choke, artichoke

lapin au saupiquet

2011-10-03T00:21:00.003-04:00

Lapin au saupiquet: rabbit marinated in vinegar and stewed in wine, finished with prunes cooked in stock, butter and brandy. The sauce/gravy is probably one of the best I have made... ever. So delicious. We started with shaved fennel salad and ate the rabbit with parsley potatoes. Finished with a plum-frangipane tart. This is from vol. II of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1970).

birthday

2011-09-15T19:04:00.005-04:00

I started with my favorite cake, a génoise, and with some fresh peaches and raspberries from the farmer's market and some various creams — whipped and bavarian (pastry cream and more whipped cream) — I made myself a pretty satisfying birthday cake.

Odd Bits

2011-09-13T21:16:00.004-04:00

I haven't been this excited about a book in a while. Yesterday I turned thirty, and today this arrived in the mail. Perfect birthday present to myself. (Now I just need to make time for some head cheese making).

Moreover, Tongue with salsa verde and potato-radish salad? Yes, please. Beef heart tartare? Swoon. Finnish blood pancakes? Tripe in Calvados? I can't wait.

Another great work of culinary writing and creation by Jennifer McLagan.

frangipane apricot tart

2011-08-07T12:22:00.002-04:00

The farmers market near my house has had the most wonderful stone fruits from Michigan; last week was sadly the final week of sour cherries so my caneton Montmorency fantasy will have to be fulfilled next summer as the last few weekends have been oppressively humid and the idea of roasting a duck in such conditions was less than desirable (meanwhile, I have some sour cherries saved in rum and others in Luxardo, which should make for some great late-summer cocktails). I decided to make a frangipane tart; above is the prep for a basic flaky pastry, which doesn't need to be pre-baked as the frangipane — a divine almond-butter-egg mixture — bakes into a cakelike consistency and the excess butter drains nicely out of the false-bottomed tart pan (and hopefully not onto the floor of your oven).

Setting up the tart I almost wished that I had made a fresh tart with pastry cream as the color was so vivid. The plums were very ripe, a rich vermilion, and the apricots were perfectly firm and smooth.

I glazed the tart with apricot jam; the upper edges of the apricots are perfectly caramelized and the frangipane firm but moist.

black raspberries

2011-07-09T14:15:00.002-04:00

Pretty excited to have found black raspberries from Michigan at the farmer's market near my house (I don't think I ever saw these when I lived in Massachusetts). They are a bit too good to do anything but eat on their own.

leek-asparagus quiche

2011-07-09T13:40:00.002-04:00

The key to a great quiche is cream, not milk. I cooked ½ lb. sliced leeks in water, salt, and butter until they were soft and the water had mostly cooked off. I added ½ lb. sliced asparagus stalks and cooked that for a minute or two. That was added to 3 eggs, 1½ c. cream, some nutmeg, pepper and shredded emmenthaler and poured into a partially-baked crust. I topped it with the asparagus tips and cooked it until it was set and just starting to brown. Chervil on top was a great touch.

pâté de campagne

2011-06-19T00:19:00.005-04:00

Last time that I made pâté de campagne I didn't have a source of caul fat, that gorgeous membrane surrounding the internal organs. This time, living in Chicago, I did. Above is the terrine with a caul fat lining ready to be packed with the pâté mixture. As with last time, pork liver was hard to find and I substituted (veal liver this time, beef liver last time).

The caul fat held everything together beautifully and the pâté was firm, moist and delicious. (This is, once again, a mostly-faithful following of a recipe of Jennifer McLagan's). I served this with chervil, Colman's mustard and cornichons.

finally, asparagus

2011-06-17T14:43:00.005-04:00

Finally found fresh, local(ish) asparagus -- not being in Western Massachusetts this spring has been tough. All it needed was sautéeing with an anchovy, garlic, capers and some white wine. Toss with pasta, top with parsley and parmesan.

tarte tatin aux poires

2011-05-21T14:23:00.002-04:00

A tarte tatin made with pears and cardamom. Baked at 400º for 15 minutes or so, then lowered to 350º until done. That temperature to start seems to get the best crust - this crust is a basic all-butter pie crust, the butter just barely incorporated, allowing for a perfectly flaky crust.

lamb shanks

2011-05-20T10:30:00.002-04:00

This was very simple but really quite great. The lamb shank is actually a Jamie Oliver method of stuffing lamb shanks with butter and herbs and then baking them in foil with leeks, carrots, white wine and olive oil. I liked the simplicity of the method and the flavor was really incredible. It took just under 2½ hours. I served them with potatoes and Julia Child haricots verts, where they are blanched, pan-dried, then tossed in butter and parsley. It really is the best way - they stay crisp and bright.

endive and cress

2011-05-13T12:51:00.002-04:00

My new favorite salad: julienned endive, watercress, lemon juice, olive oil.

all sorts of delicious.

2011-05-13T12:49:00.002-04:00

A smörgåsbord of Korean and Japanese banchan and tsukeomono, rice, and doenjang jjigae. (and that's not water, but delicious sweet potato soju, similar to Japanese shōchū).

pappardelle with rabbit

2011-02-06T15:00:00.004-05:00

This is a recipe from Jamie Oliver's Cook with Jamie (London: Michael Joseph, 2006); I tend to be very skeptical of all celebrity chefs, but I've received two of his books as gifts and everything he does is great. Leeks baked with bacon? Amazing. Pasta with stewed rabbit? Also amazing.

I used ½ AP flour, ½ semolina, rolled the dough out slightly thicker than I usually do and cut it by hand for pappardelle.

A full rabbit, jointed is marinated overnight in olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, lemon zest, thyme, and rosemary. It gets seared and is them simmered in white wine, in the over, with more garlic, rosemary and thyme. Shredded, with the cooking liquid strained, it is finished with green olives (I forget the name of the ones I bought, but they were great), marjoram, thyme and parmesan. As with many delicious things, I forgot to take a picture before digging in. Served with Julia Child's recipe for haricots verts: boiled, then dry-sautéed until the moisture is gone and topped with butter and parsley. My new favorite way to eat haricots verts.

sam gye tang

2011-02-05T21:09:00.010-05:00

A kit for Sam Gye Tang, Korean chicken soup with ginseng, comes in a little package like this. It contains rice, three dates, two ginseng roots and four or five chestnuts. You start by soaking the rice for at least three hours.

Then take a poussin (or game hen). I blanched it to reduce scum in the final soup. Stuff with rice and other ingredients. Space was limited, so a couple of dates and chestnuts and one of the ginseng roots stayed out, loose in the pot. Put the poussin in a pot, cover with water. Add some cloves of garlic (whole). Cook until done. This was just under two hours. I've seen a range of suggested times from forty-five minutes to three-and-a-half hours

Finish the soup by adding salt to taste at the very end. Serve with green onions and pepper. (And other side dishes such as kimchi, if you have them).

The poussin held together but comes apart easily with chopsticks. Very delicious. The ginseng is a little bitter, but the rice and dates balance it out perfectly. I know this dish is designed for the summer, but it feels perfect for frigid February days and an urge to fight the flu.

soup

2011-02-05T21:03:00.004-05:00

Chicken broth with shoyu, tofu, buckwheat soba, thai chili peppers, leeks and scallions. Perfect to fight off the flu everyone has.

miso soup

2011-01-29T10:31:00.003-05:00

Simple miso soup with chicken stock in lieu of dashi makes for a very satisfying dinner on a cold day.

on nutmeg, and parsimony

2011-01-12T22:55:00.001-05:00

“You have to be very parsimonious with your nutmeg.” (Jacques Pépin, More Fast Food My Way [208])

simplicity.

