Food for Real

Savory Choice Broth

2012-01-27T11:32:00.000-05:00

Savory Choice's broth line is a good alternative to the morning cup of miso soup. (photo by Courtney)

At Fancy Food West I picked up some samples of Savory Choice's line of broths and demi glace. I was intrigued by their product because it is sold in really small quantities - broth comes in boxes with as few as four individual packets, and the demi glace retails in a single unit.

The broth comes as a thick liquid in a single-serving pouch. (photo by Courtney)

For my breakfast soup this morning, I tried the beef broth instead of our usual miso soup. As I often do with the miso soup, I mixed in a couple of sliced mushrooms and scallions. The result was quite good, with a distinct beef flavor that was not too salty. Because the broth is already in liquid form, it mixes up as quickly as instant miso, without having to stir and blend, as you must with Better than Bouillon. Although Better than Bouillon remains my favorite line of bases for cooking, I would definitely use the Savory Choice broth for a quick cup of broth to drink, and appreciate having a new choice for breakfast.

Sous Vide Wagyu Beef Brisket with Pepper Sauce

2012-01-26T11:25:00.001-05:00

Wagyu beef brisket is perfectly tender and has just enough of a bite after cooking in the sous vide with a handful of peppers. (photo by Courtney)

I am not obsessed, just lazy. Really. These little slices of heaven resulted from total inattention on my part as Kameko-san (the sous vide) cooked some Wagyu brisket (from D'Artagnan) for 36 hours with a dozen kung pao peppers, a teaspoon of juniper extract, and a dash of Peychaud's bitters. So good, I didn't bother with salt and pepper. The juices were so spicy they would have been overpowering made into a gravy. I've saved them for use in very small doses.

Sous Vide Cauliflower with Herb Butter and Duxelles

2012-01-25T11:25:00.000-05:00

Sous Vide cauliflower with herbal butter has subtle herbal notes throughout. (photo by Courtney)

This is the first time I've used the sous vide for cruciferous vegetables. They cook at a higher temperature (83.5C) than meat and take longer in the sous vide than if you just steam them, so it's a bit inconvenient for me. I had received a set of flavored butters from Epicurean Butter to try, and needed the gentle heat of the sous vide so that I could cook the veggies with the butter without losing the aromatics, and that prompted me to finally use Kameko-san for this purpose. Easy instructions after the jump.
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Easy Food Pr0n: Walleye with Bacon, Herb Butter and Duxelles

2012-01-24T10:29:00.000-05:00

Sliced herb butter and duxelles dress up a simple bacon-fish entree. (photo by Courtney)

Mondays is rehearsal night, so I like something quick. Super-easy recipe (assuming you've already made the Duxelles) after the jump.
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Worthy Successor?

2012-01-13T18:38:00.001-05:00

Sonja takes an interest before, during, and after eating. Here she has eschewed her normal spot in front of the vent for the raised vantage point of the dishwasher. (photo by Courtney)

Sonja may turn out to be a kitchen goddess. While a bit shy to sit in laps, she is Right There in the kitchen, and on the table, as well. She is far quieter than Kitchen Goddess Nadja but no less imperious, and has no problem accepting her Kitchen Goddess tithes, which she dispatches with authority.

With Sergei's encouragement, I'm sure, Sonja makes sure all dishes to be washed are pre-cleaned. (photo by Courtney)

Not content with food as it's being prepared and served, she also keeps an eye on the aftermath. Shortly after the picture above was taken, I heard a small clatter. Having managed to pull out the top shelf and take a plastic container down, she was busy pre-cleaning it. She also has dragged out the cutlery to be sure all are free of visible residue. And who says cats (or goddesses) aren't helpful?

In other news, I'll be away from the computer for a week or so, partially to visit Fancy Food West and hopefully pick up some new ideas. Back soon!

1966 WDEC - Steamed Egg-Parmesan Pudding

2012-01-12T10:17:00.002-05:00

Served with greens and tomatoes, the steamed pudding makes a full meal. (photo by Joachim)

I can't resist steamed pudding, and this looked like it would be filling enough for a dinner entree. So. Recipe after the jump.
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1966 WDEC - Eggs Hongroise

2012-01-10T13:31:00.000-05:00

Eggs Hongroise have a sauce dominated by paprika. (photo by Courtney)

Moving up another letter in the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery to "E." I chose not to make Eclairs; much though I love them, they are very complex to make and I'm fortunate enough to live near a bakery that makes extremely good pastry. "Eel" would be a logical thing to try, but the two northern European recipes provided paired them with onions and celery and white sauce, and I think I'd rather try something with a cleaner and more interesting sauce than that. So this brings me to "Egg" and "How to Cook Supeerbly: Eggs and Omelets." The article writer, Helen Evans Brown, is especially fond of the omelet, "a cook's best friend...quick, inexpensive, versatile, and impressive...elegant enough to serve to your fanciest friends and nutritious enough for a family meal."

I've decided to make one recipe of each egg style, and the first section is devoted to hard cooked eggs. While there are several ideas for stuffed eggs and a couple of summer salad molds, I was in the mood for something warm for a cold day. Paprika is what makes these eggs "Hongriose" - in the Hungarian style. Recipe after the jump.

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1966 WDEC - Stoofperen (Stewed Pears)

2012-01-06T15:30:00.001-05:00

Pears stewed in red wine are attractive and not too sweet. (photo by Joachim)

Skipping back a bit in the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery to try some pears stewed in red wine. Recipe after the jump.
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Cheap Foods, Expensive Cooking: Sous Vide Shank

2012-01-05T15:20:00.000-05:00

Shank cooked in the sous vide yields savory flesh and preserves the marrow (on the right of the picture). (photo by Joachim)

I got two lovely shank slices for $2 total, added a bit of seasoning, and let Kameko-san (the sous vide) cook them at 60C/140F for a day and a half. They could have gone a day longer, but I didn't want to wait. Then I finished them under the broiler for 4 minutes a side to darken and crisp the edges. The result was flavorful meat with almost all of the tendon and connective tissues that give shank its character (and make it a cheap cut of meat) tender enough to be enjoyed. As a bonus, the sous vide cooks at such a low temperature that the marrow was still intact, ready to be spooned out and spread like sauce over the flesh.

Sonja, Kitchen Goddess in Training, awaits her tithe. (photo by Joachim)

Sonja, Kitchen Goddess in Training, accepted the tithe of the remaining bones and dragged them approvingly all over, making a greasy mess of the kitchen floor. Good kitty.

Continued Fun with Eggs

2012-01-04T15:15:00.000-05:00

The chicken on the left represents current state of the art; it's peers are noble test subjects. To make a masterwork, many eggs must be broken. (photo by Joachim)

Hard at work perfecting the chicken-on-egg meme with the Egg-Bot. Totally useless, and, therefore, totally fun.

I don't understand...the picture clearly said it was a chicken! (photo by Courtney)

Can't figure out why the egg, which clearly had a chicken on the outside, ended up looking like a fish!

Duxelles Update

2012-01-03T15:15:00.000-05:00

Duxelles add depth to gravy over beef and beans...(photo by Joachim)

We loved the duxelles so much that we have used them on everything from vegetables to meat to pasta and omelets. Two instances shown here: the first in an obvious use as a topping for beef and green beans with gravy; the second as a topping for Maultaschen (a German ravioli) with tomato sauce and cabbage.

...and to pasta and cabbage. (photo by Joachim)

Courtney's Creamed Haddock with Greens

2011-12-28T16:42:00.000-05:00

Served over a bed of collards, haddock in a mushroom cream sauce makes a complete meal. (photo by Joachim)

My favorite combination: easy and good. Recipe after the jump.

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1966 WDEC - Duxelles

2011-12-27T16:29:00.000-05:00

Duxelles, a cooked dry mushroom seasoning, has a deep and earthy flavor. (photo by Courtney)

Back to the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery after a long hiatus. As I move through the volumes, less is (understandably) new, and I find I'm moving fairly quickly. The thing that caught my eye this wime was Duxelles, a dry, cooked mushroom preparation used "wherever the flavor of mushrooms is desirable."

Duxelles
(to make about 3/4 cup)
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, minced
1 Tbsp cooking oil (I used coconut oil)
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp minced scallions
1/2 cup beef bouillon
Salt and pepper to taste

Place mushrooms, on handful at a time, into clean kitchen towel. Over a bowl twist towel into a ball to extract as much mushroom juice as possible (use mushroom juice for sauces, soups, stews, etc.). Heat oil and butter in skillet; over moderate heat saute mushrooms and scallions in it, stirring frequently. Cook for about 7 minutes, or until mushroom pieces are browned and separated from each other. Add bouillon. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly, until bouillon has evaporated and mixture is dry. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking Notes: Somewhat unusually, I followed the recipe exactly. There was, however, too much oil for the mushrooms I had, and the mixture never did become dry. When it became clear that all the bouillon was gone and any further cooking would cause the mushrooms to burn, I took them off the heat. I then drained them well before putting them away.

Eating Notes: Rich, deep, and earthy, this makes an amazing spice. I added half to the gravy on our Christmas Wagyu beef brisket, and the result was an easy dish with incredible flexibility.

Because the mushrooms are minced, pressed, and well-cooked, this is a great way to use up any mushrooms that are a bit past their prime, even if they are a little dry. As the WDEC notes, the dry preparation will last "for several weeks in the refrigerator and may be frozen."

Playing with my Food

2011-12-26T16:15:00.001-05:00

The EggBot is the best kitchen toy ever. (photo by Courtney)

Ooooh. I'd hoped for a meat slicer, but Joachim knew eventually I'd buy myself one anyway. So he got me the Best Kitchen Toy Ever, something I've been dying for but would never ever get for myself. The EggBot from Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories. It took a couple of hours of simple assembly and set-up to get it up and running, and then we were ready to take it for a spin.

The world as projected on the shell of an egg. (photo by Joachim)

The EggBot will work on anything spherical or reasonably ovoid (e.g. incandescent light bulbs, golf balls, etc.). We've run a couple of sample pictures and experimented a bit, and I am ready to start making my own pictures and seeing how they turn out. Maybe it isn't world domination, but it's the most fun I've had playing with my food in many a year.

Merry Christmas and Happy Anniversary

2011-12-25T16:15:00.000-05:00

Sergei is big for six months, but still very definitely a kitten. (photo by Courtney)

Wow. Another year. This Christmas, we're focused more on the additions to our family than on an elaborate meal. Sonja and Sergei are a rescued mother and son pair, introduced to our house and to Alex on the 22nd. Alex is a most excellent and social cat, and it turns out that Sergei has a similar personality. Initially Alex was cautious and distant. By Christmas morning, Alex and Sergei were good friends.

Sonja's favorite activity is camping out on our bed. (photo by Joachim)

Sonja is much more reserved, especially among cats. Welcoming of our attention, she is still getting used to the feline situation. She comes down to play and socialize, spending most of the rest of her time camped out on our bed, welcoming a respite in what has had to have been a pretty stressful life.

At night, they are all sleeping with us, safe and sound. It's good to go to sleep serenaded by purring.

However you celebrate (or don't) the season and no matter how the metaphorical purrs may find you, Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night.

Christmas is for Nuts

2011-12-22T12:19:00.001-05:00

Alex is really interested in the bag and its attached closing tie. The nuts? Not so much. (photo by Courtney)

Joachim loves hazelnuts (also called filberts), but has been decidedly unimpressed with the quality of what is available in any of our local stores. I knew he was ordering some for the holidays, but even so was surprised when a 10-pound sack came from Freddy Guy's Hazelnuts. Ten pounds of hazelnuts in the shell is pretty big.

No complaints, though. The nuts are full, fresh, and definitely taste better than what we can get at the grocery. And as a bonus, Alex absolutely loves the sack.

The Kitchenette Cookbook and Words to Live By

2011-12-21T11:57:00.000-05:00

Designed for the "businesswoman," The Kitchenette Cookbook offers interesting advice as well as recipes and menus. (photo by Courtney)

Cookbooks published prior to World War II hold a particular interest for me, so I couldn't resist The Kitchenette Cookbook, Ruth Taylor's 1936 "practical, economical, detailed and reliable cook book for the business woman--and man--whose time, purse, and space is limited." I'm very glad I didn't. The book takes a menu-driven approach to cooking for one, for two, or for entertaining, with tips on how to organize a small kitchen, plan for late meals, and stock an emergency larder. Many of the recipes and menus are interesting, and I will certainly try a few (although I need to make more progress first in the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery!).

The real smiles, though, come from the advice. Ms. Taylor is adamant that "a woman today can hold down practically any job a man can," but her advice is a bit more reflective of her times than that can-do attitude. A few samples:

"On the subject of aprons--do have plenty of them...and remember to have them very becoming."

"The business woman knows the importance of [three meals a day], too, and for the most part she sticks to it, for doctors and beauty specialists, both, have warned her what a faulty diet will do to her health and appearance, which, after all, are her chief stock in trade."

and

"The first essential for a comfortable dinner for one, is a becoming housegown or lounging pajamas...Don't sit down to a scratch dinner, tired out, and dressed any old way. You probably won't digest, and certainly won't enjoy, such a dinner."

