1966 WDEC - Artichokes

When I was a kid, one of my favorite meals was a giant steamed artichoke, served with sides of melted butter and mayonnaise. My clever mother took advantage of my youthful naivete to convince me that the "choke" was poison and that she would help me out by taking the heart after I'd finished the leaves. Clever subterfuge is a hallmark of good parenting, so I do not hold this against her, and I think of her whenever I'm scraping an artichoke heart clean.

I've always cooked artichokes whole. The Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery's artichoke entry, however, encourages one to cook them sliced. I will try this. I may also try a "Greek style" artichokes simmered with lemon and onion. The recipes for canned artichokes are fairly meh, so I'll pass.

Flank Steak a la Kameko-san

(updated to fix amusing typos (thanks, Lane!)

Kameko-san (the sous vide cooker) is now three for three. I cooked a 1-3/4 lb flank steak by vacuum-packing it with the included steak rub spices. The steak was frozen when I put it in, so I didn't bother trying to coat the meat, I just distributed the spices as best I could on both sides before sealing the steak in a FoodSaver bag. Because it was going to cook for a long time and I needed to head out to my client site, I threw the meat in frozen and before the water bath got up to temperature, figuring it wouldn't make too much of a difference with that kind of meat and that length of cooking. Let Kameko-san take it for about 50 hours plus/minus and then took it out. Picture below shows it in the bag.

Drained the juice to serve with it, seared the meat on the griddle for about 3-4 minutes on each side and then sliced and served it.

Incredible. As with the earlier goat, the steak was incredibly tender without being at all mealy, mushy or overcooked. These spices were a bit more assertive, which I liked, and when the meat was seared the spices toasted a bit, adding nice flavor overtones. Fortunately, I had a friend over to help eat this slab of creature. Two people who were only moderately hungry had no problem eating half the steak; it was so good it was easy to just take one more slice one or two more times.

Easy Food Pr0n: Cucumber and Fresh Garlic Salad

Easy dish takes advantage of spring overlap of fresh garlic and the first salad cucumbers. To make about 3 salad sides, slice a medium (approx. 7") cucumber very thin. In a non-reactive container, mix 1/4 cup Greek style plain unsweetened yogurt (I use Greek Gods brand), 3-4 cloves of fresh garlic sliced very thin, 1teaspoon of fresh lemon juice, finely chopped or dried herbs to your taste (I used tarragon, dill, and a tiny bit of mint), and salt to taste. Mix well and stir in the cucumber slices. Let stand at least 2 hours and as many as 24 in the refrigerator. Stir gently before serving. After plating, cover with a generous coating of fresh ground black pepper. You could add some diced red or yellow bell pepper for visual interest. Velvety smooth and fresh, this is a great late spring salad.

Goat Stew a la Kameko-san

By the title, it is obvious the sous vide cooker now has a name. Even by this, the second thing I'd tried, she'd earned it.

I'm using the free spices they gave with the cooker, in this case a lamb rub. I just shoved a brick of frozen goat meat cubes into a FoodSaver bag, poured the spices in, distributing as well as I could, and sealed it. It cooked for about 24 hours at 60C (140F).

Picture above shows it in the bag just out of the cooker.

The result was excellent. I had some myself in a rush for dinner before heading out to rehearsal. The meat was flavorful and not in the least overcooked, yet it was completely tender. The next day I had company over and seared the cubes just enough to crisp the meat up and warm the insides. Again, it was a hit. My friend complimented both the tenderness and flavor compared with other goat he's had. I definitely thought it was superior to crock pot cooked stew, because it hadn't lost any of its flavors to a surrounding liquid as it does when braising. Of course, this means you don't have the nice soup or stew surrounding it, just a little bit of juice as shown in the first picture. The meat itself makes up for it; incredibly intense in a way you just don't expect from stew cubes.

The spices that came with were nothing unusual, but were perfectly acceptable.

1966 WDEC - Arrowroot

Arrowroot is a thickening agent made from the root of maranta arundinacea or of several other tropical plant roots. Apparently, it was the thickening agent of choice in Victorian England, "to suit the delicate tastes and constitutions of the ladies of the time." The Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery provides a recipe for a basic arrowroot blancmange; I may give it a go when the weather cools down a bit and I feel like cooking and tasting bland eggless custard just for the historical experience.