2011-01-11T13:46:00.002-05:00

Finally secured some miso and bonito flakes. Then, of course, dashi with kelp and bonito. I poached some julienned carrots in the dashi, removed them to a bowl and poached two eggs in the dashi. I removed the eggs, placed them atop the carrots and topped them with some greens whose name I forgot (some mild cruciferous green from the Korean market). I brought the dashi to a quick boil, added garlic-chili paste and turned off the heat; into that miso was whisked and then poured over the eggs and vegetables. Finish with sesame oil. So satisfying on a snowy day. Ate with cold rice wrapped in nori.

fried risotto

2011-01-02T21:37:00.002-05:00

Risotto from the other night, tossed in flour (mixed with mace, cayenne, crushed fennel seeds), then in egg, and then in some coarse breadcrumbs (from toasted sourdough). Fry in olive oil mixed with grapeseed oil (maybe just under 1/4" of oil). Garnish with fennel fronds. So good.

orange-fennel risotto

2010-12-30T21:34:00.007-05:00

This was a mostly-by-chance and with-food-laying-around success: risotto with sautéed fennel added halfway through cooking, some lemon zest and juice (cooked with the fennel), a pinch of mace, and orange zest. Finish with parmesan (in the risotto and on the risotto, of course). Used chicken stock.

panforte

2010-12-30T21:16:00.010-05:00

Have loved Tartine's recipe for panforte since I first made it. Quinces, orange peel, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, medjool dates, Zante currants and a whole lot of spice (black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, star anise) baked in a mixture of honey and sugar (cooked to 250ºF) with a little bit of flour and cocoa.

Once baked, it just begins to loose its sheen and puffs slightly. Cool for fifteen minutes or so, but not before it has glued itself to the pan.

Perfectly unmolded.

Finish with powdered sugar. Gets better after a few days and keeps forever: a mediæval confection, panforte was one of the provisions crusaders took with them thanks to it keeping so well.

Happy 2011!

canidied orange peel

2010-12-29T19:02:00.002-05:00

Making panforte for New Year's Eve, and need candied orange peel. Nothing makes the house feel warm and relaxed like cooking oranges in sugar for three or four hours. (Will use quinces as well).

poached quinces

2010-12-11T15:25:00.002-05:00

I am always amazed at the miracle of quinces: they start off completely inedible, bland in color and taste with a dreadful tough, spongy flesh and cooking for a few hours with sugar turns them a bright ruby color. These three quinces were cooked with a lemon, 1½ cups of sugar and a sliced knob of ginger.

grapefruit marmalade

2010-12-11T14:51:00.004-05:00

Red grapefruit marmalade. Start with 5 lbs of grapefruit, slice away the rind and some of the pith and discarde the inner pith. Section the fruit, separating sections from seeds and membranes. Do the same with three lemons. Start cooking the sections with the seeds and membranes tied up in a square of cheesecloth. In another piece of cheesecloth, tie 3 cloves and 3 pods of cardamom. Add to pot. Add 3 lbs sugar.

Meanwhile, julienne the grapefruit and lemon skins.

Cook until it starts to thicken, maybe an hour or so. Have a few saucers in the freezer. Sterilize 8 or so one-pint jars.

Remove the pectin bag (the one with the membranes and seeds) as well as the spice bag. Squeeze the pectin bag very well, or -- and this is so much easier -- pass the contents through the finest disc of a food mill. Add the squeezed/strained pectin back into the pot. Bring back to a slow boil and test the marmalade on a saucer from the freezer to see if it sets. If it does, ladle into jars (with a sterilized ladle and funnel).

Cover jars, unscrew ball top one quarter turn and process in a hot water bath for five minutes. Remove, then very carefully loosen screw tops once lids pop (to ensure the lids, and not the screw caps, are keeping it closed. This guarantees a vacuum). Let sit for 12 hours or so to guarantee setting/cooling/vacuum sealing.

apple nougatine tart

2010-11-14T16:28:00.004-05:00

This is another great recipe from Tartine, which has provided some great results in the past. I was actually amazed that I mentioned it in a post but have few details — I'm assuming we ate it all before I got to take photos.

It's a [pre-baked] flaky pastry crust filled with apples sautéed in butter and sugar (with a pinch of salt) that are tossed with lemon juice and zest. The tarts get covered with a mixture of egg white, sugar, salt and almonds, forming a delicious nougatine crust. The trick is for the apples to be cooked until not too soft, with some caramelized, some softer, some firmer. Once that all comes together the result is not to sweet with a brightness from the lemon. This was also one of my best pastry efforts crust-wise.

lamb shanks with harissa

2010-10-31T15:17:00.005-04:00

This is a fairly close following of this food-porn-adelic recipe on youtube. (Watch the video, it's amazing). The recipe calls for two shanks, I used four, but the stew would have been enough for six-to-eight people, so this could work for up to eight shanks. (Leftover, the stew is amazing with an egg poached in it — today's lunch. It's also great on its own, and works as a vegetarian meal).

I used white onion instead of red, didn't have orange flower water (but added some dried curaçao orange peel) and I finished the stew with ras el hanout, which makes everything more delicious.

Vegetables: whole.

And chopped. They get roasted for 45 minutes at 375ºF with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

That gets added to tomatoes, chickpeas (which I pre-soaked and then cooked in chicken stock). I added stock to the roasting pan to get all the fond.

Meanwhile, lamb shanks coated in harissa, my current favorite condiment (I might go as far as my new favorite food).

Plate with couscous. So incredibly good.

braised shell and grean beans with parsnips

2010-10-15T13:28:00.005-04:00

Bought some shell beans at the farmer's market and wasn't quite sure what do do with them. Made a bland pasta dish and realized they needed more to give them some kick. I sauteéd an onion (cut into eights, intact) with a bayleaf and some whole cloves of garlic (break the cloves up later, once they're soft) until they caramelize a bit. Add a roughly chopped leek and some salt. Add some more olive oil and toss in three peeled, coarsely chopped parsnips. Add some cooking water from the shell beans (probabaly 2 lbs before shelling) and break up the fond. Add mostly-cooked shell beans, a huge spring of thyme and some water or stock and cover. Cook until parsnips and beans are mostly cooked. Add a pound or so of green beans, each chopped in halves or thirds, for uniform size. Cover, cook until green beans are bright and still crisp. Remove thyme and add some fresh leaves. Finish with some butter, salt (if needed) and a generous bit of black pepper.

chicken, stewed with tomatoes and capers

2010-09-16T12:17:00.003-04:00

Finally setting into a new apartment (a studio with a decent kitchen and dining area) in Chicago. Here's one of my first real meals made, which is chicken legs (leftover from a whole bird bought for the breasts) stewed with "fire-roasted" tomatoes, onions, capers and an anchovy. I started by sautéing an onion, then adding a whole anchovy and two whole garlic cloves (the break up during cooking and won't burn this way). The legs were added, whole, and then the tomatoes with jalapenos were added and this was covered and cooked on low for about two hours. Then the meat and skin was pulled off the bone and coarsely shredded. I ate this with a whole boiled golden potato that soaked up the broth. So delicious.

Stock made with the rest of the carcass, leeks, onions, etc...

lemon-meringue cake

2010-08-14T18:10:00.007-04:00

Baking with the Tartine cookbook always leads to success. I am very excited about the "Lemon Meringue Cake" — four layers of chiffon filled with caramel and lemon cream (lighter and more buttery than lemon curd) draped in a meringue and then torched. The lemon cream is so delicious I could eat it by itself.

miso- and orange-roasted pork belly

2010-08-14T17:59:00.006-04:00

Another fine recipe from the Jennifer McLagan's Fat. Here pork belly is skinned, scored and roasted at 425ºF for 30 minutes, then basted with a miso-orange-honey-ginger glaze and roasted at 325ºF until tender and unctuous (160ºF). So delicious.

summer.

2010-08-03T12:18:00.003-04:00

A simple salad with wheat berries from Four Star Farms, purslane and cute tomatoes from my friend Kate, all tossed with oil-packed tuna, avocado and olive oil. Finish with salt and pepper. Purslane's tart character alleviates the need for vinegar and is buttery with a nice fruity olive oil.

peaches

2010-08-03T12:13:00.003-04:00

Local peaches, marinated with Luxardo Maraschino, some oil, sugar, mace and a pinch of salt. And grilled. Summer perfection.

Japadog, Vancouver

2010-07-14T22:42:00.002-04:00

Okonomi dog at Japadog — Kurobuta sausage, Japanese mayonnaise, Okonomiyaki sauce, bonito flakes and fried cabbage.

Amazing. Simply Amazing.

galettes

2010-07-09T22:35:00.003-04:00

I found local buckwheat flour at the farmer's market and knew it was a sign to make crêpes, or galettes bretonnes, those wonderful Breton crêpes made with buckwheat that go perfectly with a wheat beer. These are filled with sautéed fennel, a year-old chèvre from the Hillman's and topped with fennel greens. Most satisfying.

sour cherries!

