberries with stems attached, washed & completely dried with a towel
• 1 small microwaveable bowl
• 1 baking sheet fitted with wax paper

Directions

1. Place chocolate pieces in the microwaveable bowl, & microwave in short bursts for 30 seconds at a time, stir between each microwave session to evenly distribute the heat. Be patient & stick to the 30 second intervals.
2. It's important to stop heating it just before the chocolate starts to melt. When the chocolate is just beginning to warm & melt lightly but the pieces still retain their shape, it's time to stop heating it. The chocolate pieces should be slightly shiny & mushy as you stir it.
3. Keep stirring and allow the residual heat to melt the rest of the chocolate. You'll lose the temper if you overheat it.
4. Place the melted chocolate, wax paper covered baking sheet & completely dry strawberries on a work surface, creating an assembly line of strawberries, melted chocolate & pan.
5. Picking the strawberry up by its stem, gently but quickly dip it until it's covered 3/4 of the way up with chocolate, swirling the strawberry as you remove it from the chocolate to cover all the pores; then invert the strawberry, pointing the end up to the sealing to "seal" the chocolate.
6. Place the strawberry on the sheet & repeat with the remaining berries.
7. Allow the berries to cool at room temperature until chocolate is hard and glossy. Then serve.

Raspberry and Dark Chocolate Parfait with Greek Yogurt, Agave Nectar, and Toasted Walnuts

Note: This recipe is all assembly & no cooking. It's as delicious as it is simple and healthy. Just use a large clear glass with an elevated bowl, like a martini, wine or margarita glass. If you're unconcerned about fat or calories, you can make a sabayon, click here for a simple recipe or just use softened vanilla gelato.

Serves 2.

Ingredients

• 1 pint of fresh raspberries, rinsed & dried
• 8 oz. of lowfat Greek-style yogurt (Fage brand, pronounced fa-yeh, is by far the best)
• 1 oz high quality dark chocolate, shaved into large shards with a microplane
• 6 teaspoons of toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
• dark agave nectar in its squeeze bottle
• 2 sprigs of mint (optional)

Directions

1. Assemble all the ingredients, teaspoon, a tablespoon & the two parfait glasses.
2. Start with a layer of two tablespoons of yogurt at the base of each glass.
3. Follow with a layer of raspberries to cover yogurt.
4. Follow the layer of raspberries with a squiggle (highly technical term) of agave nectar over the berries.
5. Follow the agave nectar with a layer of chocolate shards
6. Follow the chocolate with a layer of a teaspoon of chopped walnuts
7. Repeat the layers until you have three layers of all the ingredients and top each glass with a sprig of mint. Voila.

Now, as a rule, I couldn't care less about the Super Bowl or football for that matter; but, I am loving the story of the Arizona Cardinals, led by staggeringly hot & talented quarterback, Kurt Warner, and so hoping that this man with his titanium arm will help his team win this game of games. The guy has rocketed back into history like one of those long spiraling bombs he throws out on the field of battle.

In three postseason games, this Super-Hottie completed 61-of-92 passes for 770 yards and eight touchdowns -- that, mine friends, is better than efficient. That to quote Paris Hilton (the woman who finally seems to have ridden off into the sunset so I feel comfortable now saying her name without being disgusted with myself for invoking, thereby perpetuating, her faux celebrity status) is H-A-W-T!!! 

Add wide receivers, Anquan Boldin & Larry Fitzgerald then stir Coach Ken Whisenhunt
into the mix and you have a Cardinals team that many argue will kick mighty Steelers butt. Oops there go all my East Coast subscribers deleting their subscriptions... Heady stuff; so...... since yummy foods and cute quarterbacks are involved, you can count me in.

I mean CHECK this guy out, y'all:

In action:

In repose:

GAWHGEOUS!!!

(SIGH)

I do love an alpha male.. Sorry. Cliche but true...

Considering the fact that Super Bowl Sunday is practically an American national day of worship (with support from various political groups for actually making it a National Holiday), it's history is quite short.

Although football had been part of the U.S. national consciousness since 1920, the first Super Bowl wasn't played until January 15th, 1967 as part of the terms of a merger agreement between the then NFL & its younger adversary, the AFL, whose formation in 1960 began an intense competitive war for the acquisition of both football players and their fans. Both leagues decided they could better line their pockets if they combined forces; and, a made for television blockbuster was born. No show of any kind ever rates higher on the Nielsen Charts than the beloved NFL Championship game between the AFC and the NFC, attracting football fans and their friends and families alike.