1966 WDEC - Arrack

Another liquor that is new to me, Arrack, according to the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery may refer to an Indonesian (or, to the editors, Dutch East Indies) liquor or to any of several versions of ouzo. The latter I'm familiar with; the former, not so much. I may hunt around and see if I can find some. Unfortunately, I can't ship liquor in from out-of-state, so I'm limited to what I can find in the county store or what's on the shelf if I make a trip to one of the more well-stocked local alcohol purveyors in the region. I'm curious, though, because I like cooking with coconut water and can see a coconut liquor as having potential. The WDEC claims that (in 1966, anyway), it was "used most commonly as a flavoring in confectionery, desserts, and punches."

They also say that you must be "born to" this type of liquor to like it, but that "those who are, love it." Sounds rather ominous.

(Picture of Arrack bottle by AlMare via Wikimedia)

1966 WDEC - Aroma

I'm not sure I understand the point of having an entry for "aroma" in a cookbook - it's like having an entry for "taste." But the editors of the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery devoted three paragraphs to the topic. They tell us that aroma is usually applied to food, that it means a "fragrance which is more penetrating and persuasive than a smell, and with none of the negative meaning sometimes associated with the words smell and odor." We are encouraged to conduct the experiment of smelling a clove (pleasant) and then biting into it (not so, for most people). And they encourage us to use aroma to access our selves, as "few things are as evocative as the aroma of a certain food or drink; it may recall experiences long forgotten." Which is why I try to avoid the aroma of Genesee Cream Ale, the swill of choice for my early high school cohort, if at all possible.

1966 WDEC - Arab Influence on Food

Two paragraphs in the 1966 Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery are devoted to thanking "the Arab world" for "much of our knowledge of such everyday foods as sugar, fruits, and spices."

The editors extol spices for their "role in making palatable the monotonous and often improperly preserved foods of the past," but claims that of all of the grains, fruits, vegetables and spices the most important was "sugar, which until then was almost completely unknown." They note that the word "sugar" traces its etymology to the Arabic. And then they move on.

No mention of any cuisine or cooking styles; nor are any recipes given.

(Post picture of people cooking liver kebabs in Tehran via Wikimedia)

Sous Vide Duck Breast with Fresh Garlic

The very first thing I made in the Sous Vide machine was a duck breast. As instructed, each breast went into its own pouch, and I added a clove of fresh garlic to each as well. No other seasonings of any sort. Picture below shows it sealed and ready to go.

Brought the water up to temperature (63C or 146F) and dropped the pouches in. Then let it cook for about 7 hours.

The picture above shows the duck just before pulling the pouches out of the bath. There is plenty of room for water to circulate around the pouches, which is why I didn't need to use the pouch rack. The drippings were, I think, mostly blood, because the fat, while cooked to perfect doneness, did not leach out of the meat (I know this from letting the drippings sit until quite cool; there were only a couple of spots of congealed fat, rather than the thick layer I'm accustomed to with duck.

When the pouches were cut open, they smelled beautifully of duck and garlic. All that was required to get the breasts to the condition shown in the first picture was to sear them, skin side down, in hot leftover bacon fat (butter or lard would have been just fine, too). The instructions recommend seasoning the bird to taste after with salt, pepper, and any spices of your choosing. I wanted to have it as is, and thought the garlic would be sufficient.

Eating Notes: This was without question the best duck I ever have had in my life. I wish we'd had gotten one as soon as they came out so that Phil would have had a chance to have tried it. The texture was indescribably perfect: tender without being mushy, blending meat and fat into a cohesive umami-laden whole with just a hint of crunch and caramelized sweetness from the crisped skin. The fresh garlic flavor seemed to permeate the entire breast, not just the outside or the corner where it was.

If this had been the centerpiece of an entree at the most expensive restaurant in town, I'd have said the cost was more than worth it. As it was, it was little more effort than throwing something in the crock pot. Yow. I can't quite say it paid for itself, but I have a feeling this appliance is going to be up there with Mechazawa-san in revolutionizing how I approach food and my kitchen.

Next I'm going to try doing some much more pedestrian than duck -- goat stew cubes. We'll see what happens.

In the meantime, names are coming to me but they still aren't its true moniker.

New Toy - Sous Vide "Water Oven"

When we were thinking about anniversary gifts, Phil wanted to give me a sous vide water bath cooker. I said no because I was getting him the camera lens, and two expensive gifts seemed a bit much. He reminded me I had a birthday coming up, and I said that was his call (hint, hint).

The conversation came to mind when I got an email from the Sous Vide Supreme company announcing a special plus free shipping. Nobody is likely to buy me an extravagant birthday gift this year unless I do it myself. So, with a huge hat tip to Phil, I took the plunge and did it. The magic fairy elves (AKA FedEx home, which has the irritating habit of dropping things off at 11 pm) came and left it at my doorstep one morning last week. It was all I could do to wait through a long day at my client to unbox it.