2010-06-26T11:49:00.005-04:00

Sour cherries were something I had only heard about — I assumed you needed to live in France, Hungary or California to even imagine finding them local. I was wrong.

I found these local sour cherries with a "try me" sign at a family market in town. They are, hands down, the most delicious cherries I have ever eaten. In a perfect world, I'd have had a duck to roast and would have made Canneton Montmorecy.

What I did make was a cherry shortcake of sorts. I made biscuits from Jennifer McLagan's Fat cookbook — I baked her suet biscuits for cobbler on a sheet pan and they turned out amazing! I soaked pitted cherries in Luxardo Maraschino Originale (which, as far as I know, is the only true maraschino liqueur produced) and some sugar, split the biscuits, placed the mascerated cherries and juice on the biscuits and topped with cream whipped with more Luxardo (no additional sugar needed).

The biscuits hold up to the tartness of the cherries while having a savory lightness that only comes with suet (I figured I needed a no-hold-barred biscuits for the cherries and maraschino) and the combination is truly stellar. We didn't even pause for a photo.

ume boshi noodles

2010-06-08T11:39:00.005-04:00

I bought some incredible, pink ume boshi noodles at Uwajimaya in Seattle and was waiting for the perfect use for them (by beau and I love those pickled plums). I boiled them as I would soba, tossed them with sesame oil, (freshly!) toasted sesame seeds, garlic-infused rice vinegar (leftover from garlic tsukeomono), ginger pickled with shiso, mirin and finely julienned asparagus (save those tips, though!).

This I served with the reserved asparagus tips, quartered harukei turnips, halved radishes and a spread made from tahini, homemade miso and leeks (puree in a 3-2-1 ratio or so, to taste).

eggs florentine

2010-06-08T11:23:00.004-04:00

Go in to work late today so I made myself a nice breakfast — a version of eggs florentine.

...with a side of Vermont Smoke and Cure bacon (I bought an uncut piece and sliced ¼-inch slices.)

Between sautéed spinach from a local farm (I can't remember their name at the moment) and the hollandaise sauce (with cute, small eggs from the same folks, and using Julia Child's formula in Mastering the Art...), I probably consumed a half-stick of butter.

But it was well worth it. Skipping english muffins and having toasted ciabbatine rolls was most definitely a great idea.

rosemary-rhumarb-cucumber salad

2010-05-15T10:07:00.002-04:00

Made this recipe (via Jello Mold Mistress of Brooklyn) and it was pretty amazing. And I'm not one who eats gelatin salads regularly. Perfect for a 1950s cocktail party, especially when you want to skip mayonnaisey gelatin salads.

sardines

2010-05-08T20:13:00.002-04:00

This is a new favorite for a quick and very satisfying meal. I started with a french bâtard from the Hungry Ghost, drizzled it with olive oil and placed some Dodoni feta on top. This went under the broiler until the feta started to brown and I topped it with Alshark sardines "in spicy oil." I've done this closed in ciabbatine, with or without mustard, and it's always great. The asparagus were tossed in olive oil and salt and broiled until sizzling.

grapefruit bitters

2010-05-08T12:19:00.003-04:00

Straining grapefruit bitters — this is my third bitters attempt and the least traditional (the other have been heavy on gentian and other herbs, a bit like Angostura, the most recent heavy on hibiscus, cardamon and pomegranate molasses as well). This was gin (New Amsterdam for its vanilla notes and affordability), grapefruit peels, sweet cinnamon, cloves and star anise. It's very bright and I goes great with gin (in the tradition of Pink Gin) or (!) with brandy on ice.

spring!

2010-04-29T22:56:00.008-04:00

Step one: marinate lamb riblets and goat chops in toasted & ground cayenne, coriander, pepper, salt and cumin.

Serve greek feta and moroccan sardines while waiting.

Marinate asparagus in olive oil and diced preserved lemons.

Have harissa on hand, mix with some pomegranate molasses and garlic. Sear ribs/chops on both sides, cover and grill for twenty minutes. Mix with harissa mixture, cover.

Take a break, eat an arugula-strawberry salad by Kate.

Grill the ribs/chops a second time.

And eat — with that asparagus, marinated and grillled. This was wonderful with tzatziki and some bulgur tossed with lots of parsley and some preserved lemon.

chowder.

2010-04-17T00:20:00.003-04:00

This site is thanks to the efforts of the erudite, concise, Jake Walker. Do check it out.

« chocolate hazelnut ramekins »

2010-04-13T11:52:00.005-04:00

I was planning to make a far breton for dessert for some friends the other night, having callously forgotten a friend's aversion to dried fruit (far breton is basically clafoutis with brandy-soaked prunes in place of the cherries), so I needed to find a substitution (which was, in hindsight, a godsend, as this was great).

I had eggs for the far and leftover cream from my pâté, and by chance came across my new favorite dessert. This one of the variations of Tartine's "Chocolate Hazelnut Tart" in their eponymous cookbook.

The filling starts with ½ c. butter, ¼ c. brandy and ⅓ c. sugar melted in a double boiler and then poured over 6 oz. bittersweet chocolate until melted and incorporated. Meanwhile, beat another ⅓ c. sugar with 3 eggs, a pinch of salt and ½ t. orange zest (or lemon, which worked wonderfully with the brandy).

At this point, slowly fold the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture, in thirds. (This part can be refrigerated and portioned out later). Divide into four 5- or 6-oz. ramekins and bake 9 minutes or so, until slightly puffed.

Serve immediately. I topped this with a barely sweet, boozy brandy whipped cream. As these are deeper than a tart would have been, they don't set up as much and you get a cross between pots-de-crème and mousse. Thanks, Tartine!

pâté de campagne / country terrine

2010-04-11T21:01:00.006-04:00

Finally using my great-grandmother meat grinder for its intended purpose.

Here's a little over a pound of pork belly — it's on the lead side (that is to say, it's not all fat) so I used just the belly (no other cut of pork) with the liver. I used beef liver, since it's easy to find, cheap and local. I soaked it in milk to take out any overwhelming flavors.

Started with the belly, but alternated, per Jennifer McLagan's suggestion in Fat, meat and liver (belly being tough, and liver soft, it makes it easier). I then sautéed onions and garlic in lard and suet with some sugar, until caramelized.

Heavy cream, parsley, thyme, brandy, salt, eggs, pepper and a mixture of hungarian paprika and merquen ahumado, a great, smoky chili pepper that a friend passed onto me.

The meat gets mixed on slow as the spices, eggs and cream are added. Then the onions and garlic are added.

A bastardized version of several recipes, this was finished with strips of belly fat as I couldn't find caul fat for wrapping but also didn't want to go the bacon wrapping route (I wanted to taste liver and belly, not bacon).

Baked in a water bath until it reaches 165ºF — and the aged at least two days.

Voilà — simple, very rich (and best after a week), coarse like the pâté de campagne I tasted at wine tastings in the Loire as a student, and proving that beef liver can be great. Now if only I could find caul fat for the next try!

fire.

2010-04-02T10:53:00.002-04:00

And this is how to get the most flavor out of mushrooms.

(Butter, olive oil, cremini, garlic, brandy).

simplicity

2010-02-26T18:36:00.003-05:00

Needing inspiration in the face of limited produce and a pantry of dry goods that require time and care, I opened Mastering the Art of French Cooking (vol. I) and browsed the potato section. I came across the "Gratin de pommes de terre aux anchois." I had potatoes (some local Kennebecs), anchovies, eggs and cream. A friend brought over a some cheese for finishing. Julia Child dices the potatoes and minced the onions, I sliced them both thin and used more onions. I parboiled the potatoes, layered them with onions and a few anchovies, poured a ½ pint of cream with a yolk, salt and pepper over everything. Garnish with shredded hard cheese and some of the oil from the anchovies. Bake until boiling around the edges and browning on top.

This was a great dinner with some local greens & vinaigrette and lentils braised with red onion.

braising oxtail

2010-02-12T09:00:00.004-05:00

This is my second attempt at making oxtail. Last time I braised the oxtail with brussels sprouts and turnips. Here, I go to Jennifer McLagan's recipe in her sublime book Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient. First, the oxtail are seared in suet.