The Super Bowl is such a major contributor to the national zeitgeist, that economic predictions, known as the Super Bowl Indicator, exist. The indicator is based on which conference wins the Super Bowl championship: suggesting that if the AFC wins, the economy will be sluggish; on the other hand, according to the Super Bowl Indicator, if the NFC (or an original NFL team which includes the Colts, Browns or Steelers) wins, the market will be bullish. These economic clairvoyants were obviously Giants fans. There are even correlations between the margin of NFC victory and U.S. economic growth. Put that in your office pool and bet on it!

Of course, one of the real products of the Super Bowl is the emergence of a category of food, truly an entire food group of its own not yet recognized by the USDA & its ever-changing food pyramid: Super Bowl Party Food. Traditionally, this is hearty, salty, gooey, fatty fare with a bit of crunch to it that can be eaten in front of the 21st century digital hearth - the almighty flat screen t.v. complete with Dolby digital 5 channel surround sound and a resolution so high you can see the beads of sweat forming on the ref's forehead when you threaten to bash his brains in for that ridiculous call.

No wonder a recent study out of Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich calls watching the Super Bowl game a health hazard.

In that three hour span, the average American guzzles down 6 beers, a bag of tortilla chips, a flotilla of guacamole, a flock of spicy buffalo wings with a tub of blue cheese dip and a meatball hero. The more health conscious fan, might just have a handful of honey-roasted peanuts before his two light beers, plateful of chicken nachos and slice of pepperoni pizza. Then he'll up the heart attack ante with his tirade on the sad state of officiating, the conspirators against his team and a few choice words for his beleaguered buddies who may not share his views on the calls made by the refs. He's lucky to make it to the half-time show without a coronary incident.

When did our national day of cheering become an excuse for cramming crap down our throats while we increased our national risk for stroke? Anybody know????

This much we know: game day foods cannot interfere with the watching of the game. So finger foods that can be placed on the coffee table within easy reach & consumed while keeping the eyes glued to the tube without a glance downward are a must. Careful consideration is given to the opening of that jar of sour cream and onion dip and bag of Kettle chips. Those Philly cheesesteaks are not just snacks, they are football watching enhancers. Imagine tackling a messy salad of field greens with a fork while Randy Moss vaccuums the pigskin in his suction cup-like hands on the 10 yard line. Impossible!

The day itself is a day of celebration for football fans because a new king will be crowned and a food festival that commemorates this televised coronation is, therefore, a necessity.

Understood.

Most people associate celebratory foods with foods that are only eaten on special occasions; more often than not, special occasions foods are extremely indulgent, i.e. fatty and/or expensive; so it follows that we try to limit them to a few occasions a year.

The problem inherent with these foods is also their allure. It's the old story of forbidden fruit. What we shouldn't have, we desire. Let's face it, to most of us, fat tastes good! We only have them on the rare occasion anyway, so who cares if we tend to overindulge in them when we do finally eat them, right? Right!

Wrong answer, folks! Too many of us eat poorly on a daily basis to begin with and take those few celebratory days as a cue to gorge ourselves like those foie gras making ducks do come din din time. Why isn't PETA outraged about this forced feeding when it happens to humans? Maybe because no one outside of Jeffrey Dahmer or Hannibal Lecter has ever acquired a taste for the seared foie gras of Patriot fan.

With the intent of showing that it is possible to do so, I will humbly try to turn the typical Super Bowl Party menu from an accident waiting to happen into a consummation devoutly to be wished (for heart healthy football fans, anyway).

At first, I thought I would approach it by making lighter versions of the fave snack foods of the big day's heroes; it turns out that Iowa's own son, Tom Brady, likes pizza and Ohio native, Ben Roethlisberger (quarterback of the Steelers) loves a bowl of chili. Classic SuperBowl Sunday party favorites. These boys know their stuff.

I, then, thought that we could use fun, classic foods from the cities that are represented by both teams.