A box within a box within a box. The machine itself is a thin (and easily fingerprinted) stainless steel insulated box with a control panel, recessed handles in opposite corners to help balance the load when you're moving it full or dumping the water out, a thin stainless cover an a removable insulating foam blanket that sits on the top of the cover during cooking. Inside there is a rack with a lifter, and a second rack that can be configured in several orientations to keep food pouches apart if you are cooking more than one or two at a time.

The company makes various spices and rubs, and included a sampling that I'll try to use up. They also included an instructional DVD I'll almost certainly never watch, and a brief instruction book.

I tested it out on some duck breast, which I will blog separately. The unit was easy to set up, although it's quite heavy when filled with water. You are not supposed to put the food pouches in until the water reaches temperature. For the duck, this was 63C (about 145F), and it took nearly a half hour for the water to get that warm. Fortunately, I started it early enough. I wanted to use the timer but somehow messed that up, so I'll check the instruction book next time before doing it. The unit appears to allow an approximate .3C bandwidth before cycling on and off; it reports the actual water temperature, not just the set, which is a nice feature. I didn't see it dip below 62.7 or above 63.2.

The results? Well, I'll refer to the duck breast, which will post tomorrow. All I'll say here is that I'm almost certain this is one appliance that will soon have a name.

Salad with Fresh Garlic and Ume Yogurt Dressing

A quick late spring main dish salad for one that takes advantage of the availability of fresh (not dried) garlic that can be found in farmer's markets for the next couple of weeks in our area.

Salad with Fresh Garlic and Ume Yogurt Dressing
(To serve 1; can be scaled)
Lettuce or mixed greens (your choice)
2-4 spring onions, cleaned and sliced into 1/2" lengths
2-3 fresh garlic cloves, sliced very thin
2 oz Jarlsberg or similar cheese, cut into small pieces

For Dressing
2 Tbsp Greek-style yogurt
1 tsp ume paste (Japanese plum paste)
1 tsp prepared horseradish
1 Tbsp capers

Tear lettuce into a bowl. Sprinkle spring onions, garlic slices, and cheese over the lettuce. Combine dressing ingredients and spoon over.

Eating Notes: The dish entices just from eye appeal, as the ume paste turns the dressing a soft pink that complements the soft yellow of the cheese and stands out against the greens. Little glimpses of green capers add visual interest. The tastes mirror the experience, with the sauce having a sweet tang from the ume/horseradish combination set against the smooth yogurt base and offset by the fresh greens and the chewy cheese.

This was sufficient for a main course on a hot night when I wasn't extremely hungry. It also could have served as a side with any number of entrees.

1966 WDEC - Apricot

The poor apricot merits a relatively measly 4-1/2 pages in the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery. And I will add insult to injury by skipping over it all. I'm not a big apricot fan, and apricots are not in season yet, so there was no reason for me to try anything in this section unless I saw something that really grabbed me. Salads, baked goods, and desserts ruled the day. A baked curried apricot and pork dish did look good, but it really screams out for winter cooking and I just couldn't psyche myself up to make it in 90-degree weather. Perhaps I'll come back in a few months.

Easy Food Pr0n: Bacon and Scallops with Aioli-Inspired Mayonnaise

Great summer dish for one; I fried up 3 slices of bacon (from Evensong Farm; it was extremely nice with reasonable saltiness and just a hint of sweetness in the cure), sauteed four gorgeous sea scallops in the leftover fat (about 3 minutes on each side), and topped it all with about 2T of mayonnaise mixed with fresh lemon juice, garlic, and capers. Summer comfort food.

1966 WDEC - Apple Pancake

Last of the things I'm trying for now in the "Apple Cookbook" of Volume 1 of the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery.

Apple Pancake
(to serve 6)
3 - 4 tart apples
About 2/3 cup melted butter
About 2/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 450F (230C) Peel and core apples. Slice thin and saute in 1/3 cup butter for 5 minutes. Mix 1/3 cup sugar and spices and add to apples. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Cool. Mix eggs, milk, flour and salt. Beat with rotary beater for 2 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in 10" ovenproof skillet. Pour batter into pan. Bake for 15 minutes. As soon as batter puffs up in center, puncture with a fork, repeating as often as necessary. Lower heat to 350F (180C) and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven; spoon 2 tablespoons melted butter over surface. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Spread apple mixture over half the surface; fold in [i.e. fold the unspread half over]. Spoon 2 tablespoons melted butter over to; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar.

