Creme Brulee

So, I'm a terrible blogger it seems. It's been three long, tortuous months of summer since I last posted. I suppose my only excuse is children, or a throw back emotion that I can't seem to get anything done while summer in in full swing. I guess I am pretending I'm a kid again, goofing off. At least I have not put my cooking on the back burner. I HAVE been cooking. I even took some recipes from my cookbooks with me on vacation. I'll try to catch up on those later.




This week I made creme brulee from Sherry Yard's The Secrets of Baking. I have to admit I bought this cookbook more for looks than the recipes. It is just such a pretty thing to look at. All dressed up and no where to go. Sitting on my shelf for 3 years, waiting to be used. See, this is why this blog is so good for me; I am actually using these books, as there were intended.

The recipe was simple, as creme brulee was meant to be. Only four ingredients in the whole thing, hard to mess up, really. Plus, I get to use my blow torch. Always mind the woman with fire. What I especially liked about this recipe were the four variations she offered to the base recipe: Eggnog, Ginger, Passion fruit, and Pumpkin. I might just have to try that pumpkin one, intriguing. Having broken the seal on this cookbook, I come away knowing Sherry Yard book isn't just for looks, she's a girl with substance too. Good looks AND smarts.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Rhubarb. Either you love it or hate it. It's an odd vegetable. I'm trying to think of another veggie that takes well to sugar, but it escapes me. I was raised with rhubarb, as a good English girl should be. I cannot remember if my mum grew it, but she definitely grew strawberries, rhubarb's best friend.

Rumor has it that James Beard is a native pdxer (Portland). It would make sense, given his appreciation for good food and fresh ingredients, which is what the Portland food scene is all about. The cookbook, Beard on Food, is more his musings on food with tidbits thrown in. Because of this, I felt it was within bounds to adapt his rhubarb pie recipe to add strawberries. I subtracted about 1/2 cup of sugar from the recipe and added 1 cup more total fruit than the recipe called for. The results were delicious. Even my six year old, who hates pie (you read that right) ate some. Sure, it was doused with vanilla ice cream, but it counts! Most L and I especially liked the added depth the orange rind added. I definitely recommend this recipe.

Herbed Baby Potatoes with Lemon Vinaigrette and Wild Arugula Salad with shaved Parmesan and Lemon

You can already tell by the title of this post, the theme was Lemon. It was an unplanned theme, but a theme none the less. As I mentioned previously, we started our CSA this week. As such, I have been more inspired to search out recipes to use the bounty provided. And no, before you go all crazy on me, we did not get lemons in our CSA share. That's that I mean by "unplanned".

Herbed Baby Potatoes with Lemon Vinaigrette from the June 2008 Martha Stewart Living

I initially fell in love with this recipe because of the picture. The cute little round yellow potatoes, flecked with green herbed looked mighty appealing. Now that I have made and photographed the little potatoes, I see the importance of a food stylish. Namely, I am not one. But I digress. The recipe was quite simple, yet brilliant. In a saute pan you put 1/4 cup EVOO with red pepper flakes and garlic. Once cooked you toss it over the warm potatoes, along with lemon juice and herbs. As this was an unplanned menu, I did not have the dill the recipe called for, but I don't think I missed it. It was mildly spicy and quite tasty. I think it is one of the best darn things I've eaten in a while. Mental note to self: make this again, and SOON!
recipe:

HERBED BABY POTATOES WITH LEMON VINAIGRETTE
SERVES 4 TO 6
1 y, pounds round baby potatoes, peeled
Coarse salt
14 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
14 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh
flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint Freshly ground pepper
1. Place potatoes and 3 tablespoons salt in a medium saucepan. Cover with water, and bring to a simmer. Cook until a knife pierces through potatoes with little resistance, about 10 minutes Drain; transfer to a bowl.
2. Heat oil, garlic, and red-pepper flakes in a small skillet over medium-low heat until garlic is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Pour over potatoes. Add lemon juice and herbs, and toss. Season with salt and pepper.

