mousse de foies de volaille

For party food, you really can't go wrong with Julia Child's chicken liver mousse in aspic. Very simple (okay, not the aspic, but that's optional), and very delicious. And good chicken livers have become more and more available.

canelés, attempt nº 2

The second attempt at canelés was much better. Started at 400ºF, lowered to 350º after 30 mins. I also used a coating mixture that was higher in beeswax than safflower oil, and being the second attempt they were probably better seasoned, the canelés slid right out of the molds—perfectly.

canelés, attempt nº 1

I was recently in Paris and have been wanting to make canelés for years. I went to Dehillerin—the finest cookware supply store that exists (since 1820!)—and bought some canelé molds.

Following Paula Wolfert's Canelé de Bordeaux recipe, I started by seasoning the new molds. They get oiled and then baked.

The batter is similar to a crêpe batter—very wet—with the addition of rum. This needs to rest at least 24 hours.

And since these adorable molds are tin-lined copper that bakes for at least an hour, butter will not do. Wolfert suggests beeswav and safflower oil. Beeswax is the key to the perfect crust. It is also very difficult to get off of and out of containers and utensils.

I filled each tin with the mixture—"white oil"—to get a decent covering. I preheated the tins in the oven (on warming setting). At first I thought I had too much wax, so re-did some.

These then rest for 6-7 hours and go into the freezer before filling.

The molds get filled most of the way up.

These aren't the larger molds, and took about an hour.

Of thirteen molds, these six were presentable. More wax on try nº2! The are, nonetheless, delicious (and much better than the average pâtisserie's limp and few-days-old canelés).

Wolfert notes, on cleaning the molds: "After baking, don't wash or scrub the interiors of the molds. To remove baked debris: place the molds in a moderate oven; heat until debris burns; remove debris with paper toweling." Of course, this is a messy and smoky process.

panino con trippa alla fiorentina

Last time that I had a tripe sandwhich was in Philly; This one, in Florence, was melt-in-your-mouth tender and delicious, cooked with tomato and seasoned with chilli pepper on a simple bun.

les marchés ouverts

I love open-air Parisian markets -- and it's nice to be staying in a place where I can cook. There were also sardines, which I think will be wonderful with fennel and leeks. All those artichokes were only 2€, which would be unimaginable in Chicago.

chicken fat

Once you have started frying eggs in rendered chicken fat, it is hard to go back. This was destined for a sandwich with tomatoes and Pecorino Romano. Delicious.

tacos

Long day workwise and had not eaten by 8pm, so I figured that I ought to. I was craving tacos, but there are not any great taquerias near my house, and I already had onions, cilantro and jalapenos: I bought a couple of bone-in breasts (I refuse to buy skinless chicken breasts) and ground them up whole on the coarse setting running the skin through as well (in a meat grinder that is at least fifty years old but works perfect). I toasted cumin seeds, peppercorns and dried cayenne peppers and then ground them up. I heated a bit of water in a sauté pan (I trick I learned making the Thai dish laab), added some salt and the ground chicken and then stirred in the spice mixture and cooked until it was done and the liquid was mostly gone. Heat your (corn) tortillas as normal and serve with cilantro, onions, and jalapenos. The jalapenos are perfect for muggy weather and the allergies associated therewith, and even grinding your own meat, this only takes minutes.

Julia Child, August 15, 1912 - August 13, 2004

I grew up watching Julia Child on WGBH Boston and her approach to cooking led to a lifetime of me being excited about food and all things culinary. Here are a handful of adventures from the last few years:

• Clafoutis aux pêches: a pear custard.
• Lapin au saupiquet: marinated rabbit with prunes.
• Julia Child's phenomenal and simple haricots verts with lamb or with rabbit.
• Hollondaise sauce: on eggs Florentine.
• Gratin de pommes de terre aux anchois: a delicious potato gratin.
• Gigot rôti: roast leg of lamb.
• Poulet à l'estragon: chicken with tarragon.
• Roast chicken: Julia Child is the reason that I can make a great roast chicken.
• A Bastille Day party: mini vol-au-vents (bouchées), foies de volailles à l'estragon en aspic (chicken liver pâté in aspic), gâteaux St-Andre (walnut cake), tartes aux framboises.
• Comfort food: biftek sauté au beurre, pommes Anna, champignons sauté à la bordelaise, chou frisé à la vapeur.
• The best pound cake I have eaten: quatre-quarts.
• A simple soufflé. And another.

RIP, Julia.

clafoutis aux pêches

This is Julia Child's basic recipe for clafoutis (from Mastering the Art..., but I subsituted amaretto for vanilla and brandy) with sliced peaches and sour cherries that have been soaking in rum for the last year. The sour cherries, being on top, caramelized and had wonderful flavor. The peaches needed no peeling or preparation: simply sliced, they were great. This is probably my favorite clafoutis of those that I have made.

raspberry tart

The crazy weather this spring and this summer has done terrible thing to crops like sour cherries, but at least the raspberries are doing okay.

gazpacho for the heat wave

Another heat wave is on its way to Chicago, so I'm stocking up on Gazpacho. My last recipe came out of things I had from the market, and this is only slightly modified: 4 large tomatoes, an orange and a red bell pepper, a cucumber, a head of garlic, a red onion, a splash of vinegar, a half bunch of cilantro, salt, freshly ground cumin and pimentón de la Vera dulce, a smoked Spanish paprika. Lastly I added a dose of very good olive oil (maybe a third or quarter cup?), which really rounds it out and makes a difference since it isn't cooked. (This had to be done in two batches in a standard 14c food processor). Makes about two liters.

risotto (without arborio)

I started making risotto and after sautéing onions and having already chopped the asparagus, I realized that I was put of arborio rice. Japansese short-grain rice made for a great substitute, and Grüner Veltliner made for a great base to start the risotto (the broth was chicken-based otherwise).