Cooking Notes: I used half the apples and far less sugar - 3 tablespoons mixed with the apples but nothing spooned over the top at the end. I was concerned about cooking the apples for so long, but they nicely caramelized and developed a very flavorful sauce. The apple filling is shown below.

Even though I only used 1-1/2 apples, I made the full batch of batter because of the size of available ovenproof skillets. I tried to poke the rising parts down but it was no use, and the result had significant undulations, as shown in the picture below and in the first post picture of the finished product.

I also took the bread out of the oven after it had finished the 15 minutes at 450F, because it was completely cooked through and golden brown, and I couldn't see how another 10 minutes' cooking would improve anything rather than burning the pancake to a crisp.

Eating Notes: I can't see how this dish is supposed to serve 6, even if the apples were doubled. I easily consumed half as part of an otherwise substantial breakfast. Taste-wise it was good, if unsurprising. The caramelized apples, at least, added a tinge of a pleasant surprise.

Deep-fried Scallops and Mangalitsa Rinds

When my brother-in-law and his family were up for Phil's memorial, we went one night to Los Arrieros, a local Columbian/ Latin restaurant. Among the obscene quantity of foodstuffs ordered for our table was a "pork rind," which turned out to be a 1"x8" or so piece of pork belly, scored to the skin and deep-fried. It was phenomenally good. I thought about this when faced with two really good ingredients: a 1-lb hunk of Wooly Pigs Mangalitsa from Foods in Season and fresh dry sea scallops from Giovannis. The result follows.

Courtney's Deep-fried Scallops and Mangalitsa Rinds
(to serve 1; can be scaled)

1/2 lb pork belly (I used mangalitsa)
1/2 lb dry sea scallops (diver scallops)
2 Tbsp mayonnaise mixed with 1 Tbsp drained capers
Lard for deep frying

Heat lard to 360F (185C). While the lard is heating, cut the pork belly into 3/4"-to-1" cubes. When the lard is hot, carefully lower the pork cubes into the hot fat. Work in batches if necessary to keep the pieces cooking freely. 

The length of time the pork needs to fry will depend on the size of the pot and the number of cubes; mine took about 10 - 15 minutes to be done to a point at which the oil was smooth (not simmering as in the above picture) and the meat was golden. Remove the meat and drain on paper towels.

Deep fry them until done to taste. Picture below shows a scallop deep-fried 30 seconds at the bottom; 45 seconds at the top right; and 60 seconds at the top left.

Arrange the scallops and pork on a plate. Spoon mayonnaise mix over and serve immediately.

Cooking Notes: Everything as described. I used homemade blender mayonnaise made with 3/4 olive oil and 1/4 coconut oil.

Eating Notes: The scallops and the pork rinds each were great in their own right. Combined, they were phenomenally satisfying. The mayonnaise and capers added velvet and salt to the scallops' silky sea-salt. The Pork rinds were out of this world - skin crunchy and resistive, fat that just melted at the hint of a tooth, and meat that somehow blended the two. The mangalitsa has a very mild, neutral flavor, and served as an unusual palate cleanser between the bites of scallop.

As a bonus, the next day when people asked what I had for dinner, I was truthfully able to reply "deep fried fat." There's something most satisfying about that.

Easy Food Pr0n: Eggy Ikebana

Quick way to turn seasonal goodness into elegance. Eggs scrambled with chopped garlic scapes and served with a single scape as an ikebana-inspired accent. The picture shows a 4-egg scramble with one scape in the eggs and one to carry the decorating flag. The eggs are dusted with lavender-flavored salt and fresh-ground black pepper.

Sake and Washoku Pairing at Tako Grill - Part 3

The last three courses of the Tako Grill / Hakutsuru sake tasting dinner (sponsored by the Japan-America Society of Washington) encompassed sushi, soup, and a parfait.

The sushi, a sampling of tuna, mackerel, and sweet shrimp, would have been good but not special if it weren't for the sweet shrimp. The creature itself had been previously frozen (a lot of sushi is made from frozen inventory and this is not by any means an indictment); the specialness was in the presentation. The chef did not discard the head, and instead deep fried it to a crispy perfection. The crunchy tempura-like texture perfectly balanced the sweetness of the shrimp and presented an almost addictively good blend of umami/crunch/salt in its own right. It was paired with a full-bodied Dai Ginjo sake, which I think (given the "dai" prefix) was the most extravagant of the sakes. I liked the Dai Ginjo quite a bit, but still preferred the Nama-zake (draft sake) from a previous course as my favorite. The fact that I could still keep track of them at this point is positive testament to the pacing of the meal and the conviviality of the company.