Wild Arugula Salad with shaved Parmesan and Lemon from the June 2008 Bon Appetite

Firstly, I must note that the recipe, as published, calls for garlic croutons, which I did not make. I felt the potatoes alone were enough starch for one meal, and thusly, skipped them. The recipe is so simply, it begs to even be called a "recipe". I could have made this one up on my own, with a bit of thought. But I didn't have to, which I guess is the point. The lemon brought out the brightness of the CSA arugula. The shaved Parmesan was a nice rich note with the other wise bright and peppery salad. I do think the salad would have benefited from the croutons, but I feel a tad smug that I took a lower calorie and fat laden route instead. I recommend this salad if you have some truly young and fresh arugula you wish to not over power. Unfortunately, it doesn't hold a candle to the potatoes. Sigh.

The potting soil bandit

I have a bag of potting soil round the side of my house. It's not a fenced area, but you cannot see the bag from the street. Well, this morning there was a pile of the potting soil, a discarded pot, and no bag of potting soil. It looks like the dumped out some of the bag because it was too heavy and took the rest. Was someone just walking by with a plant and just REALLY needed to plant something?

Our running theory is this: The Obama headquarters for pdx is a few blocks away. We think the revellers from last night win were walking by and needed to do a celebratory planting.

In other news, K and I start our CSA today. I am like a kid at Christmas. I hear the bounty starts out slow, which is fine. Today we expect radishes, young garlic, arugula, lettuce and some type of bok choi. All organic. I walked to the market bright and early to get some fish and plan a nice fresh salad with it. The toddler (C) really wanted to snack on a raw potato, but I demurred. he was appeased by a banana.

Rosie's Award Winning Brownies

So, as I stated earlier, we have some new neighbors. I've met them before, plenty of times, but I'm excited to do the "neighborly thing" and give them baked goods. It just fits in with my idea of my little neighborhood as Mayberry-ish. What better to welcome someone than a plate full of chocolate brownies.

This book has got my favorite title ever: Rosie's All-Butter, Fresh Cream, Sugar Packed, No Holds Barred Baking Book. A mouthful, but an important one. It is written by Judy Rosenberg, of Rosie's Bakery in Boston, as I understand it. I have never been to Boston, but my sister in law assures me their stuff is top notch. Note to self, when the husband visits Boston next week have his bring something travelable home.

I have made countless items from the cookbook. It honestly is my most used cookbook I own. To my knowledge, though, I'd never attempted to make the brownies. I've not been much of a brownie person in the past, not sure why, but there it is. Perhaps I'll have to rethink this. I made the brownies true to the recipe, though I did one batch without nuts and one with. When giving baked goods as a gift, I like to leave out the nuts, just in case of allergy.

Haven't heard anything from the neighbors since I gifted them the brownies (I'm finishing this post 2 days later). They aren't dead, so that's a positive sign. The husband also got to try them. agreed they are cakey, rather than the chewy kind. Good chocolaty flavor, but my inclination is for a chewy brownie. If anyone has any recommendations for a different recipe to try, I'm all mouth, I mean ears.

Pix Patisserie

Today is K's 40th birthday. Last night we celebrated, as girls are wont to do, in high style with decadent desserts and alcohol. I mean, really, what else is there. A good fried cheese curd would have been welcomed, but it wasn't the scene.
Inherited from my mother, I have developed a strong passion for passion fruit. Anything passion fruit. As if it were made just for moi, Pix last night had a most heavenly Passion fruit Creme Brulee. Two of my favorite things rolled into one. How could I resist. Well, why would I, really. I paired m selection with an old standby, Bonny Doon Framboise. Old standby for me, as I'm a UC Santa Cruz grad and spend quite a few Saturdays at the Bonny Doon tasting room. For those unaccustomed, Framboise is a raspberry dessert wine. quite strong in flavor, but it can be mixed with champagne for a lighter touch. I highly recommend both.

In other news, I am a bit disturbed my the lack of citizenry displayed in front of my house this morning. We are getting new neighbors today (yay!) which means the street in front of their house has cones with "NO PARKING" signs. Kind of hard to miss, them really. So, as I'm walking my daughter to school, some lady on a cell phone in mini van pulls up and parks in the loading zone. She puts on her hazards. Oh, she must be helping the new neighbors move in, how nice. Nope. She gets out and walks down the street. I yell after her about the no parking area. She says, "I know, that's why I put my hazards on". Well, bully for you. I guess she's special and can park where she wants. Hazards make it so. It wouldn't bug me so much if there was not a free space not 10ft in front of her car, 2 directly across the street, and 2 more a bit further down (actually closer to the house that she was visiting.) I mean, really. How hard is it to pull forward? Monumentally difficult, it seems. She was there for 25 minutes, too. I believe in being a good citizen. I am a bit bothered by her selfishness, to be honest.