One more note before this goes up on the shelf for the time being. Published just a few years after the 1933 repeal of prohibition in the U.S., the book has a chapter on alcohol, including advice on wines and cocktail recipes. In this case, her advice is well taken. "Now that repeal has come in," notes Taylor, "we are having to learn how to drink intelligently. This does not mean learning to drink--but rather learning how to drink--which is a most invaluable asset or the business woman."

Easy Breakfast Pr0n: Leftover Omelet

2011-12-20T11:57:00.000-05:00

Leftover Burmese mango pork worked so well in an omelet, that I think I've started a really good trend in the house. (photo by Courtney)

Burmese mango pork (complete with a bit of rice) from the previous night's dinner out, reheated on the griddle with some fried fresh mushrooms and onions, and added to an omelet. Wonderful combination, ten minutes to make from start to finish, and no more seasonings needed. Dunno why I thought only leftover pizza was standard breakfast fare...

Sous Vide Boar with Dizzy Pig Tsunami Spin

2011-12-13T10:39:00.000-05:00

Boar stew meat stands on its own after cooking in the sous vide with a generous amount of spice rub. (photo by Joachim)

Too lazy to make a full stew, I cooked the boar stew cubes (from d'Artagnan) at 60F/140C for 24 hours.
Before sealing the boar, I coated it with some Tsunami Spin spice rub from Dizzy Pig. Honestly, I've found other Dizzy Pig rubs to be very good contenders in a crowded spice rub market. The Tsunami Spin, though, complemented the boar exceptionally well and stood a bit above. It's Asian-inspired sweet/salt/acid profile brought out the umami of the meat and made a nice simple dinner out of something that otherwise would just have been food.

Easy Food Pr0n: Part B, Chicken and Cauliflower

2011-12-12T16:41:00.000-05:00

Even when the flow is subterranean, gravy makes a most excellent dinner river. (photo by Joachim)

The river of gravy flows so well into the stomach that a repeat trip to the stream was required. This time chicken (cooked in the sous vide 6 hours at 60C/140F) then crisped under the broiler was the base, and the gravy was seasoned with marjoram, paprika, and just enough cayenne to give it a modest but distinct bite. I also plated the gravy first, under the chicken, both to keep the skin crisp and to make the gravy a nice surprise.

Easy Food Pr0n: Part A, Boar and Sprouts

2011-12-11T13:11:00.001-05:00

The sous vide makes the boar meat tender and yields enough juice for a generous river of gravy. (photo by Joachim)

Sous vide boar (2 days at 60C/140F), young sprouts steamed 7 minutes, all bound together with a river of gravy made from the boar drippings plus enough half and half to make 1 cup total, 1-1/2 tablespoons flour, about a tablespoon of Bulldog Worcestershire, and salt and pepper to taste.

Bison Sort-of Ossobuco

2011-12-10T18:07:00.000-05:00

Bison shank sections add umami and overall goodness to otherwise standard crock pot vegetable soup. (photo by Courtney)

I can't even claim this as New Jersey Ossobuco because people in New Jersey know how to make the real thing. This was two wonderful sections of bison shank from Gunpowder Bison added into a crock pot vegetable soup where I substituted half-and-half water and wine for the called-for stock. The whitish thing toward the top of the bowl is the bone that is left - the hint of chopstick to the right of the picture is for poking out any stray bits of marrow with the audacity to be left behind. What it lacks in authenticity was more than made up for in the smell that greeted us on return home from a long day, confirmed by the taste to follow. Be sure to have one bone section per person so you do not need to fight over the marrow.

North Mountain Pastures Hot Italian Sausage

2011-12-09T11:48:00.000-05:00

North Mountain Pastures' hot Italian sausage is nicely fatty with a medium coarseness that lets you taste both meat and spices. (photo by Courtney)

A glut of German wurst has kept me away from some of the new sausages on offer at the Silver Spring Farmer's Market by North Mountain Pastures, which is relatively new to the market. Finally, though, we tried the hot Italian Sausage from North Mountain Pastures. The guy who sold it to me warned me that "hot" is a relative term. On a Thai menu, he said, it would only rate one chili pepper. That was fine by us.

Four sausages are enough for two entrees. (photo by Courtney)

Four sausages perfectly centered a dinner for two. The sausages were nicely fatty and cooked up well without having to add any more grease to the pan. One chili was indeed the appropriate spice rating, which was fine since it allowed herbal notes to come through. Perfectly good alone, the sausages also went well with slightly sharp mustard and also with a very mild Mittelscharf senf. They'd also be great in sauces and stews. Highly recommended, and interesting enough that I'll be trying some more of their charcuterie.

Pamela's Single-Serving Gluten-Free Brownie Mix

2011-12-08T10:50:00.000-05:00

Pamela's smallest size of Chocolate Brownie mix makes enough for one or two. (photo by Courtney)

The single-serving and small-size dessert market is growing, and that's fine by me. I tried both this gluten-free brownie mix and Pamela's pancake mix. I changed the pancake mix around so much I don't think it's fair to review it based on what I did (although the resulting pancakes were excellent) but I made the brownies exactly as directed.

Served hot against a background of heavy cream, the brownies made a quick dessert perfect for a chilly day. (photo by Joachim)

Cooked in a bowl in the microwave, they ended up a bit soft in the middle, but not molten by any means. Unfortunately, they did kind of crumble when I tried to take out only half, but that didn't affect the deep, chocolate taste. We both knew what we were getting, but I think they would have fooled non-gluten-avoiders. There was plenty for two (also true for the single-serving pancake mix, which yielded eight pancakes), at least for us.

I'd definitely buy more of these and of the pancake mixes; Pamela's also offers larger sizes (and bulk) for bigger families.

Passing of the Kitchen Goddess

2011-12-07T09:01:00.000-05:00

Shown tolerating the mortals, Kitchen Goddess Nadja rests (after a treat, of course). Prince Alex is on the left. (photo by Courtney)

Nadja, the Kitchen Goddess, died yesterday one month shy of her 20th birthday. She went comfortably at home, helped by a compassionate vet.

A five pound cat with 20 pounds worth of voice, she was a constant presence in the kitchen and on the dining table, ready to sample everything and fully embracing the nose-to-tail approach to eating. Liver and fish were her favorites. There was little, though, she wouldn't try, and like any good goddess she demanded her tithe, whether it would turn out to be something she wanted to eat or not.

The gods are only as immortal as we make them. So, Nadja, rest assured that you have a place in the constellations for as long as I am alive and cooking.

WOW Gluten-Free Cookies

2011-12-06T10:24:00.000-05:00

WOW Gluten-Free Cookies come in large 2-serving singles or in boxes of smaller cookies. (photo by Courtney)

Having been shipped a package of gluten-free cookies (plus a brownie) from WOW Baking Company, the next step was to try them.

Gluten-free has come a long way since I started avoiding wheat several years ago, and the WOW cookies were among the best pre-packaged I've had. Moist and flavorful, they tasted like cookies rather than something best found in a Dickensian orphanage. The ginger molasses stood out for us, with strong, pleasantly lingering ginger flavors. The brownie also was excellent - moist and fudgy with a smooth, dark chocolate texture. Both the cookies and the brownie completely fooled people who sampled without knowing they were eating gluten-free.

I think WOW has taken the right tack by offering products that are gluten-free, not everything-free. The cookies are made with butter and eggs, which I'm sure helps give them their excellent flavor profile.

While I don't often buy cookies, it's nice to have an option that I can share with someone who eats whatever, knowing that they won't have to compromise on account of my proclivities.

Digestive?

2011-12-05T18:24:00.000-05:00

Chugged as directed, or sipped? The choice is yours, and you get a little display package, besides! (Photo by Courtney)

Joachim is helping me broaden my liquid horizons as well as my solid ones. We've been experimenting with bitters, mostly in drinks and also in cooking, and he introduced me to Underberg, this oddity in teeny-tiny bottles that you're supposed to chug after every meal to help with digestion. With only 20 ml per paper-wrapped glass bottle it won't win any green packaging awards. On the other hand, in such small amounts even the 44% alcohol contact isn't enough to relegate it to liquor store shelves.

The taste? To me, like a full pack of clove cigarettes shoved into a bottle. To be honest, drinking it fast just numbed my tongue and didn't do a thing to make me feel better-digested at all. But (going against all the instructions on the bottle) I found it was a great way to use a pair of dollhouse-tiny cordial glasses I inherited. Sipped slowly it lasted an hour and definitely improved the post-dinner digestive experience.

Cod with Basil and Hot Pepper

2011-12-04T18:19:00.000-05:00

Cooked in the sous vide, the cod retains its freshness while picking up infusions of basil and pepper. (photo by Joachim)

Easy as anything. A one-pound filet sealed with 3 Kung Pao peppers and a few sprigs of fresh basil, then cooked 40 minutes at 60C/140F for 40 minutes. Cut in half with each portion served over some rice and alongside steamed carrots for this dinner. The sous vide is amazing with fish, and served this way it doesn't even need to broil or fry to finish. Fast slow food.

Adventskalendar (mit Schokolade!)

2011-12-03T12:21:00.000-05:00

A disembodied but happy Santa awaits behind door #1. (photo by Courtney)

I love my advent calendar. It is handmade and almost as old as I am; I can't remember a Christmas season without it. In the center is a simple green tree. On the top and bottom, each day is written in in marker. To each number, a rusty safety pin holds a little toy or felt ornament (or worn fragment thereof). On every day, one can move the ornament from the date to the tree. The little felt star (only four points left and almost completely worn through) always goes on first; the felt stocking (worn, but still whole) gets hung on the 24th. The other ornaments go on, in no particular order, throughout the month.

Joachim remembers quite a different Adventskalendar. What his childhood advent lacked in sentimentality it made up for in chocolate. Large boxes with promising little doors, each holding a truffle or solid chocolate piece. With five kids in the family, didn't they fight over whose turn it was to open the little door? No, they had five separate calendars, all exactly the same, hanging in the house. No fighting allowed for the season, but a daily, eager morning rush to a before-breakfast chocolate treat.

One is never too old to enjoy getting a daily chocolate surprise. (photo by Courtney)

So when GermanDeli.com had a sale on advent calendars, I had to get one. Lots are just liqueur chocolates; some are a single type of chocolate; one can even get nothing but gummi bears. I picked the Reber calendar, which had a fairly broad mix. Joachim got to do the honors for the first day (he was able to contain himself until after dinner); we're alternating thereafter. Whoever doesn't get a chocolate gets to pin the ornament on the green tree. So now we have both sentiment and chocolate. Can't really go wrong.

Easy Food Pron: D'Artagnan Smoked Duck Breast

2011-12-01T18:01:00.001-05:00

Smoked duck breast needs nothing more by way of introduction. (photo by Courtney)

Little slices of poultry heaven courtesy of d'Artagnan. This is one of the reasons I want a meat slicer for Christmas; the duck is great in thick, boarding-house slices, but I can imagine it prosciutto-thin curled up tight against a bit of sharp aged cheese, maybe with a single fresh blackberry tucked inside. I might also need to invest in a smoking-jacket and aged port.

Scallops with Creamed Spinach

2011-11-30T17:47:00.001-05:00

Comfort food for pescavores - scallops in creamed spinach. (photo by Courtney)

Simple and fast comfort food. Recipe after the jump.
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Courtney's Scallops with Balsamic-Curry Cranberry Sauce

2011-11-29T11:01:00.000-05:00

A single sweet scallop and intense sauce combine to form an amazing starter dish. (photo by Joachim)

Perfect as a little introductory appetizer to a traditional holiday meal. Recipe after the jump.
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Pumpkin Soup #2

2011-11-28T10:45:00.001-05:00

Served garnished with toasted pumpkin seeds, the soup tastes much harder to make than it is! (photo by Joachim)

Super-easy and super good. I'd wanted to use my small Halloween pumpkin for the meat, but the flesh was dry and I opted for canned instead. At least the seeds went to good use, toasted and used for garnish.

Recipe (adapted from Meta Given's 1953 edition of the Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking) after the jump.
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Molded Salmon with Cucumber Sauce

2011-11-27T10:24:00.000-05:00

The salmon dame out of the mold right away and without leaving bits behind. Yay! (photo by Joachim)

Excellent taste, and it came out of the mold without any more than my having to run the knife around a couple of times. Definitely a winner!

Recipe, adapted from my 1914 copy of the The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book after the jump.
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Shilla Bakery Sweet Potato Cake

2011-11-26T10:15:00.000-05:00

Sweet potato cake from Shilla was just enough to end an amazing meal. (photo by Joachim)

We intended to go to the local American-style bakery to pick up a small cake for Thanksgiving dinner, but when we drove by and saw that people were literally shoved into the shop and pressed up against the glass, we said no, and went instead to Shilla, the wonderful Korean bakery I've fallen in love with. The theory was that Koreans probably wouldn't be mashed into the store trying to pick up pumpkin and apple pies.

Good choice. Aside from a group of high-schoolers grabbing some donuts, we had the store and the staff to ourselves. We picked a little sweet potato cake, in honor of the holiday.

I like these Asian pastries because they are buttery, light, and not too sweet. The sweet in the sweet potato wasn't covered by sugar, and even though we were completely stuffed after too much Thanksgiving beef and gravy, the cake didn't leave us feeling like beached whales.

People living in the DC area really should give Shilla a try; if you're elsewhere, take a trip into the Korean bakery if you have one. Many big Korean groceries will have a bakery, often independently operated, as part of the store.

