I've been pretty routine in my eating this summer. Sticking to a few standards has made grocery shopping really easy but it hasn't made for a lot of variety. (Ask CH: "Uh, I can offer you a salad with, uh, shrimp and tomato and avocado, or, uh, a sandwich with cheese and tomato and avocado. Oh! Or berries and yogurt!")
So I decided to commemorate the honorary end of summer with making a meal that not only required creative shopping, but also required cooking two foods I've never cooked before. And, uh, it was totally worth it.
I started with this recipe for Corn, Bacon and Clam Stew. Out of the usual necessity, I replaced the bacon with turkey bacon. And since I failed to check whether I had bourbon, I had to find a replacement for the bourbon, too. (I know: I was also shocked. I didn't even think to check, but, after digging through every cabinet in my kitchen, I remembered that the last time I was in the wine store I thought, 'Oh, I need bourbon,' and then managed to forget to buy any. I plan on remedying this as soon as the blue laws will let me.) For half of the recipe, I substituted some old Pumpkin Ale and, for half, I substituted Vermouth. I think the Vermouth was actually more successful, although both were fine.
I've never cooked turkey bacon or clams before and I was surprised at how easy the clams were to cook. (Turkey bacon is another story. It took forever and made a huge mess.) The other big surprise was how much the basil added to the stew. Honestly, I tend to think that basil is superfluous in most recipes and I expected to think the same of this. (Read those ingredients and tell me that you think the basil sounds like it fits.) But it really added brightness to the stew so I was completely won over.
Of course, being me, I doubled the recipe since it looked like it would be a pain to make. So I've got plenty of leftovers to see how well this reheats. Depending on how much I enjoy it through the week, I may try to make it again before all the summer corn is gone. I think it's plausible that it could be made without the turkey bacon, or at least with a lot less, and I feel pretty confident that I could substitute shrimp or white fish for the clams. If I actually end up doing so, I'll let you know how it goes.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
first and last cooking of the summer
Sunday, July 11, 2010
A Killer Chocolate Cookie
I have had a couple of dinner parties this summer. And one common theme in the foods that I have offered has been these amazing chocolate cookies.
The first time, I made them to look like this:
(Those are ice cream sandwiches, one with vanilla and the other with homemade strawberry sorbet. I thought these were really good, even better after they'd been in the freezer for a day.)
And the second time, I did just what Deb told me to do and made these:
Pretty much all critics agree that these are delicious chocolate cookies. They're very sweet, and they spread a lot in the baking process, but in all they are the star of this show. As for the oreo filling, I and most people agree that it tastes pretty much like the original "white stuff" though at least 
one taste tester agreed with Deb's assessment that, when combined with the cookie, the overall package was too sweet. Deb says, lower the sugar if you're using the cookie to make oreos. I'm not sure that's the route I'd take, but I am not afraid of a sugary cookie. Moral of the story, less sugar or no, this is a great versatile chocolate wafer cookie that is easy to make and sure to please.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
raw rhubarb does freeze well!
I'd bought some rhubarb at the beginning of the month but didn't have time to make anything out of it. Ms. CAM kindly cut it up and put it in my freezer, awaiting a three-day weekend (and didn't even mention that most hostesses don't ask their guests to prep and freeze food for later consumption). In between then and today, Smitten posted rustic rhubarb tarts. So, thanks to both CAM and Smitten, I've enjoyed two today and am trying to stop myself from enjoying my third. Not that I've ever been picky about my rhubarb, but this recipe is definitely a winner.
I followed the by-hand directions, because I also dragged Ms. CAM around central Connecticut trying to track down a pastry blender (for the rhubarb pie that she never got to eat). Apparently, multiple Williams-Sonoma stores haven't been able to order pastry blenders quickly enough to meet demand. I managed to snag the last one at Macy's, though, and it was worth it. No more cutting in butter with two knives for me!
I modified the recipe a little because I didn't have corn flour and didn't feel like tracking it down just for 1 cup. And I did have about 3/4 c. graham flour and thought that its sweetness would work well with the rhubarb. I replaced all of the corn meal with graham flour and the corn flour with 3/4 c. regular flour and 1/4 c. graham flour. The crust may have turned out heavier, but I've got no complaints.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Black Forest Biscotti
Back in the good ole days when life was simple and I lived with EW, I gave her a cookbook from Moosewood Cafe for her birthday. And, as good roommates do, she thanked me in the form of baked goods and wholesome meals. Many times. Maybe I have a selective memory for cookies and other sweet things, but I do not remember anything from that cookbook as delicious these biscotti. So, recently when I was craving sweet treats to pack in my lunch that are not completely filled with butter, I asked her for the recipe. They delivered big time. They are crunchy and sweet, but not too sweet. And since the recipe is low on butter, I didn't feel (completely) guilty when I had one every day for lunch.