Quatro de Mayo

L and I use any holiday, culturally our own or not, to celebrate with food. So, in keeping with that idea, we celebrated Cinco de Mayo culinarily. I actually don't think I'd know another way to celebrate it. I'm ashamed that I don't really know what the holiday is about. Used to. Lost to more important information, such as teacher appreciation week schedules. ho hum.

Anyhoo, we set out a feast for K and her family and J and her family. Six adults, three 6 year olds, and three 1 year olds. Mayhem ensued. We make red pozole from Rick Bayless's cook book, tacos with either chicken, steak, or pork. Crock pot pinto beans, salsa fresca, chipolte salsa, guacamole. There were strawberry margaritas and cerveza it be had. Heck, we even had a pinata that had been sitting idle in the basement. The pinata met it's destiny. Poor little fishy. My one year old kept saying "uh-oh" as he was getting whacked.

Revision, Change, and Belgian Fries

Well, in an attempt to make me update this blog more often, I've devised a format change. Hoping not to jump the shark, here, but in addition to my own recipe exploration, I'm going to add my food experiences beyond the home. This could include unsuspecting friends (or suspecting, smirk), trips to the local Belgian Fry cart, or even my dear husband's cooking tribulations. Actually, he's quite a good cook in him own right, which is why I married him, give or take.

Now, back to the fries I just casually mentioned above. I am ever so luck, or unlucky as the diet would have it, to have at the end of my block a formerly vacant parking lot with 4 food carts. Sounds like a classy neighborhood, no? Actually, it's quite mayberryish in ways, but Portland has an unexpected food cart scene that rivals Los Angeles, my former home. In said parking lot, we have a Burrito cart El Brasero, a hot wings place, a soup cart, and most recently a Belgian Fry cart called potato Champion. They have three things on the menu: fries, poutine, and sodas. Fries are served in a cone with the dip of your choice, mostly mayonnaise themed. We tried the Remoulade and the Pesto Mayonnaise. Both were excellent. I preferred the pesto, K preferred the remoulade, it seemed. The kids stuck to ketchup or plain, the exception being little C (my 16 month old) who also liked the pesto mayo. The fries were cooked to order and deliciously salted and crunchy. We did not try the poutine, as I'm not Canadian. Ok, maybe that's not the reason. I'm scared I might actually like fries with gravy and cheese curds. Speaking of cheese curds, I questioned the proprietor concerning the possibility of fried cheese curds gracing the menu and met with a favorable, if tentative, response. Perhaps in a month my diet will take a total nose dive. Yippee. Cannot resist the cheese curds.

Potato Champion is located on the corner of Hawthorne and 12th in Portland. They are open daily from 6pm-1am, and on weekends until 3am! Hows that for some late night munching!

Fried Chicken

In true Southern style-hearkening back to my husband's father's family, I explored true southern Fried Chicken. My husband's family is from Alabama. It's where we took our honeymoon. And before you get all bent out of shape with my nontraditional honeymoon, let me assure you it was at a most romantic, secluded cabin on a lake. It was lovely. We saw not a soul unless we wanted to.
Back to the more important topic, food: Let me just say the fried chicken I had in Montgomery, AL was the best I have, or ever will, taste. If you're ever in Montgomery, I highly recommend Martin's, near the Country club. http://local.yahoo.com/details?id=14808737 Best Fried chicken and coconut creme pie ever. In fact, order the pie first. It's a mile high and easily sharable. Unfortunately for me, martin's does not have a cook book, so I cannot replicate their recipe. I do have the next best thing, though. The Blue Moon Revisited is a collection of recipes from a now defect Montgomery restaurant. My husband's grandparents would visit the Blue Moon on special occasions. Eating out was no regular activity back then. I decided to try their recipe for Fried Chicken, to see if 1. I could replicate it, and 2. if it matched up to Martin's Fried Chicken.

