Christmas

I'm still here, are you? Belated Happy Hannukah and Merry Christmas. Time has flown by since my last post. I can't believe it was over two months ago! I've been cooking but all stuff I've posted about before. Most of our energies have been devoted to our beloved Bullet who enjoyed some Prime Rib this Christmas night.  We have had more visitors this December than in the last 3 years combined! It was very moving to have people spend time and resources travelling to see us, just because they wanted to spend time with us.
We are grateful for all our friends and family.

We watched our next door neighbor working his a** off for the last few days, wondering what the heck he was building in his backyard. At first I thought a sandbox for his 5 kids... but 2 are middle school age. So then I thought a raised bed garden.  On and on he worked, from daybreak to twilight for 3-4 days. We watched and wondered until Christmas Eve. as he put the finishing touches on the trampoline, complete with safety nets. I don't think I've ever seen a father work so hard (physically) to make his kids surprised and happy.  This morning they came tumbling out... all together with squeals of delight and JUMPING JUMPING JUMPING!! It was so incredibly heartwarming just to watch.

We had a minimalist Christmas, no tree, no lights, no baking or candy making, we did have a wreath, and a few presents, none wrapped. Jim was so clever... he placed my presents in inconspicuous places around the house so it was sort of like a treasure hunt... very thoughtful. I highly recommend the "less is more" approach, it allowed us to focus much more on the real reason for the celebration and strengthen our faith and together ponder Christmas for the mystery it really is.  And to all those who didn't receive presents from us, you know we will catch up with you on another date.

Since this is a food blog, I'll tell you our menu. It was simple yet so declicious:
3 rib Prime Rib of beef ( rarer than it looks in the picture)
Horseradish sauce
Mashed potatoes with St. Andre Triple Cream Cheese and Creme Fraiche
Green Beans

As I write this, a beautiful snow is falling in Atlanta, coating the ground. Besides a pony, a white Christmas is my inner young girl's biggest wish. Thanks, God! I needed it today!

Best wishes to all for a healthy and happy new year.

More posts in the new year I promise.

See you soon

Quiche Me Quick! Bouchon Quiche Lorraine

Adjusting to our new normal, I decided it was past time to do this recipe. With great resolve, I picked up the book, announced "I'm making that Quiche" and marched to the kitchen. I lugged out the Kitchen Aid stand mixer, measured my ingredients and went to take a picture.  Hmm.....where did I put that camera? After about a 30 minute search and rescue mission, the camera was located. Relief!  I composed my first shot and the camera refused... low battery. So I plugged it into the charger. A multitude of obstacles I had to overcome to bring you this Quiche, my friends, inertia being the biggest.  Now that I am finished, and it took 3 days to make this... I probably would have chosen another recipe.  Quiche Lorraine is filled with onions, bacon and cheese, only nothing is ever that simple with T. Keller and crew.

Two cups of sifted flour, (yes Loren, I see what you will likely see in that picture) 1 tsp salt, 8 oz. unsalted butter cut into not quite 1/4 in cubes. 1/4 inch would have make the process easier I think. You also need 1/4 c ice water at the end.

This is a pate brisee (I don't know how to do the french accents on the computer) which means short pastry. All the references I looked at compared it to pie crust, but this is really not at all like pie crust. In fact, in the ELEVEN pages devoted to Quiche in the Bouchon cookbook, the author makes quite a fuss about how Americans have never had real quiche. Assuming, that is, until Bouchon opened. He assailed the pie crust as absolutely wrong for quiche. In any case, devoting 11 pages to one concept tells you it is a very important concept within the confines of the cookbook and authentic French Bistro fare. Heck, I even had to search the city for a 9" ring mold 2" high. 8 3/4 by 1 7/9ths was as close as I could come and it was the only ring mold I found. Thank you Cook's Warehouse.

Ok so on with show--I mean dough. You place half your flour and all the salt into the mixing bowl with a paddle attachment fitted and on low speed, add the butter in small handfuls. The most important thing is to completely incorporate the butter into the flour. Once it's looking mixed, turn the speed up to medium and continue.

When fully incorporated, add the remaining flour and go back to low speed (unless you want a dusting). Over and over the recipe stresses that you must not have any discernable pieces of butter. This is where it differs from pie crust. Pie crust needs little pieces of butter for flakiness, this dough must not have them in order to keep it's integrity when filled with the custard.