For Pittsburgh, I'm gonna amalgamate some East Coast foods in there along with the classic food from the state:

1. Well, you gotta go with the Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches. How could you not? Duh? Here's a version that is a little lighter for the vegetarians out there: Click here for Portobello Cheesesteak Sandwiches from Cooking. com. 
2. Here is the real "accept no goddamn substitutes" deal. Now there is heated debate which could take up an entire post on what constitutes "The Best Philly Cheesesteak". Such as the actual cheese itself: Provolone (my fave) or American cheese (too bland). Sauteed onions & mushrooms (YES!!) or plain (Boring!!!). I like Bobby Flay's version  but instead of making a bechamel-based cheese sauce like he does, I would just take a couple of slices of provolone & pace them on the meat over the roll, stick it under the broiler for a 45 seconds & then top with the onions & mushrooms.
3. New York-style pizza, using whole wheat lavash as a crust, tomato confit, meaty shitake mushrooms & fresh mozzarella as toppings if you want to be all veggie about it or top it with an addition of sauteed crumbled up sausages to butch it up. Click here for my own recipe for a special smoked salmon pizza that is more like a brunch for those of you who don't really care about the game itself.
4. Egg creams, a NY original, which is just lowfat milk, chocolate syrup & seltzer in just the right proportions to create a fizzy, foamy, creamy drink. Click here for the recipe to this New York Classic
   
5. Italian sausage sandwiches, using good quality chicken, turkey or seafood sausage and plenty of sauteed onions and red bell peppers & a little splash of marinara sauce on toasted whole wheat hotdog buns if you need to be healthy (they do taste great) or do it the classic way with pork and hoagie rolls.
   
6. Hoagies, using store-bought foccacia (Acme Bread makes a great one they call Herb Slab) seared meaty rare ahi tuna steaks with lowfat garlic aioli (made quickly by using, smashed minced garlic or garlic puree, lowfat mayo & a drop of olive oil), kalamata & sundried tomato tapenade (using oil-cured tomatoes, pitted olives, thyme leaves, freshly ground black pepper, shallots & whirring into a paste in the food processor) with spinach leaves or arugula.
   
7. Hot Buffalo wings, use chicken breast tenders (tenderloin) instead of wings, place them on skewers; and, marinate then broil them in the traditional spicy Buffalo wing sauce. You can buy the sauce from Anchor Bar Restaurant, the originator of Buffalo, New York's famed wings, available online now, or, make your own favorite version of it (mine includes sriratcha, soy sauce, peanut oil & balsamic vinegar). You can serve them with the traditional blue cheese dressing (just use a mix of non-fat sour cream, lowfat mayo & regular blue cheese or better yet, skip the dressing and use more hot sauce) & , of course, celery sticks
8. Meatball parmigiana sandwiches, using 1-1/2 lbs. ground chicken breast, 1 egg, 1/2 cup of part skim ricotta cheese, fennel seed, fresh ground pepper, pinch of sea salt, tsp. of garlic powder, pinch of dry oregano, breadcrumbs & parmesan then gently combining & forming into golf ball sized rounds for the meatballs. Oven-braise them in a roasting pan with marinara sauce & a little chicken broth in a slow oven for 2 hours. Serve them in 3 ounces of lightly oven-toasted Italian bread with a ladleful of sauce & an ounce of fresh mozzarella; then broil the sandwich until the cheese melts on top.

We can pay tribute to Phoenix & add some healthy Southwestern flair to the Super Bowl fare with:

1.  seafood enchiladas
2.  chipotle-glazed shrimp served as tacos with some warm corn tortillas 
3. fiesta salad with tons of lettuce, jicama, pickled jalapeno chiles, black beans, a little feta or cotija cheese 
4. The ubiquitous pork tacos with salsa & guacamole with baked corn tortillas as chips  Click here for my own  version of this fan favorite. I've made it hundreds of times. Very easy to make...
5. Of course, you gotta have black bean chili . This version has ground turkey to be healthy, but you can substitute ground beef or my favorite mexican chorizo for the turkey.

It's a big country with live in with a lot of good healthy food choices, if we look closely. 