Amazing Sous Vide Wagyu Brisket Completely Derails Thanksgiving Dinner

2011-11-25T10:14:00.000-05:00

Wagyu brisketwith gravy and vegetables was too good to leave any behind. (photo by Joachim)

I like a long dinner of little courses for Thanksgiving. It was all planned and going as scheduled until Course 5 - the Wagyu beef brisket (from d'Artagnan), served alongside the starch and veggie courses in order to take advantage of the gravy. It was too good not to eat every bit. We sat back and looked at each other and said "no way." So the cheese souffle and baked apple will have to wait for another day.

Recipe for the beef after the jump:
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Apple and Onion Dressing

2011-10-25T07:17:00.001-04:00

Apple and onion dressing was the perfect accompaniment to boar stew. (photo by Joachim)

Having already tried a salad dressing - the Cooked Dressing - from the 1966 Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery, I opted for one of the Poultry/Meat/Fish dressings for this pass through. It being fall, apples and onions seemed perfect.

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Easy Food Pr0n: Nectarine-Smoked Chicken

2011-10-24T07:10:00.001-04:00

Chicken smoked on the Egg, served with wilted kale, knoedeln, and black bean sauce. Dirt simple and really good. (photo by Joachim)

A fresh chicken from Groff's Content Farm, smoked over nectarine chips for an hour and a half on Mechazawa-san (the big Egg). Simple ingredients, simply prepared.

1966 WDEC - Duck Chow Mein (well, sort of...)

2011-10-23T07:59:00.001-04:00

Duck chow mein is nearly unrecognizable after many substitutions, but the taste is still classic 1960s. (photo by Courtney)

I wanted something easy, comfort-food-like, and involving poultry, which is not so easy to find in Eitelborn. So I skipped ahead a bit to the "Duck" entry in the 1966 Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery. Chow Mein was one of those "exotic" foods that was close enough to American fare to be embraced by the home cook.

I think the cans from my childhood were red, but this is what "chow mein" was to me as a kid. (photo via the LaChoy website, which says Chicken Chow Mein is still their best-seller)

The WDEC somehow managed to capture the taste of LaChoy, which was the chow mein standard of my youth. While lacking duck or noodles, I followed the recipe closely enough that I'll still give it credit for the taste. So.

Duck Chow Mein
(to serve 4)
1 cup sliced onion
1-1/2 cups sliced celery (I used 1/8 tsp celery seed oil, added with the soy sauce)
2 Tbsp butter (I used duck fat)
1 green pepper, sliced (I also diced a small Anaheim pepper and added a couple of whole kung pao peppers, as shown)
1 cup gravy or broth (I used a mix of duck gravy and chicken drippings from the sous vide)
2-1/2 cups (19 oz can) bean sprouts, undrained
1-2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp dark molasses
1 cup slivered cooked duckling (I used cubed cooked chicken)
Salt and pepper
Chow mein noodles (I used German potato dumplings (Knoedeln))

Saute onion and celery in butter for 5 minutes. Add green pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add gravy or broth. (If broth is used, thicken with 1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch blended with a little cold water.) Add bean sprouts, soy sauce, molasses, and duck, saving a few slivers for garnish. Heat to boiling and season to taste. Garnish with reserved duck slices. Serve with noodles and more soy sauce.

Cooking Notes: Aside from all the substitutions noted above, cooked mostly to spec. The sauce seemed to be a bit thin to me, so I also cooked the gravy down quite a bit until it got to a desirable consistency as shown in the picture.

Eating Notes: Amazingly, even with all of the substitutions made this was a winner. Using duck fat and gravy was enough to make it taste more earthy and full than using only chicken. The knoeldeln were almost better than chow mein noodles with the dish, since we didn't have to decide between soggy noodles and soaking up the gravy.

Pferdewurst

2011-10-22T07:24:00.001-04:00

Pferdewurst is sweet and lean. (photo by Courtney)

While enthusing to one of my Deutschkurs (German class) instructors about eating weird food, he asked if I knew of a source for horse meat. Uh...answer, no. Gone the way of lights (lungs), I guess, and I'm not sure horse meat is used even for pet food any more in the U.S. The teacher went on to praise the taste of Pferdefleisch (horse flesh), sold legally in Germany, and bemoan his inability to get any here. Noted for future reference.

The future came when a downtown shopping trip to Koblenz coincided unexpectedly with a farmer's market. We weren't food shopping, but there it was -- a small, truck-based Pferdemetzgerei run by a scrubbed, roundly ruddy-faced man and his son, a perfect small version of the father. A few Euros later we walked away armed with a little sack of Schmeerwurst. Definitely a first for me. Joachim isn't sure if he has had horse meat or not; according to his mom it was pretty common for a long time and nothing to think twice about.

Shown above, the Pferdwurst is a slightly darker flesh than beef. It is lean, sweeter than beef, and to me most similar in taste to farmed (i.e. non-gamey) venison. The little package disappeared very quickly, and while I'm not as head-over-heels in love as the German teacher, I'd definitely buy it again. Next time I may come prepared with a shopping bag and try a schnitzel or steak.

Season of the Food Trade Shows

2011-09-23T07:25:00.001-04:00

"ANUGA Meat" is one of 10 "mini" trade shows at the worlds largest retail trade food fair. (photo via the ANUGA website)

I had so much fun blowing through the Fancy Food Show in July that I decided I would like to do this a lot more. And fall appears to be the season of food shows. I could only take the time and money for a small subset, so I'm hitting the biggest in the next couple of months. First, and more locally, I'm off to Baltimore on Thursday for the 3-day Expo East, a "natural products" show. I'm not sure how much of the "product" will be foods and how much will be supplements and other non-grocery items, but I'm hoping for a big food contingent and some new things to try.

The scarily large show is ANUGA, which we'll be attending in October. With 60,000 attendees, this is the largest gourmet food show of them all, held biennially (this year in Cologne (Koeln). At both shows, I'll be hunting for items for some small local stores; hopefully that sense of purpose will add a bit of focus to my enthusiasm.

We'll be combining the bustle of the show with a quiet stay in Eitelborn. I'll post when I can and report on things new, fun and different. Once we get home I'll be ready, I'm sure, to get back to my food roots, dive back into the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery, and do more hands-on cooking.

Pond Weed Drink?

2011-09-22T07:09:00.001-04:00

Pennywort drink looks and tastes quite green. (photo by Courtney)

Another thing that looked too scary to pass up at the H-Mart: Pennywort Drink. Pennywort is a blessing in the spring, when it grows quickly and discourages algae. By the summer, it is a scourge, and I have to yank out masses of it two or three times each season. Little did I know one can grind it up and mix it with water and sugar (according to the can, it's 71% water, 9% sugar, and 20% leaves extract) to get a tasty treat. I expected it to be rather vile-tasty, but it was just sweet and green, almost what you'd expect "leaves extract" to be like.

According to Wikipedia, the pennywort in my can is entirely different from the weed in my pond. The Asiatic variety is widely used in cooking and supposedly has many health benefits. It seems that some common types of pond pennywort also are "edible weeds" (not mine, sadly). Who knew?

Kawaii desu-ne? Teeny tiny mochi!

2011-09-21T07:55:00.000-04:00

Tiny mochi balls easily fit on a 3" side dish. (photo by Courtney)

Joachim had never tried mochi, the small dough-wrapped balls of ice cream that have become an almost ubiquitous Japanese restaurant dessert. The large selection at the H-Mart makes it very hard to pick just one, so we got a Lotte brand assortment (I did want a product made in Japan) with chocolate, vanilla, and green tea.

The cute little mochi come individually wrapped. (photo by Courtney)

When we opened the box, everything I love about Japanese pop consumer culture spilled out. The mochi were individually wrapped! And tiny!! And cute!!! They taste pretty good, too, with decently strong-flavored ice cream and a wrapping that's only the tiniest bit on the doughy side. Itadakimasu!

Easy Food Pr0n 3: Bison Liver

2011-09-16T07:55:00.000-04:00

The bison liver came in neat slices and cooked up nicely. (photo by Joachim)

We both love liver, and I hadn't ever tried bison liver. So the Gunpowder Bison stand was perfectly positioned to sell me some. It came packaged in sort of a cube shape, and I was afraid I'd have to slice it, but on defrosting and opening the package I was pleased to see the liver come out in four very nice slices. Even better, it had absolutely no large veins that needed cutting out. I'm not sure if this is typical of bison or if we just got lucky. Flavor-wise, the liver was to my palate indistinguishable from beef liver, at least when fried and served with onions. This is by no means a flaw, and I'll definitely buy more.

Easy Food Pr0n 2: Rambutan

2011-09-15T07:02:00.000-04:00

The rambutan's spiky outer skin hides soft white flesh and a large seed. (photo by Courtney)

Another new-to-me thing, this time from the H-Mart: Rambutan (Wikipedia link here). The small fruit looks dangerous, but the "hairs" are soft. Not entirely sure what to expect, I selected just one. The check-out clerk smiled and just handed me the bag -- no charge.

The outer skin looks imposing, but the spikes are soft and the skin peels right off. (photo by Courtney)

The outer skin peeled right off. When I removed the seed, bits of the seed stuck to the flesh and had to be cut off with a paring knife. The flesh was sweet and pleasant, but with little taste to us beyond its sweetness.

The rambutan has translucent white flesh and a very mild sweet flavor. (photo by Courtney)

We used it as a yogurt topping and it was good in that role. I can also see it in a fruit salad as a balance to more sharp/acidic fruits.

Easy Food Pr0n 1: Sweet Potato Leaves

2011-09-14T07:42:00.000-04:00

Sweet potato leaves are edible, easy to cook, and have a distinct sweet-potato flavor (photo by Courtney)

The nice folks at Sligo Creek Farm had a bushel of gorgeous leaves at the market last week. The woman at the stand said these taste a bit like sweet potato skins and are used in African cooking. She suggested I try congocookbook.com for some recipes. In a rush and too lazy, instead I snipped off the tough stems right at the base of the leaves and then cooked the leaves like I would most other "strong" greens - wilting them in a covered pan with just a touch of olive oil (a teaspoon or so) and a splash (at most, a tablespoon) of ponzu (Japanese citrus soy sauce).

The leaves cook down but still are substantial. (photo by Courtney)

The results were great. The leaves cook down but still are a bit more substantial than most greens, and really do have a distinct sweet potato taste that went nicely with the citrus-salt of the ponzu. The (much more involved) sauce recipes on the web look fabulous, too, for when I want to spend more time having fun. One thing; I made these the same day I bought them and I think that may be critical; already small sections of the leaves that had been bruised in transit or had been wet in the bag were starting to show signs of age. I didn't need to throw any out, but I felt like I might have if I'd waited a couple of days to cook them.

1966 WDEC - Persian Apple Dolma

2011-09-08T07:58:00.001-04:00

An apple dolma is attractive and can be served with extra filling alongside. (photo by Joachim)

Skipping over "Dissolve" and "Divinity" in the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery brings one to "Dolma," which are "...a standard part of Near Eastern Cookery and illustrate the triumph of making much from little." I'm very familiar with grape leaf dolmas stuffed with rice, but apple dolmas were new to me. So.

Persian Apple Dolma
(to serve 4 - 6)
1/4 cup yellow split peas
Water
1 medium onion, minced
3 Tbsp butter
1 pound beef round or chuck, ground
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
8 - 10 firm tart apples
1/4 cup cider vinegar (not wine vinegar)
3 Tbsp sugar

Cook peas in 1-1/2 cups water until very soft and mushy. Saute with onion in 2 tablespoons of the butter until soft. Add meat and cook until golden brown. Add peas. Blend in salt, cinnamon, and pepper. Cool mixture.

Preheat oven to 300F/150C. Cut a thin slice from step end of each apple. Reserve slices. Hollow out apples with apple corer to about 1/2 inch from edge. Stuff apples with meat mixture. Replace stem slices and press down firmly so that filling won't ooze out during baking. Place apples in baking dish. Pour 1/2" of water into dish. Bake 15 minutes.

While apples are baking, combine remaining tablespoon of butter, vinegar, 1/4 cup water, sugar. Bring to a boil. Remove apples from oven. Lift stem slice and baste apple stuffing with vinegar-water mixture. Return apples to oven and cook for 15 minutes longer, or until tender. Serve from baking pan.

Cooking Notes: My recalcitrant yellow split peas absolutely refused to soften even after cooking for hours. I gave up and used some canned lentils instead. Not wanting to overdose on fruit, I allowed one apple per person and cooked the extra stuffing alongside the apples in a covered casserole, basting it with the sauce left over after basting the apples. This worked very well, and the extra stuffing looked lovely piled up around the apples. I used a heavy hand with the spices, a light hand with the salt, and Japanese San on Tou (light brown sugar) in this recipe instead of granulated white sugar. All else to spec.

Eating Notes: Mild and quite nicely balanced, the dolmas were not too sweet, which surprised me. The apples sliced up very nicely. Eaters with texture issues might want to scrape the apple pulp off the skin, but we found it fine as is. The filling was great alone as well as with the apples, and even if you are reducing the recipe, I'd recommend making a full batch of filling; what you don't use with the main meal will keep.