Adapted from: Moosewood, via EW
Ingredients:
½ cup dried cherries
1 cup water
¼ cup butter, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp almond extact
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp baking powder
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
In a small saucepan, heat the cherries and water just to boiling, and then remove from heat and set aside. In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and well-combined.
Blend in the eggs and almond and vanilla extracts. Fold in the chocolate chips. Drain the cherries, place them on a paper towel to absorb any extra moisture, and then stir them into the egg mixture.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. With a rubber spatula, fold in the wet ingredients until the dough is uniform and holds together when pressed lightly with floured hands.
Use the spatula and your floured hands to scoop the dough onto the oiled baking sheet. Form the dough into a 12-inch by 3 inch diameter log shape; then press down on the log, flattening it to a thickness of about an inch. The length and width should be about 14 in x 4 in.
Bake on top rack of the oven for 25-30 minutes, until dough is firm and just slightly brown.
Remove from the oven and transfer the log to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, slice crosswise in ¾ in pieces. Lay each biscotti cut side up on the baking sheet. Bake for about 5 minutes on each side, using tongs to flip them. Cool completely on a rack and then store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Other notes:
EW says to add almonds. I would have but I didn't have any. I also forgot the chocolate chips, so I just added more cherries instead. Also, I think I probably undercooked these on the first round.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Let's Talk about Kale
SK had a post recently about a new way she discovered to prepare kale: drizzled with olive oil and salt and baked. I admit, this makes some freaking delicious kale chips. If you've never had kale, or haven't liked it in the past, try it that way.
However, kale is equally as delicious (and undoubtedly better for you) when consumed raw and in salad form. I'm not saying this is the healthiest salad you'll ever eat, but it is damn good. And there are lots of nutrients! Win/win people. I'm also going to apologize for the lack of pictures. I am just so happy to make and eat this salad, I forget to take pictures, and then I remember while I'm spooning the last bits into my mouth for lunch at work, and think to myself: "Oh well, guess I'll have to make it again next week." You see the problem.
Key facts about preparing kale for salads:
1) After rinsing, strip the leafy part from the stalk and discard the stalk. You can either do this with a knife, or just rip it off with your fingers.
2) Marinating is key.I like to think of this as the vegetarian version of marinating salmon in such a way that cooks it (only without that pesky risk of food poisoning!) It doesn't take long though, so don't worry if you're hungry when preparing your kale salad. You can eat it as soon as you're ready.
3) Even if you neglect your kale for a while and it gets a little wilty, it'll still be awesome in salad form.
4) There are a ton of varieties of kale. I've been favoring the curly kale with purple stalk variety, but I think this would work with any type.
What follows are three different recipes that incorporate kale.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Peanut, Peanut Butter (and Chocolate)
My favorite professor in law school frequently cautioned that things always take longer than you think they will. Such was the case with these brownies, which I planned to bring to a dinner party last Friday night. The problem was, the dinner party started at 7, and I couldn’t be bothered to read the recipe in advance. If I had, I would have known you are supposed to cool them completely before you put the chocolate on top. As it was, I was going to be late, and I had to take these brownies from the oven to my car pretty much immediately. Cooling time was not an option. So when I got to the party, they were a little bit soupy, but after an hour in the fridge, they turned out pretty good. And over the week (as I ate them in inappropriate quantities from my fridge) they tasted even better because the chocolate layer had an opportunity to properly harden.
A couple of warnings about these things:
(1) They are addicting. I came home with 2/3 of the pan from the dinner party (it was a small gathering with lots of desserts), and despite my roommate's help, I managed to consume far far far too many of these.
(2) They do not taste like peanut butter cups. I was sort of expecting something more along that line, but alas I guess we'll have to rely on Nigella's recipe for that. (Is it on this blog??)
(3) Deb says she used organic PB when she made these. I used full fat skippy. I found the PB taste to be somewhat understated. Next time, I'd make them with natural PB and a quarter teaspoon of salt or so.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Soup in a Bowl
So, I realize soup season is basically over, but I felt the need to share these two dishes I made over the last three months with you all.