A mirepoix mix is sautéed in the fat, wine is used to deglaze, bay, star anise and garlic is added, and then it is covered in stock (I used a mix of lamb and beef stocks) and let to braise slowly in the oven. I also added some marrow bones and allspice berries. The meat is then taken out of the broth to cool.

Once cooled, a rich fat can be taken off the unctuously gelatinous stock.

After a second braise in the oven.

Served with suet dumplings poached in lamb stock. Incredible.

Christmas Pudding.

2009-12-25T19:16:00.005-05:00

Christmas Pudding. Here I start with two cups of raisins soaked in brandy, some shredded carrots and breadcrumbs (from a cranberry-sunflower loaf, to be exact). I followed that recipe but added four ground cloves and used candied lemon, orange and quince. Greased the pan bith butter but used suet as the fat for the pudding.

Here it is, a full recipe's worth in a 1.2L pudding tin.

Cover with wax paper, steam in a covered pot, partially filled with water, for 4½ hours at 450ºF.

Age for a few days, weeks, months. (This aged 2 weeks). Cover, re-steam for an hour.

Serve with hard sauce (butter, sugar, brandy).

Chilled hard sauce.

Finish with flaming brandy. This is my new favorite dessert. Moist, rich with flavor, and served with hard sauce, it is perfect.

gigot rôti

2009-12-10T23:10:00.006-05:00

Leg of lamb from Crabapple farm, seasoned and stuffed with garlic slices per Julia Child's suggestion.

Basting with butter and suet.

In the oven: 450º(F) until seared (≈20 mins), then at 350º until 150º.

Radicchio and endives, seared.

The gigot.

Carving.

(This meat was beautiful.)

(ditto.)

Voilà.

Lamb (background). Radicchio/endive (foreground).

membrillo

2009-11-28T22:37:00.003-05:00

With the leftover pulp from my quince gelée, I decided to make quince paste, a/k/a membrillo or cotignac d'Orléans. I passed the quince through a food mill, first coarse, then fine.

I added an equal weight of sugar, per Jane Grigson. This I cooked until "you will barely be able to push the spoon through the paste."

I spread this in a Pyrex 9x13 dish, 1cm thick, as Grigson suggests. Then, after those hours of cooking, comes hours of drying. Over eight hours, flipped thrice, at 170ºF, the membrillo dried.

And now it is packed in sugar, between parchment. All I need is Manchego!

in praise of asafoetida

2009-11-28T22:19:00.005-05:00

Just submitted the first two — of six — grad applications. Short of breath (from stress, not asthma). Needed to reward myself. And thus, a River Rock Farm shoulder steak. And pommes Anna. And yes, brussels sprouts sautéed in duck fat with almonds and asafoetida. As asafoetida is probably a relative of the once oft-used siliphim, I've been convinced that asafoetida being limited to Indian cooking is a tragedy. (It is amazing with de Puy style lentils.) Offering a hint of garlic and leeks, it makes everything better. Especially brussels sprouts with almonds in duck fat. Moreover, this appropriately reflects (and builds upon) my last meal as a serious baker; the steak is emotional, but asafoetida has been used to treat asthma and bronchitis, the chronic conditions that have been caused by me baking.

grapefruit-hibiscus marmalade

2009-11-28T17:15:00.004-05:00

Take six grapefruit. Remove the outer peels, leaving behind the pith.

Julienne the rind. This sounds arduous, but it's worth it. And less work that one might expect.

Take off the rest of the rind. Section the grapefruit, making sure to save the pith and seeds for the pectin bag. Do the same with one lemon. Measure the fruit. (I had two pounds). Tie the membranes and seeds in cheesecloth.

Cook the fruit, with the pectin bag and peels on top, for twenty minutes. (Add a splash of water if needed.) Then add an equal weight of the fruit (before rind) in sugar to the pot.

Add one half-cup of dried hibiscus flowers.

Cook on medium-high until it starts to thicken. Remove the pectin bag.

Squeeze out the thick pectin-filled goo — or press well in a conical strainer (less of a chance of burning yourself). Add that to the marmalade and cook until about 8º above boiling (220º unless you're at a high elevation).

And/or test by dropping onto a plate that has been in the freezer.

Place in sterilized jars. Process in a hot-water bath for 5 minutes.

And here it is. It's bracing, perfect for breakfast toast. My favorite marmalade yet.

quince preserves

2009-11-28T14:12:00.007-05:00

Been on an obvious quince kick lately. And when it comes to fruit, I Jane Grigson's Fruit Book never lets me down. She suggests a quince jelly where one chops the less handsome fruit into small pieces and reserves the nicer quince for slicing.

This pot (above) is filled with chopped whole quinces, then the cores and skins of the nice quinces, and then finished with the elegant quince slices. I also added four star anise, a few allspice berries, a sliced lemon and a half vanilla pod.

Once poached and soft, they are removed.

The rest comes to a hard boil and is mashed up. Once very soft, it gets passed through jelly cloth. I used a food mill and then a conical strainer to extract more, giving a more jamlike texture.

That gets cooked with the sliced quince and 2¼ cups of sugar for each 2 cups of liquid (before adding the slices).

Cook until it jells when placed on a cold plate. This happened around 220º, similar to a marmalade.

I processed these in a hot water bath for six minutes (always use Putting Food By as a reference). Nice texture, softer than membrillo, but more coarse than jelly. Very good. And star anise was a good idea. It's subtle, but highlights the quince flavor.

thanksgiving custards

2009-11-27T10:59:00.007-05:00

Another version of these custards.

Process 1¼ cups of raw cashews with a ½ teaspoon of agar agar and a pinch of salt. Add a ¼ star anise, 4 allspice berries, a ½ teaspoon szechuan peppercorns and two cloves cloves that have been finely ground, as well as a ½ teaspoon of mace. Process until a paste.

Add 2¼ cups of boiling water, process. Add 3 cups of roasted squash (this was pumpkin and butternut, well roasted, puréed and then passed through a food mill) and purée well. Add a ½ cup of brown sugar and a ½ teaspoon each of vanilla and almond extract. Sieve, if necessary. Pour into custard cups, ramekins, etc. This made about 9 5 oz. servings.

Top with candied, chopped pecans (I just cooked pecans with brown sugar, Lyle's golden syrup, some oil and some salt).

pear-quince-apple pie

2009-11-27T10:54:00.006-05:00

Poached quinces. Apples (two varieties, whose names I forget, but both hardy, heirloom baking ones). Bosc pears. And an all-butter crust.

poached quince

2009-11-14T21:29:00.004-05:00

Found some local quinces among a dizzying pile of local apples (40 varieties, of which I purchased the ugliest in hopes of finding an apple to compare to the Belle de Boskoop I loved in Normandy) and I couldn't resist buying some.

I poached these with ginger slices, allspice, cloves and star anise. The ruby color is a natural result of cooking the quinces for hours. These sat at barely a simmer for three hours, and are delicious. I may just eat them, or make a galette, or a quince-apple pie. In the meanwhile, they keep well poached and are set to go.

kimchi

2009-11-06T15:31:00.008-05:00

This crock of kimchi had been fermenting for a good month (autumn is perfect for kimchi as it can ferment slowly without the risk of mold). There were two napa cabbages — outer leaves chopped, cores preserved — as well as shredded burdock, carrots and daikon, some wakame, the usual garlic-ginger-chili paste, some whole habaneros and a schot bonnet, and a whole daikon, cut in half to fit.

Here's what was left of a pepper: nothing but skin. The daikon was quite possibly one of the best pickles I've had. I'm very glad to have done this.

Here's a well-preserved half of a napa cabbage.

And the feat of getting it all in one (3 liter) jar.

tsukemono

2009-10-31T12:42:00.003-04:00

A variety of recent tsukemono that I've made. Mostly inspired by Ikuko Hisamatsu's book, Quick & Easy Tsukemono.