Sous Vide Boar Stew Meat with Red Monkey Mango-Habanero Rub

2011-09-07T07:47:00.000-04:00

Boar stew is tender and very easy to make in the sous vide. (photo by Joachim)

At the D'Artagnan freezer sale I picked up five pounds of boar stew meat. Yes, I know, I have a problem. I repackaged it into 1-pound packets, one plain and the other with various rubs and seasonings.
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1966 WDEC - Beet Salad with Roquefort Dressing

2011-09-06T07:37:00.000-04:00

Beet salad with Roquefort dressing is refreshing and well-balanced (photo by Joachim)

The last of the "Dinner" entry recipes in the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery I'll be trying on this run. Beets are less and less of a challenge vegetable for me as time goes by, and this was an unusual treatment. So, why not?

Beet Salad with Roquefort Dressing
(to serve 4)
4 medium beets, cooked
1 carrot, shredded
2 Tbsp mashed Roquefort cheese
3/4 cup French dressing (i.e. traditional oil-and-vinegar dressing)
Salad greens

Skin and chill the beets, then slice. Sprinkle with carrots. Mix cheese with French dressing and spoon over beets. Serve on greens.

Cooking Notes: The editors give the assembly instructions in reverse, perhaps to compensate for this being dirt-simple. I used my larger Microplane to shred the carrots, so they were almost more grated than shred. I liked the result, as it released more of the carrot juice and associated flavor.

Eating Notes: Very well-balanced, except where the cheese was in large-ish clumps and overwhelmed the beets. I was afraid the olive oil in the dressing would clash with the sweetness of the beets, but whether due to the Roquefort or something else, that wasn't the case, and it all came together quite nicely.

1966 WDEC - Chicken Marengo

2011-09-04T07:41:00.000-04:00

Chicken Marengo has a wonderful, thick sauce and works especially well with dark meat. (photo by Joachim)

Part of the "dinner" section in the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery, which begins with the almost ominous title, "Much Depends on Dinner." There are suggestions for dinners for four, six, and eight. This recipe comes from the dinner for four section. Attributed to Durand, chef of Napoleon, with the note that Napoleon said "you must feed me like this after every battle." And why not?
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Thai Pork Sausage

2011-09-03T07:25:00.001-04:00

Thai sausages look like any Western sausage; they are served with lime instead of ketchup and mustard. (photo by Joachim)

In my quest to check out more small local small groceries, I wandered into the Thai Market in downtown Silver Spring, where I used to shop (when I lived downtown) but which I hadn't visited for several years. In talking to the store owner, he recommended the Thai sausages. I don't automatically associate "Thai" and "pork sausages," so of course I was sold.

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Cucumber Salad with Yuzu-Yogurt Dressing

2011-09-02T07:13:00.000-04:00

Yuzu koushou paste gives the cucumbers a nice bite. (photo by Joachim)

I wanted an Asian-inspired side to go with some Thai sausages; the summer weather dictated something cool; my fridge contents said "cucumbers." I had some Yuzu Koshou paste on hand, and said "aha."

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Kartoffel-Knoedeln

2011-09-01T07:48:00.000-04:00

Kartoffel-Knoedeln are obviously not home-made, but they taste good nonetheless. (photo by Joachim)

Reading that these potato dumplings come in individual boil-in bags, I thought oh, this is too useful, and I picked up a box to round out an order from GermanDeli.com. I was expecting some sort of plastic bag with a pre-cooked dumpling inside. Instead, the sacks are paper-like and the dumpling ingredients are dry. The finished product is, however, nicely potato-y and the little sacks come right off. The texture is characteristic of freeze-dried potato products, but I expected that. Intended for meat sauce or in soup, the Kartoffelknoedel are great plain with pesto over them.

The dumplings come individually wrapped in boil-in bags. (photo by Joachim)

Real dumplings made from fresh potatoes are, of course, preferable. For those who don't keep potatoes in the house as a staple and who don't mind the freeze-dried texture, though, these are recommend. The ability to cook one or six at a time also makes them a nice choice for small households.

1966 WDEC - Mock Lobster Soup

2011-08-28T07:38:00.001-04:00

It may look like lobster bisque, but one taste reveals its mocking nature. (photo by Courtney)

Much more Mock than Lobster, but there was no way I couldn't try a mid-century classic like this. "Mock" whatever, designed to replace expensive or hard-to-get seasonal items were all the rage in the 50s and 60s. Taken to excess, this led to Mock Apple Pie, which used Ritz Crackers as a stand-in for the cheaper fresh fruit. It just didn't seem right, though, to pass it by.

Mock Lobster Soup
(makes about 5 cups)
1 can condensed pea soup
1 can condensed tomato soup
2 soupcans light cream or whole milk
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Dash of paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a blender or with a rotary beater. Serve chilled or hot. Can be saved or frozen and reheated.

Cooking Notes: What is there to say? you really do just chunk all this stuff into a blender. I used one can of heavy cream and one can of milk instead of using light cream. I also went heavy on the Worcestershire and paprika. I recommend the blender because it gives the finished soup a nice foamy texture.

Eating Notes: I'm really not quite sure how one is supposed to conjure "lobster" from this. It's interesting, with the tomato soup adding a sweetness that could conceivably be reminiscent of shellfish to someone who'd never eaten it, but I don't see how it would fool anyone who'd ever had the real thing. The soup doesn't specifically taste like pea soup + tomato soup + cream, but somehow it does come across like something you threw together with things that just sort of happened to be in the pantry. With the cream, it's definitely filling, but that's about the best I can say for it.

Stocking Up

2011-08-27T07:29:00.004-04:00

My "stocking up" items probably were as mysterious to the others in my line as theirs were to me. (photo by Courtney)

Once again I am amazed at how others stock up; no doubt they are amazed with me. One day before we are supposed to be grazed by the edge of Irene, I share the line with people buying cases of water and huge bundles of toilet paper. No matter how many times I see the toilet paper hoarding behavior, it still amazes me. This time I notice people buying lots of milk, which also leaves me a bit puzzled. The most likely thing to happen to us is not that we'll be stranded, but that we'll lose power. So shouldn't one be getting rid of perishables, rather than stocking up on them?

But who am I to talk? My version of "stocking up" consists of buying two cans of soup and a pint of cream, all of which are going into a classic recipe from the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery. Oh, and pork jowls that don't need to be refrigerated until opened. I've never seen pork jowls offered in a regular store before, and hey, they're shelf stable. So while that's a little bit creepy, I couldn't resist.

I'm also "stocking up" on posts and getting that soup post ready for tomorrow, so that if we do lose power (as the cheerful automated call from the electric company has told us to expect) I'll minimize the blog impact.

Easy Food Pr0n: Cool Summer Cucumbers

2011-08-26T07:20:00.005-04:00

Sliced cucumbers are a perfect summer breakfast vegetable. (photo by Courtney)

More produce from Sligo Creek Farm picked up at the Silver Spring farmer's market.

The cucumbers are pretty even in their natural state. (photo by Courtney)

These are a salad cucumber, a lemon cucumber, some variety of gherkin, and one variety the name of which has completely escaped me. All nice and crisp and perfect as part of a summer breakfast.

"Autumnal Equinox" Milk?

2011-08-24T07:17:00.000-04:00

Does milking the cows on the equinox yield a better cheese? Well, it did win Best in Show... (photo by Rogue Creamery)

I don’t generally blog things I haven’t eaten, but I couldn’t resist when I saw this description of the Best in Show winner at the 27th Annual American Cheese Society (ACS) show. The cheese in question is Rogue River Blue, from Rogue Creamery in Oregon.

According to the release (bold mine):

Rogue River Blue is handmade using autumnal equinox milk from Brown Swiss and Holstein cows’ milk, certified sustainable by Food Alliance.

Uh…ok. So the September 20^th milk is, you know, just “off” somehow, and please, just make string cheese with any milk you get after the 23^rd. To add to the cache:

The cows graze in 1,650-foot elevation pastures along the Rogue River and in 5,000-foot elevation pastures along the Klamath River, where they eat a variety of grasses, wild herbs, and wild flowers supplemented with grass hay, alfalfa and grain grown on the ranch. The 5-pound (2.2-kg) wheels are made by hand and aged in specially constructed caves. The cheese ripens from naturally occurring molds found in the Rogue River Valley and, therefore, reflects a deep connection to the land. After maturation, the cheese is wrapped in Syrah grape leaves from Carpenter Hill Vineyard, which have been macerated in Clear Creek Pear Brandy and tied to the wheel with raffia. The cheese is released annually starting in September.

All of this may explain the $32 (+$15 S&H) price tag for a 1/8-wheel (275g or 9.7oz) wedge. Even for a ~~sucker like me~~ gourmet such as myself, that was a bit too much of an ouch factor for me to hit “place order.” A picture on the Rogue Creamery website shows the happy winner with a buyer from Whole Foods, so maybe I can pick up a sliver there someday. If so, I’ll be sure to update with a report.

Sous Vide Brandied Carrots with Fresh Oregano

2011-08-22T07:14:00.003-04:00


Brandied carrots are intensely flavored and perfectly cooked. (photo by Courtney)

A half dozen medium-sized carrots were trying not to be forgotten in the fridge, and fresh oregano abounds in the garden. Fortunately, I thought about that in the morning, just in time to let Kameko-san, the sous vide, work its alchemy.
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Getting Irritated

2011-08-21T07:40:00.001-04:00

While almost everyone plays nice and lets me know if they want to use or adapt something I've posted, I know people have occasionally used my recipes and content on other sites unattributed. For the most part, I haven't much cared. I have a teeny-tiny blog just because I like to; if more people see my recipes or pictures and it helps them, I'm good with that.

Recently, though, I received an email that said, in effect, "Hi!! We've been stealing your content for some time!! We know you must be very honored and we think you'd therefore love to promote our blog by linking to it from your site!! Wouldn't you be thrilled to do that?"

Uh....no. Stop stealing my stuff. And I have no interest in promoting someone who steals other people's stuff, even if I do somewhat admire the chutzpah of using the theft as an advertizing gimmick for the victim.

So I've decided to copyright my content and insert a jump break, so at least these folks will have to work a little bit harder if they want to take it anyway.

Will putting a little "c" in a circle at the bottom of my page stop jerks from being the way they are? No, not for the most part. But it does give me some recourse in the event I go from being irritated to being mad.

Apologies to anyone this may inconvenience.

Of Interest to Locals: Amazing Cheese Muffins from Shilla Bakery

2011-08-20T07:14:00.003-04:00

The cheese muffin from Shilla Bakery walks the fine line between sweet and savory. (photo by Courtney)

I've been investigating smaller stores recently, and thus stumbled upon Shilla Bakery (link to their facebook page, which gives location information and phone numbers), a Korean bakery tucked away in a nondescript strip mall on Viers Mill Road. Walking in was like being transported. The bakery, with a small seating area, is very modern, bathed in soothing soft light, and extremely Asian. I just don't know another word for the attention to presentation, the beauty in the cakes, the feeling of extreme cleanliness without a hint of sterility.

Shilla's had a lovely array of cakes and pastries, plus some pizza-style lunch breads that looked wonderful. They also had a nice array of bean tarts and the fun rolled cakes typical of Korean bakeries. I was not at all hungry, but I had to buy something, and opted for a cheese muffin, not sure if it was going to be cheddar-parmesan salty, or ricotta-sugar sweet. Turns out, the muffin exactly straddled the middle. The cheese itself had a hint of salt; the bread a hint of sweet. The two were perfectly balanced in a muffin that was moist and dense without seeming at all greasy, and it just melted in my mouth.

I will definitely go back. Shilla has seven locations (5 in Virginia, one in Ellicott City, and the one I went to). When you're in the area give them a try.

In housekeeping notes, I'm letting my life catch up with me for the next week or so, and blogging may be spotty. I'll be back, though!

1966 WDEC - Deviled Eggs

2011-08-18T07:27:00.001-04:00

This mid-century recipe yields perfect baseline deviled eggs. (photo by Courtney)

It is simply not right to pass through the "Deviled" entry of a mid-20th-Century American cookbook. Deviled eggs were the stars of so many parties, before the passion for bland shrimp took over. So, deviled eggs it was. I particularly like that this recipe makes 16 halves, when egg plates don't typically hold that many. The extras are, perhaps, to account for those occasions when the yolk boils right against the edge of the egg, or simply a bit of lagniappe for the chef.

Deviled Eggs
(can be scaled)
8 Hard-boiled eggs, shelled and halved
4 tsp prepared mustard (I used German feuer senf, which is about as sharp as Dijon but without the wine)
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
Dash of cayenne
1/2 tsp minced onion or dash of onion salt
1 tsp vinegar
Mayonnaise or salad dressing

Mash the egg yolks with the remaining ingredients, except mayonnaise. Add just enough mayonnaise to moisten and mix well. Fill egg whites and chill.

Cooking Notes: I've always wanted to try deviled eggs with Greek-style yogurt instead of mayonnaise, and this was my chance. Other than that substitution, and using a rather heavy hand for the cayenne, everything to spec.

Eating Notes: Perhaps my nostalgia had me in its grasp. Whatever the reason, these were ur-like deviled eggs, absolutely perfectly balanced in umami, spice, vinegar/mustard bite, and with a hint of texture and sweetness from the onions. I wished for sliced black olives to put on top, to remind me of the party treats of my youth.