PB & Co. sent me this recipe. I didn't use their peanut butter (because this would be pretty gross with White Chocolate Wonderful), but it is a pretty delicious soup.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp peanut oil (or other vegetable)
1 large yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
6 cups broth/stock
1 package extra firm tofu (I froze and then thawed mine)
1 can straw mushrooms (I tried these the first time, but didn't love them and didn't use them after that)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (better than the stuff off the shelf, for sure)
1/4 cup lemongrass (I could never find this, but I would love to add it at some point)
1 tbsp grated ginger
4 large bay leaves
1/3 peanut butter
1 can light coconut milk
1/2 lb rice noodles, cooked
Directions:
1. In a large stockpot, heat the oil and saute the onion and garlic over medium heat until translucent.
2. Add the stock, tofu, mushrooms, lime juice, lemongrass, ginger, and bay leaves and simmer for 30 minutes. (I simmered for much longer the first time, maybe an hour, because my tofu wasn't completely dethawed, and I think it helped make the tofu super flavorful. Highly recommended, if you have the time. I also added red bell peppers; really, any good vegetable would be good.)
3. Add the peanut butter and coconut milk and stir until well-combined. Simmer an additional 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
4. Remove the bay leaves from the soup. Divide the cooked rice noodles into 6 bowls, ladle the soup over the noodles and serve.
I made this and brought it for lunch and it totally saved my sanity on several cold, rainy days.
SK's black bean soup is also delish, and I didn't even make the cumin crema. Also, I soaked my beans overnight and didn't use a pressure cooker, and the time seemed fairly equivalent.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Empire State of Mind
These days, I miss New York. A lot. And in my misery over the last month, I started dreaming of the things I would make when it was all over. Invariably, my list was very New York. Bagels. Pizza. Cheesecake. Black & Whites. You get the idea.
When I told another former NY resident that I was going to make B&Ws because I missed New York, his basic response was, "why, they're gross?" And, as is often the case with this particular friend, he had a good point. But the thing about cravings, especially ones that are geography centered, is that even though I never actually wanted or even liked B&Ws while in NY, once I got it in my head to make them, I couldn't make the thought go away. I had to make them, even though almost every single one (of the 5 or so) I ever had (with the exception of a rare aberration from West Side Market) was stale or frosted in such a way that you couldn't actually taste the difference between the two sides. But these red flags would not be an impediment to my determination, and so I took the plunge and made them.
Given everything I've said up to this point about how black and whites usually taste mediocre to me, it should be no surprise that the ones I myself made were no exception to this rule. I knew they were off the moment I took the first batch out of the oven, yet I persevered and finished cooking them and icing them. And almost 60 cookies later, all I could think about was "what am I going to do with these black and white hockey pucks."
I will say, I am being overly hard on these cookies. I gave my cousin a batch, and though she agreed with me that they were off, the throng of children she was feeding found them delicious. My office mate also approved. And even I came around to a decision that the dough wasn't all that thick after all.
Moral of the story? When you miss a place, you're probably not going to solve that longing with a food you didn't really like to begin with, especially when the things you miss cannot be produced in your oven (you cant bake up a batch of friends, or pinkberry for that matter).
Want the recipe after this glowing recommendation? I, of course, used Deb's. I know that HEB has a version that she and CH served to 40 of our closest friends in college, and I feel like I probably liked those. And I believe EW has even posted a version on this very blog. But since I have come to rely on Deb's pictures and antics to get me through the day, I figured I should do her a solid and try her version. That's all for now. I hope happier food tales are on their way.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
recipes that shouldn't be good but, oh man, they are
So KZ and I had a conversation earlier this week that went something like this:
HEB: Oh man, I made that tomato sauce from Smitten, you know, the one with the canned tomatoes and onion that you throw away and butter, and oh man. I ate one-and-a-half servings and I had to stop myself from having two servings.
KZ: I saw that on smitten and thought, "This can't be good. It has three ingredients."
HEB: Oh man. I want to eat more right now. I mean, it might be my favorite tomato sauce ever. Well, okay. Fresh in the summer is good. But I'm never buying sauce in a jar ever again.
KZ: Wow. I never would have tried it because I would have thought that it was a waste of time to make a sauce that would clearly be bad.
HEB: Oh man.
I've actually made it twice now (single recipe once and double recipe once) and am not yet over the "oh man" phase. Although I will say that I think that the San Marzano tomatoes do make it better than the Shaw's brand ones. And also, don't skimp on the butter like I tried to do in my double recipe. The sauce only has three ingredients (and you throw one of them away). Let it have as much of those ingredients as it calls for.
If you want an "oh man" conversation, the recipe is here.
This one doesn't have just three ingredients, but it inspires similar feelings for me. It's a Fig and Walnut Tapenade over goat cheese on ciabatta.
