The great thing about freezers is that they freeze things. And without them, we wouldn't have things like eggo's or ice cream or pancakes on a stick. But, unlike pancakes on a stick, not all food from a freezer is good. See exhibit A:
Exhibit A
Who's responsible for this? A well known company which disperses a wide variety of steaks, seafood and gourmet side dishes. The food is packed on dry ice and shipped around the country. The reason why this ended up at my door step is not important. What is important is this: If this ever shows up at your doorstep, run for your life.
It was bad. It was bad in a way I won't ever be able to forget. I felt a violent emotional reaction to this fish the moment I took a bite. The people responsible for this fish should be taken to Guantanamo and waterboarded. They should be forced to rename it "Self-sabotage by way of fish." The feeling I had in that one bite was like a scene in a movie where some hapless victim is trapped in a cruel plot that the audience is aware of but the hapless victim isn't aware of when somebody, who's supposed to be part of the plot, whispers in the hapless victim's ear, "This is all a set-up. Get out while you still can." In other words people, don't eat fish that comes to your doorstep. Go to the store.
My spice cabinet just celebrated it's one millionth ingredient: Patum Peperium. The name "Patum Peperium" sounds elegantly strange doesn't it? Well, it's not. It's anchovy paste. Why did I buy elegantly strange anchovy paste? Because the spice section at my local Central Market is pretty spectacular and it lures me in every time. Also, because I was making Mario Batali's Bolognese later that night and he's always going on about using only the freshest ingredients.
We all get hammered over the head about good ingredients and using the freshest ingredients. "Always, always use Parmigiano Reggiano" says Mario Batali. "Use really good vanilla" says the Barefoot Contessa. "I make my own toothpaste" says Alice Waters. Sometimes it's easy to dismiss it all as snobby nonsense. Then you take a bite of this Bolognese made with high quality ingredients and you know why. Here's the lineup: farmer's market veggies, Culatello Pancetta, veal and pork (the best you can find), fresh handmade pasta, good olive oil and, of course, Patum Peperium. The result was rather dazzling if I do say so myself. There was a lightness from the pasta dough which soaked up all the flavors of the deep, robust flavor from the Bolognese. It was probably one of the best pasta dishes I've ever made. I did alter Mario's recipe slightly. Mario's version calls for no fresh herbs or anchovy paste. I'm sure his is delicious his way too, but I figured a little extra flavor never hurt anyone.
Here's what you'll need:
1 pound pappardelle, fresh if it's available
5 tablespoons good extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons of butter
1 carrot, finely diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 rib celery, finely diced
1 clove garlic, sliced
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
1 pound veal, ground
1 pound pork, ground
1/4 pound pancetta (or slap bacon) ground
1/2 tube tomato paste
1 tablespoon anchovy paste
1 cup milk
1 cup dry white wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmigiano Reggiano shavings for garnish
Here are the instructions: In a 6-8 quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary, oregano and sweat over medium heat until the vegetables are translucent and soft but not browned, about 10-15 minutes.
Add the veal, pork and pancetta and stir into the vegetables. Turn the heat up to medium-high and continue stirring to keep the meat from sticking together. Cook until browned. Add the tomato paste, anchovy paste, basil, milk and wine and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
Meanwhile, place a large pot of water on to boil for pappardelle. When boiling, add salt and pasta and cook to al dente.
When ready to eat, the cooked papparadelle should be added to the saucepan with the bolognese and tossed so the pasta is evenly coated with the sauce. Garnish with shaved Parmigiano Regiano and fresh chopped basil.
This is the case of good ingredients doing all the work for you. And it proves the point that to make great food at home, you don't necessarily have to be a whiz in the kitchen. Sometimes you just have to be a really good shopper.
A friend of mine just went through a break up. What do you say to a friend going through a break up? I have no idea. I usually offer tea. I'm better at what not to say. Like this for example: "There's plenty of fish in the sea." Not exactly sage words of wisdom. Maybe she liked her fish just fine. Sure, he smelled sometimes, but he wasn't so bad. Maybe she has no interest in fishing and doesn't want to shop for a fishing pole. Also to avoid, is: "If it's meant to be, it'll be." Again, not helpful. Maybe she doesn't want to throw her life to whims of destiny. The only thing worse than that might be to say "better to have loved than lost, than never to have loved." If anyone ever said this to me, their life may be in danger.
The only thing I know to be good in times like these are two words. "What else?" The best thing you can say, in my humblest, I'm-not-a-therapist opinion, to a friend spilling her woes is "what else?" That way she knows you're listening no matter how long it takes.
So what does this have to do with chocolate mousse? The answer is "nothing" imaginary person. But, in times of need, chocolate mousse can be comforting, soothing, even restorative. Chocolate mousse is what a security blanket might taste like, if you're the type of person who likes to eat blankets. And, it's the blanket I happened to eat the day I broke up with Brooklyn and moved back to Manhattan. Sure, Brooklyn had a ton to offer. He was charming. He had interesting stories. He made me laugh. But, he had complicated neighborhoods. His trains didn't always operate. Cabs wouldn't go there. He was complex to say the least. I needed the strong arms of New York. Someone who would be there at any hour. And Brooklyn couldn't offer that.