Here are a few snacks to have handy that can be Super Bowl-iffic :

• Edamame, fresh or frozen, served them in their pods with lots of big bowls around for the empty shells
• Popcorn, microwave or kettle-made, look for organic brands like Newman's Own and make sure to get the lowest fat, lowest sodium version then doctor them up with truffle salt or freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Shrimp cocktail, forget what you hear about the cholesterol, shrimp have the good kind and at 5-10 calories per large shrimp are satisfying & low cal. Serve up huge platters & offer a variety of sauces including the classic cocktail on the coffee table for dipping (no double dipping, better yet encourage everyone to put their shrimps and sauces on plates).
• Whole wheat baked pretzels, baked sesame bread sticks or whole wheat pitas, sprayed with olive oil & baked then cut into wedges, and served with prepared hummus, babaghanouge or the following dips from Martha Stewart's Living using lowfat substitutes for the milk and cheese:

Hot Spinach Dip



Baked Artichoke Dip


There you are, have a happy and healthy Super Bowl Sunday!

Go Cardinals!!!

I'm just rooting for the economy really. So go NFC, go. Financial market's lore has it that when the NFC wins, the stock market will have a banner year. You'd be surprised about the superstitions these guys have...  Amazing! 

So rooting for the hunky Warner & his posse has nothing whatsoever to do with my being a football fan.  I just want the market to soar so my hubby can keep me in the manner to which I have become accustomed, with porcinis & truffles for all!!! :)

What are your favorite Super Bowl foods and recipes?

Who are you rooting for?

Curious minds NEED to know....

Remember folks... comments & kudos let's me know you enjoy what I do here.

We don't get paid here, we only get the love from you.

Show a little love, huh?

Pretty please... I'll be your bestest friend. :)

xoxox

Everyday Should Be Thanksgiving Pt. 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! Click the links to see the pics in my album

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):

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
Camarones al Ajillo



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.

Camarones al Ajillo {Cuban Garlic Shrimp}



This comes courtesy of MySpaces's own residential Cuban cook, commenter extraordinaire & blogger, Tengo Wood. Visit his blog HERE for additional Cuban classics. It is truly a classic dish that is good served at room temperature or hot, your choice. You can make it the night before or early on the big day. It's grlic, chiles & olive oil still meld well with the Cal/Italian theme of this Thankgiving meal.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pure Spanish olive oil or more to taste
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2-1/2 to 3 pounds prawns or extra-large shrimp, shells and heads left on
• juice of 2 limes
• salt to taste
• pinch of dried oregano
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• dash of Tabasco sauce, optional *Trust me, it's not optional. Add two dashes, as a matter of fact*

Directions:

1. In a large skillet over low heat, heat the oil until it is fragrant, then cook the garlic, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes. Raise the heat to medium, add the shrimp, and cook, stirring, until they turn pink, 5 minutes. (If you prefer extra oil, add it along with shrimp.) Add the lime juice, salt, oregano, and parsley, and stir well. Correct seasonings and add Tabasco.
2. Transfer to a heated serving platter and serve immediately, accompanied by crunchy bread to soak up the garlic-flavored oil.

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:

1. Mix the dressing well.
2. Fold the crabmeat in being careful not to break it up too much.
3. 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
  

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Ladle the soup into serving bowls. Dollop the top of each of the soups with a dungeness crab crouton & sprinkle with chives.
5. * 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.

To Be Continued...

Everyday Should Be Thanksgiving Pt. 2

Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast with Citrus Butter and Turkey Jus

I chose 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:

1. 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.

2. 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.

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

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

5. Baste with Citrus butter.
   

6. 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.
   

7. 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
  

.. --> end class="rcpdetail" -->

Directions:

1. Stir rinds into boiling water; pour through a wire-mesh strainer. Drain on paper towels.
2. 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
   
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
   
6. 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.
7. When everything is to your liking, turn the heat down to very low & add cornstarch mixture, stirring really rapidly to avoid making lumps.
   
8. Heat for another minute or two over low heat until the cornstarch flavor is gone.
9. Place in gravyboat. Serve immediately.

Here's a link for Turkey stock:


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
  
• 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
  

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Divide bread cubes between 2 large baking sheets. Bake until slightly dry, about 15 minutes. Cool completely.
2. Sauté sausages in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, crumbling coarsely with back of spoon, about 10 minutes.
   
3. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to large bowl. Pour off any drippings from skillet.
   
4. 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.)
   