Nomi made this for our aebleskiver party this year and it was so excellent that I had to make more to bring to my office's holiday party. I generally don't get excited by olives and capers, but, oh man, they are perfect here.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Banana Bread 2 Ways
One of the most valuable lessons I learned from living with EW was that almost-bad bananas could be salvaged by putting them in the freezer to use at a later date. This rule has allowed me countless opportunities to make this, and she has further used them to make this.
The problem with this lesson, is that the bananas in the freezer can start to pile up when you have no excuse to make the best and hugest birthday cake ever.* I decided it was time to make some banana bread, but my usual recipe has essentially the same sugar and butter content as the cake. So I started looking around for recipes with less butter and less sugar. Of course, there are all kinds of recipes out there. Some with apple sauce, some with sour cream, some with yogurt. But then there was this recipe with none of those things. Just the standards: bananas, flour, sugar, baking soda, and vanilla. The only addition this recipe has - cinnamon. Oh, and chocolate chips.
I decided to give it a try, and because I had so many bananas, I decided to make two batches, one with chocolate chips and one without. The chipless version is not the most delicious thing in the world (what can I say, butter does make a difference), but it's a nice alternative that's a wee bit healthier. And if you toast it and put some butter or cream cheese on it, it is the best thing ever. The cinnamon really makes a difference. The chocolate chip version, I am happy to report, is not lacking in the least from the missing butter. It's gooey and delicious.
* I did recently make a birthday cake. But the recipient is a chocolate lover, so I made this.
Ginger Crisps
I know, I know. I promised to lay off with the ginger posts. And this recipe certainly does not qualify as laying off. But these cookies are really delicious. My mom made them when I was home around Christmas, and they may be one of my favorite cookies of all time. They are super crunchy, and they have little bits of chewy candied ginger inside. I must admit, I've never made them myself, but they are quite delightful. Someday, I'll try.
You can find the recipe here.
Things that don't look like much
First up is the casserole I made for a potluck a bit ago but never posted, they key to this was the 1+ pound of cheese, can't go wrong with that in a recipe. Second up is HEB's tofu/peanut sauce which i'm sure i butchered but tasted good!
Not that this is a major achievement compared to stuff on here, but if you're interested:
From About.com.
Chicken, Cheddar, Bacon Casserole
Ingredients:
* 8 ounces mini penne pasta or elbow macaroni
* 6 to 8 slices bacon
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1 pound chicken breasts or chicken tenders, cut in 1-inch pieces
* 4 green onions, sliced
* 2 tablespoons flour
* 1 1/2 cups milk
* 1/2 cup chicken broth or more milk
* 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
* 8 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded
* 4 ounces American cheese, shreds or chopped
* 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
* 1 cup bread crumbs
* 1 tablespoon melted butter
Preparation:
Cook the pasta in boiling salted water following package directions.
Grease a 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish. Heat oven to 350°.
In a large skillet or saucepan, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon to paper towels; crumble. Pour off grease in the skillet, leaving about 1 or 2 teaspoons. Add butter to the skillet and cook the chicken over medium-low heat until cooked through. Add green onions and cook for 1 minute longer. Add flour and stir until blended into the fat. Gradually stir in the milk, cooking and stirring until slightly thickened. Stir in salt, pepper, and thyme. Add the cheeses and thawed peas, along with crumbled bacon. Spoon into the prepared baking dish.
Combine bread crumbs with 1 tablespoon melted butter; sprinkle over the casserole. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until topping is browned and casserole is bubbly.
HEB previously posted her Tofu recipe, but here is her peanut sauce:
* peanut butter
* garlic
* soy sauce
* sesame oil
* rice wine vinegar
* water
* lime juice (if you have it)
* red pepper flakes (not too many)
Combine two large spoonfuls of PB, maybe a clove of garlic, more soy than sesame oil, about the same amount of rice wine vinegar as soy, maybe a tablespoon of lime, and enough water to make it a good consistency. Add a little brown sugar if so inclined.
toss with veg, noodles and tofu or serve over rice
Monday, January 18, 2010
Blondies
Let's talk about blondies. And why they were the only food item I wanted for more than a week, despite the fact that I've never craved blondies before. In fact, I'm not even sure I'd ever had a blondie before these, and I generally believe things like chocolate chip cookies in bar form are inferior to their cookie counterpart. So, why the blondie craving? Who knows. What I do know is that these hit the spot.
We had them for dessert at the first installment of a series of dinners where we teach my first-ever roommate how to cook. They were the encore to this lasagna. Topped with caramel frozen yogurt, they really hit the spot.
As with almost everything I make these days, the recipe came from Smitten Kitchen. As SK makes clear, these are in fact infinitely adaptable. We added chocolate chips, PB chips and, toffee bits in them. The result? Yum.
Oh, and did I mention, these really hit the spot.