The day I broke up with Brooklyn, we had a final fling at Jacques Torres, the chocolate shop located under Brooklyn's bridge. For anyone not familiar with Jacques Torres, the pastry chef that is, he is to chocolate what Julia Childs is to French cooking. They even call him Mr.Chocolate. See. Mr.Chocolate
The outside appearance of Jacques Torres is almost as inviting as what lies inside.
Almost. There are windows which peer into the kitchen where you can watch actual magic happen. It makes Willy Wonka's house look like a low-carb salad bar. There are truffles, cookies, cookies dipped in chocolate, cake dipped in chocolate, hot chocolate. You get it. The day Brooklyn and I broke up turned out to be pretty great because Jacques Torres showed up. Here he is, that wiley fox, making sweet therapy.
And on this special day, guess what he was making? Yep. And thanks to Food & Wine magazine and yours truly, now it's yours.
8.9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 large egg
5 large egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 2/3 cups heavy cream
2 1/2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
Melt the chopped chocolate over a double boiler until smooth, stirring occasionally. Beat the whole egg and egg yolks with an electric mixer set on medium-high speed until light in color and thick, about 7 minutes; keep whipping while the sugar cooks.
Place sugar and water in a 1 quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Using a candy thermometer, cook to 250 degrees. Remove from heat and pour the sugar syrup down the side of the mixing bowl into the eggs whipping eggs. Continue to whip until the outside of the bowl is warm but not hot, 2 to 3 minutes.
Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold in the Grand Marnier with a rubber spatula. Fold the egg mixture into the whipped cream. Carefully pour the warm melted chocolate into the mixture. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the chocolate until completely incorporated.
It's no beef bolognese (ahem), but it's pretty good.
Hi everyone. My name is Peanut Butter & Jelly Walk Into A Bar. You might not think much of me-I know PB & J isn't the most exciting thing, and morphed into a bar? It sounds like a waste of time, right? But I'm here to convince you that I'm a worthy addition to your baking repertoire.
My significant other, Plain Peanut Butter & Jelly, is a nice guy and all, but between you and me? He's a little stubborn when it comes to change. Especially, when it comes to the classics. He'll order Plain pancakes when the menu says they offer 100 different kinds. He'll happily pick Plain cheeseburger over the triple-heart-clogger-frito-pie-burger. That's a Plain Peanut Butter & Jelly for ya? But me? I like change. Classic Schmlassic, I say. Like last week when I changed up the ravioli just a teensy bit, Plain Peanut Butter & Jelly got so mad! He told me I'd be Goober if I tried that stunt again.
As if I'd allow myself to become Goober. I mean, look at me.
I don't know if it's my crumb cake top or the way my sweet rasperry jam gently runs down the peanut buttery center which makes me better than the classic sandwich, but it does. Sorry Plain Peanut Butter & Jelly-you know it's true.
Well, I don't want to overstay my welcome. So here we go. What you'll need:
(Disclosure:There are a total of 3 sticks of butter in this recipe if you count the topping. Don't count the topping. Now, you're down to 2. Let's call butter X. And the protein from the peanut butter Y for-- y Yes! protein is good for you. And the antioxidents from the rasperries are Z, for zero. Carry the 1, mutiply by zero, alakazam and you've got 2x(y-z)=0 sticks of butter. Thank you Sir Isaac Newton.)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (18 ounces) creamp peanut butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (18 ounces) rasperry jam or other jam
2/3 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9x9 2 inch cake pan. Line it with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pan.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the peanut butter, vanilla and eggs until all ingredients are combined.
In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined.
Spread 2/3 of the dough into a prepared cake pan and spread over the bottom with a knife or offset spatula. Spread the jam evenly over the dough.
Roll out the remaining dough on an even surface to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut in strips and lay over jam with a little space open between each strip. Like this:
Okay, here's the final step. And this makes a big difference, so don't skip it! It's a crumble topping similar to a crumb cake topping. It tacks on a bit more time to this recipe, but I think it's totally worth it.
The ingredients are separate. Here they are:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cups all-purpase flour
Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter (doesn't matter if it's hot or not, just melted). Then stir in the flour and mix well.
With your hands, spread the crumbly topping and chopped peanuts over the bars.
Bake for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 20 minutes and cut into squares.
Are you tired of competent cooks? Food blogs with perfect pictures and recipes voted "family favorites?" Sick of family favorites? You've come to the right place.
My friend and I just started two food blogs. You're on mine. Here's hers. mywifesfoodblog.blogspot.com Okay, her husband started the blogs. Something about us 'never getting around to it so he finally did." Doesn't matter. We're going to cook some things and let our significant others & friends provide their (ahem) thoughtful and humble reviews.
Last night was my 'other's' debut as humble critic. It was a gripping performance. Here's Act I.