The last true dinner course was, in traditional Japanese style, a soup. This was a delicate red snapper and clam soup made with the head of the snapper from Course 3 and decorated with a single clam and a couple of pieces of mint. The soup was amazingly umami-heavy but with very little else by way of in-your-face flavor. Our table agreed that of all the dishes, this would be the least likely to appeal to a traditional Western palate, because it was so mild and subtle. We all really liked it, though, and found that its taste grew on us and appeared to strengthen as we had it. We did not, however, care for the sake pairing. This incredibly delicate soup had been thrown into a liaison with a coarse-filtered Nigori sake, which was very distinctive and strong and threatened to entirely obscure the soup. Fortunately, we were allowed to save our sakes for later drinking, as this soup was best savored without anything stronger than water as a side.

To end this wonderful evening, our hosts presented a plum wine parfait. The parfait was made from two different plum wines (one in the ice cream itself; one in the gelatin) plus some sweet red beans that reminded me of the candy "Boston baked beans" I had as a child. I generally like Japanese desserts as they tend, in my limited experience, to be less sweet than their Western counterparts, and this was no exception. A light and satisfying end to a hugely wonderful meal.

Sake and Washoku Pairing at Tako Grill - Part 2

Courses 4 - 6 of the Tako Grill Sake and Washoku dinner (sponsored by the Japan-America Society of Washington) included pickled bonito intestines (the menu simply called it "bonito fish"), smelt and beef. The dish, shown above, had the bonito topping a slice of fresh mozzarella and itself hidden by a perfect mint leaf; a red shiso (beefsteak plant) leaf served as the base for the whole. The mozzarella and mint did their best to balance the bonito's saltiness, but my assemblage had a bit too much of the bonito for my taste and was extremely salty. Apparently, I wasn't the only one reaching for the Junmai Ginjo sake served with the course, as we were informed that the kanji for pickled bonito also translates as "sake thief." In this case, the sake was clean, dry and smooth, cutting through the salt without leaving any aftertaste of its own.

Next up was one of my favorites of the evening, fried smelt with citrus sauce on a cucumber and seaweed salad. The presentation was perfect - two whole deep-fried smelts (it's hard to gauge scale from the picture above, but they each were about 6" long) laid out on a plank of cucumber, with tendrils of seaweed and a rising lemon sun. I was expecting the whole smelt would present a bit of a chopstick challenge, but (as can be seen if you look closely at the bottom smelt in the picture) the lemon slice hid the fact that the smelt were each sliced into two perfect bite-sized pieces. The chef explained that the smelt had been marinated overnight in a vinegar marinade, and fried in the vinegar also. I couldn't quite understand what that last half meant, but the finished product worked. The vinegar was very mild, so the combined flavor was all umami and tang, with different kinds of crunch provided by the crisp fish, raw cucumber, and seaweed. The only disappointment was the sake served with, Hakutsuru's Junmai-zake, which I thought was a bit strong and masked the fish. Instead, I finished off the draft sake from a previous course.

Course six was the only mammal dish - seared meso marinated beef. I don't know if it was kobe beef, but it was a very delicate meat, accented by having been marinated overnight in a sake/mirin/miso rub, lightly seared and served very rare with Junmai Ginjo sake. Each piece was topped with its own accompaniment; from top to bottom in the picture, arima sanshou (sliced red shiso leaf), pickled black peppercorns, and miso. Our table's consensus was that the pickled black peppercorns best complemented the slightly smoky taste of the beef. We were told that the Junmai Ginjo sake brings this smokiness out, but by this point we were on our 6th sake, and I'm not willing to commit one way or the other.

Next up: sushi, soup, and dessert.

Sake and Washoku Pairing at Tako Grill - Part 1

The Japan-America Society of Washington sponsors many excellent and informative programs. One of my favorites is the Sake and Washoku pairing at Tako Grill in Bethesda, which nicely combines first-rate Japanese cooking with a relaxed atmosphere. Since I couldn't bring Phil this year, I brought my camera and a pen. I decided that rather than take crappy cell phone pictures I'd bring the D200 and just ask if it was OK to take pictures of the food (which it was). Turns out I wasn't alone - another diner at my table asked if he, too could take pictures with his D90. We started a trend; by the time the second course came around, almost everyone had their cell phones out and was snapping away.

I'm blogging this nine-course meal in three parts.

Course 1: Grapefruit and Junmai Apertif
This "course" consisted only of an apertif of grapefruit juice and Hakutsuru Junmai sake (the dinner was sponsored by Hakutsuru, and all the sakes came from their distillery).  It was refreshing and tasted like the sort of drink you can down in quantity in the summer and not realize how much you've had until you (try to) stand. Unfortunately, it was followed very close on the heels by Course 2, so I didn't have a chance to really deconstruct it.