First, local ginger so fresh that it doesn't keep like cured ginger and also so fresh that it can be eaten on its own. I covered it in rice vinegar, added salt and lots of purple shiso. Two weeks later, it's pink, sweet and fragrant. The vinegar is amazing.
Then Ninniku Hachimitsu-suke, or garlic preserved in honey. Just garlic and honey. A few weeks later the cloves are sweet yet still quite strong and the honey is delicious. Also, it's traditional cold remedy.
Ninniku Miso-zuke: garlic in miso. Equal parts garlic and miso (homemade 1 year old miso) plus some mirin. The garlic loses its bite but gets very crisp after a week or two at room temperature (then store in the fridge). This is really amazing. And I'm guessing the miso will make great soup.
And Gobo Miso-zuke, or burdock in miso. This was so active that I could hear the miso going. I quartered burdock and packed it with miso so the pieces didn't touch each other. Two weeks later the burdock is crisp, salty and mild.

preserving lemons

2009-10-31T12:16:00.003-04:00

Preserved lemons are great not only for their complex flavor, but they are a great source of tang when you don't have fresh lemons on hand. And they are incredibly easy to make. And two pounds of lemons, as pictured, could easily last a year. Buy organic lemons, obviously, as you'll be eating the skin (pickling lemons takes out the bitterness of the rind but makes the flesh too salty to use). This is the first time I've added spices: a dried cayenne pepper, a few cloves, some coriander and a bay leaf.

Either slice almost in quarters (as seen above) or cut four slits into the sides the lemon. Fill the cuts with salt. Pack tightly into a jar with more salt. Top off with some juice, if needed. I squeezed two pounds into a liter jar and only needed a few tablespoons of juice. Add more juice if needed later on. Let sit a month or so, until soft. Then refrigerate.

And next spring, these will be ready for asparagus and ramps.

oxtail with brussels sprouts and turnip

2009-10-30T19:14:00.002-04:00

Bought some oxtail yesterday. I had been thinking about it since seeing an "Oxtail Galette" on a menu. Never having had oxtail, I was excited about the prospect. Came across oxtail and did what seemed right: I cooked the hell out of it.

It's very fatty — as you can see from the fat I left on the meat and the fat in the background that the dog ate (although I wish I had, it was so good). I had two pounds of oxtail (one large, fatty one, two smaller). I seasoned and then fried them in olive oil and drained the oil and removed the meat. I added a leek and most of a head of garlic and sweated that. I added the meat, a huge sprig of thyme, a bay leaf, some beef stock (made with beef ribs, leek greens, allspice and pepper) and some mediocre Beaujolais. I covered it with parchment and a lid.

Two hours later I added brussels sprouts (quartered, in thirds or halved, depending on size), a carrot and a turnip.

And an hour after that, it was amazing. I seasoned it. I took out a section of oxtail, removed the meat from the bone and chopped it. I ladled vegetables and broth on the side. Growing up, I was the kid who hated "gristle" on meat. This has lots of fat and collagen and is so incredibly good. The fat just melts in your mouth. This would be amazing in a crock pot too.

tarte tatin

2009-10-23T12:31:00.003-04:00

Everyone loves a tarte tatin.

poulet à l'estragon

2009-10-23T12:08:00.005-04:00

I had a remaining chicken from this summer's slaughter in the freezer and a whole pot of tarragon that may not survive many more frosts. Logical conclusion: make poulet à l'estragon (chicken with tarragon). I followed Julia Child's Poulet poêlé à l'estragon (after a summer of telling myself I'd make the cold aspic version, Poulet en gelée à l'estragon, and now it's too cold for that).

The chicken is seasoned, stuffed with tarragon and butter, trussed and seared on all sided in a dutch oven. It then gets roasted — covered — until done. I had worried that the chicken would steam, and the skin wouldn't have that great roasted texture. I was wrong. The skin was great. A sauce of more tarragon, the drippings and some beef stock made this sublime.

This was easily one of the best ways that I have ever had chicken. This was also a larger cockerel (four-and-a-half pounds!), so it benefited from this tenderizing preparation. I served this with roasted sunchokes and brussels sprouts.

Tiffiniy declared that she had never known she could like white meat. It was that good. That was how I felt when I cooked the first one.

matsutake in broth

2009-10-23T11:50:00.002-04:00

Matsutake, day two.

A mix of very clear chicken and duck broths, lightly salted, and brought to the point of almost simmering. I let that reduce slowly while doing other things.

Add julienned leeks and thinly sliced matsutake. Bring to a quick simmer, serve immediately, garnished with a few drops of sesame oil.

Absolutely incredible. The broth was full-bodied but simple, the leeks lent a mild allium kick, together making a perfect backdrop for the lightly poached matsutakes.

matsutake!

2009-10-21T20:29:00.009-04:00

At the Tuesday Market I came across Paul Lagrèze's booth. He had two things to sell: hen of the woods (maitake) and matsutake. I had had hen of the woods —they are incredible — but I had only heard of the famous matsutake. They can't be cultivated, so they must be found in the wild.

I bought some that were open, although the closed fungi are more prized (allegedly fetching hundreds, even thousands, per kilo). They smelled of cinnamon and pine and were very delicate despite being almost the size of portobello.

I marinated them in a splash each of mirin, tamari, and grapeseed oil. I grilled them on an extremely hot grill for a minute or two, charring the skin but leaving them partially cooked. I tossed them in the marinate and cut them into bite-size pieces.

I served them with sweet brown rice, a ginger-garlic-kombu broth over leeks and carrots, bettara-zuke, and tempeh fried with shichimi togarashi (seven spice powder). This way the matsutake were the centerpiece, surrounded by other simple dishes.

The matsutake were incredible. They were firm yet gave easily to the tooth, with a velvety, rich flesh. They tasted faintly of pine but had an overwhelming yet subtle flavor that compares to nothing that I have ever had. Without any doubt, they are one of the most singular and delicious foods that I have ever tried.

vegan kabocha pots de crème

2009-10-01T13:13:00.005-04:00

I love the texture of kanten but imagined agar agar had more possibilities — It does.

I found this recipe for pumpkin custard with agar agar. I continued my love affair with kabocha (try it in pumpkin pie!) and substituted kabocha for the pumpkin. I used brown sugar instead of the suggested agave syrup (I find the agave craze ridiculous), used a quarter teaspoon of agar powder and upped the cashews just a bit.

The topping is coconut milk whipped over ice with some agar-sugar syrup. I then let them set (overnight, as I was pressed for time).

This was creamy like a pot de crème, which is thanks to the wonders of cashews and just enough agar agar to get a light set. Raspberries from the farm share were a perfect topping.

roasted kabocha soup

2009-10-01T12:53:00.004-04:00

I had half of a roasted kabocha squash in the fridge, some goats milk that needed to get used up and a handful of scotch bonnets. It's also autumal in the cold, blustery and quiet sort of way. This is extremely comforting. The scotch bonnets give this a smooth heat that balances with the kabocha but leaves lingering heat on the lips. The goat milk is subtle but grassy and smooths it all out.

Temper a cardamon pod, a cinnamon stick and a tablespoon each of coriander and mustard seeds (heat on high in grapeseed oil until the mustard is popping and everything is fragrant). Add a diced red onion, and grated garlic and ginger. Then add a chopped whole (or seeded, if you like) scotch bonnet and a teaspoon each of turmeric and salt. Let sweat on high. Add a cup or two of goats milk (or cow or almond milk, I'd imagine), half a roasted kabocha and water to make it smooth, if necessary. Reduce to a simmer. Pass though a sieve or food mill.

Red shiso makes a fantastic garnish and goes splendidly with kabocha.

tarte tatin aux poires

2009-09-10T21:49:00.004-04:00

Some pears. A couple of sticks of butter, a copper pie plate and a good helping of cardamon pods later:

Gōyā chanpurū, again

2009-08-10T18:29:00.004-04:00

Another version of gōyā chanpurū. I do love these bitter melons.

I sautéed pork belly and set it aside, then the bitter melon (until browned), and then scrambled an egg in sesame oil. I then sautéed the tofu, adding the melon and pork. This was then assembled with the egg on the side, drizzled with shoyu and sesame oil. Finish with Japanese Seven Spice powder (shichimi togarashi).

kanten!

2009-08-10T18:15:00.005-04:00

Kanten is Japanese for agar agar, the same agar used in petri dishes, a seaweed product that thickens like gelatin. Yōkan is a sweet jello-like dessert made from agar agar and some flavoring. Here are two simple versions:

Mizuyōkan is made from anko, or red bean paste and agar. I boiled a cup of water with two teaspoons agar agar (the Thai-based "Telephone" brand, a powdered version) and added a cup of anko (made with light brown sugar this time, which worked very well with azuki beans!). I strained that and let it set.

Grean tea yōkan is the same one-cup of agar in water and a cup of cold water with ground sencha and two tablespoons fine sugar. That was then strained and let to set.