The recipe is very straightforward and simple. The recipe make an off-hand remark about soaking the chicken overnight in buttermilk. "...chicken cooked in this manner is also delicious but I am not sure it is worth the extra time and effort." I love that! Not your usual cookbook writing style.

The chicken turned out reasonably well, but it was a pale comparison to the Martin's Fried Chicken. I think the key is a deep fryer, which I do not own. Also, I only soaked my chicken in buttermilk for an hour, instead of overnight. Lacked the time or forethought, I guess. I also recommend increasing the salt a bit. I'm not a big salt eater, but I found the recipe a bit shy of the needed amount.

Recipe:
FRIED CHICKEN (6 servings)
3.,.2114 lb. fryers, cut in serving pieces
Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup flour
112 tsp. paprika
1 to 1112 tsp. salt 112 tsp. pepper 112 tsp. Accent
Wash and dry fryers thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper at least an hour before frying. Mix flour and other dry ingredients well. Dredge chicken pieces in flour. Fry chicken in heavy iron skillet in 1'12 inches of very hot melted vegetable shortening or Wesson oil. After chicken is browned on both sides, lower heat and continue cooking until thoroughly done. Drain well on absorbent paper. Chicken soaked overnight in buttermilk, drained well and cooked in this manner is also delicious but I am not sure it is worth the extra time and effort.

Seafood Paella

Ok, so I've been a bit remiss with my blogging. I apologize to my 2 readers. Smirk. Luckily for you, while I may not have been publishing, I HAVE been cooking.

About four weeks ago, I tried the Seafood Paella from 365 Ways to Cook Fish and Shellfish. To be honest, I have never cooked a single item from this cookbook previously. I was given "365" by a friend who was clearing out her cookbook collection, also realizing that she had never actually used the book. Doesn't sound like a winning recommendation, eh?

I'd gotten a burr in my behind to make Paella for some time. I once had a truly magnificent Paella in Provence, France, made by an actually Spanish grandmother. Comfortable with the knowledge that I would never replicate this dish as I had it made by her, I trudged on. I had recently eaten Paella at a friend's house, which was very tasty. Unfortunately, her family does not eat or enjoy the taste of seafood, so hers was a purely chicken and sausage variety. I yearned for a rich seafood paella ever since.

I found the recipe to be straightforward and probably the easiest of all recipes I've attempted so far. I added two Spanish sausages to the Paella, even though the recipe did not call for it. It is a seafood and shellfish cookbook. Not a seafood, shellfish and sausage cookbook. I also had to use vegetable broth instead of the fish stock. I'm the type of girl who often has homemade chicken stock on hand, but I have never had homemade fish stock on hand. Never. Not once. They also did not sell fish stock at my local speciality grocery. Another note: I was concerned about the cost of this meal considering the relative price of seafood. For the seafood ingredients listed in the recipe, plus the sausage, my total came to $15. The recipe made enough for plenty of leftovers, so I actually felt this recipe was quite economical.

The Husband happily ate the Paella for two dinners in one week. My daughter seemed enthusiastic about the Paella, except the mussels, which she refuse to try. Her favorite were the calamari. The did not partake in this recipe as shellfish is something we want to introduce slowly, not as a mixed bag all at once. I definitely recommend this recipe to anyone who enjoy seafood. It may not be as authentic as the Paella I enjoyed in Europe, but any grandmother would happily enjoy it.

The recipe can be found here:



If this is unreadable, please email me and I will send you a better copy.

Bran Muffins

Not sure why, but I find it slightly amusing that I did not know what went into bran muffins. What IS bran exactly? Husband, ever the encyclopedia, came to the rescue. Off to New Seasons Market we went, kids to tow, to the bulk section to ferret out Bran. Light and fluffy stuff, who knew?

To put it respectfully, the baby has been having some #2 issues lately and I wanted to do what I could to remedy the situation naturally, rather than medically. Plus, who can resist a muffin. You can always count me in when good food is involved. I took the basic Bran Muffin recipe from The Best Recipe. Based on the comment from a reader on my Buttermilk Muffin post, I felt confident that this was the muffin book for me. Been on a bit of a muffin kick, lately. No, no muffins were ACTUALLY kicked.