At the last, add the 1/4 c ice water and mix until it "comes around the paddle"  then shape into a 7-9 in disk, wrap in plastic and rest in the fridge for at least 1 hr, up to 1 day.  I chose the overnight option ! (what a surprise!)

On a cleaned and flour-dusted work surface, roll your dough out to about 14" diameter, it should be 3/16" thick.

Roll the dough up on your rolling pin and unroll it onto your ring. You're supposed to coat the mold with canola oil but I forgot. Gently work the dough downward to form a shell and use extra pieces of dough to patch and holes or cracks. Save the extra dough pieces for later patching.

Place a piece of parchment in the shell carefully working it to the the edges and then fill with pie weights or dried beans.

Bake in a preheated 375 oven on the center rack for 30-45 min. The outer crust should be lightly browned.
Remove from the oven and carefully remove the parchment and beans (or weights if you're fancy). Inspect for holes or cracks and patch as needed.  Return to the oven for about 25 min when the bottom of the crust should be a deep golden brown. Cool completely on the baking sheet. My shell won't win any beauty contests but I like its rustic looks.

Meanwhile, start on the Onion Confit. Slice 3-4 large onions along the grain, thats root to tip. Heat 1/4 c water into a medium pan and whisk in 4 oz of butter, 1 tsp kosher salt and add a bouquet garni. I didn't have any leeks so I just made a sachet instead.

Add the onions and cover with a parchment lid. These onions need to cook very slowly and should never brown, it takes about 2 hours to accomplish this. The process softens them and really intensifies their flavor.



 Take 1 lb. of slab bacon and slice it into lardons 1 1/2 long by 1/4" thick. I didn't have slab bacon but I had the most wonderful bacon I've tasted yet: Applewood Smoked from Pine Street Market in Avondale Estates, outside of Atlanta. The proprietor has a booth at the Peachtree Road Farmer's Market and we always buy a bunch and keep it in the freezer. Anyway, bake at 375  on a baking sheet until the fat is rendered but the bacon is not yet crispy, then remove and drain on paper towels. Warning: Food Porn!





Once the onions are done, combine the onions and bacon in a large skillet and cook through until warm, then drain on paper towels.  Grate 1/2 c Emmentaler cheese.  In a medium saucepan combine 2c cream and 2 c milk and heat until a skin forms on top; let the milk mixture cool 15 mins  In your blender place 3 eggs, 3 gratings of nutmeg, some salt and white pepper, add half the cooled milk and blend away.

Place a layer of onion mixture on the bottom of the quiche shell and sprinkle half the cheese on.  At this point it became obvious that I had waaayyy too much stuff for my rustic little quiche shell.  So I decided not to make the other half of the batter. Now for the moment of truth!  I poured my quiche batter into the shell......

The shell  had cracks (I made a thorough inspection and I never saw them)  and it leaked and leaked and leaked... I wiped it up yelling... what should I dooooo!?!??? Cook it anyway? WSH said sure, the cracks will seal in short order. So I slid it in the oven and waited.  That husband of mine.... he's so cool in a crisis and is (almost) always right.  It turned out fine!  I can't tell you what it tastes like though, because it has to cool to room temp, and then in the fridge for 1-3 days and then be reheated before eating. I think French cooks must be into some serious self-loathing....  Photo with burnt leaked eggs :(

Cleaned up nicely!

So if your quiche shell leaks, try it anyway and use the leftover fillings for omelettes! It's a win-win!
Thanks for reading! I'll have something new next week.
See you soon!

Making it day by day

Sorry for the lack of posts. We have been pretending to be professional hospice workers at home. Bullet is very, very ill but doing very well. I realize that doesn't make any sense. But she is the toughest little pup I've ever met, and stubborn as a mule. She has had 3 close encounters with death and has bounced back from each. This is, needless to say, very difficult for us to deal with emotionally, physically, psychologically  and every other ally. But anywho, she is with us, and most of our energy goes to caring for her. We've never loved a pet like this, she is a very unusual dog. But I guess everyone has that one special pet in their lives.... there will never be another Bullet.  **Edit: Just so you know, she is walking, eating, tailwagging and doing all those other doggy things. We are not holding on to her while she suffers, we wouldn't do that.