Three in a Row: Chinese Long Beans in Garlic

2011-08-17T07:38:00.000-04:00

Retaining their purple and green, the Chinese long beans are beautiful and redolent of summer. (photo by Courtney)

Again from Sligo Creek Farm, and they let me buy 6 beans - a "half bunch" perfect for a single dinner serving. I even got to pick out my own, so I had 3 purple and 3 green. Gently stir-fried for 5 minutes in coconut ghee with a little bit of minced garlic, it was heaven and summer all in one.

Even More Pr0n: Real Blackberries

2011-08-16T07:48:00.001-04:00

Tart blackberries are as sublime as they are hard to find. (photo by Courtney)

Didn't expect anything at all blog-worthy. I've been trying to eat more fruit. I like vegetables, but fruit always is a challenge to me; most of it is just too sweet for my liking, and one can suck only so many limes. Avocados are good, but they're almost like vegetables.

Sligo Creek Farm is one of my favorite vendors at the Silver Spring farmer's market. They always have interesting things in small quantities, and I'm often left just really happy for having been there. This week there were two container of blackberries on the counter, and one of them was mine. They were plump and ripe, but not the monster type I've become resigned to at the supermarket. Berries are small, so they're good fruit for someone who doesn't really like it. You get your sugar in small doses.

I opened the package, intending to add some to some yogurt. Tried one...it was...tart! Truly tart, like the blackberries I used to pick in the weedy meadows around my semi-rural house growing up. Little bursts of semi-sweetness coming through every now and again, but mostly wonderful, August-flavored dark pearls of tartness. Needless to say, these are to be eaten plain. If I had a bushel, though, I'd make a pie.

Thanks, guys!

Summer is the Time to Maximize Easy Food Pr0n: Wagyu Short Ribs with Red Monkey Rub

2011-08-15T07:22:00.000-04:00

Wagyu beef is satisfyingly fatty and set off nicely by the mildly spicy rub. (photo by Courtney)

The Wagyu short ribs from D'Artagnan were large enough that I made them in two batches. I cooked both the same way - sous vide at 60C/145F for 24 hours; finish on the grill. For this second batch I used a sample of Red Monkey Hickory Smoked Balsamic rub I picked up at the Fancy Food Show, applying it before I put the meat into the sous vide. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much by way of the rub, but I found it really went well with the meat. The main ingredient in the rub is, not surprisingly, salt. Surprisingly (to me), though, the finished product did not taste at all salty; in fact, I added a bit of plain Himalayan salt to it, which I usually do only when things are otherwise salt-free. The main tastes I got were a peppery/acid tang and a bit of depth from the smoke flavor. My hypothesis is that much of the salt may dissolve into the juices, which run off when the meat is removed from the vacuum bag. In any event, it was exceptionally good. The Wagyu is without a doubt the most fat-rich beef I've ever had (and I mean that in a good way). and the slightly sharp tang of the rub went with it perfectly. Maybe fall also will be a good pr0n season.

Polish Tripe Soup

2011-08-14T07:26:00.001-04:00

Tripe soaks up the spices and is a perfect mainstay for soup. (photo by Courtney)

One of my favorite Bulgarian foods is tripe soup. Served (at least the kind I've had) in a flavorful garlicky broth, the tripe soaks up the spices and is warm, tender, and wonderful in the mouth. I thought of making some, but beef have notoriously large stomachs, and the thought of quite that much soup was a bit overwhelming.

When I was last at the Kielbasa Factory, a small Polish/Eastern European grocery, I was therefore thrilled to see they had ready-made tripe soup, flaczki (Wikipedia link), waiting in the freezer. Oh. Yum. The flaczi is a bit more hearty and not so garlicky as the Bulgarian tripe soup I remember, but it has the same soppy goodness. The Wikipedia entry claims one also can make flaczi from a pig stomach. These are completely different in texture, though, and I'm not at all sure it would turn out as well as beef tripe. Worth a try, if I ever see it.

Impossibly Easy Food Pr0n: Foie Gras-Stuffed Apricots

2011-08-13T07:15:00.000-04:00

The incredible richness of the foie gras mousse blends very well with ripe apricot. (photo by Courtney)

One of the crap shoots of working from home is the emergency lunch. When I work client-side, I pack Mr. Bento and plan ahead, because I simply can't work well if I'm hungry. But at home, I relax a bit, figuring the pantry will provide. Sometimes this leads to some odd marriages, especially at the end of the week. This one, though, was nothing but heaven.

The duck foie gras mousse comes ready to unwrap and spread. (photo by Courtney)

The last of the D'Artagnan foie gras mousse, a splurge of velvety wonder from their recent sale, was in the fridge, calling out strongly that it wasn't going to become any more sublime just sitting there. And then there was that lone apricot, part of my campaign to force myself to eat more fruit, chilled and perfectly ripe. Well, if everything is better with bacon, shouldn't everything be *perfect* with foie gras?

The Kitchen God thinks foie gras is a suitable tithe. (photo by Courtney)

Clearly, it is. Even Kitchen God Alex, who deigns to notice very little, was pleased. And then, properly fortified, it was back to work.

1966 WDEC - Sherried Dates

2011-08-11T07:56:00.002-04:00

Sherried dates are not too sweet and will work well with strong cheese. (photo by Courtney)

Skippage past "Dasheen," a type of taro that is "extremely wholesome and readily digested, and that I've never seen, at least under that name. The "Date" section, by contrast, is heavy on the lore of the date palm. Most of the recipes are for cookies and pies; this one was easily scalable.

Instructions: Pour 1 cup sherry (I used dry sherry) over 1 pound pitted dates. Let stand in refrigerator for about 24 hours, or until most of the sherry is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Stuff each date with a pecan half (be careful or you may split the date, as I did to the one shown in the picture). Store, covered, in the refrigerator. Dates will keep for about one month.

Eating Notes: These are pretty good. Not too sweet, and the sherry cuts the to-me-often-unpleasant gumminess of the dried fruit. The dates are quite soft after being soaked, and the pecans add a nice crunch and nut umami. They are easy to make and go well with a strong cheese.

Upcoming Skippage: Much to skip: Daube, a French slow-cooking method for beef; Decorate, with recipes for frosting; Decorticate, to remove bark or shell from a spice; Deep Fry, with no recipes; Dehydrate; Delmonico, with a recipe for potatoes baked in white sauce; Demitasse; Dessert, with many recipes for "dinner party desserts" that each would serve an army. I may try their deviled egg recipe, just so I don't end up turning the pages on half the book.

More Easy Wagyu Beef Pr0n: Sous Vide D'Artagnan Boneless Wagyu Short Ribs

2011-08-10T07:30:00.001-04:00

Boneless shortribs of Wagyu beef are incredibly tender after 24 hours in the sous vide. (photo by Joachim)

The short ribs were part of my "what the heck, it's on sale" splurge at D'Artagnan. Twenty-four hours in Kameko-san (the Sous Vide) at 60C/145F and 4 minutes a side under the broiler was all that was needed to yield an absolutely incredible meat for dinner.

The finished short ribs are crusty and perfectly cooked. (photo by Joachim)

I'd heard about Wagyu but hadn't anticipated the fullness of the fat. I thought there would be little veins of marbling; instead, the fat just courses through the meat. I cooked these medium-rare instead of my usually-preferred really rare, and I think that was the right choice. Too raw, and I think the fat would have been unpleasant.

Easy Food Pr0n: Wagyu Frikadellen

2011-08-09T07:17:00.000-04:00

Wagu beef makes very nice, if a bit expensive, frikadellen. (photo by Joachim)

Taking advantage of a sale at D'Artagnan, I finally tried some Wagyu beef (Wikipedia link here). I don't generally get pre-packaged burgers, but it was a bit less expensive to order things as part of a package, so why not?

Turns out the beef is very nicely fatty, crisps up wonderfully, and holds up well to the length of cooking needed to get big chunks of onion nice and soft in our Frikadellen. So we were happy, if cash-depleted, proles for the night.

Too Fun! Gut Springenheide Chocolate Eggs in Real Eggshells

2011-08-08T07:47:00.004-04:00

Cute? Impossibly so. The chocolate egg emerges from its shell. (photo by Joachim)

At the Fancy Food Show the extremely nice people from Gut Springenheide were showing off their chocolate truffles - which are packed in real eggshells.

The chocolates come carefully packaged to prevent breakage. (photo by Joachim)

The shells come in solid colors, like the one shown above, rainbows, and fancy (or even custom-made) patterns.

You can use the "Klack" or any other method that works for hard-boiled eggs.(photo by Joachim)

You crack it like an egg (the eierschalensollbruchstellenverursacher, or "klack" method is shown above), then peel and eat it. A gimmick? Certainly, but too much fun. And it turns out the truffle inside is quite good. We had hazelnut; it had a strong, nutty taste and the chocolate was velvety smooth. I've seen these at various online outlets; they run about $5 each, plus shipping.

1966 WDEC - Creamed Sweetbreads

2011-08-07T07:32:00.002-04:00

Creamed Sweetbreads are a traditional comfort food good in any season. (photo by Joachim)

When everything is on sale, sweetbreads are on sale. So I took advantage of the sale at D'Artagnan to get a pair of veal sweetbreads. I mention this because while I picked them up almost as much for convenience as anything else, I couldn't believe how clean they were.

The D'Artagnan sweetbreads come *very* clean. (photo by Joachim)

The picture above shows them after parboiling - no other preparation whatsoever was done prior to taking this picture. Finishing the prep was a breeze. A few inner veins had to be removed, but that was all. I really appreciate this kind of time-saver. But back to the recipe. We were hungry and wanted comfort food. So I skipped *far* ahead in the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery, to Volume 11, and found this.

Creamed Sweetbreads
(to serve 4)
1 pair large sweetbreads
1 large onion, minced
12 medium mushrooms, sliced
6 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp curry powder
2-1/2 cups light cream
1 Tbsp brandy
1/4 cup sherry

Put sweetbreads in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon white vinegar for every 4 cups of water used (the acid helps to keep the sweetbreads white and firm.) Simmer (do not have at a full boil) for 20 minutes. Then, hold sweetbreads under cold runing water and slip off membrane with fingers. Cut out dark veins and thick connective tissue. Break into pieces about 1" big.

Cook onion and mushrooms in the butter for 5 minutes. Blend in flour an seasonings. Graually add cream an cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Ad sweetbreads, brandy and sherry; heat.

Cooking Notes: Somehow my cupboard is bare of brandy, so I substituted dark rum. All else to spec.

Eating Notes: Exactly as expected, this is comfort food to the Nth degree, full of umami that is just kept in check by the onions. I liked the fragrance the dark rum gave the dish and can see it as a good Winter variation with a light grating of nutmeg over the top of each serving. We had leftovers, and the next day I reheated the sweetbreads with green bell pepper cut into large (~3/4") pieces. The combination was excellent, as the pepper stayed crisp and juicy and turned the sweetbreads into an effective one-dish meal.

Cucumber-Pepper Salad

2011-08-06T07:33:00.000-04:00

Cucumber salad with peppers and a rice vinegar-ginger dressing is a perfect side for umami-rich entrees. (photo by Joachim)

While this takes a bit of resting time in the fridge, making time is nearly non-existent. The result is tangy and a wonderful foil for anything that emphasizes umami (the duck breast shown was a perfect main dish for this side).

Instructions for 2 servings: Slice one medium (6"-7") cucumber very thin. Seed a medium-hot pepper and slice very thin. add 2 tablespoons minced onion, 2 tablespoons finely minced ginger, 2 tbsp brown rice vinegar, and salt to taste. Mix gently and thoroughly. Chill for at least an hour. Mix again before serving, and serve very cold.

Easy Food Pr0n: Tasso and Sauerkraut

2011-08-05T07:26:00.004-04:00

Tasso and sauerkraut pair perfectly with a bit of fried onion for an easy one-dish meal. (photo by Joachim)

An Alsatian delight? Bavarian sauerkraut from GermanDeli.com meets cubes of smoked Tasso from D'Artagnan halfway. For two servings, about 12 ounces (350 grams) each of Tasso and sauerkraut. Fry half a large onion, cubed, in the fat of your choice until soft. Add the tasso and fry about 5 minutes more, then mix in the sauerkraut and cook a few more minutes, until the sauerkraut is heated through. Beyond yummy, and really fast.

Duck Breast Sous Vide with Kirschwasser

2011-08-04T07:12:00.001-04:00

Cooking duck breast in the sous vide with kirschwasser and anise hyssop adds a distinctive fruit flavor and just a hint of sweetness. (photo by Joachim)

Easy and incredible. I used a Muscovy duck breast from D'Artagnan. It had a beautiful layer of fat that went perfectly with the dry cherry of the kirschwasser and the sweetness of the anise hyssop.

Instructions: Put a duck breast in a vacuum bag with 2 Tbsp kirschwasser* and a few sprigs of anise hyssop (or use a little anise seed or a drop of anise oil). Cook in the sous vide at 60C/145F for 5 - 8 hours. Drain the sauce (strain it if you would like) into a small saucepan.

Out of the broiler, the skin is crispy and golden. (photo by Joachim)

Broil the duck breast under "Low" flame about 6" from the flame for about 5 minutes or until the skin is golden. The picture above shows it just out of the broiler. While the duck is resting, reduce the sauce by 1/2. Add a little cornstarch, if desired, to thicken the sauce. Slice the duck and serve with the sauce poured over.