Not much to say about the recipe. Hard to screw up a muffin, isn't it? I followed the recipe to the letter and the muffins turned out beautifully. All were eaten dutifully by the family. The baby enjoyed them most specifically, but alas, the disired affect was not forth comming. Made the rest of us pretty, um, regular, though.

Brunswick Stew

This is yet another one pot chicken recipe, detecting a theme? I guess when I'm sick, I don't want to scrimp on flavor, but be damned if I'm going to do dishes! The Brunswick Stew was from the January 2008 Gourmet, which focused mainly on Southern dishes. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/241201 My father in law is from Alabama, originally, so the family meets there every summer for vacation. I'd seen brunswick stew at the local curb market (like a farmers market) in canning form, but never tried it. I have a mild aversion to eating cute bunnies, I guess. Also, just because the local farmer SAYS their stew contains rabbit, does not make it so. My version of brunswick stew, as prepared from the Gourmet article, contains good ol' straight laced chicken.

Another boon for this recipe, at least for some, is the use of frozen vegetables. To my knowledge, I have only even purchased frozen peas. After much staring at the frozen food case, I was able to find lima beans. The recipe also calls for frozen corn. This is a recipe, with the use of canned tomatoes and chicken broth, that could be completely made from the freezer and cuppoards. Other than fresh garlic and onions which both have a long shelf life, nothing preishable is essential for this recipe.

The leftovers for this meal , and boy were there leftovers, went fast in our house. Coupled with rice, it made for a great cold weather warm up. All family members enjoyed the Brunswick stew. I did have to convince my daughter that lima beans were closely related to edamame, a strong favorite around here. Once my powers of persuasion had their effect, the lima beans were eaten heartily. I recommend this recipe for ease of use, one-potness, being child friendly, and for those times when you have no fresh ingredients on hand.

Chicken Tangine with Apricots

This recipe was taken from the February 2008 Gourmet, an article called The Spice is Right. http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2008/02/chicken_tagine_with_apricots It was an article about Algerian cooking, not an ethnicity I have ever cooked from before. Seems very similar to Moroccan cooking, which I have attempted a few times, but not in many years. I think the last time I cooked a tangine was pre-children, so at least 6 years ago!

The thing I liked most about this recipe was the one-potness of it. Aside from the chicken which I browned in a small pan, everything cooked in one large pot. This is very handy for a mom trying to get dinner on the table. Only one item to keep an eye on. According to the recipe, total time was 2 hours, but most of that was not active time. I was able to watch/play with the kids and from time to time go in a check on it. I did tweak the recipe in two ways. The original recipe calls for spiced pinenuts for sprinkling on top of the finished dish, which I did not do. I felt it too time consuming for a weeknight meal. Second, in the last 15 minutes I added some mixed vegetables to the top of the pot to steam with the food. I used bell peppers, zuchini, and winter squash to help round out this dish.



Unfortunately, I had a cold when I cooked this, so I'll have to depend on my families comments for the verdict. Personally, I found the dish flavorful, even to my muted tastebuds. The husband seemed enthusiatic and ate everything put in front of him. He did not go for seconds, nor did he eat any leftovers, though. My daughter ate the chicken, but turned up her nose at the veggies. You win some, you lose some. The baby also had the aforementioned cold and seemed uninterested in the meal. Over all, I'd say this is a keeper. I liked having something "different" in my recipe repetoire for chicken, which can get staid at times. I also like that there was only one pot to clean after the meal.