Yōkan holds its for much better than jello (especially in heat) and has a very firm-yet-smooth texture that I enjoy despite not being a fan of jello. The grean tea yōkan was smooth and not too sweet, the mizuyōkan was a perfect way to enjoy anko outside of ice cream or daifuku. Perfect for an afternoon snack in this 95ºF heat.

Thanks to Hiroko Shimbo for the original formula!

sardines & kimchi.

2009-08-03T13:06:00.006-04:00

These are a new type of Japanese sardines that I found at Tran's World Market in Hadley (at $2.19/ea.). They're packed in ume vinegar, shoyu and some sugar. They're sweet, very clean tasting and quite rich.

I served them atop hot sweet brown rice and kimchi. The tartness of the kimchi and the sweetness of the sardines balance out perfectly. Serving both cold on hot rice makes for a meal that feels cooked yet is quite refreshing for a quick, summery lunch.

red bean ice cream

2009-08-02T19:17:00.002-04:00

As just posted, I made red bean paste. To that I added 1 ½ cups coconut milk, 2 tablespoons tapioca flour, and 2 tablespoons sugar. I cooked that until it was thickened, added a half teaspoon almond extract and chilled it overnight. I then froze it in an ice cream maker, and here it is:

This was rich, creamy, and well-balanced. The azuki beans have an earthiness that goes perfect with coconut. And it's vegan!

red bean paste

2009-08-02T18:38:00.006-04:00

I wanted to make red-bean paste to make red bean ice cream. Here we go (following Hiroko Shimbo's recipe). Bring one cup azuki beans to a boil. Drain; boil in four cups water for an hour, until the liquid barely covers the beans. Purée the beans.

Pass the beans through a sieve.

And wrap in a tight towel. Rinse in two changes of water. Squeeze out excess moisture.

Bring to a boil with a third-cup of water and a cup of sugar.

Cook until a thick paste and voilà! it's done!

bitter melon

2009-08-02T18:12:00.005-04:00

Above is a bitter melon that I purchased on a whim at the farmer's market. The most basic way too cook one seemed the Okinawan stir-fry gōyā chanpurū (it made sense to keep it simple to highlight its flavor).

Cutting the melon open, it has a spongy core and hard seeds that look like pumpkin seeds embedded therein. It smelled like a random plant that you pull up, smell and remember why only certain plants are edible. A strong, fresh, chlorophyll smell. I scraped out the spongy center. It tasted incredibly bitter, very green.

I salted the sliced bitter melon and then washed it a few times. I sautéed them in hot oil and then added tofu, mirin and shoyu. It remained firm and crunchy despite being cooked well, thus muting the bitterness. The pressed tofu was a rich foil for the bitter vegetable. Very very good.

roast chicken

2009-07-28T14:16:00.002-04:00

This big fellow was one of the roosters recently slaughtered; I wanted to make its preparation simple to highlight the bird itself — this is the first animal I have eaten in whose slaughter I was involved. I made an herb butter with unsalted butter, salt, tarragon, garlic, lemon, brandy and thyme. I spread that in and out and under the skin of the breast.

I started the bird at 425ºF, rotating it from side to breast-up-to side and then leaving it on it's side at 350º. (Julia Child suggests the majority of the roast to be on its sides — switch sides halfway through). It finished breast up.

I made a quick gravy with drippings, butter and vermouth and we had this with lightly steamed and buttered zucchini and squash (thanks Molly!), a fennel-potato-spring onion gratin, and a brown rice "risotto" with porchini and reduced stock from those feet. The meat was incredibly tender, flavorful and incredibly satisfying. Nothing compared to those industrial birds.

Served with raspberry-cranberry braggot and finished with Molly's tart blueberry-peach crisp, this was perfect.

kimchi jjigae

2009-07-28T13:42:00.003-04:00

Kimchi jjigae is the ultimate comfort food. It's richly flavorful, easy to make, can be made with all sorts of ingredients (initially, when looking into making it, I was amazed at the variety of recipes) as long as you have kimchi. For this jjigae — which tasted better on the second day and even better on the third — I sauteed 3 anchovies in some oil (from the jar, since I was finishing them off), added a good amount of kimchi (my very successful gobō-carrot-cabbage-dried shrip attempt), sautéed that and then added water, some kombu (kombu stock could have replaced water/kombu), cubes of tofu and some wonderful fresh shiitake that I picked up at my CSA. (Had I had pork belly on hand, I'd have added it before the kimchi.) I let that stew very slowly while I made rice. Towards the end I added coarsely chopped snap peas.

The snap peas stayed bright, green and crunchy. The anchovies disappeared — as they should — for that je ne sais quoi that anchovies add to everything (same effect that dried baby shrimp has on kimchi). Fresh (local!) shiitake are a real treat and they and the cubes of tofu take on the kimchi's tang (and this is best made with old kimchi). Very very satisfying, and the acidity of the kimchi us refreshing despite the heat from the chili flakes.

Garnish with dulse for the ultimate effect.

sardines & fennel.

2009-07-22T20:15:00.007-04:00

Every time I'm in Worcester, MA I stop at Ed Hyder's, a wonderful little market that carries hard-to-find items like ras el hanout, affordable and delicious anchovies in jars, ten types of feta cheese, Lebanese, Geeek and Moroccan specialties, three grades of couscous, and various sardines, my favorite being Alshark sardines in oil or in spicy tomato sauce.

Tonight I wanted some sardines, but not on crackers. This chow post had a suggestion to broil tinned sardines. One of my favorite fresh sardine recipes is a Jamie Oliver recipe that uses fennel and sardines to make a pasta sauce. So I set to fond something simple that used fennel and tinned sardines.

This used said Alshark sardines, from Morocco. I generally trust/have had the best luck with sardines from Morrocco, Potugal and Japan. (The Japanese sardines are often packed in miso or something else and exact a different preparation).

This is what I came up with:

Marinate a very thinly sliced small bulb of fennel and toss with salt, mustard (I used a coarse, homemade tarragon mustard) and white wine vinegar. Cook some rice (brown basmati is perfect). Place the sardines under the broiler. Get them very very hot. Toss the hot rice with olive oil and serve the sardines on top with a drizzling of sriracha or another hot sauce.

This was terribly satisfying. So much so that I forgot to take a photo.

N.B.: just discovered the Society for the Appreciation of the Lowly Tinned Sardine blog!

fête nationale

2009-07-14T22:59:00.007-04:00

Mini vol-au-vents (bouchées) with a creamed kale-leek filling.

Foies de volailles à l'estragon en aspic — chicken liver pâté with tarragon in aspic (from those feet!) — grâce à Julia Child, bien sûr! Gateaux St-André and Quatres-quarts (pound cake) in background.

A new creation — cardamon meringues! (1 white, 1/2 c. sugar, pinch salt, pinch cream of tartar, six pods caradmom, ground).

Ensemble: Gâteaux St-Andre (Walnut cake), vegan pâté, pâté, Emmenthaler, chèvre from Colrain.

And tartes aux framboises : I made an almond pastry cream that was heavenly. Red and black raspberries from the Tuesday market.

strawberry gin

2009-07-12T18:15:00.005-04:00

Having heard about the delights of sloe gin I thought I'd give it a try with strawberries as I have no idea where one might find sloe berries.

I filled a quart container with hulled strawberries and added a third of a cup of sugar. I filled it with gin and swirled the berries a little to dissolve some of the sugar.

Agitating the jar every few days I let it go as the berries lost their color fading to a pink-white and then to a dull gray. Meanwhile, the sugar dissolved and the gin turned a bright red. It's been three weeks, and it is delicious. Not to sweet, full of berry flavor and maintaining the gin flavor (New Amsterdam gin, which makes a terrible martini or gin-and-tonic but is suited for this as vanilla is its predominant flavor).

Should be perfect for a strawberry gin fizz, or pink lemonade, right?

Also made anise hyssop gin. Wonderful. Green like chartreuse and delicious.

a very rich stock indeed.

2009-07-12T17:55:00.007-04:00

Every now and I then I make a truly great stock. It'll be golden (or amber, if beef), rich, clean and will set lightly when cooled. I've taken to not roasting, sautéeing or otherwise pre-cooking anything (unless, naturally, this is leftover from roasting something else). This reduces fat that'll have to be skimmed off anyway. I've also been using a slow cooker, which works splendidly.