Course 2: Cold Grilled Japanese Eggplant with Ginger Sauce
Eggplant is not my favorite vegetable. Cold, cooked, eggplant definitely is not at the top of my hit parade. So, not surprisingly, this eggplant appetizer struck me as only meh. The pickled plum soba noodles did have a nice salt/umami flavor and were just al dente enough that the texture paired well with the eggplant. The dish also went well with the offered sake, a coarse-filtered nigori that was quite sweet with hints of citrus.

Course 3: Red Snapper Sashimi with Himalayan Salt
The presentation star of the show was the red snapper, shown at the top of the post. Individual presentations of a felicitous grouping of three slices and traditional shredded daikon were simple and good. The chef then came out and informed us that the snapper had been shipped overnight from Tokyo's famed Tsukiji fish market (Wikipedia). He proudly pointed out that the fish was so fresh there was no need to skin it, and that it was so good it would be borderline disrespectful to serve it with the sushi bar standards of wasabi, soy sauce, and pickled ginger. Instead, it was dusted with the lightest coating of fresh-ground Himalayan salt. The fish was sweet, delicate, and flavorful. I'm one of those people who finds salt provenance to be a questionable predictor or taste, but the Himalayan salt did add a nice light pink dusting to complement the snapper's flesh, and the gentle saltiness (caused, I believe, by quantity and not provenance of the salt) was the perfect foil. My serving had a bit of cartilage, but the fish was so fresh and tender I had no problem eating it all. The dish was served with what I decided was my favorite sake of the evening, the Draft Sake (oddly named, as it is sold in bottles), which had a very clean and smooth finish that perfectly highlighted the fish.

Next: Part 2 - bonito intestines, smelt, and beef

Mussels Steamed in Wine, Garlic, and Green Peppers

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of these - they were so good my friend and I disposed of them before I realized the camera was still packed away. So, photo of other steamed mussels by Claude Covo-Farchi via Wikimedia.

Mussels Steamed in Wine, Garlic, and Green Peppers
(to serve 2 as an appetizer)
1 lb live mussels in the shell*
1 cup dry white wine
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
* My mussels came from Giovanni's Fish Market and were shipped overnight. They arrived chilled, but almost all had died during transit (their shells wouldn't close). I called Giovanni's and they said yes, the mussels were dead, but they would still be good because they hadn't been dead more than 24 hours. There was nothing off-looking in the smell or the look of the shellfish, so I went ahead and steamed them. They were fine, and we didn't get sick or start calling lawyers, so I guess the Giovanni's folks were right. So if you are ordering online, make sure you buy from a reputable source and intend to use the mussels right away in case they don't make it alive; if you are buying the mussels yourself, make sure the batch is nice and tightly closed at purchase.

Scrub and trim the beards from the mussels. Mix the garlic and pepper into the wine and heat in a large, tightly covered skillet until at a rapid simmer. Add mussels and steam just until shells open (mine took four minutes). Plate mussels, ladle cooking sauce over, and serve immediately. I Recommend using a decent white wine and serving that wine with the dish.

Cooking Notes: Since it's my recipe, everything to spec.

Eating Notes: They were gone almost instantly, and I was glad to be sharing with a friend, because we just drank the sauce that was left in the bottom of the bowl. Not much you can do to make this non-fabulous.

Sex sells?

Display at the local Whole Foods. Phil and I used to call the ST Voyager Character 7 of 9 "Melons of Mine," a phrase I think we stole from another friend. No further comment.

Beef Tongue Braised in Coconut Water

Easy and fit for company. Once the tongue is sliced, people won't know what it is unless you tell them.

Courtney's Beef Tongue Braised in Coconut Water
(to serve 2 - 4 as a main dish)
1 beef tongue
1 bunch (4-8 depending on size) beets, washed and roots gently trimmed (leave about 1" of leaf stems on)
2 - 4 carrots, washed and sliced in 1" pieces
1 11-oz (approx) size juice box coconut water (unflavored; unsweetened)
12 (approx) peppercorns
Optional Ingredients (mix and match to taste)
1" piece of ginger, sliced approx 1/8" thick
2 garlic cloves
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 green pepper, coarsely diced
1 bay leaf

Put all ingredients in a crock pot (picture below shows it) on low and cook at least 6 hours. Remove tongue and let stand until cool enough to handle. Skin tongue. Cut meat crosswise into 1/4" - 1/3" thick slices. Remove the beet tops and skin the beets with your thumb. Skinning both the beets and the tongue is very easy if you use latex (or similar) gloves). Serve at room temperature or chilled. If desired, serve with a side of sauce made of sour cream or cream cheese mixed with prepared horseradish to taste.