I meant to garnish this with some flowers from my anise hyssop, but it smelled so good I lost my head and forgot!

1966 WDEC - Hamburgryg med Ribsgele (Bacon with Currant Jelly)

2011-08-03T07:29:00.000-04:00

Duck bacon is smoky, thick and meaty enough to hold up to the jelly sauce. (photo by Joachim)

Until seeing this recipe in the "Danish Cookery" section of the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery, I'd never thought of serving bacon under sauce.

Hamburgryg med Ribsgelee (Bacon with Currant Jelly)
(To serve 3 - 4)
1 pound Danish or Canadian-style bacon sliced 1/4" thick
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp minced onion
1/4 cup currant jelly
1 Tbsp prepared mustard (I used Dijon)
1 Tbsp dry sherry

Fry bacon in butter until brown. Remove from pan and drain. Keep bacon hot.

To fat in the pan, add minced onion and cook until soft. Stir in jelly, mustard, and sherry. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Pour over bacon and serve with mashed potatoes.

Cooking Notes: I used the rest of the duck bacon from D'Artagnan and didn't need any extra butter. With no currant jelly on hand, I substituted cranberry jelly. All else to spec.

Eating Notes: Served with eggs instead of mashed potatoes, this still was a success, making the bacon more the star than a side. While the sauce certainly would work with the meat intended, I liked it with the more bacony duck bacon instead of the ham-like Canadian Bacon. The sauce melded well with the smoky notes of the bacon, which was thick and meaty enough to eat with a knife and fork without falling apart. A nice idea to spruce up one's weekend breakfast, or to turn a traditional breakfast meat into a lunch or dinner side.

Hengstenberg Bavarian-style Sauerkraut

2011-08-02T07:36:00.002-04:00

The Bavarian-style sauerkraut makes a perfect bed for a mild traditional bratwurst. (photo by Joachim)

The Hengstenberg mild and champagne sauerkrauts were very good, so I took a chance with the Bavarian style.

The Hengstenberg sauerkraut is marketed and sold in the U.S. (photo by Joachim)

Also made with wine instead of vinegar, I was expecting this to be almost the same as the mild. To be honest, I'm not sure if the ingredients list differs from the German-made mild, but the flavor was not quite the same. Instead, it was closer to the standard sauerkraut I am used to. There was a bit less bite, but it was not as smooth even as the mild, let alone the champagne. We like the less acid/sharp flavor, and found it mixed very well with a little bit of Loewensenf Bavarian Suss (sweet) mustard. It was the perfect accompaniment to traditional bratwurst; I'd probably opt for the standard version for a more spicy sausage.

Quick Food: Schaller and Weber Bratwurst

2011-08-01T07:30:00.001-04:00

The Schaller and Weber brats are straightforward and classic. (photo by Joachim)

I bought these brats because they were new and on sale at GermanDeli.com. Nothing at all fancy about them. And in real life, that turned out to be true, as well.

The bratwurst is packed four to a package and can be frozen as is. (photo by Courtney)

We both found the brats completely unassuming and good in that nostalgic way that makes one think of the type of bratwurst you would get from a food truck or at a carnival. A slightly peppery spice went best with Mittelscharf senf (mild yellow mustard), and if we were bread-eaters, these would have been perfect on a warm bun.

D'Artagnan Duck Bacon

2011-07-31T07:34:00.000-04:00

Duck bacon on the griddle shows its meat-dominant profile. (photo by Joachim)

On closer reflection, I think that ducks do not really have bellies, and I'm not sure if one can claim that slices of duck breast are really "bacon," per se. That said, I'm hard pressed to resist any kind of bacon, so why not? Thus, I took advantage of the recent D'Artagnon sale to try a package.

The bacon comes in the traditional package. (photo by Courtney)

The package is certainly familiar, right down to the little part on the back where you can pull down the flap to see how fatty/meaty the bacon is (a bit disconcerting, as there is one large stripe of meat with a thinner border of fat, not at all the "streaky bacon" one knows from swine).

Each slice incorporates a sliver of meat with a generous attachment of fat. (photo by Courtney)

The slices are generous, but not too thick, and the smell is traditionally bacon-like. It cooks up well, with less shrinkage than streaky bacon, and a bit more than the Canadian variety. In terms of texture, the meat is more dense, but it still is satisfyingly fatty. The taste is a bit saltier than most bacon I'm used to now. The flavor is very similar to traditional smoked bacon, and I'm not sure that I could on taste alone distinguish the duck bacon from good pig bacon. I think this is because duck fat has so much flavor that relatively less goes a long way. The jury is still out, though, on whether the flavor similarity a point in favor, or just a point.

As an instant kitchen Goddess attractor, it is a success. (photo by Courtney)

For frying in a pan and serving alongside eggs, I'll stick to regular bacon, I think. But the duck bacon would be a satisfying substitute when, for whatever reason, a more meaty texture is desired without sacrificing the bacon umami. On balance, then, well worth the try.

Salt and spices

2011-07-28T07:58:00.001-04:00

Jane's Krazy Mixed-up Salt
was a staple in my mother's
kitchen (image from theirwebsite)

But of a rant, because I haven't really been cooking during the last week.

When I was a kid, my mom discovered Jane's Krazy Mixed-up Salt. It would become a staple in her kitchen for the rest of her life. She would rave about it to friends and used it in the place of just about everything. It just tasted, to me, like salt with a whole bunch of spices mixed in. Why couldn't you just mix in the spices you wanted, or whatever? I didn't fully appreciate that at the time, my mother's cabinet *maybe* had a dozen spices; my grandmother's even fewer. So a salt that combined things most people wouldn't have at home made sense. The other thing about "Jane's" was that the grain of the sale was bigger than the "it rains, it pours" variety, which made it much more interesting on the palate.

Fast forward a few decades and flavored and specialty salts are everywhere. They were well represented at the Fancy Food Show, and I've since tried about a half dozen samples. The verdict, well,
is that most of them still taste like salt mixed with a bunch of spices, only those spices aren't really as exciting any more. Bacon salts, vanilla salts, smoked salts, herbed salts, curry salts, you name it. Each vying for a space on the shelf and, ultimately, in a mouth.

Out of this bounty, only one, the Halen Mon vanilla salt, seemed to truly integrate the flavors and make something larger than the sum of the parts. The rest, while offered at a premium price, really didn't improve on Jane's. Honestly, a lot were susbstantially less inspired.

Spiced salts should appeal to people who don't have large spice closets. I'm somewhat at a loss, though, as to who the high-end foodie buyers are expected to be. Don't they already have spice racks laden with things from around the world?

The Halen Mon exception left me hopeful, and I have come to appreciate different salts for different foods and cooking styles, a big leap from my previous "salt is salt" philosophy. But just mixing up salt with a bunch of spices doesn't really strike me as anything more than a convenience food others had solidly mastered before many of the current foodies were born.

My advice? Try the new stuff, definitely, you may luck out and find a true gem. And smoked flavorings do permeate the salt in a different way than just the mixed spices do. But if you just want a salt mixed up with spices for a more humane price, stick with the tried and true. (OK, if you must branch out, try Japanese rice seasoning instead.)

And now, apologies if I go sporadic for the next couple of days. The heat and a fairly full schedule are combining to push culinary exploration (or even, for that matter, cooking dinner) farther down my "to do" list than normal.

1966 WDEC - Agurkesuppe (Cucumber Soup)

2011-07-27T07:36:00.001-04:00


Agurkesuppe (cucumber soup) is velvet-smooth and rich. (photo by Courtney)

The 11-page "Danish Cookery" section of the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery offers a wealth of recipes, but few really appealed to me. Two pages were merely ideas for Danish-inspired toppings for hors d'ouevres-sized open-faced sandwiches. Another two pages presented breads, cookies, cakes and sweets. And many of the main dish recipes could serve a marauding horde of Vikings. In with all this there were a few things that looked interesting, first among them the chilled cucumber soup, especially welcome in the season.

Agurkesuppe (Cucumber Soup)
(to serve 6 - 8)
1/4 cup butter
1 large onion, chopped
4 large or 5 medium cucumbers
2 bay leaves
6 peppercorns
1/4 cup flour
5 cups chicken bouillon
Salt to taste
Hot pepper sauce to taste
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Sour cream
Chopped dill

Peel and slice all but half of 1 cucumber very thinly, Melt the butter. Combine the sliced cucumber with the butter and chopped onion and add bay leaves and peppercorns. Cook, covered, until the vegetables are transparent. Add flour and stir until smooth. Gradually stir in the bouillon. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes; then force through a sieve or whirl in an electric blender. Add salt to taste and a dash of hot pepper sauce. Chill thoroughly.

Before serving, add cream, lemon juice, and more salt or hot pepper sauce if needed. Peel the remaining 1/2 cucumber and split it. Scrape out the seeds. Slice very thinly and add to the soup. Serve each cupful garnished iwth a spoonful of sour cream and a generous sprinkling of chopped dill.

Cooking Notes: I cut the recipe in half and used homemade stock instead of bouillon, but kept all other specs the same. Preferring the absolutely smooth texture that comes from using a chinois, I strained the soup rather than putting it in the blender. Because I'd used stock, I had to skim the chilled soup before adding the cream, so that there was no fat to mar the texture.

This soup does take some time to make, although most of that is simmering and chilling time that does not require active cooking. It's important to initially cook the cucumbers and onions on low heat so they do not burn. When they are done, the smell is wonderful.

Eating Notes: Summer comfort food. The soup is deep with cucumber-onion flavor, while the cream gives it a satisfying fullness that is made decadent by the sour cream. There is just enough of a bite from the lemon juice to balance the cream, and the dill provides a summery fragrance to go with. Definitely worth the long cooking time.

First Harvest

2011-07-26T07:29:00.000-04:00

A kung pao and a cubanelle pepper were the first vegetables pulled from this year's garden. (photo by Courtney)

As usual, my vegetables went in late this year. One tomato, just because my friend Tanc encouraged me to, several pepper plants, and some ornamental gourds planted as seeds mainly to fill in the last expanse of unused front garden, because it was something that still would have time to grow from seed.

Despite the heat and lack of rain I've somehow managed to keep them all alive. I've been snipping fresh herbs all along, and today brought the first two peppers: a cubanelle and a kung pao red. There's a yellow bell pepper on the vine that is still green and needs to ripen, and even if that's all I get, I'll consider it a success. There's just something fun about having a plant or two successfully yield fruit. I have my doubts that the tomato will amount to anything (for some reason I generally have horrible luck with tomatoes), but last year I got a few, so one never knows.

Yay!

Tasso Bacon

2011-07-25T07:14:00.000-04:00

Sliced thin and fried, the D'Artagnan tasso ham makes an excellent bacon. (Photo by Courtney)

Having forgotten to defrost any bacon or sausage, I was faced with selecting something non-traditional for my breakfast meat. Staring straight at me from the top refrigerator shelf was the D'Artagnan tasso I'd so enjoyed cooked up with chard a few days before. Two choices, chopping it up for inclusion in an omelet, or slicing and frying it to have alongside, came to mind. In the mood for bacon, I opted to slice it thinly and fry it.

All I can say is this makes me more inclined to buy a proper meat slicer. Considering the skill of the knife-wielder, the meat sliced up beautifully into file-folder-thick (the closest to paper thin I could achieve by hand) slices. While the tasso has nowhere near the fat content of bacon, there was enough to give it a good crisp and to get a pleasant degree of char (enhanced by the spices) around the edges. The strong, mildly hot spices held up to the frying and were a nice change for breakfast. This is an experiment I will repeat as long as the tasso holds out. I may also try frying an egg in a triangle of tasso as a quick weekday breakfast treat.

Cured Bauernbratwurst

2011-07-24T07:25:00.000-04:00

Chilled, the bauernbratwurst is firm enough to slice and the juices form an aspic, which can be used as garnish. (photo by Courtney)

Still too hot to cook, so I turned to a can of what was truly, for me, mystery meat: the Cured Bauernbratwurst from GermanDeli.com. Joachim had never heard of bratwurst in a can, either.

The bauernbratwurst comes in a "just the facts, ma'am" can. (photo by Courtney)

The product seems closer to a leberwurst than a bratwurst. I'm pretty sure it would not hold up to being heated, and is meant to be spread directly on bread or a roll. Straight out of the can it was quite soft; after being refrigerated, it was firm enough to slice and the juices set into a nicely flavored aspic, as shown in the first post picture. The taste is mild and the texture fairly smooth and quite uniform.

While I prefer fresh German meat spreads, this isn't a bad thing to have on hand for emergencies.

D'Artagnan Tasso with Celery and Chard

2011-07-23T07:02:00.001-04:00

Tasso, celery and chard makes a quick, spicy one-dish meal. (photo by Courtney)

D'Artagnan was (still is, if you're reading this by Sunday, July 24 2011) having a 15% off everything sale, so I took the opportunity to try a piece of tasso, figuring it would be versatile and good for these summer days when cooking does not always appeal.

The tasso comes shrink-wrapped in a single piece. Sliced, it releases spicy, fragrant juices. (photo by Courtney)

The tasso came, nicely wrapped and inviting. One can't go wrong with ham and greens, and there was a nice bunch of chard that needed eating. The marriage was inevitable.