Him: "Why are you putting ham in bread pudding?"
Me: "It's savory bread pudding."
Him: "I don't think ham will taste good with sweet stuff."
Me: "I agree. That's why it's savory."
I thought in Act II he might step up his game a little.
Him: "It's kinda bland." "I like Velveeta cheese." "Have you thought of using Velveeta?"
I was wrong.
Despite his disdain of the English language this particular evening and love for Velveeta, my normally articulate other actually does have a good palette. And somewhere between washing the pile of dirty dishes and pretending not to mind at all, he gave the dish a B+.
I think next time I'll add more oregano and basil. Oh, and an onion. Maybe drizzle a little olive oil on top for more richness. If you decide to make it, let me know what you think. Or my friend. We would love to hear. And see pics!
Here's the recipe:
8 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup diced ham
1 1/2 cups grated pecorino cheese
2 cups grated fontina cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesano reggiano for garnish
1/4 cup fresh parsley, oregano, basil (combined)
6 cups cubed 1 inch thick Ciabatta or Brioche bread (I used Brioche.)
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9 x 9 baking dish with butter. With an electric mixer, beat the eggs in a large bowl on low for 1 minute. Change setting to medium and beat for 2-3 more minutes. Whisk in the milk and cream. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in ham, pecorino, fontina and herbs.
Arrange half of the bread cubes evenly over the bottom of the buttered baking dish. Pour over half of the egg mixture. Add a second layer of bread cubes then pour the remaining egg mixture over the top. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes or until center is cooked. Let rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
I have a hard time letting things go. I've been told this. There are things I have questioned for many years and haven't found answers. Like why do the makers of Oreos want you to believe you can lick off the filling? And why do white crayons exist? Who would color with a white crayon? To color on black paper? Who has black paper? And why do some people say they will text you and then don't (ahem). And why on Sunday morning, when I had been looking forward to it all weekend, did my Starbucks run out of lemon pound cake? I love that lemon pound cake as if it were my own. In fact, the next dog I get, I'm naming it "Starbuck's Lemon Pound Cake." Okay okay moving on. So, true to form, I set out to make my very own version of this cake, thereby stickin it to you know who and answering the question which begs to be answered: what's in that stuff that makes it so darn good?
Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
3.4 ounces instant or cook and serve lemon pudding mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
8 ounces sour cream
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Icing:
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 2 loaf pans with cooking spray. Place all cake ingredients in no particular order into a bowl.
Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer for 2 minutes.
Divide cake batter between two prepared loaf pans spreading evenly.
Bake for 45-55 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove and let cool for 20 minutes before removing loaves from pans.
To prepare icing, place powdered sugar into a large bowl. Drizzle in lemon juice stirring until smooth and thick. Drizzle icing over cakes and let set for 20 minutes for a firm icing. Otherwise, slice while wet if desired.
Makes about 20 slices.
This is a pretty foolproof beginner cook dessert and it's out-of-this-world good. My grandmother used to call this type of cake a "dump" cake because all you do is dump everything into a bowl. She had a way with words, didn't she?
I'm a sucker for trite, meaningless and prosaic statements. Especially this one, which I heard at bible camp when I was a kid: "If you can dream it, you can do it." This weekend I had a dream and I decided that I could do it. The dream was a cake batter truffle. And not just any cake. I wanted the concentrated flavor of the yellow birthday cakes I remember as a kid crammed into a bite sized truffle. Inspired? Insane? I didn't really know how to do this, but fortunately pinterest exists.
I love birthday cake. I love birthdays for that matter, but that's not what this post is about. For me, yellow cake conjures up memories of roller rinks parties and sheet cakes with 4 inches of icing. But regardless of whether or not yellow cake holds any special meaning, I'm sure you can agree that cake is awesome. And if not, there are two possible reasons: One, you are not American. Two, there is something seriously wrong with you and this is not to be taken lightly so get yourself to a doctor immediately. Maybe your taste buds have fallen out.
Enough of that, here's the recipe:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 white sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup yellow cake mix
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
3-4 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons sprinkles
Truffle Coating:
16 ounces almond bark (or white candy melts)
4 tablespoons yellow cake mix
sprinkles
Beat together butter and sugar using and electric mixer until combined. Blend in vanilla. Add cake mix, flour, salt and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add 3 tablespoons of milk or more if needed to make a dough consistency. Mix in the sprinkles by hand.
Roll dough into one inch balls and place on parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheet. Chill balls in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up.
While dough balls are chilling, melt almond bark in microwave in 30 second intervals until melted. Stir between intervals. Once melted, quickly stir in the cake mix until incorporated completely.
Using a fork, dip truffles into almond bark and shake off excess bark by tapping the bottom of the fork on the side of your bowl. Place truffle back on the cookie sheet and top with sprinkles. Repeat with remaining balls until finished. (Note: for smoother looking truffles, don't add cake mix to melted bark, just leave it by itself.)
Chill cake batter truffles in the refrigerator until serving. Makes around 24-30.