Cooking Notes: This is an excellent weekday entertaining dish because it cooks while you're at work and then gives you time to get everything prepared and set it aside so that your guests' timing is unimportant.

Eating Notes: The coconut water and root vegetables add just a hint of interesting sweetness that compliments the tongue and horseradish sauce nicely. Long braising makes the tongue quite tender, but still it is a very rich meat. I served this at room temperature, rather than chilled. Between my guest and myself, we scarfed it all down without difficulty. Definitely a success.

Easy Food Pr0n: Pecan-smoked pork with Blueberry-Cider Spread

Had Mechazawa-san (the big Egg) take care of some pork chops for me, then added some of my homemade blueberry-cider spread on top. My guests were skeptical - afraid it would be too fruity and distract from the pork. They didn't factor in the depth of flavor from the forest-raised Babes in the Woods pork or the difference made by the melding of the blueberry sweetness and the cider vinegar acid into something that adds to the flavor of good meat, rather than trying to mask it. Spread that was initially scraped off the meat ended up being sopped up, and at the conclusion, everyone was happy. Which is how every dinner tale should end.

1966 WDEC - Cider Gelatin Salad

OK, sometimes I'm just attracted to things because I don't see how on Earth they possibly can work. So.

Cider Gelatin Salad
(To serve 6)
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup sugar
Dash of salt
1-3/4 cups apple cider
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1-1/2 cups diced unpeeled red apples
1/2 cup diced celery
Salad greens
Mayonnaise
Chopped nuts

In saucepan mix gelatin, sugar and salt. Add 1/2 cup cider. Let stand for 5 minutes. Heat, stirring, until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat and add remaining cider and lemon juice. Chill until thickened to consistency of unbeaten egg white. Fold in apple and celery and pour into 6 lightly oiled individual molds or 1-quart mold. Chill until firm. Unmold on greens, top with mayonnaise, and sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Cooking Notes: I used some leftover sparkling cider instead of traditional cider and made the mayonnaise myself (1/4 coconut oil and 3/4 olive oil). I thought I had celery but didn't, so I substituted diced green bell pepper. All else to spec. Done in individual molds, I was able to start it at 4:30 and serve it at 7. I used 8-oz plastic Ziploc disposable bowl containers as my molds, wiping them with just a bit of olive oil. This approach allowed me to just keep the uneaten ones, still uncovered, in the fridge.

Eating Notes: I warned my guests that this was likely to be totally vile - but it was surprisingly good! The sweetness of the gelatin/fruit mix was offset by the tang of the mayonnaise and the bite of the green pepper, and the crunch/velvet/clean textures of nuts/mayonnaise/gelatin worked really well together. One guest said he thought the pepper was definitely better than celery would have been, because it added more of a sharp taste; I think either would be fine. So, happy faces all around and once more I'm glad to be experimenting with the mid-20th-century love of molded dishes and gelatin salads.

Some Things are Lost on Me

They had the first of fresh raspberries at the farmer's market this past weekend. I'm not really big into fruit. But I couldn't resist, they looked so good. I bundled up a small box very carefully, brought them home, washed them and put them in a bowl all by themselves to enjoy with some fresh milk.

And, well, meh. There wasn't a thing wrong with them, I could tell that clinically. They were tangy-sweet and had a nice raspberry depth. But they just left me flat. I knew this would happen - I've never had a sweet tooth and I have never really cared much one way or the other about most fruit and berries. I got suckered by the season and the whole feeling of buying fresh fruit on a fine market day, and thought maybe this would be the batch to change my mind. No luck. Back to the radishes and greens for me, I think.

1966 WDEC - Apple Slices with Ginger and Curry

One of the snacking/appetizer ideas in the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery was to take sliced apples, brush the cut sides with lemon juice, and then sprinkle curry powder or ginger powder over. I decided to try it as a snack.

Cooking Notes: None, because I can't in good conscience call this cooking! Prep notes - it's incredibly easy, just slice the apples and spice them to taste. I used my friend's homemade curry powder.

Eating Notes: An excellent fruit treatment for those of us who don't have a sweet tooth. The ginger-dusted slices were sharp and assertive. The curry-dusted slices had a complex, piquant flavor that lingered nicely. And they worked quite well together with the lemon juice. By the time I got to the last slice, it had both curry and ginger powder on it, and that was fine, too - in fact, it was a good enough combination that I'm thinking of stewing or baking the other half of the apple in a ginger/curry mix.