5. Mix eggs into stuffing just before baking.
   
6. 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:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. On a sheet pan put cubed bread. Toast it in the oven until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
3. 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.
4. In a large bowl make custard, whisk together the cream with the eggs and season with the salt and pepper.
5. Add toasted bread cubes along with the chives, thyme and rosemary to the egg mixture.
   
6. Stir in the sauteed mushrooms and mix in the grated Parmesan.
7. Transfer the mixture to a 9 by 13-inch baking dish, top with more grated Parmesan, to taste.
8. 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

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. 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.
3. In a medium sauce pan, heat the remaining ingredients over low heat; allowing them to steep for 15 minutes.
4. Pour cream mixture over yams.
5. Dot with additional butter.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes until top is caramelized & golden brown.

To be continued

Everyday Should Be Thanksgiving! PT. 3

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


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

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

1. Get a pound or two of green beans, snap off the stem ends, add to a large boiling salted water to blanch for 3 minutes.
2. 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)
3. Heat some EVOO in the same pan you used to boil the green beans, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Add a two sliced shallots. Saute until softened. Add a pinch of salt.
   
4. 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.
5. 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.
   
6. 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

1. Combine cranberry juice concentrate and sugar in heavy medium saucepan.
   
2. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
   
3. Add fresh and dried cranberries and cook until dried berries begin to soften and fresh berries begin to pop, stirring often, about 7 minutes.
   
4. 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!!!

It's the Fourth of July............. Let's Get Ready To G-RRRumble!!!

It's that time of year again, folks! 

The time to dust the cobwebs off that grill, if you haven't already started your official grilling season, what are you waiting for? If not now then when?

Yep, it is summertime & the living is easy.

I don't know about the jumping fish or how high the cotton is.

I mean I live in San Francisco, not in Scarlett O'Hara's beloved Tara. 

Hell, I doubt if the most devoted Atlantan could tell you anything about cotton these days other than what the bid is on the commodities market, and, even then, only if they were financially inclined.

Nope, the traditional lazy, hazy days of summer don't really apply here in Bagdhad by the Bay. It feels more like November than July, but I'll be darned if we are not just as patriotic as you guys that are sweltering in the heat of the dog days of summer.

Why July 4th is incredibly meaningful to us! Sure we grumble about the frozen tundra the city is in July & August. But, hey, we get out our down jackets, our gloves & scarves and excitedly gather around the beautiful Golden Gate to watch the fireworks reflect magnificent colors off the water. 

You may wonder why choose not to look up in the air when we view these pyrotechnic marvels.

Well, that's simple. It's a three letter word that really makes you want to use as many four letter words as possible when it is in our midst. Carl Sandburgh who was probably drunk off hid gourd when he composed this little ditty, says of it:

"The fog comes

on little cat feet.

It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on."

Doesn't that sound lovely?

Yeah right, until your fingers are blue from it while standing in 55 degree weather motionless while the city spends a gazillion dollars of tax payer money so you can ooohh & ahhhh at the colorful reflections in the bay's dark waters. 

To make it clear to the meanest intelligence: it is too damn foggy to ever see the fireworks in San Francisco!!!

But somehow, every year throngs of thousands clog the street arteries of the Northern waterfront of the city, expectantly & exuberantly hoping for a miracle. Yes, they fervently hope that whatever deity they pray to will see fit to allow the foggy equivalent of  parting of the Red Sea, just long enough for them to see flashes of light exploding in starriest climes. Never has 25 lousy minutes meant so much to so many. 

Lucky for us we don't have to join the huddled masses yearning to be free from fog to have a spectacular view of the display (if the weather ever permits it), we can watch from the comfort of our cosy little apartment. 

I do feel, however, a pang of pity for those who drive all the way over here from some godforsaken place just to spend their holiday with us. Thinking that somehow this is the place to be for the spectacle.

Silly rabbits, Trix are for kids!

Here's what the fireworks look like on a really good clear July 4th:

Now I know most of you are looking at the pretty bridge right now. 

Fuggetaboutit! 

I'm not talking about pretty lights on the bridge. 

It's the Fourth of July, people, I want to see a dazzling light extravaganza.

I can see the lights on the Bay Bridge every night.

No!!!! I'm talking about the puffs of smoke on the left side of the picture. 

That, my friends, is the 4th of July fireworks display in a good year!

So consider yourselves forewarned. 