Autumn Beet Salad with Spiced Pecans, Pears and Fourme D'Ambert

This weekend was a busy one for recipes. The above titled recipe actually has 3 recipes from the same book as components of the final product. The Salad, as it will here to be named, is from Frank Stitt's Southern Table.
On Sunday the 13th our family had a Mardi Gras/birthday party to attend. Being the good friend I am (I try!) I offered to bring something to the party. The hostess requested salad, as she hates making salad? Who hates making salad? My friend, I guess. She also gave me the option of bringing something kid friendly instead, as she was concerned that some of the kids might not like the gumbo she was going to serve. As a fan of making kids eat fun and interesting things, I opted not to make kid food, and to make a yummy salad. My husband was amused I picked a salad with beets as I think they taste like dirt. Ever the grown up, I resolved to try them again for the sake of the blog.
The salad consisted of gold and red beets, freshly roasted, mixed green lettuce, Bartlett pears, spiced pecans, some Fourme d'Ambert blue cheese, and slab bacon. Not a low-cal salad, but this is for a party! When cooking for parties, rules go out the window, do they not? Unless, of course, it's for a diet party. That's not the type of party I'd like to attend. The dressing for the salad was Mr. Stitts sherry vinaigrette. The Spiced Pecans were also from a recipe on a different part of the book. Handily, the husband had made these previously for a gift and had leftovers hanging around.
The recipe was easy and straight forward. I think the only drawback to the recipe was the wait time for the beets to roast. We baked ours fro 60 minutes (the recipe stated 45-60 minutes) and ours still turned our a bit on the firm side. But we had a party to get to, so we played it off as intentional.
The salad was well received by the hostess and the guests alike. The hostess gave due credit whenever someone complimented her on the salad. My landlords wife came up to me specifically to tell me how much she enjoyed it. Heck, even I ate the beets. They were delicious. I liked the firm texture, but I'm a beet novice, so someone else might not be as enthusiastic about them.
My husband liked the salad, I think. Didn't really get to see him much at the party. My kids did not try the salad (both enjoyed the gumbo, though). I guess I'll have to take others compliments to heart that this was a successful salad.

Buttermilk Muffins

On Saturday January 12th a muffin was needed. Sometimes that happens. You wake up, and think, "Hey, I need a muffin." That's what happened to me.
Since the purpose of this blog is to try out new a different recipes from my cookbooks. So, that meant I could NOT make a muffin recipe I had already tried, as sad as that is. My husband suggested Buttermilk muffins, but I was wary. Buttermilk biscuits, hell yeah, buttermilk pancakes are a favorite. Buttermilk Muffins? I was intrigued, if only mildly.
The recipe was chosen from the Better Homes and Gardens New Baking Book. It is a spiral bound style cookbook, with some very basic, but delicious recipes. They supply one basic muffin recipe with many variations. This is a recipe that can be used to suit whatever one had on hand, from blueberries to apples with cinnamon. The recipe was straight forward and very easy. The cooking time was also accurate.
My husband ate three. Need I say more?
My daughter spread hers with lemon curd. She was skeptical of the name, but once tasted, they were devoured.
My 12 month old son didn't say much other than, "mmmmmmnnnn", over and over again. I think that meant he liked them. I would definitely try this recipe again.

Salsa All'amatriciana (Pasta Sauce)

In a complete departure from yesterday's Indian meal, today I attempted a basic, but authentic, Italian recipe. I have to admit I went searching for a recipe to suit what I already had on hand. I did not pick a recipe first, then go purchase ingredients. I am one of those people that often has too much food on hand. My best friend calls attention to the fact that I have a nut section in my cupboard, with probably at least 10 types of nuts. She's the kind of gal who rarely shops in advance (at least to my knowledge), but rather shops as the need arises. I often too much food on hand, of varying commonness and rarity.
Today's recipe, Salsa All'amatriciana was chosen from Everyday Italian, by Giada DeLaurentiis. It was chosen mainly because I had pancetta on hand that needed to be use. Also, tomorrow is grocery store day, so today's fridge inhaibtants were sparse. Giada descibes the recipe as such, "This is Rome's famous pasta sauce, but the recipe actually originated in a town outside Rome, called amatrice. This sauce is bold and perfectly balances with tangy tomatoes, sweet onion, and the salty meatiness of pancetta. In the time it takes to boil the water (for the pasta) the sauce is finished."
Ms. DeLaurentiis' claim that the sauce is quick and easy was quite accurate. While it took me a little longer to prep the ingredients than it took her, the sauce was perfectly finished by the time the pasta was cooked. The pancetta could be easily substituted with bacon for an easy everyday meal. Not everyone has pancetta just lying around.
The family's reaction:
My husband again went back for seconds as he did the night before with the cauliflower. I joked that he was not going to make it through the year if he keeps having second helpings. His NYR next year might to be to eat less of my cooking. He said he liked the authentic taste of the sauce. It tasted simple, but very real.


My daughter, aged 6, said it was "really good". She ate almost her entire serving. She might have continued had I not brought out the ice cream to the table. My bad.
My son, aged 12 months, seemed uninterested in food all together. He did take a few bites. No pasta was through over the side of the highchair. I take this as a good sign in babyworld.