1966 WDEC - Apple Cook Book

Getting through the "Apple Cook Book" part of the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery will take significantly less time than the "American Cookery" section. The 13-page mini-cookbook includes two 2-page photo spreads demonstrating that "The All-American Apple can be found everywhere...baked, stewed, in a pie or just tempting from the tree!" They include a 2-page chart of 19 apple varieties (including the crabapple) that represents a good selection of what I remember being available in upstate New York when I was a kid. So, Wealthy, McIntosh, Winesap, Rome and Northern Spy, but not a hint of a Jonagold or Fuji in the bunch. The availability of the varieties are given (I remember my mother eagerly awaiting McIntosh season in the fall). Apples are reasonably easy to store without spoilage, though, and even in the 1966 WDEC some variety of apple is listed as freshly available from July through May.

The intro is rather amusing, stressing as it does the long global history of the "All-American apple" and admitting that apples were brought to the U.S. by colonists (only crabapples are indigenous to the U.S.). It is followed by general adviece on picking, storing, using and preserving apples. The recipes themselves are generally basic, and few feature methods or ingredients that strike me as out of the ordinary. They do suggest serving sliced apples dipped in lemon juice and sprinkled with curry powder or powdered ginger, both of which sound like a happy change from plain sliced fruit. A jellied Waldorf salad and a baked pancake with apples seem like a possibility, as does a cider gelatin salad. I may mark the recipe for Apple-Basil jelly to return to in the fall to make jelly to give as Christmas gifts.

But that's really all that's grabbing me. So, this should be a short trip through the orchard.

Blogging Note: I have *too many* evening engagements over the next couple of weeks, but almost all are food related. So I get to talk about other people's cooking for a while. Works for me!

Easy Side - Steamed Bok Choy with Ponzu

OK, this post is kind of a cheat, but it's pretty so no apologies.

Got some bok choy at the farmer's market a week and a half ago and found it sadly cowering at the back of the vegetable drawer. Fortunately, it had been wrapped and was still good. Instructions: Slice the bok choy in half lengthwise, as shown above, and steam it while the meat main course is resting. That's it! Sprinkle a little ponzu or even marinade from the meat over it and serve.

The beauty of it is that bok choy only needs to steam 4 - 5 minutes, which is how long the meat needs to rest. So bring the steaming water almost to a boil, keep it on low until the meat comes off the grill, turn the heat up so the water rapidly comes back to a boil and put the bok choy on to steam. The bok choy will be ready at the same time as the meat.  One half of a small (4" diameter) bunch of bok choy is a perfect side serving for one. It's pretty served in one piece and couldn't be easier.

Slow-smoked Antelope Ribs

The saddle of antelope came with two lovely racks of ribs. In my book, there is no better way to do ribs than to just turn them over to Mechazawa-san and slow smoke them for a couple of hours. Home at 5, dinner by 7.

When I opened the package of ribs, I got an added surprise. The fabricator from Broken Arrow Ranch had included the backbone, halved so there was access to the marrow and spinal cord. Lane and I have had some discussion about whether or not these guys are being fair by claiming the antelope are game meat when they are ranging on a ranch (if they were truly wild it would be illegal to sell them in the U.S.). But when I get something that is this carefully presented, I'm not going to argue. It was a work of beauty. Ribs above, prior to my removing the silverskin; closer-up of the spine below. Based on the butchering alone I would order from Broken Arrow again in a heartbeat.

Slow-smoked them over nectarine wood on Mechazawa-san  at 225F (110C) for an hour and forty-five minutes, then let them rest 5 minutes before carving. As shown in the first post picture, they were well done - a bit too done for my taste, but perfect for my guest, who likes her meat cooked through. And (arigatou, Mechazawa-san) even well-done they were moist for such a lean meat, and very flavorful.

Again I was struck by how non-challenging antelope is, taste-wise. There was no iron-y aftertaste; the meat was dense but not tough; and the small amount of fat had no off taste like game fat sometimes has. The chops were delicate, small, and attractive, reminding me of lamb chops. The spinal cord, which lifted out nicely in one long rope, was soft and creamy. I was really glad my marginally squeamish friend had no interest in it!

My ultimate verdict on the antelope is that I'm really glad I tried it, but it's not so different taste-wise from other meats that I'd spend the premium to get it again. That said, I'm going to go first to Broken Arrow when I'm looking for boar or other game meats because the butchering and fabrication was just so wonderfully done. So all in all I'm calling it a success.