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, plan a trip into San Francisco for the fourth of July unless you are a blind Eskimo because then, at least, the 50 degree weather in July won't chill the marrow of your bones &  the fact that it's too foggy to see won't bother you either. I mean you'll be able to hear it, so if you're blind this is the perfect place to experience the fireworks because you know you won't be missing anything!

Well one way you can still celebrate the same way as the rest of the country is by grilling.

This July 4th weekend, I thought would be great to grill burgers but give them a slightly  healthier twist.

 

So the hubby & I will be making: 

Chicken Jalapeno Cheddar Burgers with Chipotle Mayo

 Ingredients 

For the burgers:

• 1 lb. of ground chicken breast
  
• 4 oz. of extra sharp white cheddar or Manchego Cheese, shredded or thinly sliced
  
• 2 roasted jalapeno chilis, seeds & membrane removed and cut into small dice (blackened on the stove top or grill until blistered then cooled)
  
• 2 whole scallions, lighter green parts only, finely minced
  
• salt & pepper to taste
  
• 2 pickled jalapenos, sliced thinly (for garnish)
  
• 4 slices of Brandywine or your favorite thick juicy tomato
  
• 1/2  avocado, thinly sliced into eighths
  
• 4 hamburger buns (I like to use brioche-like buns)

For the chipotle aioli:

• 1 canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce, chopped into a paste
  
• 4 tablespoons of Best Foods Low fat Mayo (aka Hellman's on the East Coast)
  
• 1 teaspoon of lime juice
  
• 1/2 garlic clove smashed & minced into a paste.
• 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
  
• salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
  

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients for the Chipotle Mayo in a bowl until well combined. Taste for seasonings & acidity. Adjust seasonings.
2. Then place in a serving bowl & set aside.
3. In a large stainless steel mixing bowl, add the ground chicken, scallions, roasted jalapenos, salt & fresh ground pepper & combine thoroughly but do not overmix.
4. Divide the chicken evenly into four and, using your hands, shape them into round 1/2" thick patties. Remember the patties will swell in thickness & shrink in diameter as you cook them, so shape them accordingly.
5. Set them aside until you are ready to cook them. Then prepare the shrimp & then the lamb burgers, if serving them as well.
6. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap & water.
7. Turn on your grill & preheat it for at least 20 minutes. Do the same with your broiler.
8. When you are ready to cook the chicken burgers, place them over medium heat, & cook them on one side for 5 minutes without touching them. Then give them a 1/4 turn on your grill or griddle, leaving them to cook on the same side for an additional 3-4 minutes.
9. Then flip the burgers over to the other side, cooking for an additional 3-4 minutes. After which, you will give them another 1/4 turn for the last 3-4 minutes. This will provide with pretty grill, crosshatched grill marks.
10. The chicken needs to be cooked all the way through until well-done & there is no sign of pink. When it doubt, take a peek by cutting through the center of one.
11. Remove from the heat, on a foil lined baking sheet, place your four buns, cut side up & top each half with cheddar. Broiling for 45 seconds or until the cheese is melted to your liking. Place a bottom half of the bun on a plate.
12. Place a chicken burger on the bottom half of each bun. Garnish the burger with the tomato, pickled jalapeno & avocado slices. You may want to mash the avocado slightly with a fork if you couldn't cut it into thin fans.
13. Serve with the Chipotle Aioli on the side. 

This recipe serves 4 independent-minded patriotic revelers.

You can serve with a simple mixed green salad or potato salad.

Keep it simple! 

A icy cold Corona goes well with this but so does a maragarita.

We'll be drinking a 2001 Leroy Auxey-Duresses, but it's your party & you can drink what you want to... drink what you want to.... drink what you want to...

Shrimp Scallion & Ginger Burgers with Sriracha Aioli

 

Lamb Black Olive & Feta Burgers with Tszatiki Sauce. 

All served on brioche buns & pitas with slices of Brandywine Heirloom tomatoes & slices of avocado.

Sounds weird & complicated, right?

Anything but!

BTW, all of the recipes are mine, but none of the photos are mine. 

I'll replace the food shots when I cook the burgers this weekend.

Thanks to Google images for providing a little color to the blog.

A food blog without the pics is like fireworks in the fog..... POINTLESS!

Happy Independence Day!

Long Live the Stars & Stripes!!!