This is definitely a recipe that lives up to the title of the book, Everyday Italian. It's a great variation on the standard red sauce. I estimate that I will now make this meal once a month.

Whole Cauliflower in Traditional Curry Sauce

Perhaps Indian cooking is a bit more ambitious of a beginning than some might choose. Many home cooks are familiar with French, Italian, even Chinese cooking (for those not natively of those origins). My parents are English, known the world over as bad cooks, so I have learned to look elsewhere for my culinary skills. I must give props to my mother, though. She is a wonderful, if not intuitive cook. What I mean by intuitive is this: My mother rarely uses recipes. she can somehow cook by intuitive and experience to create wonderful meals. I hope that I can honestly say that I have gained a little bit of this type of cooking myself.

This brings me back to my NYR to actually use the cookbooks at my hands to follow time tested techniques and recipes, rather than relying on intuition alone. Intuition does not always serve me well. In a previous incarnation of my desire to steer away from my intuitive cooking, I took a Indian Dahl class in Los Angeles. It was taught by a most wonderful lady, Neelam Batra. She forced me to be more patient with my cooking, to let things sit and brown, to develop flavor. It was a great class, albeit too short. Three hours, including the time to feast upon the products of our lesson.

I felt it only apropos to start my Year Of Recipes with a book I purchased from that class. The purpose of this blog is to try at least one recipe from each of my cookbooks in my collection, and one recipe a month from either Bon Appetit or Gourmet. I chose Whole Cauliflower in Traditional Curry Sauce. To quote from Ms. Batra's book, "In this recipe, a whole head of cauliflower, smothered in a fragrant curry sauce, makes for a dinner party dish par excellence." The curry itself is made of a onion, ginger, garlic paste, pureed fresh tomatoes, yogurt, and various spices. From start to finish, this recipe took a little under one hour. To make it fair, though, I was also cooking the rest of the meal that would accompany the cauliflower dish. Had I focused solely on the one item, I might have cut the cooking time to 45 minutes. The the main reason the recipe took me so long is the long simmering time in between the addition of three separate componets, the ginger/garlic/onion (10 minutes), the tomato puree (10 minutes), the spices and yogurt with the cauliflower (20 minutes).



I give high marks to this recipe, it was flavorful and interesting. My husband actually went back for seconds. My six year old pronounced it disgusting, and my 1 year old took a few bites. I do not think this is a stand alone dish. It is a side dish, even for the most avid vegetarian. I would definately make it again, but probably not often. It will definately not make it into my everyday rotation.

A Year Of Recipes-Introduction

New Years Resolutions are not my thing. They are for people that need to improve themselves. Heck, I'm not saying that I don't have some improvements to make, but a NYR just seemed like such a forced way to change oneself. Also, they often don't seem to have a startling success rate. The most popular NYR seems to encompass dieting. Again, losing weight is something I surely could stand to do, but when I decided to make my very first NYR, I went in the opposite direction, as it were.

I love to cook and love all things relating to food. Correction: I love MOST things culinary. I am not an avid consumer of jellied eel, for instance. S0, within reason, I might be considered a foodie. I love trying new restaurants, especially ethnically diverse ones. I read the food section of the local newspaper, and often peruse the SF Chronicle and NY Times food sections when time permits. I subscribe to Bon Appetit and Gourmet, but rarely make the recipes in them. I realized recently that this might be a short coming of mine. What's the point of subscribing to the magazine if I wasn't going to USE it?

My New Year's Resolution: To make at least one recipe from each of my cookbooks in 2008. Also, to make at least on recipe a month from Gourmet or Bon Appetit.

I'm not exactly sure how many cookbooks I own, but it's no small change, I assure you. I hope at some point to get down to the knitty gritty of the matter and count them, but that will have to come later. The cookbooks I own range from 1000 Indian Recipes by a woman that I took a cooking class from, to a whole cookbook about corn that I received from a friend when they were moving.It is an eclectic assortment, to be sure. My husband, always the supportive chap, is interested and mildly amused to see what recipes I end up choosing. Some of these books were his before our marriage, and while they are shared property, still are his in an emotional way. He is eager to see how I utilize these books, as he is as much, or more so, a foodie as I.