In the meantime.... we must eat. Not Keller, thank you. Look in the cupboard and the freezer, what's there? Actually I stood in the kitchen staring at a package of defrosting chicken for a good 15 minutes thinking oh dear.... But I looked around and found canned black beans, rice, salsa, onions garlic and corn tortillas. Starting to come together here!!! Defrosted the chicken and cut it into chunks and marinated it in olive oil, chopped garlic, cumin and some chopped onion. The marinade went on about 30 minutes.

Make the rice" 2 parts water 1 part rice , a pinch of salt and a drizzle of white vinegar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, but still boiling, cover and cook exactly 12 minutes... dont peek. After 12 minutes remove from heat and let water absorb 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork when ready to serve.

Black Beans: heat some canola oil in a pan and add onions, cook till translucent about 5 min. Add garlic (chopped) and cook for 30 secs more. Add beans. Salt and pepper and cumin to taste. I added some Ro-tel.  Chopped jalapenos are good too but I didn't have any on hand. Simmer for about 30 minutes.

I am off the chart into canned stuff on this one, usually not my preference at all.

Put a littke canola into a nonstick skillet and fry up your corn tortillas. A little goes a long way. Just brown them up and flip and then remove to drain.

FINALLY, heat canola in a large skillet and on hight heat sautee the chicken and marinade mixture. I like having the chicks brown but if you have too much liquid, they won't. It doesn't matter, do it either way, it will taste great.

SERVE: Rice, beans, chicken grated monterey jack, salsa, and fried corn tortillas.

AWESOME... I am serious... It was really really good. And sometimes presentation just isn't all that important!

See you soon.. pat your pets, hug your special people

The French Laundry - Heirloom Tomato Tart with Nicoise Olive Tapenade, Mixed Field Greens with Basil Vinaigrette

Thomas Keller's cooking philosphy is really very simple and is shared by most renowned chefs I've read about. It can be summed up thusly: Use the finest ingredients, use quality hardware (pots and pans for you non-Alton Brownies), and have every piece of the recipe ready, make a list and proceed in an orderly fashion.

In this journey through this crazy making cookbook, I have become a MUCH better cook. Seriously. I owe that improvement to that philosophy having been built into my subconscious. When I was looking through the index of recipes and saw that I had only highlighted 15  e-gads! I figured I'd better get going. This recipe looked easy enough from the title and a brief reading of the ingredients list, but having completed it, I'd like to offer an addendum to Chef K's philosophy. It is quite possible that the adddendum is specifically for me, or it may be possible that it will apply to you as well. (Edit: I think it's not just me, one of these things is usually the undoing of at least a few of the participants in those chef competition shows. I think seasoned chefs have built some sort of barrier that doesn't allow their mood or circumstances affect their food.)

Don't cook something special when you're pissed off. Or grumpy. Just don't do it, order out or make a standard from your repertoire. You'll thank me for it. It's true that love shows through in food, sadly, so does anxiety, frustration and irritability.

Don't assume you remember what the directions said as you set the oven temperature. This has burned me more than once (har har).

Know your limitations. This recipe called for puff pastry and directed me to the pages for his recipe. Nada. Not even gonna try. Trader Joe's sells a lovely frozen puff pastry and it's inexpensive as well.

OK so here goes our simple recipe. We'll start with the olive tapenade which can be made 3 days ahead. First you find 1 oz, (roughly 6-8)  salt packed anchovy fillets. That task took several trips to specialty stores and finally a phone call to the E. 48th St. market in ATL had them, and many, many other more beautiful and enticing Italian specialities as well. Their bread in unbelieveable. Anyway, you take your little fish home and rinse off the salt. That's when you fully realize they are actually fish. You have your husband, or neighbor, or anyone who will, debone them. They will look like this:

Your soak them in milk for an hour (in the fridge) after which you drain and rinse them, and repeat the soak-drain-rinse process 2 more times. While that is going on you should attend to the task of pitting the 4 oz (weight after pitting) nicoise olives, which looks something like this:

No we don't use kalamatas, or some other large olive you can buy already pitted, we have to pit these tiny little nicoise. One. at. a. time.  OK, when the anchovies are soaked x 3, take them out rinse and pat them dry.