Vegetables: carrots, whole parsley, fennel. There's also allspice, salt and peppercorns.

Feet — for gelatin, body and the flavor that comes with the bones — and necks — for that meat flavor and more bone richness. About 3 lbs total.

The feet need to be blanched for five minutes and then the tips and any pieces of the skin that won't come clean get cut off.

Everything gets tossed in the crock pot. High for five hours with the lid ajar, five hours at low.

And it sets like this, no reduction necessary. Rich and smooth when warm, not quite clear but very meaty (I haven't the patience to clarify stock, I usually just strain it three or four times). Some day I'll take this to the next level and make a consommé.

acknowledging what goes into my dinner (slaughtering chickens)

2009-07-05T18:31:00.015-04:00

Today my roommate, a friend, and I went to out friend Maria's to help her slaughter, pluck and clean some of the 75 chickens that she has been raising for her wedding dinner.

Their final day was spent much as any other. They've been in a tractor with a larger fenced in area so that they're always moving around the property, eating grubs, grass and kicking up soil.

Here two of us are retrieving some chickens.

And I've got one. They relax once you hold them close to your body. The chickens were far from the actual slaughter area, so they were oblivious to their fate.

And here's the first step. The highway cones allow for the chicken to be held upside-down for proper exsanguination.

It also holds them them firmly and minimizes post-mortem spasms.

Here's said chicken going into the cone.

A quick slice to the artery just under the jaw starts the blood flowing.

And a quick piercing to the brain cuts consciousness. The heart still pumps for a bit, relieving the bird of most of its blood. Once that's done a few muscle spasms — which are alarming at first — happen.

And then it's silent. The blood stops flowing.

And a knife gets re-sharped.

The bird gets scalded at 140ºF for 50-60 seconds.

That makes plucking (we did this by hand) much easier.

And soon we start to see the familiar contours of a roaster.

The head is removed. Finding a vertebra comes easier as this goes. I'd try to pop a vertebra out of line and cut the flesh/tendons around.

A few slices around the esophagus and trachea free it to be tugged out.

And then the backside of the chicken is opened.

The viscera are then removed. We found this to happen the most easily if the vent were left intact and removed with the rest. This way the intestines remained intact. We also gained agility and were able to preserve the livers without damaging/contaminating them. My boss, who was also there to help, kept these.

I kept the legs. And necks.

A cleaned, washed and ready-for-the-caterer bird.

On ice. Maria wrapped them to go straight to the freezer.

—

I was ready and willing to stop eating meat if I found this too terrible to do. I was a vegetarian for a long time and as I've incorporated meat back into my diet I've been telling myself that this was important. And I feel that in the end I can live with the violence of slaughtering animals in a way that isn't cruel, that's on a reasonable scale and that supported the animal's well-being during its life. These chickens grazed on fresh pasture and were rotated to new grass every day or two. They ate grubs and grass and mostly organic feed. They had lots of sun (when it wasn't raining of course). And in the end, the more time I spend with chickens, the more I feel that this is okay. This was a powerful and very positive experience.

—

Thanks to Jaime for the photos.

full-on summer, pt. 2

2009-06-26T21:47:00.004-04:00

Reasons to love the Pioneer valley:

Broccoli marinated in a purée of mustard and garlic scapes (from my CSA).

Baby bok choy from the CSA; "Hadley grass," or asparagus (marinated in tamari and rice vinegar).

Steak from Chicoine Farm. Salt, pepper. White-hot cast iron. Rare.

full-on summer, pt. 1

2009-06-26T21:44:00.002-04:00

Asparagus (soufflé, and tips in salad).

Strawberries (ice cream, and macerated).

rhubarb daal

2009-06-10T20:43:00.004-04:00

Rhubard daal is one of my favorite spring meals. I sautéed 2 leeks and three hefty stalks of rhubarb. Meanwhile, I toasted brown and yellow mustard seeds, a good bit or coriander and some cumin. I pulsed them a few times in a retired coffee grinder and added them to the vegetables. I added maybe a cup-and-a-half of red lentils, some salt and turmeric. Then enough water to cover. And the result was marvelous.

It's perfect paired with salad (if you have a farm share, you need to eat some with each meal at this point in the season...) and grilled lamb meatballs (lamb, onion, salt, cumin, korean chili flakes).

kimchi jjigae

2009-05-11T13:51:00.007-04:00

I recently made kimchi that was about equal parts burdock (gobō), carrot and napa cabbage. I also included dried shrimp for the first time. Like adding anchovies, it adds a je ne sais quoi to the kimchi: you don't notice the shrimp, but it improves the flavor.

I asked a friend how to make kimchi jjigae, a soup made with kimchi.

I sautéed some cubes of pork belly in sesame oil (my friend suggested bacon or spam, and I had belly in the freeezer with is just uncured, unsalted bacon) and took them out. I then added a good deal of kimchi and sautéed that. I added water, cooked for a bit and added the pork and some cubed tofu. My friend suggested dashida, which I didn't have, so I threw in a sqaure of kombu (kelp) and two anchovies. I also didn't have hot pepper paste so I squirted in a nice dose of sriracha. I let that cook on lowish until my brown rice (started while the pork was getting its first cooking) was done.

And it is delicious. The pork belly soaked up so much flavor. The broth is deep red, like a tomato sauce. And not having scallions, I topped it with pickled ramps.

bettara-zuke

2009-05-10T16:35:00.007-04:00

This is another pickle from Ikuko Hisamatsu's tsukeomono book. Bettara-zuke (べったら漬) is one of the most exciting ferments I've done: it's like nothing I've heretofore done. Daikon radish are peeled and heavily salted. They are pressed until covered in their own brine. They sit like that for a total of three days. They are then re-salted, re-pressed and sit for two-to-three days.

Meanwhile, cooked sweet rice is mixed with koji (as one would to start miso or amazake) and ferments for 20 hours at 140ºF (± 4 hours, basically until it's converted the starch in the rice into sugar). That is allowed to cool. (If you cooked this to stop fermentation and puréed it, you'd have amazake).

While the rice and koji at first seem dry, it comes out very wet after fermentation. Mirin and sugar are added once it has cooled. A small sqaure of kelp is cut into strips and dried chilis or, in this case, chili flakes, are prepped.

A layer of the rice mixture is spread across the bottom of a crock. Here the daikon, in chunks, (well drained and patted dry) is added. Keep layering, sprinkling chili flakes and adding strips of kelp. This is then covered with a small plate and weighted like any brine pickle.

And one-to-two weeks later, it's done (day 10 is shown). The rice seems to pack down and form a gelatinous bed in which the daikon pickle while a sweet brine rises up. No problems with any mold at all, which was impressive. The pickles are mostly sweet, which was a surprise considering the amount of salt used at first. They have a subtle, sweet flavor. Something hard to describe: sweet like a young miso with some of the tang of fresh daikon. It lacks the pungency of other pickled daikon I've tried (like daikon in a nuka bed) and is wonderfully crisp.

spring. grilling.

2009-05-06T20:07:00.002-04:00

Bison burgers, with some ginger and tamari in the patties. Some spring greens from the Florence (MA) farmer's market in need of nothing but toasted walnuts and some walnut oil. And some wonderful grilled asparagus marinated in tamari, garlic and sesame oil. Simple, but perfect for a simple spring meal.

ramps. rhubarb.

2009-05-06T19:58:00.006-04:00

Ramps. Sautéed (white part, then green), in an omelet. Even better when the ramps came from the same person from whom I buy eggs. A whole meal from one property.

On the other hand, a local rhubarb galette. The was a super lazy take on Tartine's galette dough. I sliced some butter, rolled it out with a mix of ½ coarse whole wheat / ½ white flour, added salt and enough water to make a dry dough. It was amazing. That held rhubarb, sugar and nutemeg:

ramps!

2009-05-03T14:35:00.004-04:00

A friend of mine has ramps on her property and asked if I had any interest. Sure do.

First experiment, inspired by The Salted Cod's. The pickling brine is adapted from Ikuko Hisamatsu's Quick and Easy Tsukemono. The recipe is actually for Rakkyo Shoyu-zuke, or Rakko shallots in shoyu. I packed the ramps into a jar and covered with ½ c. shoyu, ¼ c. mirin, ¼ rice vinegar, some Korean chili flakes and a small square of kombu (kelp) cut into strips. We'll see in two weeks!

ramps. asparagus. grill.