Easy D'Artagnan Tasso with Celery and Chard
(to serve 1 as a main dish or 2 as a side)
3-4 inside stalks of celery (about 80g), sliced 1/2 to 1" thick (with leaves, if they have them)
1 bunch (about 300g) chard
150g D'Artagnan Tasso Ham, cubed into 1/2" pieces (you can substitute another ham or meat, but the taste will be completely different, because all the spicing is in the ham)
Fat for frying (I used Mangalitsa lard)
Corn starch or similar thickener (optional)

Heat fat and saute celery for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cubed ham and saute another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chard and cook, stirring frequently, until chard is wilted. If you would like the sauce to be thick, lightly sprinkle on a bit of cornstarch or similar thickener and stir in.

Cooking Notes: Initially, I'd planned to cook this with onions and add some celery seed. That led me to try just the celery, giving me the same crunch of the onion and the front-of-the-palate flavor enhancement of the celery without having competing sweet/umami from the onion. Sauteeing the celery really brought out its aroma even in the finished dish. The spicing of the tasso was so well suited for the chard and celery that I didn't need a bit of additional salt, pepper, or spice.

Eating Notes: For the tasso, I'd expected something mildy spicy with a coating offering up a bit of hot. I was pleasantly surprised to find the spicing as well as the smoke went deep into the ham and was robust enough to hold up to cooking. With the chard and celery, no further seasoning was necessary.

Stiglmeier Head Cheese with Garlic

2011-07-22T07:34:00.003-04:00

Head cheese is not shy about showing off what it's made of. (photo by Courtney)

When I was a kid, head cheese was just about the most disgusting-to-me thing in the supermarket. Did they think they were fooling people by calling it "cheese"? Even a person who was blind would know by the texture that this was no amiable dairy product. But there it hung, in the standard Oscar-Mayer yellow package, nestled between the Lebanon and regular bologna, and calling...who? Somebody must have bought this collection of leftover parts bound together by aspic. I could only imagine who that might be. And now, it is me.

With the usual goad of a sale price from GermanDeli.com and the conviction that anything this honest-looking has to be good, I picked up a chub of garlic head cheese. As reasonably tolerant of different things as I am, even I found the unvarnished chunkiness and obvious bits of, well, things to be a bit much. So I sliced it thin-ish and added it to my breakfast plate, along with some celery, cheese, a boiled egg, and some miso soup.

And...it was pretty good. Not tongue loaf by any stretch, but the bits were not gristly, as I feared, and the garlic was strong but not overpowering. Definitely not haute cuisine, the sausage is country food with a lot of flavor. I don't know if I would like it thickly sliced, but in thin slivers it made a good cold breakfast meat. And I even think it was kind of pretty.

Not sure if my grown-up standards are higher are lower, but they've certainly evolved!

1966 WDEC - Houby s Vejci (Czechoslovakian Mushrooms with Eggs)

2011-07-20T07:34:00.000-04:00

Mushrooms with eggs make a perfect breakfast when served with cheese and speck. (photo by Courtney)

Skipping a couple of entries to the last one for "C" in the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery - Czechoslovakian Cookery. Only two pages long, it mentions "the famous Czech geese, ducks and chickens" and "the noble Czech pigs, then devotes half of the recipes to cakes. I opted for these eggs, which I guess are a chicken product.

Houby s Vejci (Mushrooms with Eggs)
(to serve 4)
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup butter
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp crushed caraway seeds
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
6 eggs, beaten

Saute mushrooms in hot butter with salt, pepper, caraway seeds,a nd parsley. When mushroom liquid has evaporated, add beaten eggs and scramble mixture. Serve hot.

Cooking Notes: I cut *way* back on the salt, just putting a few grindings into the pot on the assumption that people could salt their own at the table if they wanted more. All else to spec.

Eating Notes: This was nicely aromatic blend, perfect as a breakfast dish. With a bit of cheese and some German Speck (sort of like prosciutto), it was like having an inside-out omelet. I would use regular white mushrooms or portobello/crimini mushrooms for this dish. Stronger mushrooms would overpower the eggs; delicate mushrooms would be muscled out by the caraway and relatively unkind cooking treatment.

Edna Cheesecake

2011-07-19T07:18:00.000-04:00

A half slice of the Edna "individual" cheesecake makes a generous serving. (photo by Courtney)

I liked the apple streusel cake enough that I ordered the Edna Cheesecake, also from GermanDeli.com. As with the apple streusel, it's made in Germany and shipped here and comes in "individual" packets that could easily serve two or even four if you just wanted a bite.

When I was in Eitelborn I found that "sweets" weren't nearly as sweet as they are here, and the cheesecake is no exception. The Edna cheesecake is much lighter, less dense, and more cake-like than I am used to, with a texture that is almost a bit grainy. I tried one reheated and one thawed but chilled; both ways were good, but I had a preference for the reheated style. The cheesecake is "cake-y" enough that it does not melt or go soft. Chilled or warm, the flavor is traditional and mild with only a slight sour cream sharpness.

If I ordered this cake in an American restaurant I would be disappointed, because it is not the dense cream cheese bomb I am used to. That said, after a big dinner or with one's midafternoon coffee, the lighter style is welcome. I also have come to a point where most cakes and pastries sweetened to an American palate are almost inedible to me. It was nice to be able to have an entire half piece without feeling overwhelmed. In any event, I am certain the slices I ordered will disappear in short order.

1966 WDEC - Coconut Sambal

2011-07-18T07:10:00.002-04:00

Meant to be a topping for curries, coconut sambal is addictively good straight off the plate. (photo by Courtney)

Also from the WDEC entry on Ceylonese curries, the Sambals "can be red or white. Tradisinoally, they are a hot dish...when the chili is omitted or cut down, the sambal is 'cooling,' or white."

Coconut Sambal
(to serve 4 - 6 as a relish / side)
2 cups dried coconut
1/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp minced onion
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp lime or lemon juice or vinegar

Soak coconut in milk for 10 minutes. Add onion, chili powder, salt and lime juice. Mix well, This is fluffy, not a paste.

Cooking Notes: I quartered the recipe, went a little heavy on the spicing, added a dash of cayenne, and used only a few gratings of salt.

Eating Notes: Potentially addictive, the sambal happily blends sweet, spice, tart, and umami. Normally served on top of curries, and I planned to put it on the plantain curry served with the same dinner. I tried "just a bit" so I could describe the taste, and ended up eating all of it straight off the plate.

1966 WDEC - Vegetable, Plantain or Banana Curry

2011-07-17T07:55:00.000-04:00

Green plantain curry is mildly sweet and spicy and makes a versatile side dish. (photo by Courtney)

The Ceylonese curry section in the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery gives a vegetable curry for which, it says, one can use Plantain curry. Because they did not have access to coconut milk or coconut water, they refer to using "First" and "Second" extracts of coconut milk. I have somewhat arbitrarily decided that coconut *milk* is the correct substitute for the First extract, and coconut water for the second.

Vetegable, Plantain, or Banana Curry
(to serve 4)
1/8 tsp ground saffron
1 tsp salt or to taste
1 Tbsp minced onion
Pinch of dillseeds
1 bay leaf
1/2" piece of green or red chili, dried or fresh
Pinch of dried fish (optional)
1 pound vegetables, any kind (cut if needed; a 2" chunk or slice of a vegetable is average) -or- 1 lb green (unripened) plantains or bananas, peeled and cut into chunks.
1 cup First extract coconut milk (I substituted coconut milk)
1 cup Second extract coconut milk (I substituted coconut water)

Blend all seasonings together with the vegetables. Add 1 cup Second extract of coconut milk. Cover. Simmer until gravy has cooked down to half of original quantity, or until vegetables are tender. Add First extract; simmer another 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until gravy boils. Remove from heat; serve.

Cooking Notes: The supposed can of coconut milk in my pantry was really tomato paste, so I used only coconut water. Instead of adding more in at the end I omitted that step and served the vegetables as is once they were done, removing the husk of the pepper used in cooking. I went a bit heavy on the spices (and used the poor man's saffron, turmeric) and a quite a bit light on the salt. My plantains were so green that I had to peel them with a paring knife.

Eating Notes: Flavorful and more like a starchy tuber than a sweet fruit, the plantains were a pleasant surprise. I was expecting something sweet-and-sour, but instead the plantains were much drier than I'd expected, soaking up the sauce much as a taro route or similar vegetable would. While there was some sweetness from the coconut water, it was mild and in line with the soft spicing of the dish. I think this would be a very nice side with pork or fish, especially.

Kocher's Krakauer

2011-07-16T07:35:00.000-04:00

The contrast between the smooth and chunky bits of Kocher's Krakauer sausage is pronounced. (photo by Courtney)

Another sale item from GermanDeli.com, the Krakauer (Krakow-style) chunky pork sausage was too tempting not to try. I'm not usually turned off by textural chunkiness, etc. The Krakauer sausage, though, definitely appeals to me more as a thin-sliced cold cut than something eaten in a big chunk. The ground wurst and the inclusions just don't hold together and meld well enough for me to really enjoy that way. In thin slices, though, the textural differences are still there but are subtle enough to enhance, rather than distract.

In short, for me, a middle-of-the-road cold cut. Interesting enough, though, that I will try the other brands of Krakauer when they are on sale.

Sensory Overload

2011-07-15T07:16:00.000-04:00

If I hadn't been a woman on a mission, I would have brought home many times more foods to try. (photo by Courtney)

Z.O.M.G.

I went to the Specialty Food trade show this weekend, as I'm thinking about becoming more professionally involved in food. It was overwhelming.

Having a day gig meant I could only go on Sunday, so I literally raced through the displays. Criteria? Meat, yes. Spirits, yes. People I know from ordering from them for, like, forever, yes. Anything else, only if it really grabbed me and if there was absolutely nobody else talking to the booth staff. Still, I missed some of my long-time vendors because of that "nobody else talking to them" rule. I didn't have time to wait, and I didn't want to distract someone from doing business with a potential retailer or outlet just to say hi.

My take-aways? I am amazed by how many people are offering really good food, and what a challenge it is to bring that food to waiting, appreciative mouths.I have new ideas about things I may be able to do in my 9-5 life to facilitate the food - to - mouths journey. And I also realize that in addition to food, I have an interest in spirits. I tried some very good tequila, straight, for the first time ever. This has made me consider more my interest in rum (brought on through the encouragement of the county store folks that "if you like good scotch, you really need to try rums") and in pre-1970s cocktails. I may be blogging more along the alcohol lines going forward.

Whatever the outcomes, the day itself was a tiring, wonderful, hoot. And I made it, just barely, to the last booth, just as they were turning off the house lights.

1966 WDEC - Basic Red Curry with Fish (sort of)

2011-07-14T07:48:00.001-04:00

Fish curry can be made with any seafood and delivers a mild but complex taste. (photo by Courtney)

The 1966 Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery has a 5-page section on Curry (following the skipped "Cure" with it's instructions that begin with phrases such as "for every 100 pounds of meat..." and "Currants" with its recipes that frustrate me for having ripped the currant bush out of my back yard over a decade ago). This itself is interesting; more so to me is that for whatever reason all but two of the recipes, compiled under the byline of one Lilian O. Feinberg, are attributed to being Ceylonese. She assumes that you cannot buy coconut milk in the grocery and must make it through repeated extractions of dry coconut. She also gives a basic recipe and then rather extravagant deviations from it for different protein types. So I will reproduce here what I made, rather than try to reproduce the original with pointers and arrows.

Basic Red Curry and Fish
(to serve 2 -3)
1 lb fish of any sort to hold up to long cooking
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric (or use a generous pinch of saffron)
2 Tbsp minced onion
Pinch of ground ginger
1 bay leaf
2 drops lemon extract
1/2" piece cinnamon stick
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp melted fat (I used coconut oil)
Coconut milk to cover
1 tsp lemon or lime juice or white vinegar (I used lime juice)
1 tsp mixed spices: cardamom, cinnamon, cloves

Wash the fish (use whole cleaned fish rather than fillets if possible) and soak it for 15 minutes in enough brine to cover, making the brine with 1 Tbsp white vinegar and 1 tsp salt. Drain and carefully rinse the fish.

Sprinkle the fish with 1/2 tsp lemon juice and season with the other spices and the fat (save the final teaspoon of lemon juice and mixed spices for later). Add coconut milk to cover and simmer for about 45 minutes or until a red oil forms on the top of the gravy and the fish is soft. Shake the pan occasionally during cooking; do not stir or the fish will fall apart.

Plate the fish. Add the lemon juice and mixed spices to the pan sauces and stir in.

Cooking Notes: As the photo shows, I used shrimp, which I had on hand. It worked quite well, although I'm not a huge fan of shrimp that has been simmered for 45 minutes. I think this would have worked quite well in the sous vide and may try a modification of the recipe that way. As usual for me, I served it with no starch; I think it would be better with rice instead of potatoes, although either would work.

Eating Notes: The shrimp was, as expected, a bit overcooked for my taste, but the flavor of the sauce was nice and shrimpy, so I'm not sure how to balance the two. Perhaps cooking the shells in with the sauce, then removing them and adding the shrimp just until it was ready, would have been better. The curry itself was mild but satisfyingly complex, with the spices blending nicely. In sum, it was a 1-hour meal that tasted like it had taken much longer to cook than it really had.