Measure 1/4 tsp dijon mustard and 1/2 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Put the anchovies, olives and mustard into the food processor and turn it on (best to use the small bowl processor if you have it) and slowly pour the olive oil in through the feeding tube. Your final tapenade will look something like this and can be stored in the fridge up to three days. This is WAY more than you need for this recipe, btw.

Next up: tomatoes (5 medium sized heirlooms) . This was easy, and would have been especially easy had I rechecked the oven temperature. Slice 2 of the tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices about 3 per tomato. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and coat it with 1 T olive oil, place the tomatoes down and sprinkle them with salt and pepper, thyme and 2 T of the oil. Place into a 250 oven for 45 min to an hour.  They should be somewhat dried but retain some moisture. This can be done ahead and stored in the fridge.

before

On my first try, I used some stunningly beautiful tomatoes, they were just over the top. I placed them on coated aluminum foil and put them in a 350 oven. It wasn't pretty.

Take #2 - after

OK then I redid that. In the meantime, slice the rest of the tomatoes into 1/8 in slices and line a baking sheet with a clean dish towel. Line the slices up and sprinkle with S and P and 3 T of Olive oil. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 1 hr up to 5 hours.  ** At this point I ask, who has that much refrigerator space?

So far so good. Next up the basil vinaigrette. Take 1/2 c packed basil leaves, 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil, 3 T balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. Blanch the basil leaves in boiling water for 1 minute and then quickly remove them to cool running water to stop the cooking. Lay them on paper towels and pat them dry. Put them in the food processor and puree as best you can (there isn't much volume left after being blanched). Slowly drizzle the oil in and let it keep processing until you can't see basil bits. I got impatient after about 5 minutes. Set aside and at the very end you will introduce Mr. Vinegar to Miss Basil puree and they will fall in love.

We're at the final turn here!  Take your puff pastry out of the freezer (even if you made it you need to freeze it). Cut 3 inch rounds. I used a hamburger patty form as a guide, so it's a bit larger than 3 inches. Prick the dough with a fork, unless you, as I, value your sanity and bought frozen dough.. it's pre-pricked.

Place on top of each round 1 or 2 slices of the baked tomatoes (depends on the size of the pastry round and the size of the tomatoes). I don't know about you, but things in my universe rarely match up perfectly. Place the rounds on a parchment lined baking sheet into a preheated oven. The recipe calls for 375, I followed the directions on my pastry box and went with 400. Bake for 25-30 minutes until they are crisp and the bottoms are well browned. This can be done ahead, refrigerated and reheated for 10-15 minutes when ready to serve

Arrange 3 overlapping pieces of the cold tomato on top and top each with a 1/4 tsp of the olive tapenade.

To finish:  Mix the vinegar and basil oil and add salt and pepper to taste. Lightly dress your baby lettuce leaves (mixed field greens-- remember them from the title?) so that each leaf is barely coated. Top each round with a portion of the greens and drizzle a little vinaigrette around the serving plate. (Which I neglected to do in these fuzzy pictures).

Verdict: These were really tasty and different sort of pizzas. To make it more accessible I'd say, definitely use frozen pastry and substitute a commercial olive tapenade you like - there are lots of brands out there. Trader Joe's (who doesn't know me from Adam so this is not a promotion) has a nice one with a blend of olives and some peppers and a hint of garlic. I found the nicoise olives a little bitter, and the best I can say about the anchovies was I couldn't really taste them!  If you want to try these, they would be great for a party because so much of it can be done ahead. And  if you don't want a salad on top of your pizza, by all means sprinkle a little cheese.

 I hope you've made it this far in this post because there's something I want to share with you. The date on this post is September 11. I know you all know exactly where you were and what you were thinking and doing as the news reached you. But today, WSH was headed to the Peachtree Road Farmer's Market. It's open from 8-12 on Saturdays. He was stuck in traffic (yes there is always traffic in ATL) and he watched as a man pulled his car into an empty lot and got out. He stood there and donned bagpipes and shortly after 9 began to play Amazing Grace. All by himself. Think about that. What moved him? Who was he playing for? What a remembrance. May we all carry such a remembrance in our hearts today and in all the days to come. Love, Laugh, Cry, Remember. Live.