2009-05-03T14:09:00.009-04:00

A red hot grill + Ramps and asparagus =

Really quite simple, and delicious. Marinate ramps and asparagus in olive oil, preserved lemon, Korean chili flakes and lots of white wine vinegar. Heat the grill up very hot. Make a basic risotto (having stock on-hand helps — this was a very rich duck stock with salt and pepper added at the end). But both vegetables on the grill: this was the ramps are mostly cooked the the asparagus very lightly. Chop them up upon retrieval from the grill and serve on risotto.

fiddleads, duck & brussels sprouts

2009-05-01T23:05:00.004-04:00

Last time A. came to visit she was very pregnant. This time she was with her adorable six-week old. Something special was in order. We had duck breast marinated in red wine and ground mustard seeds (brown/yellow) with a raspberry melomel (mead) reduction, fiddleheads sautéed in duck fat and a few pickled brussels sprouts (they were embedded in some sauerkraut from the fall!). I was quite happy with the result.

A. also brought Prosecco and pomegranite juice which were mixed to create a cocktail that went wonderfully with the duck. It was really good. And that we finished off with a pear-hazelnut torte (from Deborah Madison's Local Flavors):

a simple salad.

2009-04-27T14:57:00.004-04:00

This salad was somewhat inspired by the marinated kale salad at Urban Forage in SF; I've made one that seemed close tho theirs: kale marinated in vinegar and oil until it loses a bit of its crunch. This one here has no oil during the marination process and uses little vinegar. I cut red mustard greens and kale in chiffonade and julienned carrots. That was tossed with salt and a bit of ume vinegar (brown rice or cider or a good red wine one would work as well). That was pressed in the tsukemono ki for three hours (any container with a weight would do). N.b.: this moved along well as it's 75º out. I then squeezed out any excess moisture and drizzed the salad with sesame oil and garnished it with pressed bean curd and roasted black sesame seeds. The mustard greens have so much flavor that the salad needs nothing else.

spring is here

2009-04-27T14:51:00.003-04:00

Fiddleheads feel like definitive proof that Spring has sprung. (75º weather, on the other hand, suggests it may have already passed us by). These hail from the same spot off the bike path where I found them last year.

tsukemono

2009-04-20T16:54:00.007-04:00

A spread entirely of tsukemono. This recipe inspired the daikon pickles (turnips being out of season). I sliced a medium daikon into thin sliced and layered it with salt, strips of kelp soaked in brown rice ad ume vinegars and topped it with Japanese chili powder. I drizled some of the kelp soaking vinegar on top and pressed it in a tsukemono ki for about four hours. I then cut it into squares and held them together with skewers. Really quite wonderful: spicy from the chili as well as the daikon and just a bit salty. There was also the carrot-burdock pickle, a quick cucumber pickle (cucumber tossed with salt and dulse and pressed for four hours) and a lotus root-and-carrot pickle from Quick and Easy Tsukemono. This was my first time working with lotus root. It's like water chestnuts but nuttier and with a smoother texture. Wonderful.

« housewarming »

2009-04-20T07:33:00.009-04:00

This weekend my roommate and I had a seven-month belated "housewarming" and quite a spread of food. Highlights included a vegan cucumber dip with a base of cashews ground with cucumber water from the shredded cucumber that were added at the end, a walnut-cremini pâté (also vegan), rillettes, gougères (Tartine's recipe), baked leeks wrapped in bacon (those disappeared in minutes) and a three-mushroom puff-pastry tart (the puff pastry came out wonderfully, much better than last time I made it. Rolling it thicker and baking hot helped).

haricots verts & almonds / leeks & bacon

rillettes de porc

2009-04-20T07:25:00.005-04:00

Made rillettes de porc in the same style as the duck rillettes I made a few weeks back. I was very happy with how they came out. Marinated 1½ pounds of pork belly with allspice, one star anise, lemon peel, coriander seeds, a small stick of cinnamon, peppercorns and some read wine. I seared it, cooked it at 275º for 3 hours and I had a cup of slow-roasted pork belly ready to be shredded and packed into pots.

101

2009-04-15T15:46:00.003-04:00

Nothing is quite so satisfying than making a stock so rich it gels.

And then freezing it in ice cube trays for easy access.

5-minute dinner

2009-04-06T19:06:00.005-04:00

A very satisfying five-minute dinner. First step, had leftover brown rice. Second, sautéed green beans (the skinny haricots verts), with cashews and black sesame seeds (for three minutes at most, on high). Third, added tamari and mirin. Done. Delicious.

pickling

2009-04-06T18:43:00.007-04:00

Made two types of pickles recently, a brined burdock-and-carrot pickle and a tsukemono-style eggplant.

The burdock (gobō) and carrot pickle was a basic brined vegetable pickle with about two teaspoons of salt in a cup of water. (I usually refer to Wild Fermentation for basic brining techniques). I had about a quart of thinly sliced burdock and carrot with some shredded ginger and Korean chili pepper flakes. After 5 days it was tart but still very crunchy. The earthiness of the burdock permeates the carrots and the ginger brightens everything up.

Meanwhile, the eggplants were pressed in my tsukemono ki. I tossed a very long Chinese eggplants that was cut into one-inch lengths with a teaspoon-and-a-half of salt and then tossed them with dulse flakes, a type of seaweed that is relatively sweet. I pressed the eggplants for a good day, tossing them a few times throughout. They lose some moisture, obviously, and remain a little spongy but lose the bitterness of raw eggplants. I ate most of them snacking after dinner. Perfect for warm evenings and pilsener.

shokutaku tsukemono ki

2009-03-26T17:14:00.009-04:00

I finally buckled down and bought myself a shokutaku tsukemono ki, a tabletop pickle press (I had been waiting to come across one that wasn't plastic, but that doesn't seem likely to happen).

It's quiet small, with a "capacity" of 2.2L, but I'm guessing that in reality it'll be about half that size. I have Ikuko Hisamatsu's Quick and Easy Tsukemono which covers eveything from lightly marinated cooked vegatables to rice bran — or nuka — pickles. (Nukamiso-zuke should probably be made in a non-plastic container; I've made them in a Burley crock, traditionally they're made in wooden barrels that breathe more). The size will be perfect for small batches of things; the screw helps pull more moisture out of the vegetables to speed fermentation.

I also think that the rectangular will be great for whole carrots, burdock strips, daikon, asparagus and other long vegetables (and I have multiple round crocks anyway). Here's to a spring of new and exciting pickles!

Lastly, anyone know if this warning is something to be heeded? (Click to enlarge).

Gyuniku no Misozuke

2009-03-25T19:06:00.008-04:00

Maybe I'm anæmic, maybe having red meat last night just had me craving more. Same project as last night: various vegetables in the fridge; went and bought a cut of meat. This time, a strip steak that looked to have lots of juicy fat (it was melt-in-your-mouth good, actually).

Instead of turning to Julia Child, I went to Hiroko Shimbo's The Japanese Kitchen. I marinated the trimmed steak in miso, sake and mirin (the steak protectively wrapped in cheesecloth, an interesting method). The fat I trimmed was rendered for a fried brown rice with onions, garlic and Japanese scallions (Shimbo called for shiso, which I grew last year and is otherwise impossible to find out here. Moreover, there were scallions in the vegetable bin). The steak was seared, sliced and served with a reduction of the marinade and a dash more of sake (Shimbo called for brandy, of which I have none).

That I served with Shimbo's a cold stir-fried carrot and burdock and my pickled asparagus.

The steak was incredible. Even though it was only marinated for three hours, it had a wonderful aroma of miso and some sweetness from the mirin; it was just seared and rosy pink inside. Delicious.
The fried rice was perfect. It was strong (from the beef fat) and could hold its own against the steak. The Japanese scallions, added at the end, livened it up.
Pickled asparagus was a sharp contrast to the sweet of the miso and the fat of the steak and rice. And they are perfectly intact and flavorful, fermented ten (!) months ago.
And then the burdock and carrot: both vegetables regained all of their crunch after cooling. The earthiness of the burdock and the sweetness of the carrot were a perfect match for the pickles and meat, something-in between the two.

This is excessively verbose. But it was that good.