Edna Apple Streusel Cake

2011-07-13T07:26:00.001-04:00

Reheated, Edna Apple Streusel Cake browns nicely and stays moist. (photo by Courtney)

I don't usually buy sweets. Heck, I don't usually make sweets. But I justified the GermanDeli.com purchase because (take note: these are the standard extravagant food purchase excuses):

It came wrapped in sizes small enough that I wouldn't have tons of leftovers;
It really is made in Germany (substitute country X for other ethnic cuisine);
It was on sale; and
It is food.

I also said well, my future mother-in-law will be here over Christmas, and Germans traditionally have an afternoon coffee-and-tea break, and it would be good to have something easy to pull out of the freezer to heat and serve on such an occasion (ok; she is mildly diabetic and doesn't eat sweets. But we're talking irrational justifications here).

The "individual" pieces are big enough for two or even four. (photo by Courtney)

Whatever the internal conspiracy, the cake arrived, as all things from GermanDeli, exactly as specified. I'm not a big fan of sugar or unspecified vegetable oils, and one would need the intertoobs to know what "X Agent ENNN" is, so I'm glad this is a treat.

And as a treat, it's quite good. The "individual" portion was enough for two ample dessert servings or even as many as four little after-dinner bites. Reheated in the oven, it was nicely moist, very apple-y, and not too sweet. The top crisped up and browned nicely in the oven, although I liked it better at 325F for 15 minutes, rather than the 300F recommended. A dusting of nutmeg at the table made it even better.

I'd strongly recommend the apple streusel cake to people in smaller households, and I liked it so much that I have the same brand of German cheesecake on order, with no justification other than I think it will taste really good. Review to come.

1966 WDEC - Coffee- Molasses Cupcakes

2011-07-12T07:59:00.001-04:00

Coffee-Molasses cupcakes have a deep, mellow flavor and excellent texture. (photo by Courtney)

This is why I'm glad I am working on-site at my client's. I love cupcakes, as they mix up easily and (thanks to paper cupcake cups) are a breeze to clean up after and to share with others. I expected the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery to have a whole "cupcake" cookbook, but instead they have only four recipes. One is for what must be a perennial favorite, "Prune Pound Cupcakes." Only one of the recipes, for plain vanilla cupcakes, called for any frosting. I opted for these, as I'm a fan of both coffee and dark molasses.

Coffee-Molasses Cupcakes
(makes 1 dozen)
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup dark molasses
1-3/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup brewed coffee (I used espresso)

Cream butter; add sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg and molasses and beat well. Sift dry ingredients and add to first mixture alternately with coffee. Fill greased muffin tins or paper muffin cups 2/3 full and bake in preheated 350F/180C oven for 25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes; turn out on racks and cool.

Cooking Notes: I cut the sugar to 1/3 cup and doubled the cinnamon and ginger. My all-purpose flour ran out so I used about 1 cup of that and 3/4 cup cake flour. I used the convection oven feature of my stove for cooking.

Eating Notes: More like gingerbread muffins than like the super-sweet cupcakes I'm used to, these had a dark, spicy texture, were wonderfully moist, and had a good, even crumb. The crust browned perfectly and was the same texture as with baked donuts. The taste, to me, was a little bit Christmas-y, but not so much so as to stop me from enjoying them on a hot July evening.

1966 WDEC - Nepalese Potato Salad

2011-07-11T07:45:00.001-04:00

Nepalese potato salad is refreshing, with a citrus bite combining well with the vegetables and spices. (photo by Courtney)

After the definitions of "Cuisine" and "Culinary," the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery" offers several recipes featuring "Cumin," a spice "with a strong, warm, and slightly bitter taste." We're also told that "the anciwent scribes and Pharisees were charged with punctiliously tighing mint, dill, and cumin," and that Pliny recommended large quantities of cumin seed "to produce a scholarly pallor in those wishing to look as though they had been spending long hours studying." Ah, yes. No danger of that in the quantities used here, though. I opted for the "Nepalese" potato salad. As with many of these mid 1970s forays into international cooking, I do not attest to this being any more Nepalese than by having the word in the title.

Nepalese Potato Salad
(to serve 4 - 6)
2 large potatoes, peeled and boiled
2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted and ground
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp ground cumin seed
Dash of red pepper
1 small green pepper, chopped
Few chopped coriander seeds

Chop potatoes finely. Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Cooking Notes: I halved the recipe and kept the amount of sesame seeds, lemon, and cumin the same (effectively doubling them). I totally forgot to grind the toasted sesame seeds, so they went into the salad whole. Conversely, I had no whole coriander seeds on hand, and substituted a few dashes of ground.

Eating Notes: This was surprisingly good and did resembled potato salads I've had in Indian restaurants and also in Ethiopian restaurants. The spicing was strong but not at all overpowering and the "warm" cumin worked well against the lemon. I think it would be fine, especially at the original spicing strength, for all but the most timid eaters. Because there are no "aging mayonnaise" worries, this would be a nice choice for a summer picnic or buffet.

1966 WDEC - Braised Cucumbers

2011-07-10T07:31:00.001-04:00

Braised cucumbers are browned, but rather bland. (photo by Courtney)

Between "Croaker" and "Cucumber" lies a bunch of skippage (see note below). The "Cucumber" entry included a few expected things like cucumber-onion salad, chilled cucumber-tomato soup, and a number of sauces. Meh. But then it also had a recipe for cooked cucumbers, something utterly new to me (aside from pickles, which are in some sense cooked). I had to try.

Braised Cucumbers
(to serve 4)
3 medium cucumbers
2 Tbsp butter
1 bouillon cube
1 Tbsp boiling water

Peel cucumbers. Cut once lengthwise and once crosswise. Brown lightly in butter. Add bouillon cube dissolved in water. Cook, covered, over low heat for about 5 minutes. Season to taste.

Cooking Notes: Aside from scaling this down I left everything the same. I was suspicious that cucumbers, so high in water content, would brown at all, but they did.

Eating Notes: For me, this goes in the "interesting experiment" category. The cooked cucumbers tasted a bit like Italian eggplant only firmer. This may explain why the second cooking method recommended is to bread and fry them. They picked up a lot of flavor from the butter and honestly a bit too much of an obvious taste from the bouillon. I really like cucumbers raw, and this didn't convince me to change my opinion that raw is best in this case. At least I didn't have them boiled, the third recommended way of cooking.

Skippage Note: This round of skippage covered a lot of grain, beginning with "Croissant." "Croquettes" sounded tempting, but none of the recipes particularly unusual and all involved quite a bit of work, bread, and fat. I hesitated a bit over the almond dessert croquettes, but ultimately decided to pass. Next were "Croustade," "Crouton," "Cruller," "Crumb," "Crumpet," "Crust." For a woman who doesn't eat a whole lot of wheat, there wasn't really much appealing here. Next a description of "Cube," which imparts the information that one should use "Dice" if the intended result is smaller than 1/2" in size.

1966 WDEC - Broiled Croaker Fillets with Herbs

2011-07-09T07:16:00.003-04:00

Walleye stand in for croaker quite well when broiled with herbs and onions. Here shown pictured with squash steamed with fresh oregano. (photo by Joachim)

Skipping the section on "Crepes" in the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery, (the entry waxes poetic on the "suave" applications of crepes, but none of the filling ideas really grabbed this suave wannabe), then past "Crimp" and "Crisp" to "Croaker," the name "given to a number of different fish that make croaking or grunting noises." Presumably while alive. I had walleye on hand from Walleyedirect.com. I don't think walleye croak or grunt, to be honest, but they are a small fish suitable for being "eaten either fried or broiled." So the substitution was made and I tried this simple preparation.

Broiled Croaker Fillets with Herbs
(to serve 4)
1-1/2 pounds fresh (or thawed frozen) croaker fillets
1 onion, grated
Juice of 1 lemon
3 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground marjoram
2 tsp minced watercress or chives
1 Tbsp minced parsley

Wipe fish with damp cloth or paper towel; arrange on greased broiler rack. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over fish. Broil for about 6 minutes under medium heat or until fish flakes with a fork. Remove to hot platter; pour drippings from pan over top and garnish with additional parsley or watercress.

Cooking Notes: I cut the recipe in half but kept everything else the same. I used chives instead of watercress. My broiler does not have a "medium" setting; I cooked the fish on low about 4" from the flame. Six minutes was about perfect. Because my fillets had the skin, I broiled them for about 2 minutes skin side up, then flipped them, put the mixture over, and cooked them 4 minutes more. My onion was coarsely grated, so the covering didn't exactly pour onto the fish; rather, I had to arrange the onion mixture on top. There were still pan juices to pour over, however.

Eating Notes: Another simple and good dish. The walleye holds up to the onion, which mellows and sweetens a bit under the broiler. The pan juices are essential, adding a sharp note and extra umami to the fish.

1966 WDEC - Creme Brulee

2011-07-08T07:31:00.010-04:00

Creme brulee with raspberries is decadent and rich. (photo by Joachim)

How can I resist anything made using a blowtorch?

Creme Brulee
(to serve 4)
4 egg yolks
light brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups heavy cream
1 Tbsp dark rum or 1 tsp vanilla extract (I used rum)
Sliced peaches, raspberries, or whole strawberries

Beat egg yolks with 1/4 cup light brown sugar, and the salt until light and creamy. Slowly stir scalded cream into egg-yolk mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, in a double boiler over simmering (not boiling) water until the consistency of thin mayonnaise. Add rum, and pour into a shallow broilerproof serving dish. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Sift light brown sugar over custard to the depth of about 1/4 inch. Place under broiler, watching every minute, until sugar caramelizes and begins to brown. Refrigerate immediately. Serve with fruit.

Cooking Notes: Cut in half, the recipe yielded two individual servings as shown in the picture, plus about a half a serving we considered lagniappe (this was the Creole section, after all) and ate as a warm custard with blackberries. I used a blowtorch instead of the broiler to caramelize the sugar. I think this caramelizes the top of the sugar more quickly than the broiler does. Even though I had a thinner than 1/4-inch layer of brown sugar and although the top was perfectly caramelized and cracked nicely under the side of the spoon, there was a little bit of sugar left unmelted under the caramelized layer. Next time I'll use a bit less.

Eating Notes: What can one say? The rum was a nice change from the usual vanilla, and the creme brulee itself was extremely custardy, smooth and rich, punctuated by the caramelized sugar and bite of fresh raspberries. This all was as expected; even so, it's nice to enjoy success.

1966 WDEC - Brennan's Marchand de Vin Sauce

2011-07-07T07:11:00.001-04:00

Brennan's Marchand de Vin Sauce, shown served with veal ribs, is incredibly thick and more solids than sauce. (photo by Joachim)

Volume 4 of the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery begins with "Creole Cookery," a 5-page homage to New Orleans and south Louisiana, and, especially, four restaurants (Dunbar's, Brennan's, Commander's Palace, and Arnaud's) already famous in the 1960s that are still going strong today.

Like a lot of creole cooking, most of the recipes serve a crowd. They feature a jumble of ingredients, mostly rich and almost always with sausage or seafood. Good, but long in the making and really more than I care for with a small family. I did found an unusual-to-me sauce to start out with, and rum creme brulee to close out my dinner. Sauce first.

Brennan's Marchand de Vin Sauce
(Makes about 2 cups)
1/2 pound mushrooms
1/4 pound cooked ham
4 shallots
1 onion
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup beef bouillon
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 Tbsp flour
Salt and pepper

Chop finely the first 4 ingredients. Cook in the butter until onion is golden. Stir in bouillon and sine. Mix flour iwth a little water and stir into the hot mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and thickened. Simmer for 20 minutes longer, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking Notes: I made two mistakes. First, I chopped all the ingredients at the same time in the food processor. This gave me well-chopped shallots and onions, along with a bit of a mushroom mush. Second, the pot used for sauteeing was a bit too small, and the onions steamed before they browned. Nonetheless, the sauce turned out very thick and so mushroomy it almost could serve as a side dish.

Eating Notes: The sauce, more solids than liquids, was so thick it could be mounded in the dish. It would normally fall off anything eaten by hand. The WDEC gives this as one part of an elaborate poached egg dish involving ham, sliced peeled tomatoes, and additional Hollandaise sauce. I served the sauce simply, alongside (amazing) sous vide cooked, grill-finished veal ribs from D'Artagnan. The mushroom-onion-wine balanced the ribs without overpowering them, and the thickness of the sauce was no problem, as the sous vide-cooked ribs literally slid out of the flesh so that the dinner was best eaten with knife and fork.

Despite our best efforts, there was a bit of sauce left over. I mixed this with sauteed ham, green and yellow bell peppers, and onions and used the result as an omelet filling the next morning. Again, the combination was excellent.

1966 WDEC - Volume 4

2011-07-06T07:04:00.000-04:00

The cover of Volume 4 holds the promise of weight gain. (photo by Courtney)

With my recent trend of skipping much more, Volume 3 of the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery is complete, and Volume IV, "Creole Cookery to Finnan Haddie" beckons. Countries covered in Volume 4 include Czechoslovakia, Denmark, the Netherlands, and England. Foods include cucumbrs, dried fruit, eggs, and elderberries. While my guess is I'll only try a fraction of the promised 666 recipes, it must be time to get to the kitchen. So, onward!