See you soon.

There's no stopping us now

WSH and I have been out for dinner TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW!  And don't worry, this hasn't become a "what I did this weekend" blog, although it sort of has, I'm back to The French Laundry as soon as I can get my hands on some salt-packed anchovies. Just the thought of it makes my toes curl. But I'm in this to do new things and so it shall be....

Thursday night we met Ken and Alison at the most buzzed-hyped restaurant in ATL at the moment. Having won all sorts of accolades in the past 3 weeks, Miller Union was the place to be and be seen. I have wanted to go there since I first read about the baked egg in celery cream appetizer, but never got around to it until now. Lessons learned. We had reservations for 4 at 7:30  on a Thursday night and the place was really really busy. I didn't take pictures because we were seated in a small room with maybe 7 other tables and it would have been too annoying. The baked egg in celery cream lived up to my anticipation.. it was sublime. Of the rest of the meal, the clear winner was WSH's low country shrimp and grits. It was perfect! My steak was good but I swear I cannot get anything but truly RARE beef in this city. It was purple, when I asked for medium. Seems to happen everywhere so I guess I'll have to stop ordering beef out. 

Ken and Alison

Then on Friday, we picked up Audrey and went to Taqueria del Sol for their annual offering of Chille Rellenos made with special chiles grown in New Mexico just for them. This once a year treat is something we look forward to every summer. They will be serving them at dinner only at all locations until they run out. If you're in the ATL area, go get one while you can!

Chille Rellenos

As you can see, they are large! This year's crop was significantly spicier (hotter) than last year's so I was happy I only ordered one. Inside is a creamy white cheese and it oozes out onto the plate, mixed with the salsa and crispy fried chille, it's a match made in heaven.

Guacamole

Chips and Guac offered a cooling respite from the hot chille. So did Audrey's Corona but that picture didn't turn out and she wouldn't let me take a picture of her. : (  I ordered a fried chicken taco to go with my relleno

We had great conversation and a fun informal meal together.  A great way to usher out the end of this hot hot summer and welcome fall.

See you soon -- looking for anchovies.

Charleston, SC -- To Have and to Hold

This wasn't a leisure trip, so NO, I did not eat at FIG or McCrady's although I hope to one day. We left Thursday afternoon from Atlanta and stopped in Columbia, S.C. at The Little Pigs BBQ. Since Bullet was with us, Jim went in and got some take-out. I walked Bullet around the kudzu enclosed parking lot listening to three black roosters try to out do each other while sitting atop a trailer in the back. We finally got a glimpse of them through the Zu and they were lined up in a row. Silly Roosters. We set up a nice little tailgate in the parking lot and feasted on BBQ, hush puppies and coleslaw. It was a little vinegar-y for me  (it was after all Carolina BBQ) but moist and flavorful.

Pressing onward, we met two toll booths and paid $2.50 to travel a 10 mile stretch from next-to-nowhere to nowhere. It seemed a little odd...we saw maybe 10 other cars on the road at 5 pm. Then we ran into a monsoon; you know the kind where you have to slow to 30 miles an hour just to see the car in front? After we got through that, it was pretty smooth sailing.  Finally, we made it to our destination and met up with sister Liz, Byron, niece Melissa and her fiance Rodrigo. We chatted a bit, but being old and tired we went to bed.

The next day we met up with the rest of Melissa's relatives, her father, his parents, his sister and husband, and her uncle Bruce, brother to Liz and me... confused? I was. Together (sans Melissa) we enjoyed some lunch at the Mustard Seed --part of the "dinewithsal" restaurant group LOL--  and headed over to her "White Coat" graduation from MUSC as a Physician's Assistant.

As graduations go, it was pretty standard. A small class (at least compared to Ga. Tech) around 75 grads I'd say, but I'm bad with math as I have stated here before. It was held in one of those new-fangled churches with the stage and sound system and all, but strangely enough there was very little light on the stage. No pictures, in other words. There were speeches, some sort of heartfelt, mostly boring and some just way too long (no matter what your position on the matter, have we not heard enough already about The Health Care Act?) but I'll grant  it was appropriate for the venue. I'd rather hear the ones about how hard they worked, how they supported one another, how they made lasting relationships. Anyway... that paragraph was a speech in itself. One last note, Liz commented to me, and I had noticed, all the young women looked alike! Sure, some were brunette, but all were fairly tall, slender, pretty, and had about the same hairstyle.  Seemed to be a comment on our culture; I'll have to ponder that.

Melissa and Rodrigo

Joe Moran, Melissa, Pam Pierson Moran, Jane and Steve Pierson

Mr. and Mrs. Pierson, Melissa and her Dad Steve

Melissa and Byron

So when all the graduation hugs and pictures were done, we headed back to Melissa's for an informal celebration.

STEPHEN is 21!

We all hung around catching up with one another and preparing food because we knew more people were coming for a graduation party later in the day, around 5-6pm.  Her Dad and his parents were staying in a hotel nearby and as they were leaving to freshen up, Melissa and Rodrigo pulled them aside and asked that they please come back, M and  R really wanted them to be there because.... they were getting married that evening!!!  Most of the reason it was planned this way is ALL of Melissa's family was there (except for cousins) and also, they wanted to start their lives together as Mel will be moving to another part of the state to start in her new job in September. Rodrigo will finish his studies in the CULINARY ARTS!!! in 2 semesters and split his time between Charleston and their new home.

The guests arrived and shared some food and wine, and when it seemed all were there, a wedding started! I believe there was an announcement made but it was all so exciting I can't say for sure.
Their friend Keranna was the officiant, and Rodrigo's niece and nephew, the attendants.

Emilio helping his son prepare (this picture is out of order and i got a headache trying to fix it)

The Bride and Groom (center) Kari (Rodrigo's sister left)  and Emilio his charming and handsome father, right

Some surprised guests!

People milling about smartly! Kari made the Tiramisu towers!

Rodrigo and Keranna

the Bride with the Mother of the Bride (above) and Father of the Bride (below)

Upon hearing there was to be a "surprise" wedding I thought... Who ever heard of such a thing? But I have to say, it was a lovely, heartwarming ceremony. What I saw was two young people so clearly in love,  equipped to overcome the obstacles life throws in our way over time.  I also saw and felt a room bursting with love and joy. It was perfect for them. It really was beautiful. I'm sorry about the people whose smiling faces aren't seen here. Melissa and Rodrigo know you were there!

We hear so much bad news these days, so many scary dreadful thoughts cross our minds in a world of too much instant information. This event gave such a joyful antithesis to all that, a respite that I think gave all of us hope and joy and a willingness to summon the courage to love and look for a fresh new day.

Rodrigo and Melissa, my personal wish for you is that your commitment to each other will strengthen each day, your love for each other will grow and that God's Peace which passes all our understanding abide in your hearts from this day forward.  God Bless You both.

Much Love,
Sally

See you soon!

What to do with Brioche?

TWO POSTS  in one day... wow!

I hate wasting food. If we have a few grapes fall into the bin in the refrigerator I'll always put them out for the squirrels and birds. Likewise with unused bread, but the giant mushroom shaped Brioche was a little large for that. And by the time I got around to figuring out what to do with it, it was a couple of days old. Which in, this case, is a very good thing.

Burg's French Toast adapted from A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg
3 large eggs
1c whole milk
1 T sugar
1t vanilla
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
Canols or other flavorless oil
6-8 slices day old bread cut about 3/4 in thick
Pure maple syrup for serving


Into a shallow bowl or baking dish break the eggs and whisk together with the milk, sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg.

Then place your bread in to soak up all the goodness:

Flip so that both sides get to soak. Heat a good amount of oil in a skillet. You want to completely cover the bottom of the pan. Heat over medium high heat until you can feel the warmth. To test the oil, flick a little bit of the egg mixture in, if it sizzles you're good to go.

Carefully lower one piece of bread at a time into the oil. I used a large spatula because the pieces had become quite heavy and were about to break into bits. After a 1-2 minutes, flip and cook the other side.

When done, remove the pieces to a plate lined with a paper towel. Let them rest for a minute before serving.
Serve with warm maple syrup and anything else you'd like. We had a lot of fruit so I used that.

I think he liked it : )

See you soon.